Polymer

<p>A polymer  is a <a href="/facts/Chemical_substance/EWcXU41d">substance</a> or <a href="/facts/Material/Rmt5HySL">material</a> that consists of very large molecules, or <a href="/facts/Macromolecule/039ULSLg">macromolecules</a>, that are constituted by many <a href="/facts/Repeat_unit/WIxA68X4">repeating subunits</a> derived from one or more species of <a href="/facts/Monomer/Gw3CltMb">monomers</a>. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and natural polymers play essential and ubiquitous roles in everyday life. Polymers range from familiar <a href="/facts/Synthetic_plastic/Kla5QItn">synthetic plastics</a> such as <a href="/facts/Polystyrene/dfIVntty">polystyrene</a> to natural <a href="/facts/Biopolymer/GaCwr4EY">biopolymers</a> such as <a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a> and <a href="/facts/Protein/Jxmagu3E">proteins</a> that are fundamental to biological structure and function. Polymers, both natural and synthetic, are created via <a href="/facts/Polymerization/1hmBz7Ur">polymerization</a> of many small molecules, known as <a href="/facts/Monomer/Gw3CltMb">monomers</a>. Their consequently large <a href="/facts/Molecular_mass/FWueGMed">molecular mass</a>, relative to <a href="/facts/Small_molecule/kbwq3VBn">small molecule</a> <a href="/facts/Compound_(chemistry)/37FXqqtv">compounds</a>, produces unique <a href="/facts/Physical_property/ujcMUceW">physical properties</a> including <a href="/facts/Toughness/1gEIUdBu">toughness</a>, high <a href="/facts/Rubber_elasticity/npcccNzf">elasticity</a>, <a href="/facts/Viscoelasticity/pDhHgx2T">viscoelasticity</a>, and a tendency to form <a href="/facts/Amorphous_solid/YTIzmrR0">amorphous</a> and <a href="/facts/Crystallization_of_polymers/hLNR2u5c">semicrystalline</a> structures rather than <a href="/facts/Crystal/e2R2mk3E">crystals</a>.
</p><p>Polymers are studied in the fields of <a href="/facts/Polymer_science/ulLpdDyQ">polymer science</a> (which includes <a href="/facts/Polymer_chemistry/wdfr6fs4">polymer chemistry</a> and <a href="/facts/Polymer_physics/01sWSKtL">polymer physics</a>), <a href="/facts/Biophysics/l9u5gqCy">biophysics</a> and <a href="/facts/Materials_science/N5HrXRYW">materials science and engineering</a>. Historically, products arising from the linkage of repeating units by <a href="/facts/Covalent/EzMLf3Pz">covalent</a> <a href="/facts/Chemical_bond/ArNUMnIB">chemical bonds</a> have been the primary focus of polymer science. An emerging important area now focuses on <a href="/facts/Supramolecular_polymer/cKaBnyE3">supramolecular polymers</a> formed by <a href="/facts/Non-covalent_interaction/J0pnJCe8">non-covalent</a> links. <a href="/facts/Polyisoprene/XDNArVtr">Polyisoprene</a> of <a href="/facts/Latex/IPBJbKnd">latex</a> <a href="/facts/Rubber/CbsjJxhY">rubber</a> is an example of a natural polymer, and the <a href="/facts/Polystyrene/dfIVntty">polystyrene</a> of <a href="/facts/Expanded_polystyrene/dfIVntty">styrofoam</a> is an example of a synthetic polymer. In biological contexts, essentially all biological <a href="/facts/Macromolecule/039ULSLg">macromolecules</a>—i.e., proteins (polyamides), <a href="/facts/Nucleic_acid/2tTgcI0v">nucleic acids</a> (polynucleotides), and <a href="/facts/Polysaccharide/lqXq2cJU">polysaccharides</a>—are purely polymeric, or are composed in large part of polymeric components.
</p>

Polymer open-in-new

Polymer