ABSTRACT
It is the size of macromolecules that give them their unique and useful properties. Size allows individual chains to interact with themselves (interchain) and with other chains (intrachain) in different or similar environments. Size allows polymers to act more as a group so that when one polymer chain moves, surrounding chains are affected by that movement. Size also allows polymers to be nonvolatile since the secondary attractive forces are cumulative (for instance, the London dispersion forces are about 8 kJ/mole per repeat unit), and because of the sheer size, the energy necessary to volatilize them is greater than the energy to degrade the polymer.
