Teaching Polymer Chemistry: Revisiting the Syllabus

Thierry Hamaide, Yves Holl, Laurent Fontaine, Jean-Luc Six, Armand Soldera

Centre Québécois des Matériaux Fonctionnels, Département de Chimie, U. Sherbrooke, J1K2R1, Qc, Canada.
Institut Charles Sadron, CNRS 23, Rue du Loess, Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Lorraine Université, Laboratoire de Chimie-Physique Macromoléculaire, Nancy, France.
Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères, Villeurbanne, France.
Université du Maine, Unité de Chimie Organique Moléculaire et Macromoléculaire, Le Mans cedex, France.

DOI: 10.4236/ojpchem.2012.24018                

Abstract

As anyone who has taught polymer chemistry to undergraduate students might already appreciate, we are faced with inherent difficulties in clearly communicating the subject matter due its interdisciplinary character. This paper is thus aimed at proposing a new educational plan to teach this fundamental course in order to overcome some inherent obstacles. It is especially devoted to professors in charge of teaching a first course in polymer chemistry. We intend to emphasize polymerization by beginning with the simplest chemical pathway, namely the living anionic polymerization. In addition, some pedagogical difficulties are outlined all along this paper. This novel and distinct way to teach polymer chemistry makes the students with a background in organic chemistry more equipped to face difficulties arising from the introduction of new concepts.

Keywords

Teaching Polymer Chemistry; Chain Polymerization; Step-Growth Polymerization; Polycondensation; Polyaddition

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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