1. Different polymer classes

Several classifications of macromolecular compounds can be proposed, depending on whether origin, type of architecture, structure of monomer units or type of polymerization are chosen as the basis for classification.

Depending on their origin, polymers can be classified as synthetic, natural or artificial; the latter are the result of chemical modification of natural polymers, with the macromolecular backbone preserved during the process.

The valence of the – monomer unit, i.e. the number of covalent bonds it can establish with neighboring units –, enables us to classify polymers into linear and three-dimensional; certain intermediate structures (branched polymers, lamellar polymers) can only with difficulty be assimilated to one or the other category.