Question

explain why a semi crystalline polymer is usually translucent while an amorphous one might not be. what could prevent an amorphous polymer from being transparent?

Answer 1

Crystallinity in polymer reduces transparent character of the resultant polymer. Thus a semicrystalline polymer would be translucent and would become more transparent as the degree of crstallinity goes down in it. On the other hand an amorphous polymer with no ordering and behaving as glass-like is comletely transparent. An amorphous polymer can be made into a non-transparent polymer by inducing crystallinity in the structure. Ordering in structure reduces transparency.