Polymers are long-chain molecules that are made up of smaller repeating units, the so-called monomers. Some polymers contain only one type of monomer building block; others, known as copolymers, may contain two or more different types of monomers.
The arrangement of polymer chains over multiple length scales and a detailed understanding of the properties of plastics, including their degradation and different structures, is a central challenge in polymer science. We have brought together some essential information here.
