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 science of mathematical modelling and numerical simulation is generally accepted as the third mode of scienti?c discovery (with the other two modes being experiment and analysis), making this ?eld an integral component of c- ting edge scienti?c and industrial research in most domains. This is especially so in advanced biomaterials such as polymeric hydrogels responsive to biostimuli for a wide range of potential BioMEMS applications, where multiphysics and mul- phase are common requirements. These environmental stimuli-responsive hydrogels are often known as smart hydrogels. In the published studies on the smart or stimu- responsive hydrogels, the literature search clearly indicates that the vast majority are experimental based. In particular, although there are a few published books on the smart hydrogels, none is involved in the modelling of smart hydrogels. For the few published journal papers that conducted mathematical modelling and numerical simulation, results were far from satisfactory, and showed signi?cant d- crepancies when compared with existing experimental data. This has resulted in ad hoc studies of these hydrogel materials mainly conducted by trial and error. This is a very time-consuming and inef?cient process, and certain aspects of fun- mental knowledge are often missed or overlooked, resulting in off-tangent research directions.

1 D. Schwahn: Critical to Mean Field Crossover in Polymer Blends.- 2 K.F. Freed, J. Dudowicz: Influence of Monomer Molecular Structure on the Miscibility of Polymer Blends.- 3 N. Clarke: Effect of Shear Flow on Polymer Blends.-

Structure formation in crystallizing polymers, as occurring during processing, has not been treated so far in a coherent form. This fact explains, why this monograph is written as the ?rst book devoted to this subject. A quarter of a century ago the underdevelopment of this subject was obvious. Trial and error dominated. In fact, other apposite subjects as polymer melt rheology or heat transfer, had reached high levels. A great number of books has been devoted to them. Mold ?lling of amorphous polymers and the solidi?cation of these polymers by vitri?cation can nowadays be simulated numerically with a high degree of accuracy. In the solidi?ed sample even residual stresses and corresponding birefringence effects can accurately be 1 calculated . However, semicrystalline polymers, which form the majority of industrial po- mers, have been excluded from these considerations for good reasons. In fact, great uncertainties existed about the formation of quality determining crystalline str- tures. In particular, polyole?ns suffered from this shortcoming. In 1983 this fact instigated the polymer research group at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz to start with pertinent activities. The urgency of this kind of studies becomes evident, if advantages and hitches of these polymers are considered. 1. Versatility of processing: Injection molding into a great variety of shapes and sizes, from thin walled beakers to garden chairs, not to forget pipe and pro?le extrusion, cable coating, ?ber spinning, ?lm blowing. 2. Product qualities: Ductility, low density, good electric insulation, corrosion resistance, surface quality.

This book is part of a series dedicated to recent advances on preventive, predictive and personalised medicine (PPPM). It focuses on the theme of "Drug delivery systems: advanced technologies potentially applicable in personalised treatments". The critical topics involving the development and preparation of effective drug delivery systems, such as: polymers available, self-assembly, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical formulations, three dimensional structures, molecular modeling, tailor-made solutions and technological tendencies, are carefully discussed. The understanding of these areas constitutes a paramount route to establish personalised and effective solutions for specific diseases and individuals.

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.-"

There are nearly 100 000 different protein sequences encoded in the human genome, each with its own specific fold. Understanding how a newly formed polypeptide sequence finds its way to the correct fold is one of the greatest challenges in the modern structural biology. The aim of this thesis is to provide novel insights into protein folding by considering the problem from the point of view of statistical mechanics. The thesis starts by investigating the fundamental degrees of freedom in polypeptides that are responsible for the conformational transitions. This knowledge is then applied in the statistical mechanics description of helix coil transitions in polypeptides. Finally, the theoretical formalism is generalized to the case of proteins in an aqueous environment. The major novelty of this work lies in combining (a) a formalism based on fundamental physical properties of the system and (b) the resulting possibility of describing the folding unfolding transitions quantitatively. The clear physical nature of the formalism opens the way to further applications in a large variety of systems and processes.

Block Copolymer Surfactant Mixtures in Aqueous Solution: Can we Achieve Size and Shape Control by Co-Micellization?, by Thomas Hellweg; Non-ionic Thermoresponsive Polymers in Water, by Vladimir Aseyev, Heikki Tenhu and Francoise Winnik; From Coordination Polymers to Hierarchical Self-Assembled Structures, by Yun Yan, Arie de Keizer, Martien A. Cohen Stuart and Nicolaas A. M. Besseling; Processes of Ordered Structure Formation in Polypeptide Thin Film Solutions, by Ioan Botiz, Helmut Schlaad and Gunter Reiter; Amphiphilic Polymers at Interfaces, by Katarzyna Kita-Tokarczyk, Mathias Junginger, Serena Belegrinou and Andreas Taubert;"

Kalia and Fu's novel monograph covers cryogenic treatment, properties and applications of cryo-treated polymer materials. Written by numerous international experts, the twelve chapters in this book offer the reader a comprehensive picture of the latest findings and developments, as well as an outlook on the field. Cryogenic technology has seen remarkable progress in the past few years and especially cryogenic properties of polymers are attracting attention through new breakthroughs in space, superconducting, magnetic and electronic techniques. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, educators, engineers and graduate students in the field and at technical institutions.

The 11th Conference of the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS) was held in September 1997 in Lunteren, The Netherlands. The scientific program covered theoretical, experimental, and technical aspects of modern colloid and interface science. This volume contains a selection of contributions in the following fields: New topics in colloid science Polymer colloids Rheology Surfactant colloids Polymers and surfactants at interfaces

The 38th General Meeting of the German Colloid Society was held at the University of Essen, Germany, from September 29th to October 2nd, 1997. The selection of papers presented in this volume covers a broad range of fundamental aspects as well as recent developments. - It focuses the following sections: - Technical applications; - Advanced experimental techniques; - Thin films and interfaces; - Suspensions and microcapsules; - Emulsions, microemulsions and foams; - Macromolecules; - Association colloids; - Colloidal systems in environmental science.

This volume contains studies on the molecular organisation on interfaces and nanoparticles. The contributions were presented during the 40. General Meeting (Hauptversammlung) of the Kolloid-Gesellschaft in Potsdam in September 2001 and are related to the subject "Colloids and Life Science." Therefore, a diversity of papers were collected covering a large field: synthesis of polymer colloids, biominerals and nanoparticles, investigations on monolayers, lyotropic mesophases, polymeric surfactants, micellar transitions, supramolecular compounds for modifying polymers, solid particles for emulsion stabilisers, and adsorbents for odour control.

This volume includes 20 contributions of the 12th meeting on Analytical Ultracentrifugation from March 1-2, 2001 in Duisburg, Germany. Various fields of ultracentrifugation are covered concerning research problems in biochemistry, biophysical chemistry and macromolecular chemistry as well as interacting systems. New investigations concerning the sedimentation theory are presented. The phase transition of gels is dealt with, as is the sedimentation-diffusion equilibrium of gels. One section contains the hydrodynamics of biopolymers.

This volume includes 19 contributions to the 13th International Symposium on Analytical Ultracentrifugation which took place at the university of Osnabruck on March 6th and 7th, 2003. The contributions from leading scientists cover a broad spectrum of topics concerning: Technical Methods, Data Analysis, Innovations; Polymers, Colloids, Supramolecular Systems; Biological and Interaction Systems; Hydrodynamics and Modelling.

Due to the increasing significance of Analytical Ultracentrifugation for both scientific and technical applications, this book will be an essential source of information with respect to recent developments and results related to this important analytical method."

The 13th Conference of the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS 99) was held in September 1999 in Dublin, Ireland. It brought together scientists from academic research and industry within the field of physics and chemistry of colloids and interfaces. The Conference focused on the following topics: - Surfactant colloids;
- Polymer colloids and solid particles;
- Food colloids;
- Soft matter interfaces;
- Biosystems;
- Rheology;
- Experimental methods in colloid and interface science.

This volume contains a peer reviewed selection of the papers presented at the highly successful fifteenth meeting of the European Colloid and Interface Society which was held in Coimbra, Portugal in September 2001 and highlights some of the important advances in this area. The topics covered include Self Assembly in Mixed Systems, Surface Modification, Biological and Biomimetic Systems, Theory and Modelling, New Techniques and Developments, Food and Pharmaceuticals, Dynamics at Interfaces and Mesoscopic and Mesoporous Systems. The volume is of interest to both academic and industrial scientists working with colloidal and interfacial systems in chemistry, physics and biology.

The Xth European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS) Conference was conducted jointly with its Finnish counterpart (PKS-YKS) in Abo (Turku), Finland, in September 1996.
The focus was placed on the following topics:
- Properties of microemulsion systems; - Structure and interactions in thin films; - Biocolloids and vesicles; - Structure and interactions in dispersions; - Polymers at solid interfaces; - Polymers in solutions.
This volume presents a balanced and representative selection of the papers presented at the conference.

Dedicated to Professor Manfred Gordon on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday

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)

Molecular manipulation of nano- and microstructures paves the way to produce organic polymer materials by design. Such architectures comprise both the synthesis and the kinetics and thermodynamics of macromolecular organization and is the theme of this volume. The book consists of four articles reviewing living polymerization to produce precisely defined linear polyesters, comparing them to other living polymerization techniques. The articles also deal with the synthesis of polymeric dendrimers, either by the convergent or divergent approach; block copolymers synthesis, to define micromorphology in high performance polymers; and thereby tailoring their thermal, chemical, mechanical and dielectrical properties, and finally kinetics and thermodynamics for microstructural organization in macroporous thermosets.