copolymer, any of a diverse class of substances of high molecular weight prepared by chemical combination, usually into long chains, of molecules of two or more simple compounds (the monomers forming the polymer). The structural units derived from the different monomers may be present in regular alternation or in random order, or strings of several units of one kind may alternate with strings of another.
Certain homopolymers have properties almost ideally suited to an intended application but are deficient in some respect. A copolymer with only a small proportion of a second monomer often possesses the desirable properties of the parent homopolymer, while the minor component lends the qualities formerly lacking. Synthetic fibres made from the homopolymer of acrylonitrile, for example, have excellent dimensional stability and resistance to weathering, chemicals, and microorganisms but poor affinity for dyes. Copolymerization of acrylonitrile with small amounts of other monomers yields the fibre Orlon, with the desirable qualities of the homopolymer and the advantage of dyeability.
The marked elastomeric (rubberlike) properties of several copolymeric substances make them valuable in the manufacture of synthetic rubbers. See also polymer.