Polymers are normally thought of as insulators. In the last few years, however, a rapidly advancing and changing field has developed which exploits the ability of certain polymers to conduct charge, in some cases electronically and in others by means of ions. Certain electrochemical processes of major present-day industrial importance depend on the presence of polymeric materials for their efficient operation. The chlor-alkali industry is a prime example. Exciting new power sources, in which polymers replace conventional electrodes and/or electrolytes, are being intensively developed. Re- markable advances in the understanding of electrochemical processes and the development of a range of sophisticated sensors and other devices have been made possible by the use of polymer-coated electrodes. The impact of polymers on the electrochemical field is still in its initial growth phase. The results of a rapidly escalating volume of industrial and academic research are being applied in many contexts, especially in the information technology field. In certain areas, the use of polymers is only just beginning to show its impact. In the next year or so, the use of polymerised Langmuir-Blodgett films as a substitute for conventional E-beam resists in electronics can be anticipated. By the end of the decade, polymerised mono- and multi-layers may be incorporated in very large-scale integrated circuits.

This book includes papers on polymeric materials from renewable resources known as Biorelated Polymers and Plastics', and issues are bound to their utilization and environmental impact in their production, conversions to manufacts and ultimate disposal of post-costume manufacts. Modern industrial developments inspired by the new concepts of sustainability and ecocompatibility require a deeper attention to renewable resources as a new-old source of raw material and feedback. This new trend, occurring not only in industrialized countries but also in emerging countries and countries in transition, thoroughly permeates the polymer and plastic industry, due to the big impact that those materials have on the modern way of life. Plastic waste, specifically that stemming from segments of packaging, containers for solids and liquids and single use items, is attracting much effort from municipality officers, producers and converters, aimed at finding a harmonized solution among the various options available for their appropriate management. In this respect, polymeric materials of natural origin (biopolymers), as well as materials from renewable resources useable for the production of monomeric precursors, or semi-synthetic polymeric materials, constitute a focal point for future industrial development in the production of polymers and plastics. The present book contains much valuable information and scientific hints on a modern approach aimed at designing processes and products with minimal negative environmental impact.

R. W. DYSON There will be few readers of this book who are not aware of the contribution that polymers make to modern life. They are to be seen around the home, at work, in transport and in leisure pursuits. They take many forms which include plastic mouldings and extrusions, plastic film and sheet, plastic laminates (fibreglass and formica), rubber gloves, hoses, tyres and sealing rings, fibres for textiles and carpets and so on, cellular products for cushioning and thermal insulation, adhesives and coating materials such as paints and varnishes. The majority of these polymers are synthetic and are derived from oil products. The most important of these in terms of tonnage used are polymers based upon styrene, vinyl chloride, ethylene, propylene and butadiene among plastics and rubber materials, and nylons, polyethyleneterephthalate and poly acrylonitrile among fibres. The total amount of these polymers used each year runs into millions of tonnes. These polymers are sometimes known as commodity polymers because they are used for everyday artefacts. They are available in many grades and formats to meet a variety of applications and processing techniques. The properties can be adjusted by using additives such as heat and light stabilizers, plasticizers, and reinforcing materials. Often, grades are specially designed and formulated to meet particular requirements and, in a sense, these might be regarded as specialities. Much has been written about these materials elsewhere and they are not the concern of this book.

Green Sustainable Process for Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Science: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Utilization explores advanced technologies based on CO2 utilization. The book provides an overview on the conversion and utilization of CO2, extraction techniques, heterogeneous catalysis, green solvent, industrial approaches, and commodity products through energy-intensive processes. In addition, it highlights lifecycle assessment and biological and engineering strategies for CO2 utilization. Each chapter presents challenges in the processes and future perspectives for the application of CO2 conversion and utilization.

-

More than simply an up-to-date review of ionic polymerization, this book presents an in-depth and critical comparison of the anionic and cationic polymerization of vinyl monomers and heterocyclic compounds. These different modes of ionic polymerization are examined with regard to their capacity for producing living polymers. The concept of living polymers is re-examined and redefined in light of current knowledge of ionic polymerization and possible side reactions. Throughout, the authors offer perceptive insights into the basic concepts of polymerization chemistry and polymerization reaction mechanisms. The book begins with a review of ionic and radical polymerizations, the development of ionic polymerization, living and dormant polymers, and polymerizability. It goes on to consider important aspects of the structure and properties of ionic species; initiation and propagation of ionic polymerization; polymerization steps other than initiation or propagation, such as termination, isomerization, transfer, backbiting, and degraduation; and ionic copolymerization. Ionic Polymerization and Living Polymers is a much needed advanced text that will be widely read and referred to by polymer scientists, macromolecular chemists, and materials scientists.

Technology and Development of Self-Reinforced Polymer Composites, by Ben Alcock und Ton Peijs; Recent Advances in High-Temperature Fractionation of Polyolefins, by Harald Pasch, Muhammad Imran Malik und Tibor Macko; Antibacterial Peptidomimetics: Polymeric Synthetic Mimics of Antimicrobial Peptides, by Karen Lienkamp, Ahmad E. Madkour und Gregory N. Tew; Collagen in Human Tissues: Structure, Function, and Biomedical Implications from a Tissue Engineering Perspective, by Molamma P. Prabhakaran;

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.

The present book is devoted to a rapidly developing field of science which studies the behavior of viscoelastic materials under the influence of deformation the rheology of polymers. Rheology has long been treated as the theoretical foundation of polymer processing, and from this standpoint it is difficult to overesti mate its importance in practice. Rheology plays an important role in developing our ideas on the nature of viscoelastic behavior in connection with the structural features of polymers and composites based on them. This expands the possibilities of employing rheological methods to characterize a variety of materials and greatly magnifies the interest in this field of research. The rheological properties of polymer systems are studied experimen tally, chiefly under conditions of shear and tensile strains. One explana tion is that many aspects of polymer material processing are associated with the stretching of melts or a combination of shear and tensile strains. In scientific investigations, either periodic or continuous conditions of shear deformation are employed. Each mode provides widespread infor mation. In periodic deformation, most attention is generally given to conditions with low deformation amplitudes that do not alter the structure of the polymer system during an experiment (the region of linear deformation conditions). Here the viscoelastic parameters are generally determined with respect to the frequency. Continuous deforma tion involves considerable strains, and may be attended by significant reversible and irreversible changes in the structure of a polymer."

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.