MATSE 81
Materials In Today's World

Summary and Final Tasks

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Summary

Polymers are composed of repeating units which are repeated in four possible chain structures: linear, branched, crosslinked, and network. In this lesson, we discussed how the chemical and structural characteristics affect the properties and behavior of polymers. The seven basic end uses for polymers (plastics, fibers, coatings, adhesives, films, foams, and advanced materials) were introduced. Most polymers are not biodegradable which coupled with their heavy use in today’s society leads to a major source of waste at the end of a polymer's usage.

In the next lesson, we will look at how composites are formed from two or more distinct materials to achieve the best of two worlds.

Reminder - Complete all of the Lesson 8 tasks!

You have reached the end of Lesson 8! Double-check the to-do list on the Overview page to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before you begin Lesson 9.