Question

Traditional introductory materials science texts, concerned mostly with metals and ceramics, devote considerable space to crystal structures and crystal defects. These topics have been studied for polymers, but they are hardly mentioned here. Why are they much less important in polymers?

Answer 1

metals exist as crystals when solid and it effects the arrangement of crystals and crystallinity. Coming to polymers such regular arrangement is impossible with bulky groups. So still investigation about crystallinity of polymers is undergoing. Though based on the chain attached Isotactic and syndiotactic isomers which attaches the chains in a regular structure into an regular structured lattice, Polymers prefer weak intramolecular bonds so they have less tendency to overcome thermal energy and easily the crystal lattice is disturbed. So considering metals and ceramics which has larger regularity in crystal lattice can be studied on crystal lattice and crystal defects but coming to polymers due to no regularity of crystals its hardly studied compared to metals.