Intermolecular Forces and Polymer Failure

Facebook Reliability Labs are commissioned to ensure that their products are of good quality and perform experiments to ensure materials will last for their design lifetime. Students will have been front loaded that there are forces between molecules that keep the molecules in the solid state closely packed together. Students will appreciate that when these intermolecular forces (IMFs) are overcome this may lead to the material failing. Although this would inevitably happen over a period of time, chemicals may accelerate this process. Students will be given data to explore & from it determine which chemicals accelerate this effect, effectively reducing the expected lifetime use of the material. From this they may conclude which polymer alternatives provided are not suitable for the specific engineering purpose that we are considering as being ideal, & which is optimal for this use.