---
title: Polymer & Materials Chemistry
description: This field investigates the synthesis, structure, and properties of macromolecules and advanced materials. Learners will understand polymerization techniques, polymer characterization, and how to engineer materials for specific mechanical, thermal, and chemical applications.
category: sciences
subcategory: chemistry
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/polymer-and-materials-chemistry
---

# Polymer & Materials Chemistry

This field investigates the synthesis, structure, and properties of macromolecules and advanced materials. Learners will understand polymerization techniques, polymer characterization, and how to engineer materials for specific mechanical, thermal, and chemical applications.

## Available Resources

2 Books • 1 Courses • 4 Websites

## Websites

### 1. Prospector Polymers

Materials search engine run by UL Solutions that compiles manufacturer datasheets for tens of thousands of plastic resin grades from hundreds of suppliers. Users can filter and compare grades by mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties and UL flammability ratings; free registration is required.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.ides.com/products/pprospector/

**Tags:** polymer-properties, plastics, material-selection, datasheets, materials-database

### 2. Polymer Database (PoLyInfo)

Polymer property database maintained by Japan's National Institute for Materials Science, compiling about 100 thermal, electrical, and mechanical property types for tens of thousands of homopolymers, copolymers, and blends, each value traced to its literature source. Free account registration is required.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://polymer.nims.go.jp/

**Tags:** polymer-properties, polymer-science, materials-database, thermal-properties, mechanical-properties

### 3. matweb.com

MatWeb is an online database of material properties with searchable data sheets for metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, featuring mechanical properties such as tensile/yield strength, Young’s modulus, hardness, and related thermal/physical data.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://matweb.com

**Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, material-science

### 4. mrs.org

Materials Research Society (MRS) is a professional organization supporting materials science and engineering. The site offers conferences and events, journals and publications, education and career resources, and news and resources for researchers, educators, and students.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://mrs.org

**Tags:** websites, science-research, chemistry

## Courses

### 1. Materials Science: 10 Things Every Engineer Should Know

**Author:** James F. Shackelford

Introductory UC Davis course taught by James Shackelford covering ten core topics in engineering materials: the main material families, mechanical and electrical properties, thermally activated processes and the Arrhenius relationship, and manufacturing principles. Learners come away understanding how a material's structure determines its properties.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/materials-science

**Tags:** materials-science, mechanical-properties, structure-property-relationships, engineering-materials, arrhenius-kinetics

## Books

### 1. Introduction to Polymers

**Author:** Robert J. Young, Peter A. Lovell

Undergraduate textbook covering polymer synthesis mechanisms, molecular weight characterization, chain conformation, crystallinity, viscoelasticity and mechanical properties. Readers learn to connect how a polymer is made and structured to how it behaves as a solid or melt in engineering applications.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0412306409?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, science-research, chemistry

### 2. Polymer Chemistry

**Author:** Paul C. Hiemenz

Classic textbook on the physical chemistry of polymers: step-growth and chain-growth polymerization kinetics, copolymers, solution thermodynamics, molecular weight measurement, chain statistics, rubber elasticity and viscoelasticity. Readers learn to derive and apply the quantitative models underlying polymer synthesis and characterization.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/082477082X?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, science-research, chemistry

---

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