OVERVIEW

This teaching deals with materials having as their main component a polymer or a mixture of polymers. Polymeric materials are versatile and therefore widely used in industrial domains and daily activities. This teaching provides the fundamentals to study polymer-based materials by describing their most important classes together with their application fields. The main molecular and physico-chemical techniques applied to characterize polymer-based materials are also provided.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the teaching is to provide the basic principles of polymer science and technology to understand the molecular and structural origins of polymeric material properties.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is an introductory teaching on the science and technology of polymeric materials aimed at:

1) acquiring the basic concepts about polymers and their chemical, physical, thermal, mechanical and rheological properties in mass, solution and mixture;

2) understanding the molecular and structural origin of the properties of polymeric materials;

3) knowing the main techniques applied for the molecular and thermal characterization of polymeric materials and how to use them.

The teaching is focused to develop the student's ability to correlate the theoretical notions on polymeric materials with experimental data to formulate general criteria for their characterization and use. To pursue this goal, traditional lectures are always accompanied by concrete examples related to the everyday life as well as the industrial practice. At the end of the teaching the student will be able to:

•  know the molecular structure of the mostly employed polymers and classify them according to different parameters;
• express himself with adequate terminology in the description of phenomena and processes involving polymeric materials;
• correlate the chemical, physical, mechanical, thermal and rheological properties of polymeric materials to their composition and structure;
• know and understand the thermodynamic bases of polymeric solutions and mixtures
• describe and understand the main polymerization mechanisms and the most common industrial processes of polymer synthesis.

The teaching is also provided for the degree course in Chemistry and Chemical Technologies (Chemical Technologies curriculum) for 5 CFUs. Moreover, it is frequently chosen as optional teaching for 4 CFUs.

Because of the reduced number of CFUs, the learning outcomes do not include the last one or two points of the aforementioned list for the students who attend the lessons for 5 or 4 CFUs, respectively.

PREREQUISITES

It is suggested to have overcome the exams of General and Inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of traditional lectures for a total of 48 hours, sometimes accompanied with exercises carried out by the teacher in the classroom. Lesson notes are uploaded to the corresponding aul@web page simultaneously with their presentation in the classroom.

IIn order to facilitate the students’ individual study, verification quizzes and tests are uploaded to the corresponding aul@web page together with numerical exercises (with and without resolution).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

First part (4 CFUs):

Generalities on polymers and polymeric materials and their classification.

Molecular characterization techniques of polymers (osmometry, viscosimetry, light scattering, ultracentrifugation, gel permeation chromatography).

Solid state polymers: amorphous polymers (common amorphous polymers and their use, glass transition temperature and study of the parameters influencing it), semi-crystalline polymers (common semi-crystalline polymers and their use, the melting temperature and study of the temperatures influencing it, thermodynamics and kinetics of the melting-crystallization process), characterization techniques (densitometry, DSC, determination of crystallinity degree, TGA).

Introduction to rheological properties of polymers in mass and in solution.

Second part (1 CFUs):

Elastomers: thermodynamic and statistical study of elasticity.

Polymers in solution: polymer-solvent interactions, the Flory-Huggins model.

Third part (1 CFU):

Introduction to polymeric blends.

Basics on polymers synthesis.

Because of the reduced number of CFUs, the third part of the teaching is not provided to students of the degree course in Chemistry and Chemical Technologies (Chemical Technologies curriculum).

Both second and third parts of the teaching are not provided to students who attend the lessons for 4 CFUs.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Scienza e tecnologie dei materiali, D. R. Askeland, P. P. Fulay, W. J. Wright – Edizioni Città Studi, 2017

Fondamenti di Struttura, Proprietà e Tecnologia dei Polimeri- Testi AIM - Edizioni Nuova Cultura, 2011

Fondamenti di Scienza dei Polimeri - M. Guaita, F. Ciardelli, E. Pedemonte - Pacini Editore, 2009

Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali Polimerici - S. Bruckner, G. Allegra, M. Pegoraro, F.P. La Mantia- EdiSES, 2007

Fundamentals of Polymer Science – P. C. Painter, M. M. Coleman - Technomic Publishing Co., Inc. , 1997- 2nd edition.

Polymers: Chemistry and Physics of Modern Materials – J. M. G. Cowie – Blackie Academic & Professional, Chapman & Hull Eds., 1991 – 2nd edition.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARINA ALLOISIO (President)

DAVIDE COMORETTO

MASSIMO OTTONELLI

SILVIA VICINI

MAILA CASTELLANO (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The teaching is held on the first semester. The lessons will start from september 27th, 2021,following the timetable available at the links below:

https://corsi.unige.it/8765/p/studenti-orario

https://corsi.unige.it/8757/p/studenti-orario

https://www.chimica.unige.it/didattica/orari_CTC

Class schedule

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is an oral examination conducted by two teachers for a duration of at least 30 minutes. During the calendar year, seven exam dates are set up in the time intervals scheduled by the Manifesto degli Studi.

The oral examination consists of three parts, which of them is evaluated as specified below:

- in the first part, the student has to face a problem with the use of polymer materials in order to verify his understanding and mastery of the teaching topics as well as his ability to apply theoretical concepts to real situations; the first part is awarded a maximum rating of 15/30;

- in the second part, the student is asked to illustrate and/or interpret teaching topics related to characterization techniques, property-structure correlation models or synthesis methods; the second part is awarded a maximum rating of 10/30;

- in the third part, the student is asked to describe characteristics and main application areas of a polymer or a class of polymers; the third part is awarded a maximum rating of 5/30.

In case of emergency and only according to specific indications by the University of Genoa, the assessment method for the exam might be changed, including the possibility of an online procedure.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam will aim to verify the effective achievement of the learning outcomes by the student, particularly as far as his acquired ability of critically interpreting real situations is concerned. Otherwise, the student is invited to deepen his preparation also by taking advantage of further explanations by the teacher before repeating the exam.

Moreover, the oral exam will avail to verify the achievement of the appropriate level of comprehension of the topics developed during the lectures and the capability to use a correct terminology. The student's ability to compare and integrate the data available from various experimental characterization techniques and from the correlation structure-property models included in the teaching program will also be evaluated.

As a quality assurance, the detailed program of the teaching is uploaded to the corresponding aul@web page, so that the students can verify the correspondence between the topics and the learning outcomes.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Any pre-requisites are defined in the following documents: Regolamento Didattico and/or Manifesto degli Studi.

However, it is suggested to have overcome the exams of General and Inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.