Plastics and polymers: their structure and properties | 16-18 years

A photograph of different kinds of plastic waste, including bubble wrap, plastic bottles and shopping bags

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Explore how the properties of polymers depend on their structure and different types of intermolecular bonds using this lesson plan for 16–18 year olds.

In this activity, polymers are used as illustrative materials for intermolecular bonds to help students to learn how the structures of polymers relate to their practical uses and properties. Students explore how monomers with different structures produce polymers with different types of intermolecular bonds, consolidating their knowledge of the range of intermolecular bonds that should be known at advanced level.

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