Noun

(en noun)

(organic chemistry) A long or larger molecule consisting of a chain or network of many repeating units, formed by chemically bonding together many identical or similar small molecules called monomers. A polymer is formed by polymerization, the joining of many monomer molecules.

A material consisting of such polymer molecules.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Charles T. Ambrose

, title= Alzheimer’s Disease , volume=101, issue=3, page=200, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.}}

Noun

(en noun)

(organic chemistry, polymer science) A polymer-based liposome.

*{{quote-journal, 1999, date=May 14, Bohdana M. Discher et al., Polymersomes: Tough Vesicles Made from Diblock Copolymers, Science citation

, passage=Both the membrane bending and area expansion moduli of electroformed polymersomes (polymer-based liposomes) fell within the range of lipid membrane measurements, but the giant polymersomes proved to be almost an order of magnitude tougher and sustained far greater areal strain before rupture. }}

*{{quote-journal, 2000, date=June 16, Gerard C. L. Wong et al., Hierarchical Self-Assembly of F-Actin and Cationic Lipid Complexes: Stacked Three-Layer Tubule Networks, Science citation

, passage=The governing concepts for this biological self-assembly are general; for example, we expect synthetic analogs, such as charged polymersomes of diblock copolymers (47 ) and polyelectrolytes, to give rise to similar complex membrane architectures and "plastic" tubules for chemical delivery and a variety of other applications. }}