Chain stiffness

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-001851",
  "term": "Chain stiffness",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A measure of the resistance of a polymer chain to bending or changes in its conformation. It is determined by the rotational barriers around the backbone bonds and the steric interactions between adjacent groups. Stiffer chains tend to adopt more extended conformations in solution and contribute to higher melt viscosities.",
  "subject": "Polymer",
  "see_also": [
    "Kuhn segment length"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2015, 87, 71. 'Definitions of terms relating to individual macromolecules, macromolecular assemblies, polymer solutions, and amorphous bulk polymers (IUPAC Recommendations 2014)' on page 80 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2013-0201)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/chain-stiffness/"
}