Integrated with the demands of the multiple disciplines above, polymer physics has
attracted a great deal of attention with the approaches often concerted with theory,
simulation and experiment.
The role of polymer physics can be elucidated, for a typical example, in the
interdisciplinary field of polymer science and polymer engineering. To make it
more explicit, let us look at the conventional procedure for the preparation of
synthetic polymer materials. The route starts from monomer synthesis, to polymer-
ization, molding, characterization, and then performance tests, as shown on the
central horizontal of Fig.1.1. Above the central horizontal is the fundamental
research: polymer synthesis mainly covers the early stage from monomer synthesis
to polymerization; polymer structure covers the middle stage from polymerization
to characterization; and polymer property covers the final stage from molding to
performance test. Above this level, polymer chemistry concerns the early stage
from synthesis to structure, while polymer physics concerns the later stage from
structure to property. These two constitute polymer science at the top. Below the
central horizontal is the industrial development: polymer chemical engineering
covers the early stage from monomer synthesis to molding, while polymer materials
science covers the later stage from molding to performance test. These two consti-
tute polymer engineering at the bottom. One can see that polymer physics occupies
almost the second half of this diagram.
The common polymers for plastics, rubbers and fibers have been produced at a
large industrial scale. It appears difficult to modify them from the early stage of the
preparation route. Currently, most of modifications either via physical methods or
via chemical treatments are based on their structure–property relationships. The
specific functional polymers for coatings, adhesives, adsorption resins and filtration
membranes occupy a relatively small market, and their modifications often start
from monomer synthesis.
Born as a multi-disciplinary subject of chemistry and physics, polymer physics is
also a bridge connecting materials sciences and life sciences. At the early history of
polymer science, many fundamental concepts of polymer physics were actually
Fig. 1.1 Diagram of the subjects along the conventional preparation route of synthetic polymers
to demonstrate the relationship between polymer science and polymer engineering
6 1 Introduction