9. Glossary

Reptation ; creeping

It's a process of slow, viscous movement of polymers in the molten state. During molecular creep, polymer molecules move by extending and retracting to squeeze through the spaces between polymer molecules. This movement is controlled by interactions between polymer molecules, which act as obstacles to the movement of other polymer molecules.

Broadcast ; distribution

It's a physical phenomenon that occurs when light radiation interacts with a substance that has an inhomogeneous spatial distribution of density or refractive index. Optical scattering occurs when light is scattered randomly in all directions, rather than following a rectilinear path.

Minor chains ; minor chains

These are the ends of macromolecular chains that have been released from...