19. Functional Polymers

Classical polymer materials such as polyethylene and polyamide are familiar to all of us because of the multiplicity of uses in everyday life. Equally as omnipresent, but less well known, are the so-called functional polymers. As opposed to the structures previously discussed in Chaps. 13, 14, and 15, these polymers do not generally belong to the group of solid materials. Instead, these materials are mostly used in solution, where they induce a certain physical effect. Thus, most frequently it is not the polymer itself that is recognized but rather its effect or function—hence the name functional polymers. They are also referred to as polymeric materials or effect substances (Göthlich et al. 2005). Despite being so inconspicuous, many areas of our daily lives would be very different without them. For example, they are used in detergents, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.