Happy New Year! Welcome to “Professor’s Corner” for 2023! And a special welcome to those readers who are new to the exciting field of UV/EB polymerization. If you are just beginning to read UV+EB Technology, let me encourage you to find back copies of the magazine to review all 16 of the previous editions of this column. Each new article is given meaningful context by all the … [Read more...] about Free Radical Polymerization Kinetics
Professor's Corner
Molecular Mass and Molecular Mass Distribution
A key objective for this column is to provide technical personnel in the UV/EB industry with some of the fundamentals of polymer science so they can develop a deeper understanding of the chemistry and technology of materials they are working with every day. The 4th Quarter, 2019 column addressed various factors that chemists, chemical engineers and materials scientists can, in … [Read more...] about Molecular Mass and Molecular Mass Distribution
Intermolecular Attractive Forces: The Key to Understanding Polymer Properties, Part 3
In Parts 1 and 2 of this series on intermolecular attractive forces in polymers, discussions of London Dispersion Forces (LDFs)1 and dipole-dipole attractions2, respectively, were presented. In Part 3, we will discuss an unusually strong type of dipole-dipole attraction – one so strong that it generally is classified as a separate type of intermolecular attractive force: … [Read more...] about Intermolecular Attractive Forces: The Key to Understanding Polymer Properties, Part 3
Intermolecular Attractive Forces: The Key to Understanding Polymer Properties, Part 2
In this edition of “Professor’s Corner,” a discussion of Intermolecular Attractive Forces is continued. In Part 11, the subject was introduced, and London Dispersion Forces (LDFs) were discussed. These are the forces of attraction exhibited by all atomic, ionic or molecular materials, even those that are completely non-polar. In this edition, we will look at the attractive … [Read more...] about Intermolecular Attractive Forces: The Key to Understanding Polymer Properties, Part 2
Intermolecular Attractive Forces: The Key to Understanding Polymer Properties, Part 1
To understand the nature of solids and liquids, the forces of attraction holding the component atoms, molecules and/or ions together must be considered. Without these forces, only gases would be possible, and the universe would be a very different place. So, for solids and liquids to exist at all, gaseous species must have the inherent ability to attract one another strongly … [Read more...] about Intermolecular Attractive Forces: The Key to Understanding Polymer Properties, Part 1