From the reviews:

..".This text provides an excellent introduction to each of the discussed topics as well as providing an up-to-date review of the current bodies of work while highlighting areas that still require research for those who are working within the field." (Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz, POLYMER NEWS, Vol.30, No.4)

The topics covered in this book may be divided into radiation effects on polymers, test methods, radiation processing and other applications of ionizing radiation.

This book is concerned with the configuration of polymers at the interfacial zone between two other phases or immiscible components. In recent years, developments in technology combined with increased attention from specialists in a wide range of fields have resulted in a considerable increase in our understanding of the behavior of polymers at interfaces. Inevitably these advances have generated a wealth of literature and although there have been numerous reviews, a critical treatment with adequate descriptions of both theory and experiment, including detailed analysis of the two, has been missing. This text hopes to fill this gap, providing a timely and comprehensive account of the field as it stands today. This long needed work will be invaluable to experts as well as newcomers in the broad field of polymers, interfaces and colloids, both in industry and academia. Whilst industrial laboratories involved in this field will find it indispensable, it will be equally important to anyone with an interest in interfacial polymer or colloidal research.

This text is the published version of many ofthe talks presented at two symposiums held as part of the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS) in Knoxville, TN in October, 1999. The Symposiums, entitled Solution Thermodynamics of Polymers and Computational Polymer Science and Nanotechnology, provided outlets to present and discuss problems of current interest to polymer scientists. It was, thus, decided to publish both proceedings in a single volume. The first part of this collection contains printed versions of six of the ten talks presented at the Symposium on Solution Thermodynamics of Polymers organized by Yuri B. Melnichenko and W. Alexander Van Hook. The two sessions, further described below, stimulated interesting and provocative discussions. Although not every author chose to contribute to the proceedings volume, the papers that are included faithfully represent the scope and quality of the symposium. The remaining two sections are based on the symposium on Computational Polymer Science and Nanotechnology organized by Mark D. Dadmun, Bobby G. Sumpter, and Don W. Noid. A diverse and distinguished group of polymer and materials scientists, biochemists, chemists and physicists met to discuss recent research in the broad field of computational polymer science and nanotechnology. The two-day oral session was also complemented by a number of poster presentations. The first article of this section is on the important subject of polymer blends. M. D.

30 years ago, polymer processing was considered to be a set of operations aiming at imparting a desired shape to the material, while its final properties were defined exclu sively by the molecular structure and architecture resulted from the respective synthetic approaches. These two fields of knowledge - polymer processing and polymer structure - grew closer as several scientific and technological works disclosed the microstructure and other morphological features developed by polymeric systems upon different process ing conditions. Even before the real understanding of the polymer structural details, engineers were able to make use of the effect of molecular orientation and to manufacture polymeric fi bres with enhanced properties in terms of stiffness and strength. However, it was during the 1970s that the scientific community started to relate microstructure development and the thermomechanical environment associated to different processing techniques. Ever since, very important works were done on semi crystalline, amorphous or blended polymers in order to identify and, recently, to predict the effect of the imposed shear fields and cool ing gradients on the final product properties. These efforts led to more accurate process ing methods and stimulated new engineering approaches, such as property enhancement through out-of-the-processing as well as on-line control. Modem processing technology has developed further towards the nano level, enabling impacts on the macromolecular structure."

This book is derived from a Symposium held at the 190th National American Chemical Society Meeting, which was held in the Fall of 1985, in Chicago, and was sponsored by the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering. This Symposium was, in turn, a follow-up on an earlier one held in Houston, TX, in the Spring of 1980, which was pub lished as the book *Biomedical and Dental Applications of Polymers* [Plenum Press, New York, 1981]. In that earlier book, our opening Preface passage quoted King David, *1 will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and made . ** * (Psalm 139:14). As we noted five years ago, sickness wonderfully of many types does occur in our wonderfully made bodies, but much human suffering can be aided by biomedical polymers. That earlier book con sidered much of the fantastic progress that had been made in biomedical polymers during the previous quarter century and brought many of these topics up to date. That Symposium, and book, noted that much help was available for the varied afflictions and problems that sometimes beset, and upset, our God-given bodies, and the promise of new and important advances was held out as a shining ray of hope amidst the gloom of sickness and affliction. The present volume is an update on the advances that have occurred since the 1981 book and sets the stage for even greater advances in the future.

Understanding Injection Molds opens up the entire subject of injection mold technology, including numerous special procedures, in a well-grounded and practical way. It is specifically intended for beginners, young professionals, business owners, and engineering students. The chapters are clearly structured and easy to understand. The book is designed so that it provides a complete basic knowledge of injection molds in chronological order as well as day-to-day guidance and advice. The numerous colour figures facilitate a rapid understanding of the content, which is especially helpful to the beginner who wants to learn about injection molds quickly. In the forefront of the description are thermoplastic molds. Divergent processes for thermoset or elastomer molds are explained at the end of each chapter. This book captures the current state of the art, and is written by authors who are specialists in the field. The second edition has been updated and improved throughout.

The EU has often been considered to be a weak security actor. However, any assessment of the EU's role in international security is underpinned by a specific understanding of security. This book is based on a broad understanding of security. We consider that security concerns are increasingly triggered by challenges such as terrorism, climate change, mass migration flows, and many other 'non-traditional' security issues. This book tries to capture these aspects of the EU's fast changing security policies following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009. There are several common themes stemming from a combined reading of the chapters. Firstly, the EU has sought to simultaneously pursue its security objectives and spread its values, such as democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, by encouraging reforms in its neighbourhood. However, it is increasingly evident that there are tensions and contradictions between these two objectives, which can be illuminated and better understood by considering another strand of literature, with which there has been little engagement in EU studies to date, namely the literature on human security. This book is the first to analyse these hugely topical developments in European security after the Lisbon Treaty. It was published as a special issue of Perspectives on European Politics and Society.

Although in nature the vast majority of polymers are condensation polymers, much publicity has been focused on functionalized vinyl polymers. Functional Condensation Polymers fulfills the need to explore these polymers which form an increasingly important and diverse foundation in the search for new materials in the twentyfirst century. Some of the advantages condensation polymers hold over vinyl polymers include offering different kinds of binding sites, their ability to be made biodegradable, and their different reactivities with various reagents under diverse reaction conditions. They also offer better tailoring of end-products, different tendencies (such as fiber formation), and different physical and chemical properties. Some of the main areas emphasized include dendrimers, control release of drugs, nanostructure materials, controlled biomedical recognition, and controllable electrolyte and electrical properties.

Resin Transfer Moulding and other similar 'liquid moulding' manufacturing methods have been used to make non-structural composites for the last 35 years. However, in the last eight years these methods have become the subject of enormous interest by aerospace manufacturing companies. Resin Transfer Moulding for Aerospace Structures describes all aspects of Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) for aerospace structures. Written by an international team of experts, from both industry and academia, it is a comprehensive work providing complete and detailed information on the process of RTM from theoretical modelling to practical experience. With subjects including manufacturing, tooling, fabric design and flow modelling all covered, this book is an invaluable up-to-the-minute reference source which provides the reader with a good understanding of RTM and its possible uses, especially for high performance applications. Resin Transfer Moulding for Aerospace Structures is an ideal guide for those in the aerospace and related industries, who want to understand and utilize RTM, as well as those directly involved in the RTM industry.

Written in 1942-43, this book explores France and French culture at a time when France seemed cut off. The book is obsessed with the pleasures of life at a time when nearly all pleasures were forbidden. It proclaims its faith in the unity and continuity of Western culture in its moment of greatest crisis in the war years. Connnolly assumed the name of Palinurus - Aeneas' pilot - to suggest the core of melancholy which lies at the heart of this book. A lament for a vanishing world, this book is also a spiritual odyssey, a meditation on literature, love, nature and religion and a collection of aphorisms and epigrams. By the author of The Rock Pool, Enemies of Promise and The Evening Colonnade.

Oxidative catalysis by metalloporphyrin systems occupies a prominent role in the current research in the fields of chemical and biological catalysis. Our particular interest and approach has been to collect in the same volume papers dealing with both the chemical and biological aspects of the reactivity of heme systems because of the realization that a better understanding of the complementary discipline can be extremely useful for the researchers from either field. The current progress of the research on synthetic metalloporphyrin catalysts has led to the development of several systems that are able to reproduce the heme-enzyme mediated oxygenation and oxidation reactions, at least in terms of reaction types, mechanisms and often rates. These achievements have stimulated the of creating metalloporphyrin catalysts which are both ambitious project efficient and stable enough to become competitive for large-scale industrial processes. Although this project is still far from being realized, the efforts in this direction parallel those aimed at the application of heme enzymes to chemical technologies, e. g. for the mild, selective oxidation of organics or the detoxification of pollutants. Both the two approaches will be advantageous because while the enzyme systems can achieve selectivities which are probably unattainable by synthetic catalysts, the latter can be active under experimental conditions that would readily inactivate the enzymes.

This review is focused on controlled/living radical polymerization methods for the preparation of various copolymers. A brief introduction to the subject of radical polymerization, and early attempts to control it, is followed by a detailed examination of the literautre on controlled/living radical copolymerizations from the mid-90's until 2001. The topics covered include statistical/gradient, block, graft, and star copolymers and the polymerization methods used to produce them. These copolymers were prepared using three major controlled radical methods (either nitroxide mediated polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization or degenerative transfer) and a combination of polymerization techniques, including transformation chemistry or the simultaneous/dual living polymerizations, to achieve the desired chain architecture or topology. An evaluation of the current state of the field is also presented.

This volume introduces and reports on the state-of-the-art regarding both theoretical and experimental aspects of phase transitions in polymeric solutions or melts that lead to crystallization. Written in the form of a set of self-contained reviews, the book is both a modern and comprehensive source of reference and an introduction into the field for nonspecialist researchers and postgraduate students.

This book focuses on controlling morphology of different scales for polymers. The authors explain the need for successful control of morphology to yield target macroscopic physical properties in the application of polymers to diverse areas such as engineering materials, nanodielectrics and photonic crystals. The book combines specialized chapters with an introduction to the morphology of polymers and the range of experimental techniques available to evaluate it.

The subject of Intrinsically Conducting Polymers: an Emerging Technology' was addressed at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Burlington, Vermont, U.S.A. in October 1992. Approximately 30 invited scientists from 11 different countries attended the workshop and 24 lectures were given discussing in detail the most important processing techniques and applications of conducting polymers, along with the basic materials science aspects. The results was the present book, which, for the first time, addresses progress in materials science related to polymers presently on the market and to already existing applications, as well as to future applications. This book covers mostly existing and future applications of intrinsically conducting polymers. Among these applications are the redox-type, such as batteries and electrochemical actuators and artificial muscles. Capacitors, microlithography and transistor uses are addressed. The use of conducting polymers as 'smart' materials in sensor/indicator types of applications is discussed. ESD applications and EMI shielding are subjects that conducting polymers are sought after for. Microwave properties for radar/microwave absorption and for plastics joining/welding are discussed. Also, this book discusses materials processing for the various applications, including fabrication of fibers, textiles, colloids and films/coatings. This book will be an important addition to the libraries of every institution involved in this emerging technology.

Polymer translocation occurs in many biological and biotechnological phenomena where electrically charged polymer molecules move through narrow spaces in crowded environments. Unraveling the rich phenomenology of polymer translocation requires a grasp of modern concepts of polymer physics and polyelectrolyte behavior. Polymer Translocation discusses universal features of polymer translocations and summarizes the key concepts of polyelectrolyte structures, electrolyte solutions, ionic flow, mobility of charged macromolecules, polymer capture by pores, and threading of macromolecules through pores.

With approximately 150 illustrations and 850 equations, the book:

• Avoids heavy mathematics
• Uses examples to illustrate the richness of the phenomenon
• Introduces the entropic barrier idea behind polymer translocation
• Outlines conceptual components necessary for a molecular understanding of polymer translocation
• Provides mathematical formulas for the various quantities pertinent to polymer translocation

The challenge in understanding the complex behavior of translocation of polyelectrolyte molecules arises from three long-range forces due to chain connectivity, electrostatic interactions, and hydrodynamic interactions. Polymer Translocation provides an overview of fundamentals, established experimental facts, and important concepts necessary to understand polymer translocation. Readers will gain detailed strategies for applying these concepts and formulas to the design of new experiments.

This book is concerned with polymeric hydrogels, which are considered as one of the most promising types of new polymer-based materials. Each chapter in this book describes a selected class of polymeric hydrogels, such as superabsorbent hybrid nanohydrogels, conducting polymer hydrogels, polysaccharide-based or protein-based hydrogels, or gels based on synthetic polymers. In this way, the book also addresses some of the fascinating properties and applications of polymeric hydrogels: they are three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks that can absorb, swell and retain large quantities of water or aqueous fluids. In combination with metal nanoparticles, nanofibrils or nanowhiskers, which may be embedded in the gels, they find widespread applications, ranging from agriculture, and waste water treatment, over electronics, to pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Applications mentioned in this book include electro sensors, capacitors, electromechanical actuators, and even artificial muscles.

A comprehensive and up to date survey of the science and technology of polymeric dispersions. The book discusses the kinetics and mechanisms of polymerization in dispersed media, examines the processes controlling particle morphology, presents both off-line and on-line methods for the characterization of polymer colloids, considers reactor engineering and control, and covers a wide variety of applications, such as latex paint formulations, encapsulation of inorganic particles, reactive latexes, adhesives, paper coating, and biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Audience: A valuable resource for scientists and engineers, academic and industrial, who are involved in the manufacture or application of polymeric dispersions.

This book outlines a methodology for producing macro recycled polypropylene (PP) fibres with optimal mechanical properties and illustrates the reinforcing effects of recycled PP fibres in concrete. It describes the great potential of using these fibres in concrete applications such as footpaths and precast elements. Further, it sheds new light on the environmental impacts of using recycled PP fibres, which are evaluated by means of cradle to gate life cycle assessment based on the Australian context. The use of recycled PP fibre not only helps reduce consumption of virgin materials like steel or plastic but also provides an attractive avenue for recycling plastic waste. The book will appeal to engineers, governments, and solid waste planners, and offers a valuable reference for the plastic waste recycling and plastic fibre reinforced concrete industries.

The technique of smal1-angle soattering (SAS) is now about sixty years o1d. Soon after the first observations of, a continuous, intense X-ray scattering near the primary beam from samp1es such as canbo:tt,bla:cks, it was recognized that this scattering arose from e1ectron density heterogeneities on a scale of severa! tens to severa! hundred times the wave1ength of the radiation used. By the time the classic monograph of Guinier and Foumet appeared in 1955, much of the basic theory and instrumentation had been developed, and applications to colloidal suspensions, macromolecular solutions inc1uding proteins and viruses, fibers, porous and finely divided solids, metallic alloys etc. numbered in the hundreds. Following severa! specialized meetings, the first international conference on small-ang1e X-ray scattering was helditi, Syracuse in 1965, marked by the presentation of new scattering theory for polydisperse systems, polymer coils and filaments, new instrumentation (the Bonse-Hart camera), and new applications to polymeric, biologica!, and metallic systems, to critica! phenomena and to catalysts. The second conference (Graz, 1970) no longer dealt exclusively with X- ray scattering, but also inc1uded neutron small-angle scattering (SANS). SANS applications developed rapidly during this period, especially for studying synthetic and biologica! macromolecules, when the possibilities of exploiting scattering Iength density differences, created by selective deuteration, were recognized.