# Natural Polymers and Materials

## CHEM-6610

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the diverse range of natural polymers, their role in nature, routes to production, physical properties, and applications. Natural polymers are of growing importance as society transitions from carbon derived from petroleum to readily renewable sources such as plants. Furthermore, natural polymer biosynthesis occurs under mild and sustainable conditions that provide representative examples of green chemistry. Natural polymers offer desirable attributes such as biodegradability and properties that can be manipulated by traditional methods such as modification or blending as well as via genetic engineering. The course introduces numerous families of natural polymers from sources such as plant cell walls, rubber trees, grains, crustacean exoskeletons, fungal cell walls, microbial fermentation, seaweed, seeds, silkworms, spiders, and animals. Applications of natural polymers and their modified forms that will be discussed include but are not limited to, thickeners, biodegradable plastics, medical materials, fibers in composites, nanoparticles, antimicrobials, and cosmetic ingredients.

3 credits
Cross-listed with:
CHEM-4963 Topics in CHEM
Prereqs:
none

# Past Term Data
Offered
Not Offered
Offered as Cross-Listing Only
No Term Data
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| Spring | Summer | Fall
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| (Session 1) | (Session 2) |
2023 | Natural Polymers & Materials (3c) Richard Alan Gross Seats Taken: 6/25 |  |
2022 | Natural/biobased Poymers/matls (3c) Richard Alan Gross Seats Taken: 2/25 |  |
2021 | Natural/biobased Poymers/matls (3c) Richard Alan Gross Seats Taken: 6/25 |  |
2020 | Natural And Biobased Polmers And Materials (3c) Richard Alan Gross Seats Taken: 13/25 |  |
2019 | Natural And Biobased Polmers And Materials (3c) Richard Alan Gross Seats Taken: 6/25 |  |
2018 | Natural And Biobased Polmers And Materials (3c) Richard Alan Gross Seats Taken: 7/25 |  |
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