Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS)

DoITPoMS Teaching & Learning Packages The Glass Transition in Polymers Free volume
The Glass Transition in Polymers AimsIntroductionTheory 1Theory 2 - kinetics vs thermodynamicsMeasurement of TgDemonstrationsSummaryQuestionsGoing further
TLP creditsTLP contentsShow all content
Viewing and downloading resourcesAbout the TLPsTerms of useFeedbackCredits Print this page
PreviousNext

Free volume

A small amount of unfilled volume is associated with the end of a polymer chain. This volume is called the free volume and is schematically represented in the diagram below.

Diagram showing free volume

For a given mass of polymer the amount of free volume will depend on the number of chain ends, hence the number of chains and hence the degree of polymerisation.

PreviousNext