The series Advances in Polymer Science presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in polymer and biopolymer science. It covers all areas of research in polymer and biopolymer science including chemistry, physical chemistry, physics, material science. The thematic volumes are addressed to scientists, whether at universities or in industry, who wish to keep abreast of the important advances in the covered topics. 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. Review articles for the individual volumes are invited by the volume editors. Single contributions can be specially commissioned. Readership: Polymer scientists, or scientists in related fields interested in polymer and biopolymer science, at universities or in industry, graduate students

Salen Metal Complexes as Catalysts for the Synthesis of Polycarbonates from Cyclic Ethers and Carbon Dioxide, by Donald J. Darensbourg.- Material Properties of Poly(Propylene Carbonates), by Gerrit. A. Luinstra and Endres Borchardt.- Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) from Carbon Monoxide, by Robert Reichardt and Bernhard Rieger. - Ecoflex(r) and Ecovio(r): Biodegradable, Performance-Enabling Plastics, by K. O. Siegenthaler, A. Kunkel, G. Skupin and M. Yamamoto.- Biodegradability of Poly(Vinyl Acetate) and Related Polymers, by Manfred Amann and Oliver Minge.- Recent Developments in Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactones, by P. Lecomte and C. Jerome.- Recent Developments in Metal-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactides and Glycolides: Preparation of Polylactides, Polyglycolide, and Poly(lactide-co-glycolide), by Saikat Dutta, Wen-Chou Hung, Bor-Hunn Huang and Chu-Chieh Lin.- Bionolle (Polybutylenesuccinate), by Yasushi Ichikawa, Tatsuya Mizukoshi.- Polyurethanes from Renewable Resources, by David A. Babb.-"

A Brief History of Polymeric Cryogels Vladmir I. Lozinsky Basic Principles of Cryotropic Gelation Vladimir I. Lozinsky, Oguz Okay Synthesis, Structure-Property Relationships of Cryogels Oguz Okay, Vladimir I. Lozinsky Kinetic Analysis of Cryotropic Gelation of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/water Solutions by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Claudio De Rosa, Finizia Auriemma, Rocco Di Girolamo Cryogels via UV Irradiation Technique Petar D. Petrov, Christo B. Tsvetanov Inorganic Cryogels Oleg A. Shlyakhtin Cryogels for Biotechnological Applications Bo Mattiasson Poly(vinyl alcohol) Cryogels for Biomedical Applications Wankei Wan, A. Dawn Bannerman, Lifang Yang, Helium Mak.

Surfaces and interfaces of polymers play an important role in most of the application areas of polymers, e.g. moulds, foils, thin films, coatings, adhesive joints, blends, composites, biomaterials or applications in micro- and nanotechnology. Therefore it is very important to be able to characterize these surfaces and interfaces in detail. In Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces, experts provide concise explanations, with examples and illustrations, of the key techniques. In each case, after basic principles have been reviewed, applications of the experimental techniques are discussed and illustrated with specific examples. Scientists and engineers in research and development will benefit from an application-oriented book that helps them to find solutions to both fundamental and applied problems.

Polypeptide-Polymer Conjugates, by Henning Menzel Chemical Strategies for the Synthesis of Protein-Polymer Conjugates, by Bjorn Jung and Patrick Theato Glycopolymer Conjugates, by Ahmed M. Eissa and Neil R. Cameron DNA-Polymer Conjugates: From Synthesis, Through Complex Formation and Self-assembly to Applications, by Dawid Kedracki, Ilyes Safir, Nidhi Gour, Kien Xuan Ngo and Corinne Vebert-Nardin Synthesis of Terpene-Based Polymers, by Junpeng Zhao and Helmut Schlaad

Sensors and Actuators using polymeric systems is one of the most promising fields of "Intelligent Polymers", which is becoming more and more important associating with artificial sensing and actuating systems in living organisms. Some practical applications have now started to test in industry. The book covers optical, gas, taste, and other sensing systems using various kinds of polymers. Soft and wet actuating systems using polymer gels and networks are another field which caused excitation in the last year. The contributors are all pioneers in the field, and were selected from world-wide level. They provide the necessary background information and science to develop a basic understanding of the field, its supporting technologies and current applications. Besides, the overviews will provide a sense of how these supporting technologies can be combined to meet the requirements of advanced systems. Finally, the readers will learn about potential future developments.

This book is aimed at scientists and practicing engineers who are currently exploring or would like to explore the complexity of fabrication processes of polymer composites. It deals with the mechanics and modeling aspects of discontinuous and continuous fiber composites and familarizes the engineer with the critical and fundamental issues of material processing and transport phenomena in polymeric composites and their applications in modeling and simulating specific composite manufacturing processes.

Divided into three parts, Part A deals with the deformation science or rheology of these filled materials. It clearly shows the need to characterize their flow behavior before one can draw any conclusions about its processibility during manufacturing. Part B focuses on development of constitutive equations to describe the flow and deformation behavior of such materials under external processing conditions. Part C discusses the mathematical models for selected composite processes and their implementation into a computer simulation to analyze the process behavior. The processes represented in Part C cover a cross-section of important manufacturing processes and maintain a balance between processes that use short fibers and continuous fibrous materials.

There have been many excellent books written on the subject of plastic deformation in solids, but rarely can one find a textbook on this subject. "Plasticity Modeling & Computation" is a textbook written specifically for students who want to learn the theoretical, mathematical, and computational aspects of inelastic deformation in solids. It adopts a simple narrative style that is not mathematically overbearing, and has been written to emulate a professor giving a lecture on this subject inside a classroom. Each section is written to provide a balance between the relevant equations and the explanations behind them. Where relevant, sections end with one or more exercises designed to reinforce the understanding of the "lecture." Color figures enhance the presentation and make the book very pleasant to read. For professors planning to use this textbook for their classes, the contents are sufficient for Parts A and B that can be taught in sequence over a period of two semesters or quarters.

This book focuses on the fundamental principles and recent progress in the field of electrical and thermal properties of polymer nanocomposites. The physical and chemical natures determining the electrical and thermal properties of polymer nanocomposites are discussed in detail. The authors describe the range of traditional and emerging polymer nanocomposites from nanoparticle and polymer composites to novel nanostructure based polymer nanocomposites. They include novel properties and potential applications, such as high-k, low-k, high thermal conductivity, antistatic, high voltage insulation, electric stress control, and thermal energy conversion among others.

Polymers have achieved an enviable position as the class of materials having the highest volume of production, exceeding that of both metals and ceramics. The meteoric rise in the production and utilization of polymers has been due to advances in polymer synthesis which allow the creation of specific and well-defined molecular structures, to new knowledge concerning the relationships between polymer structure and properties, and to an improved understanding of how processing can be used as a tool to develop morphological features which result in desired properties. Polymers have truly become 'engineered materials' in every sense of the term. Polymer scientists and engineers are forever seeking to modify and improve the properties of synthetic polymeric systems for use in specific applications. Towards this end they have often looked to nature for advice on how to design molecules for specific needs. An excellent illustration of this is the use of noncovalent bonding (ionic, hydrogen, and van der Waals) in lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, where these noncovalent bonds, acting both intra and intermolecularly, precisely control the structure and thus the function of the entire system. The utilization of ionic bonding, in particular in man-made polymers has attracted widespread interest in recent years, since ionic interactions exert a similar strong influence on the structure and properties of these synthetic systems."

Polymer Latices, Second Edition is a comprehensive update of the previous edition, High Polymer Latices, taking into account the many developments since it was first published in 1966. It is the only publication to provide such an outstanding and extensive review of latex science and technology, from background theory and principles, to modern day applications. It will prove an invaluable reference source for all those working in the area of latex science and technology, such as colloid chemists, polymer scientists, and materials processors.

This comprehensive workbook offers a thorough review of today's high performance plastics and manufacturing processes. Focusing on common processing problems and practical solutions this book surveys fundamental processing concepts for every major fabrication technique in use today and provides extensive data on controls, instrumentation, materials and molding technologies. This second edition is fully updated with the addition of new material, new tables and new figures. Other useful features include: numerous examples of various phases of processing; a detailed review of each plastics process; the effect of changing one variable while others are constant. GBP/LISTGBP

Despite mature applications, advanced technology, and high volume, rubber compounding has never had a book of its own. Today, emerging applications such as tire reclamation and smoke-resistant cables combine with an industry push into engineering materials to create new kinds of compounds with new quality control problems. The Mixing of Rubber has been developed over several years in conjunction with the Farrel Corp./Connecticut Rubber Group course to educate the hands-on compounder and the end user as well. It covers machinery, mixing, process control, quality control, plant operations and mixing advice for specific compounds. Like the course, the book assumes no prior knowledge of rubber compounding but leads the technologist through the process from mix procedure to test.

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are used in almost every type of advanced engineering structure, with their usage ranging from aircraft, helicopters and spacecraft through to boats, ships and offshore platforms and to automobiles, sports goods, chemical processing equipment and civil infrastructure such as bridges and buildlings. The usage of FRP composites continues to grow at an impessive rate as these materials are used more in their existing markets and become established in relatively new markets such as biomedical devices and civil structures. A key factor driving the increased applications of composites over the recent years is the development of new advanced forms of FRP materials. This includes developments in high performance resin systems and new styles of reinforcement, such as carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles. This book provides an up-to-date account of the fabrication, mechanical properties, delamination resistance, impact tolerance and applications of 3D FRP composites. The book focuses on 3D composites made using the textile technologies of weaving, braiding, knitting and stiching as well as by z-pinning.

Experts in rheology and polymer processing present up-to-date, fundamental and applied information on the rheological properties of polymers, in particular those relevant to processing, contributing to the physical understanding and the mathematical modelling of polymer processing sequences. Basic concepts of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, micro-rheological modelling and constitutive modelling are reviewed, and rheological measurements are described. Topics with practical relevance are debated, such as linear viscoelasticity, converging and diverging flows, and the rheology of multiphase systems. Approximation methods are discussed for the computer modelling of polymer melt flow. Subsequently, polymer processing technologies are studied from both simulation and engineering perspectives. Mixing, crystallization and reactive processing aspects are also included. Audience: An integrated and complete view of polymer processing and rheology, important to institutions and individuals engaged in the characterisation, testing, compounding, modification and processing of polymeric materials. Can also support academic polymer processing engineering programs.

This book is intended to fill a gap between the theoretical studies and the practical experience of the processor in the extrusion of thermoplastic polymers. The former have provided a basis for numerical design of extruders and their components, but generally give scant attention to the practical performance, especially to the conflict between production rate and product quality. In practice extruders are frequently purchased to perform a range of duties; even so, the operator may have to use a machine designed for another purpose and not necessarily suitable for the polymer, process or product in hand. The operator's experience enables him to make good product in unpromising circumstances, but a large number of variables and interactions often give apparently contradictory results. The hope is that this book will provide a logical background, based on both theory and experience, which will help the industrial processor to obtain the best performance from his equipment, to recognize its limitations, and to face new problems with confidence. Mathematics is used only to the extent that it clarifies effects which cannot easily be expressed in words; ifit is passed over, at least a qualitative understanding should remain. The approximate theory will not satisfy the purist, but this seems to the authors less important than a clear representation of the physical mechanisms on which so much of the polymer processing industry depends. M. J. STEVENS J. A.

Over the past 40 years, Rotational Isomeric State (RIS) models for hundreds of polymer structures have been developed. The RIS approach is now available in several software packages. The user is often faced with the time-consuming task of finding appropriate RIS parameters from the literature. This book aims at easing this step by providing a comprehensive overview of the models available. It reviews the literature from the first applications of RIS models to the end of 1994, comprises synthetic as well as naturally orccuring macromolecules, and tabulates all the pertinent features of published models. It will help readers, even when not very familiar with the method, to take advantage of this computationally efficient way of assessing the conformational properties of macromolecular systems.

The subject of liquid crystals and their use in electronic displays and in non-linear optical systems has become of tremendous importance during the last decade; and the incorporation of liquid crystal units into polymeric materials has led to a group of new materials with diverse properties. Some of these properties have been utilized in new products and some have yet to be used. Much published work has appeared that deals with specific materials or particular applications, and it was felt that a book was needed to examine and explain the underlying principles governing the diverse properties of these liquid crystal polymers, LCPs. The current work describes the diverse nature of LCPs, their synthesis, characterization, properties and finally their applications. It describes the manner in which liquid crystallinity or mesomorphism occurs in small molecules, monomer liquid crystals and polymer liquid crystals. Chapter 1 gives a classification of the various ways in which the meso gens may be connected to the polymer chains. Currently, the bulk of LCP material is based on main chain or longitudinal LCPs for use in engineering applications. The side chain or comb polymers are intended for use in electronics and opto-electronic systems and as surfactants. Many other variants and possibilities exist but their properties have not yet been fully studied or used. In this respect it is hoped that the current work will indicate future possibilities as well as discussing current opinion. v Preface vi Chapters 2 and 3 describe methods of characterizing the mesophases.

The development of photosensitive materials in general and photoreactive polymers in particular is responsible for major advances in the information, imaging, and electronic industries. Computer parts manufacturing, information storage, and book and magazine publishing all depend on photoreactive polymer systems. The photo-and radiation-induced processes in polymers are also active areas of research. New information on the preparation and properties of com mercially available photosensitive systems is constantly being acquired. The recent demand for environmentally safe solvent-free and water-soluble materials also motivated changes in the composition of photopolymers and photoresists. The interest in holographic recording media for head-up displays, light scanners, and data recording stimulated development of reconfigurable and visible light sensitive materials. Photoconductive polymerizable coatings are being tested in electrostatic proofing and color printing. The list of available initiators, poly meric binders, and other coating ingredients is continually evolving to respond to the requirements of low component loss (low diffusivity) and the high rate of photochemical reactions."

The behavior of polymer solutions in simple shear flows has been the subject of considerable research in the past. On the other hand, reports on polymers in elongational flow have appeared comparatively recently in the literature. Elongational flow with an inherent low vorticity is known to be more effective in extending polymer chains than simple shear flow and thus is more interesting from the point of view of basic (molecular chain dynamics at high deformation) and applied polymer science (rheology, fiber extrusion, drag reduction, flow through porous media). Undoubtly, one landmark in the field of polymer dynamics in elongational flow was the notion of critical strain-rate for chain extension, initially put forward by A. Peterlin (1966) and later refined into the "coil-stretching" transition by P. G. de Gennes and H. Hinch (1974). In the two decades which followed, significant progress in the understanding of chain conformation in "strong" flow has been accomplished through a combination of advances in instrumentation, computation techniques and theoretical studies. As a result of the multidisciplinary nature of the field, information on polymer chains in "strong" flow is accessible only from reviews and research papers scattered in disparate scientific journals. An important objective of this book is to remedy that situation by providing the reader with up-to-date knowledge in a single volume. The editors therefore invited leading specialists to provide both fundamental and applied information on the multiple facets of chain deformation in elongational flow.

Chitin, Chitosan and Derivatives for Wound Healing and Tissue Engineering, by Antonio Francesko and Tzanko Tzanov Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and their Applications, by Guo-Qiang Chen.- Enzymatic Polymer Functionalisation: Advances in Laccase and Peroxidase Derived Lignocellulose Functional Polymers, by Gibson S. Nyanhongo, Tukayi Kudanga, Endry Nugroho Prasetyo and Georg M. Guebitz.- Lipases in Polymer Chemistry, by Bahar Yeniad, Hemantkumar Naik and Andreas Heise.- Enzymes for the Biofunctionalization of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate), by Wolfgang Zimmermann and Susan Billig.- Biology of Human Hair: Know Your Hair to Control It, by Rita Araujo, Margarida Fernandes, Artur Cavaco-Paulo and Andreia Gomes.- Recombinamers: Combining Molecular Complexity with Diverse Bioactivities for Advanced Biomedical and Biotechnological Applications, by Jose Carlos Rodriguez-Cabello, Maria Pierna, Alicia Fernandez-Colino, Carmen Garcia-Arevalo and Francisco Javier Arias.- Biomimetic Materials for Medical Application Through Enzymatic Modification, by Piergiorgio Gentile, Valeria Chiono, Chiara Tonda-Turo, Susanna Sartori and Gianluca Ciardelli.- Supramolecular Polymers Based on Cyclodextrins for Drug and Gene Carrier Delivery, by Jia Jing Li, Feng Zhao and Jun Li.- Engineering Liposomes and Nanoparticles for Biological Targeting, by Rasmus I. Jolck, Lise N. Feldborg, Simon Andersen, S. Moein Moghimi and Thomas L. Andresen.-"