This volume consists of written chapters taken from the presentations at the symposium "100+ Years of Plastics: Leo Baekeland and Beyond," held March 22, 2010, at the 239th ACS National Meeting in San Francisco. The symposium celebrates the 100th anniversary of the formation of General Bakelite Corp., which was preceded by Leo Baekland's synthesis of Bakelite in 1907 and the unveiling of the Bakelite process in 1909. It is quite reasonable to use the synthesis of Bakelite as the starting point of the Age of Plastics. Indeed, Time magazine in its June 14, 1999, issue on the 100 most influential people of the 20th century chose Leo Baekeland and his Bakelite synthesis as the sole representative of chemistry.
Leo Baekeland and Bakelite are the topics of the first four chapters of this volume. The first two chapters come from the perspective of Baekeland family members. Carl Kaufmann is related to the Baekeland family through marriage and is the author of the only full-length biography of Baekeland, published as a master's thesis from the University of Delaware. As a family member Kaufmann had access to all of Baekeland's papers. This first chapter (Leo H. Baekeland) is not only a biographical sketch, but an exploration of Baekeland's effect on the chemical industry. Hugh Karraker is Baekeland's great-grandson, and his chapter (A Portrait of Leo H. Baekeland) provides a family picture of the great inventor. Gary Patterson's chapter (Materia Polymerica: Bakelite) goes into the history of Bakelite chemistry, while Burkhard Wagner's contribution (Leo Baekeland's Legacy-100 Years of Plastics) covers the history of Bakelite manufacture through time and space, finishing with a description of another Baekeland legacy, the Baekeland Award given through the North Jersey Section of the ACS.
In later chapters, Les Sperling (History of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Starting with Bakelite-Based Compositions) covers the improvements in interpenetrating networks. James Economy and Z. Parkar (Historical Perspectives on Phenolic Resins and High-Temperature Aromatic Polyesters of p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid and Their Copolyesters) follow the paths of resoles, novolaks, and related chemicals.

The applications of biocomposite materials are increasing in aerospace, automobile, and household items due to their biodegradable, renewable, non-corrosion, and high strength to weight ratio properties. The processing and characterization of biofiber-reinforced biocomposite materials are vital for their strength and performance. This book discusses the properties, chemical treatment, and compatibility of biofibers with materials.

This volume discusses the role of ZIF-8 composites in water decontamination as an adsorbent and photocatalyst. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are advanced porous materials and are promising adsorbents with facile modifications, high specific surface area, controllable porosity, and tailored surface properties. Water pollution is a major concern and has endangered human health. Recently, researchers have designed MOFs for use in remediation.

This volume discusses the role of MOFs in removal of pharmaceutical pollutants. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are advanced porous materials and are promising adsorbents with facile modifications, high specific surface area, controllable porosity, and tailored surface properties. Pharmaceutical pollution is an issue of concern due to its effects on environment. Recently, researchers have designed MOFs for use in remediation.

Global trends suggest that 21st-century science and technology will be nanoscale, as traditional technologies have exhausted the potential for miniaturizing individual elements, prompting the search for alternative pathways. Nanophase materials science differs from the traditional one not only by the creation of fundamentally new materials, but also by processes that take place at the atomic and molecular levels, monolayers, and nano volumes. Polymer-Inorganic Nanostructured Composites Based on Amorphous Silica, Layered Silicates, and Polyionenes is devoted to the development of physical and chemical principles of technology for polymer-inorganic nanostructured composites based on amorphous silica, layered silicates, and polyionenes to use the creation of composites for technical purposes. Covering topics such as fractal structure, phosphoric-organic compounds, and proton conductance, this premier reference source is an essential resource for chemists, engineers, students, and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

Polymer Engineering 2nd edition book focuses on recyclability of thermosetting polymers, application of natural and synthetic polymers in fabric & home care products. The authors not only describe the latest developments in polymer chemistry for membrane technologies concerning energy production and storage systems but also for development of encapsulation technologies and separation processes.

Polymer composites are materials in which the matrix polymer is reinforced with organic/inorganic fillers of a definite size and shape, leading to enhanced performance of the resultant composite. These materials find a wide number of applications in such diverse fields as geotextiles, building, electronics, medical, packaging, and automobiles.

This first systematic reference on the topic emphasizes the characteristics and dimension of this reinforcement. The authors are leading researchers in the field from academia, government, industry, as well as private research institutions across the globe, and adopt a practical approach here, covering such aspects as the preparation, characterization, properties and theory of polymer composites.

The book begins by discussing the state of the art, new challenges, and opportunities of various polymer composite systems. Interfacial characterization of the composites is discussed in detail, as is the macro- and micromechanics of the composites. Structure-property relationships in various composite systems are explained with the help of theoretical models, while processing techniques for various macro- to nanocomposite systems and the influence of processing parameters on the properties of the composite are reviewed in detail. The characterization of microstructure, elastic, viscoelastic, static and dynamic mechanical, thermal, tribological, rheological, optical, electrical and barrier properties are highlighted, as well as their myriad applications.

Divided into three volumes: Vol. 1. Macro- and Microcomposites; Vol. 2. Nanocomposites; and Vol. 3. Biocomposites.

This book will provide a comprehensive overview on the green approach to the research and industrialization of plastic materials. An effort will be made to offer to the reader a critical perspective concerning both oil-based plastics and novel bio-based and waste-derived polymer formulations. A special focus on bio-innovation in the area of organic materials will also be delivered.

This book presents both established and emerging technologies which show the immense possibilities of using non-traditional fillers and stiffening agents in the plastics industry. After an introduction to basic polymer chemistry, a range of non-petroleum-based fillers and stiffening agents for polymer products are identified and their optimal applications given.

The book focuses on the development of high performance, high efficiency electroactive polymers (EAPs), and electromechanically active polymers by controlling molecular chemical structure and morphology for all applications. This book is ideal for academicians and researchers in polymer and materials science.

The book comprehensively covers the different topics of graphene based biopolymer and nanocomposites, mainly synthesis methods for the composite materials, various characterization techniques to study the superior properties and insights on potential advanced applications.The book will address and rectify the complications of using plastics that are non-degradable and has abhorrent impact on environment. The limitations of properties of biopolymer can be vanquished by employing graphene as a nanomaterial. Outstanding properties of graphene in accordance with biopolymer can be utilized to develop applications like water treatment, tissue engineering, photo-catalysts, super-absorbents. This is a useful reference source for both engineers and researchers working in composite materials science as well as the students attending materials science, physics, chemistry, and engineering courses.

Microencapsulations may be found in a number of fields like medicine, drug delivery, biosensing, agriculture, catalysis, intelligent microstructures and in many consumer goods. This new edition of Microencapsulation revises chapters to address the newest innovations in fields and adds three new chapters on the uses of microencapsulations in medicine, agriculture, and consumer products.