Polymer ChemistryPolymers Are Molecules Too! |
Are all polymers linear chains? |
No, and this is another way that chemists classify these really big molecules. The major types of polymer shapes (technical term: topology) are linear, branched, and crosslinked networks. Linear polymers are chains of monomers joined together, like a noodle or a rope. If there is a point along a polymer chain where a second chain starts, like a fork in the road, this arrangement is referred to as branched.