513.001 Molecular and Solid State Physics

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Polymer

A polymer can be considered to be a one dimensional crystal where the monomer is the unit cell. Draw approximately the electron dispersion (E vs. k) for a polymer. Most monomers have an even number of electrons. This is because molecules with an odd number of electrons are radicals and are chemically unstable. If there are an even number of electrons in the unit cell, is this a metal or an insulator? Explain your reasoning.