Glass transition in the context of "Thermotropic"

Vitrification (from Latin vitrum 'glass', via French vitrifier) is the full or partial transformation of a substance into a glass, that is to say, a non-crystalline or amorphous solid. Glasses differ from liquids structurally and glasses possess a higher degree of connectivity with the same Hausdorff dimensionality of bonds as crystals: dim_H = 3. In the production of ceramics, vitrification is responsible for their impermeability to water.

Vitrification is usually achieved by heating materials until they liquify, then cooling the liquid, often rapidly, so that it passes through the glass transition to form a glassy solid. Certain chemical reactions also result in glasses.

In polymer science, the polymer chain or simply backbone of a polymer is the main chain of a polymer. Polymers are often classified according to the elements in the main chains. The character of the backbone, i.e. its flexibility, determines the properties of the polymer (such as the glass transition temperature). For example, in polysiloxanes (silicone), the backbone chain is very flexible, which results in a very low glass transition temperature of −123 °C (−189 °F; 150 K). The polymers with rigid backbones are prone to crystallization (e.g. polythiophenes) in thin films and in solution. Crystallization in its turn affects the optical properties of the polymers, its optical band gap and electronic levels.

In condensed matter physics and materials science, an amorphous solid (or non-crystalline solid) is a solid that lacks the long-range order that is a characteristic of a crystal. The terms "glass" and "glassy solid" are sometimes used synonymously with amorphous solid; however, these terms refer specifically to amorphous materials that undergo a glass transition. Examples of amorphous solids include glasses, metallic glasses, and certain types of plastics and polymers.

Solvent bonding (also called solvent welding) is not a method of adhesive bonding (the final result does not rely on the adhesion of another substance [adhesive] and its cohesion between two substrates), but rather a method of fusing two thermoplastic plastics. Application of a solvent to a thermoplastic material softens the polymer, and with applied pressure this results in polymer chain interdiffusion at the bonding junction. When the solvent evaporates, this leaves a fully consolidated bond-line. An advantage to solvent bonding versus other polymer joining methods is that bonding generally occurs below the glass transition temperature of the polymer.

Solvent bonding differs from adhesive bonding, because the solvent does not become a permanent addition to the joined substrate. Solvent bonding differs from other plastic welding processes in that heating energy is generated by the chemical reaction between the solvent and thermoplastic, and cooling occurs during evaporation of the solvent.

Rheology (/riˈɒlədʒi/; from Ancient Greek ῥέω (rhéō) 'flow' and -λoγία (-logía) 'study of') is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid (liquid or gas) state, as well as "soft solids", which experience conditions under which they respond with plastic flow rather than elastic deformation to forces applied to them. Rheology is the branch of physics that deals with the deformation and flow of materials, both solids and liquids.

The term rheology was coined by Eugene C. Bingham, a professor at Lafayette College, in 1920 from a suggestion by a colleague, Markus Reiner. The term was inspired by the aphorism of Heraclitus (often mistakenly attributed to Simplicius), panta rhei (πάντα ῥεῖ, 'everything flows') and was first used to describe the flow of liquids and the deformation of solids. It applies to substances that have a complex microstructure, such as muds, sludges, suspensions, and polymers and other glass formers (e.g., silicates), as well as many foods and additives, bodily fluids (e.g., blood) and other biological materials, and other materials that belong to the class of soft matter such as food.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (chemical formula (C₈H₈)_x·​(C₄H₆)_y·​(C₃H₃N)_z ) is a common thermoplastic polymer. Its glass transition temperature is approximately 105 °C (221 °F). ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point.

ABS is a terpolymer made by polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene. The proportions can vary from 15% to 35% acrylonitrile, 5% to 30% butadiene and 40% to 60% styrene. The result is a long chain of polybutadiene crisscrossed with shorter chains of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile). The nitrile groups from neighboring chains, being polar, attract each other and bind the chains together, making ABS stronger than pure polystyrene. The acrylonitrile also contributes chemical resistance, fatigue resistance, hardness, and rigidity, while increasing the heat deflection temperature. The styrene gives the plastic a shiny, impervious surface, as well as hardness, rigidity, and improved processing ease. The polybutadiene, a rubbery substance, provides toughness and ductility at low temperatures, at the cost of heat resistance and rigidity. For the majority of applications, ABS can be used between −20 and 80 °C (−4 and 176 °F), as its mechanical properties vary with temperature. The properties are created by rubber toughening, where fine particles of elastomer are distributed throughout the rigid matrix.