ABSTRACT
This chapter distinguishes the unique behaviors of all polymers and their materials from the behaviors of materials made from small molecules or atoms. We designate this as Polymer Physics , which does not depend on their microstructures, but is solely the result of their long-chain flexible natures. Three examples of Polymer Physics are illustrated through demonstrations of solution viscosity, time-dependent responses of a highly swollen and weakly cross-linked physical polymer hydrogel, and the reversible elasticity of a chemically cross-linked polymer network (rubber band). We also point out that the different degrees of Polymer Physics manifested by chemically distinct polymers is attributable to their distinct microstructures, which we call Polymer Chemistry , and note is the principal emphasis of our book.
