Physical states of molecules in long chains

The chemical sequence is linear (i.e., without branching) and built up from N monomeric units. 

These three materials are present in everyday life. Their production exceeds that of metals, although, unlike metals, they have been known for only half a century We notice from the outset that the number N of units in a molecule can be very large (up to 10 ). From a chemical point of view, the construction of a chain with this kind of length implies repeating (up to 100000 times) the same elementary operation without mistakes a remarkable tour deforce. Common polymers do have mistakes they have many defects along the chain It is, however, possible to avoid the presence of defects at the level of fundamental research, using very elegant chemical techniques (see, for instance Champetier and Monnerie, 1%9). 

What are the physical states of a flexible linear polymer  

At high temperature, it forms a liquid of entangled chains. Upon cooling, one obtains a glass most of the time it is precisely this glass that we utilize for instance with the polystyrene of some plastic packing. 

Under some favorable circumstances, the polymer may crystallize upon cooling. The mechanism of this crystallization is quite complex, and is still the object of intense discussion (Faraday Transactions, 1979). Often, if one starts from the liquid phase, the crystallization is only partial. However, this leads to interesting mechanical properties spontaneous composites are formed with crystalline parts in a glassy matrix. 

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