Are polymers a type of colloids?

Answer 1

No, colloids are a type of polymer. A polymer is a substance made up of numerous - often but not always identical - smaller units. Starch, for example, is a polysaccharides, made up of chains of sugar molecules. (Technically that should read starches - there are many types depending on what kinds of sugars and how they are arranged.) Most colloids are proteins, which are made up of chains of amino acids. Many plastics are polymers of hydrocarbon subunits - thus names like polyester, polyethylene, polystyrene, etc.