Bef
orewediscussmechanicalpr
oper
ti
es,bal
i
kanmonanat i
nangmgabasi ci
deasabout
pol
ymer
ssi
ncemostpr oper
tiesngpol
ymersaynaka-
dependeheav
il
ysakani
l
angstr
uct
ureat
sal
engt
hngchainsni
l
a.
Asweal lknowpol ymer saremadeofv erylong,chain-
li
kemol [Link]
mayt at
longstructureangpolymer s:li
near,branched,atcross-li
nkedornet [Link] i
ng
sal
it
a,anglinearatbr anchedstruct ur
esaymayr el
ativ
elyweaki ntermolecul
arforces,tul
adng
vanderWaal sforces,sapagit
anngkani l
[Link] nahabaangpol ymerchai nan
meronangpol imer sespecial
lyitongl inearpolymer( masmat aasnamol ecul
arwei ght)
,mas
maramingcontactpoi ntssapagitanngchai [Link]
to,nagkakaroonngmasmar amingweak
for
cesinter
actions,kayalumalakasangpol [Link] lkj
ug isstr
ong,t ough,and
doesnotmel ti
nhotwat er
.Whiley ongmgashor tchainsgay angoil atyongmgawaxx
Ontheotherhand,angcr
oss-
li
nkedatnet
wor
kst
ruct
uresaymaycov
alentbonds,whi
char
e
ver
yst
rong,kay
amasmat i
bayangmgaito.
Andalsoangmgast r
aightatunbranchedchainsaymasmadalingmag-
packclosel
ykumpar a
sahighlybr
[Link] hi
s,nagi
gingmasdense,mor
ecryst
all
i
neor gani
ze,at
ul
ti
mat el
ymasstrongerangpolymer.
Last
ly,cross-
li
nki
ng—kapagangpolymerchai
nsayextensi
vel
yconnect
edt
hroughcov
alent
bonds,nagigi
ngmasmat i
gasangpol
ymeratmasmahi
rapit
ongmatunaw.
Withallt hatinmi nd,Letmenow discusst
hemechani
calpr
oper
ti
[Link]
pr
oper t
iesdescribehow poly
mersbehavewhenf
orcesar
eappli
edtothem – whethert
hey
st
retch,snap,dent,
orabsorbi
mpact
.
Wewi
l
lcov
erf
ivemechani
cal
proper
ti
es:
Tensi
l
eSt
rengt
h,Har
dness,
Toughness,
andDuct
il
it
y.
Sowhydopol ymershav esuchlowdensi tycompar edt omet al
s?Ther earetwomai nreasons.
Fir
st ,polymersaremademost l
yoflightatoms–car bon,hydrogen,andoxy [Link] oms
hav ev eryl
owat [Link] ison,ahy drogenatom hasanat omicmassofonl y1,
acar bonat om hasanat omicmassof12, andanoxy genatom hasanat [Link]
met allikeironhasanat omicmassof56,copperhas64,andl [Link] hei ndivi
dual
atomsi npolymersar emuchl ighterthantheat omsi nmet al
[Link], polymerchainsar elong
andf l
exibl
e,andev enwhent heypackt ogether,t
herei ssti
llsomeempt yspace–cal ledfree
volume–bet weent hechai [Link] yspacemakest hemat er
iallessdense.I nmet als,
atomsar epackedt ightlyincrystalstr
uctureswi t
hv erylit
tl
eempt [Link] ymer sgeta
doubl eadv antage–l ighteratomspl usmor eempt yspace–whi chiswhyt heyaresomuch
l
ightert hanmet al
s.
Tensil
est rengthi stheabili
tyofapol y
mert owi t
hstandt hemaxi mum pul li
ngf orcebefor e
breakingorf r
acturi
[Link] :ifyouhangawei ghtf r
om ar ope,t heropewi l
l
eventual
lybr [Link] ghtitcanholdjustbefor ebreaki
ngisitst ensil
estrength.
Severalfactor s af
fecttensi
le st
[Link] chains create mor e ent
anglement s between
molecules,whi chmakest hepolymerst ronger
.Highcr y
stall
init
ymeanst ighterpackingoft he
chai ns,whi chalsoi ncreasesst [Link] osslinki
ngi ncreasesst r
engt hbyconnect i
ngchai ns
toget her,butt oomuchcr osslinkingmakest hepol ymerbritt
leinsteadofst [Link] oups
creat esecondar ybondsl ikedi pole-di
poleorhy drogenbondi ng,whi chaddext rast r
engt [Link]
whi chpol ymer shav ehight ensilest r
ength?Li nearpol ymer swithlongchai nsandpol argr oups
–l i
keny l
[Link] l
onr opecanhol daheav yper soncl i
mbi ngbecausei tschainsarelong, strai
ght ,
and hav e st r
ong pol arat t
[Link] ch pol ymer s havel ow t ensile str
ength?Br anched
poly mer swi thshor tchainsandnopol argr oups– l i
keLDPE,t hemat eri
alusedf orpl ast i
c
grocer [Link] asticbagt earseasi lywheny ouputt oomanyi temsi nsidebecausei tschai ns
areshor t,branched,andhav eonl yweakv anderWaal sforcesholdi ngt hem [Link] our
visualai d,tensil
est rengthisr epr esentedbyt hehi ghestpointont hest r
ess-st
rai
ncur [Link]
highert hecur vereaches, thest rongert hemat eri
[Link] emember :any l
onr opehashi ght ensi l
e
strengt h,whileaplast i
cgrocer ybaghasl owt ensi l
est r
ength.