Polymers form a class of materials consisting of very large molecules, and to this class do not only belong, e.g., plastics and rubbers, but also biologically important molecules such as DNA and proteins. Because of the tremendous amount of possible variations in, e.g., composition, structure and size, and the accompanying wide range of material properties, polymers are found in an ever-increasing range of applications. These days, one doesn't only encounter polymers in the "classical" applications as construction materials or household appliances, but also in electronics, solar cells and biomedical applications. In this course an introduction will be given to polymer chemistry and technology and an integral approach will be taken to discuss the chemical and physical/material science aspects. As the polymer properties are determined by the polymer microstructure, which in turn is determined by the synthetic process, it is beneficial to make this link as early as possible in the learning process. Emphasis in this course will lie on the chemical/synthetic aspects, but the link to polymer properties will be made continuously. The main aim of this course is for the student to get insight in the principles of polymer chemistry and to be able to apply these in the design of polymers with a particular structure with corresponding properties.