Molecular structure of polymers

Polymeric materials are generally used for their distinctive mechanical properties and their ability to be easily processed and shaped. These characteristics are closely linked to their structure which reveal themselves at different levels, from that corresponding to the arrangement of various atoms and groups of atoms that make up the polymer molecule (macromolecule) to that of the material that makes up the final object. This first article presents the main molecular structures found in commercial polymers; in a second article , the link will be established between these structures and higher levels of organization, with a discussion of the relationships between these different levels and the main thermal and thermomechanical characteristics of polymeric materials.