Polymers are converted into finished products through a series of steps which include mixing in additives and various types of forming. Following an introduction to polymer science and its importance to various fields, the author describes these processes from a practical, application-oriented perspective. Global suppliers of raw materials, machinery and equipment are also given, making this book an invaluable resource for industry practitioners.

Additives are selected depending on the type of polymers to which they will be added or the application for which they will be used. The appropriate selection of additives helps develop value-added plastics with improved durability as well as other advantages. This research book provides a range of modern techniques and new research on the use of additives in a variety of applications. The methods and instrumentation described represent modern analytical techniques useful to researchers, product development specialists, and quality control experts in polymer synthesis and manufacturing. Engineers, polymer scientists, and technicians will find this volume useful in selecting approaches and techniques applicable to characterizing molecular, compositional, rheological, and thermodynamic properties of elastomers and plastics. The informative chapters are the work of researchers at the Department of Polymers and Composite Materials at the prestigious Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences.

Membranes and membrane separation techniques have grown from a simple laboratory tool to an industrial process with considerable technical and commercial impact. The book deals with both the fundamental concepts of preparation, characterization and modification, practical applications along with recent advancements of electro-spun and phase inverted polymeric membranes. Divided into two parts, part one of this book covers the fundamental concepts and practical applications of novel electro-spun membranes while the latter covers basic concepts and further advancements of the conventional phase inverted membranes extensively. Key Features Covers fundamental concepts and practical applications of electro-spun and phase inverted polymeric membranes Includes general properties, characterization, preparation and modification of polymeric membranes Discusses advanced modification of polymeric membranes (functionalization, grafting) using phase inversion process, and effects of solubility parameter and additives on the phase inversion process Reviews electro-spun membranes for biomedical applications, industrial effluents treatment and removal of water contaminants Explores a separate economic analysis section for the discussed membranes

This book emphasizes the scientific origin of deformation and damage of FRP composites under various environmental effects and analyses present understanding on degradation mechanisms, role of interfaces and addition of nanofillers Discusses micro-characterization of composites and interfaces, also includes micro-mechanisms and microscopic evidences to establish the structure-property correlation Elucidates advantages and limitations of FRP composites in supercritical applications

This book discusses the concept of single polymer composites (SPCs), their preparation, and properties and the main factors which affect the manufacturing of this class of composites. It deals with the leading classes of polymers, chapter wise, which have been majorly explored for manufacturing SPCs - polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, and LCPs - includes a case study on manufacturing of SPCs, and devotes three chapters to detailed analyses of research on all-cellulose composites. Addressing the concerns of the researchers, it also answers intriguing questions in the field of SPCs with pointers to the right references. Key Features Presents a summary of single polymer composites based on various polymers Includes mechanical and thermal properties of single polymer composites Reviews detailed view of eco-friendly approaches to composites Offers a special focus on all-cellulose composites Supports concepts with figures, schemes, and tables

Group Transfer Polymerization and Its Relationship to Other Living Systems (O.W. Webster). Fundamentals and Practical Aspects of 'Living' Radical Polymerization (K. Matyjaszewski). Living Carbocationic Copolymerizations: Part 1: The Constant Copolymer Composition Technique (III) (A. Nagy et al.). Living Carboncationic Copolymerizations: Part 2: Application of the Constant Copolymer Composition Technique for the Synthesis of Isobutylene/pMethylstyrene Copolymers (I. Orszagh et al.). Hexaarmed Polystyrene Stars from a Newly Designed Initiator of Carbocationic Polymerization (E. Cloutet et al.). Photoionization of Ionic Polymerizations (W. Schnabel). Synthesis and Photopolymerization of 1Propenyl Ether Monomers (J.V. Crivello et al.). Design of Macromolecular Prodrug Forms of Antitumor Agents (T. Ouchi). Transparent Multiphasic Oxygen Permeable Hydrogels Based on Siloxanic Statistical Copolymers (C. Roberts et al.). Preparation of Tubular Polymers from Cyclodextrins (A. Harada et al.). Multicomponent Polymers Containing Polyisobutylene via Multimode Polymerization (M.K. Mishra). 14 additional articles. Index.

Nanotechnology seeks to exploit distinct technological advances controlling the structure of nanoscale biomaterials at a nanodimensional scale approaching individual molecules and their aggregates or supramolecular structures. The term "nanomedicine" is used to describe those technologies under the umbrella of nanotechnology that have therapeutic applications in human health. This book presents recent trends and research achievements in the field of pharmaceutical nanotechnology and advanced drug delivery nanosystems, especially for theranostic purposes. The applications of drug delivery nanosystems considered carriers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) (e.g., proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids) are analyzed on the basis of technology, preparation protocols, and biomedical applications. The book also extensively reports on the principles, design protocols, and applications of nanosystems in drug delivery, imaging, and targeting of active molecules of pharmaceutical interest.

From hardware and materials through processing and properties, a broad coverage of blown film extrusion is presented. A primary objective of this book is to ensure a useful balance of theory and practice. The reader will find the answers to why they encounter certain effects in the blown film process so that they are better able to troubleshoot and improve their operations. At the same time, current practices and equipment are emphasized to keep readers up-to-date with the most productive and efficient technology. The companion computer-based learning tool, The Blown Film Extrusion Simulator, is provided to enhance the reader's understanding. This software was developed specifi cally to teach blown film extrusion equipment operation and processing principles, and is available for download. Throughout this book, exercises using the simulator are described to complement the methods and principles explained. New in this third edition is a chapter on polymer rheology, with an overview of the rheology of polymer melts and its effect on extruding blown film. Additionally, improvements and corrections have been made throughout the book.

Classical plasticity theory of metals is independent of the hydrostatic pressure. However if the metal contains voids or pores or if the structure is composed of cells, this classical assumption is no more valid and the influence of the hydrostatic pressure must be incorporated in the constitutive description. Looking at the microlevel, metal plasticity is connected with the uniform planes of atoms organized with long-range order. Planes may slip past each other along their close-packed directions. The result is a permanent change of shape within the crystal and plastic deformation. The presence of dislocations increases the likelihood of planes slipping. Nowadays, the theory of pressure sensitive plasticity is successfully applied to many other important classes of materials (polymers, concrete, bones etc.) even if the phenomena on the micro-level are different to classical plasticity of metals. The theoretical background of this phenomenological approach based on observations on the macro-level is described in detail in this monograph and applied to a wide range of different important materials in the last part of this book.

Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic, and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles, and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist.

This book presents a systematic study of the synthesis of optically active polymers, discussing in detail the syntheses of three different types of optically active polymers from helical polymers, dendronized polymers and other types of polymeric compounds. It also explains the syntheses of optically active azoaromatic and carbazole-containing azoaromatic polymers and copolymers; optically active benzodithiophene; and optically active porphyrin derivatives. The final chapter discusses different properties of optically active polymers such as nonlinear optical properties, chiroptical properties, vapochromic behaviour, absorption and emission properties, fabrication and photochromic properties. The intrinsic details of various properties of optically active polymers will offer a valuable resource for researchers and industry personnel actively engaged in application-oriented investigations.

This Springer Laboratory volume introduces the reader to advanced techniques for the separation and fractionation of polyolefins. It includes detailed information on experimental protocols and procedures, addressing the experimental background of different polyolefin fractionation techniques in great detail. The book summarizes important applications in all major fractionation methods with emphasis on multidimensional analytical approaches. It comprises the most powerful modern techniques, such as high temperature size exclusion chromatography (HT-SEC) for molar mass analysis, temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) and crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF) for the analysis of chemical composition and branching, high temperature two-dimensional liquid chromatography (HT-2D-LC), solvent and temperature gradient interaction chromatography (SGIC and TGIC) and crystallization elution fractionation (CEF). Beginners as well as experienced chromatographers will benefit from this concise introduction to a great variety in instrumentation, separation procedures and applications. With detailed descriptions of experimental approaches for the analysis of complex polyolefins, the readers are offered a toolbox to solve simple as well as sophisticated separation tasks. The book starts with an introduction into the molecular complexity of polyolefins - the most widely used synthetic polymers with rapidly growing production capacities. It systematically discusses crystallization based fractionation techniques including TREF, CRYSTAF and CEF and column chromatographic techniques for molar mass, chemical composition and microstructure, as well as the combination of different fractionations in multidimensional experimental setups. This book also includes basic information on the application of high-temperature field-flow fractionation.

This book extensively reviews Polypropylene (PP), the second most widely produced thermoplastic material, having been produced for over 60 years. Its synthesis, processing and application are still accompanied by vigorous R&D developments because the properties of PP are at the borderline between those of commodity and engineering thermoplastics. Readers are introduced to various tacticities and polymorphs of PP, and their effects on structural properties. Further, the book addresses the control of optical properties using nucleants, provides strategies for overcoming the limited cold/impact resistance of PP, examines in detail the effects of recycling, and presents guidelines for the property modification of PPs through foaming, filling and reinforcing with respect to target applications. Special attention is paid to descriptions and models of properties as a function of morphological variables. Last but not least, the book suggests potential practical applications of PP-based systems, especially in the packaging, appliances, building/construction, textile and automotive sectors. Each chapter, written by internationally respected scientists, reflects the current state-of-art in the respective field and offers a vital source of information for students, researchers and engineers interested in the morphology, properties, testing and modeling of PP and PP-based systems. The content is indispensable to the appropriate application of PPs and related composites.

Polymerie materials have been replacing other conventional materials like metals, glass and wood in a number of applications. The use of various types of fillers incorporated into the polymer has become quite common as a means of reducing cost and to impart certain desirable mechanieal, thermal, electrieal and magnetic properties to the polymers. Oue to the energy crisis and high priees of petrochemieals, there has been a greater demand to use more and more fillers to cheapen the polymerie materials while maintaining and/or improving their properties. The advantages that filled polymer systems have to offer are normally offset to some extent by the increased complexity in the rheological behavior that is introduced by the inclusion of the fillers. Usually when the use of fillers is considered, a compromise has to be made between the improved mechanieal properties in the solid state, the increased difficulty in melt processing, the problem of achieving uniform dispersion of the filler in the polymer matrix and the economics of the process due to the added step of compounding. It has been recognized that addition of filler to the polymer brings a change in processing behavior. The presence of the filler increases the melt viscosity leading to increases in the pressure drop across the die but gives rise to less die swell due to decreased melt elasticity.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, by Karsten Haupt, Ana V. Linares, Marc Bompart und Bernadette Tse Sum Bui.- Physical Forms of MIPs, by Andrea Biffis, Gita Dvorakova und Aude Falcimaigne-Cordin.- Micro and Nanofabrication of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, by Marc Bompart, Karsten Haupt und Cedric Ayela.- Immuno-Like Assays and Biomimetic Microchips, by M. C. Moreno-Bondi, M. E. Benito-Pena, J. L. Urraca und G. Orellana.- Chemosensors Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, by Subramanian Suriyanarayanan, Piotr J. Cywinski, Artur J. Moro, Gerhard J. Mohr und Wlodzimierz Kutner.- Chromatography, Solid-Phase Extraction, and Capillary Electrochromatography with MIPs, by Blanka Toth und George Horvai.- Microgels and Nanogels with Catalytic Activity, by M. Resmini, K. Flavin und D. Carboni.

This history of the government-funded synthetic rubber research program (1942-19 6) offers a rare analysis of a cooperative research program geared to the improvement of existing products and the creation of new ones. The founders of the program believed the best way to further research in the new field was through collaboration among corporations, universities, and the federal government. Morris concludes that, in fact, the effort was ultimately a failure and that vigorous competition proves the best way to stimulate innovation. Government programs, like the rubber research program, are far better at improving existing products, the author contends, than creating wholly new ones.

This book outlines methods to improve functioning of these polymer based devices - in particular, the multi-faceted cognition of these materials. In situ electrochemical techniques are studied to elucidate redox switching between non-conducting and conducting states. The book examines the advantages of combinations of in situ electrochemical techniques in a hyphenated mode for analyzing conducting polymers.

An A-to-Z of doping including its definition, its importance, methods of measurement, advantages and disadvantages, properties and characteristics and role in conjugated polymers The versatility of polymer materials is expanding because of the introduction of electro-active behavior into the characteristics of some of them. The most exciting development in this area is related to the discovery of intrinsically conductive polymers or conjugated polymers, which include such examples as polyacetylene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene as well as their derivatives. "Synmet" or "synthetic metal" conjugated polymers, with their metallic characteristics, including conductivity, are of special interest to researchers. An area of limitless potential and application, conjugated polymers have sparked enormous interest, beginning in 2000 when the Nobel Prize for the discovery and development of electrically conducting conjugated polymers was awarded to three scientists: Alan J. Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid, and Hideki Shirakawa. Conjugated polymers have a combination of properties both metallic (conductivity) and polymeric; doping gives the conjugated polymer's semiconducting a wide range of conductivity, from insulating to low conducting. The doping process is a tested effective method for producing conducting polymers as semiconducting material, providing a substitute for inorganic semiconductors. Doping in Conjugated Polymers is the first book dedicated to the subject and offers a comprehensive A-to-Z overview. It details doping interaction, dopant types, doping techniques, and the influence of the dopant on applications. It explains how the performance of doped conjugated polymers is greatly influenced by the nature of the dopants and their level of distribution within the polymer, and shows how the electrochemical, mechanical, and optical properties of the doped conjugated polymers can be tailored by controlling the size and mobility of the dopants counter ions. The book also examines doping at the nanoscale, in particular, with carbon nanotubes. Readership The book will interest a broad range of researchers including chemists, electrochemists, biochemists, experimental and theoretical physicists, electronic and electrical engineers, polymer and materials scientists. It can also be used in both graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses on conjugated polymers and polymer technology.

Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist.

Increasing research and development efforts have been dedicated to the field of electroresponsive polymers (ERPs), including the development of materials and devices. In addition to their exceptional physical properties and low manufacturing costs, these materials also show remarkable charge storage and electrical properties. One particular class of these materials is the electroactive polymer (EAP), or artificial muscle - a new type of smart material with a broad range of potential applications such as electromechanical devices, energy storage devices, artificial muscles, air filtration, insulation, etc. This book shows research and commercial advances in the field and highlights the significant industry involvement: 3M is implementing piezomaterials in stethoscopes; Measurement Specialties Inc. highlights a range products employing PVDF sensors and EMFIT Ltd. presents ferroelectrets, in which microporous polymers show a piezoelectric coefficient at the level of 300 pC/N. Additional topics include: sensors and their applications; polymer actuators and their applications; and polymer dielectrics and charge storage applications.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

For many years, electroactive ceramic, magnetostrictive material and shape memory alloys have been the primary source of actuation materials for manipulation and mobility systems. Electroactive polymers (EAPs) received relatively little attention due to their limited capability. However, effective EAP materials have emerged, changing the paradigm of these materials' capability and potential. Their main attractive characteristic is the operation similarity to biological muscles, where under electrical excitation a large displacement is induced. The potential to operate biologically inspired mechanisms using EAPs as artificial muscles and organs offers exciting applications. This book promotes technical exchange of EAP research and development, as well as provides a forum for progress reports. Generally, two groups of materials are covered-dry EAPs and wet EAPs. While overall the dry types require high voltage for their operation, they also provide larger mechanical energy density and can hold a displacement under a DC voltage. Topics include: applications; ferroelectric polymers; piezoelectric, electrostrictive, and dielectric elastomers; conductive polymers; polymer gels and muscles and composites and others.

Radical polymerization is one of the most widely used means of producing vinyl polymers, supporting a myriad of commercial uses. Maintaining the quality of the critically acclaimed first edition, the Handbook of Vinyl Polymers: Radical Polymerization, Process, and Technology, Second Edition provides a fully updated, single-volume source on the chemistry, technology, and applications of vinyl polymers. Emphasizes radical initiating systems and mechanisms of action... Written by renowned researchers in the field, this handbook is primarily concerned with the physical and organic chemistry of radical vinyl polymerization. The authors survey the most recent advances, processing methods, technologies, and applications of free radical vinyl polymerization. The book features thorough coverage of polymer functionalization, photo initiation, block and graft copolymers, and polymer composites. Analyzes living/controlled radical polymerization, one of the latest developments in the field... Combining fundamental aspects with the latest advances, processing methods, and applications in free radical vinyl polymerization and polymer technology, this invaluable reference provides a unified, in-depth, and innovative perspective of radical vinyl polymerization.