Many chemical processes that are important to society take place at boundaries between phases. Understanding these processes is critical in order for them to be subject to human control. The building of theoretical or computational models of them puts them into a theoretical framework in terms of which the behavior of the system can be understood on a detailed level. Theoretical and computational models are often capable of giving descriptions of interfacial phenomena that are more detailed, on a molecular level, than can be obtained through experimental observation. Advances in computer hardware have also made possible the treatment of larger and chemically more interesting systems. The study of interfacial phenomena is a multi-disciplinary endeavor which requires collaboration and communication among researchers in different fields and across different types of institutions. Because there are many important problems in this field much effort is being expended to understand these processes by industrial laboratories as well as by groups at universities. Our conference titled "Theoretical and Computational Approaches to Interface Phenomena" held at South Dakota State University, August 2-4, 1993 brought together over thirty scientists from industry and academia and three countries in the western hemisphere to discuss the modeling of interfacial phenomena.

The art and science of macromolecular architecture is based on synthesis, analysis, processing, and evaluation of physical properties of polymers. The growing specificity of available synthetic methods and the increasing refinement of analytical and physical analysis are gradually providing a deeper insight into structure-property relationships of polymers, upon which many applications can be based. This book deals with recent methods for polymer synthesis. Those that lead to specific structures have been selected especially. Background, mechanism scope and limitations, and illustrative procedures are given for each method. With this layout the editor hopes that the book will provide a practical guideline, for the synthetic polymer chemist in industry or at a university graduate school, on how to apply the methods in the design of new polymer structures. The editor is grateful to the authors not only for their contributions containing interesting new developments in polymer synthesis, but also for the way they have fitted their text into the general framework of the book. The elegant chemistry described in the following chapters will, it is hoped, inspire more organic chemists to apply their skills to polymer synthesis, where the beauty of organic chemistry in terms of structural control and reactivity may be even more apparent than in the low molecular field.

Polymers in Solution was written for scientists and engineers who have serious research interests in newer methods for characterization of polymer solutions, but who are not seasoned experts in the theoretical and experimental aspects of polymer science. In particular, it is assumed that the reader is not familiar with the development of theoretical notions in conformational statistics and the dynamics of chainlike molecules; how these two seemingly diverse theoretical topics are related; and the role played by polymer-solvent interactions. Chapter 1 thus presents background material that introduces most of the essential concepts, including some of the mathematical apparatus most commonly used in these areas of theory. This introduction is followed by five chapters that are more closely related to particular experimental techniques. These chapters introduce further theoretical notions as needed. Three of the chapters present con siderable detail on the experimental methods, while two other chapters deal more with the interpretation of experimental results in terms of current theories. Although neutron scattering has become an almost standard technique for the study of conformational properties of macromolecules in the solid state, there has been less emphasis on its application for characterization of polymer molecules in solution. Chapter 4 covers this growing area of application."

Thisbook continuesthe tradition ofproviding the scientificcommunity with infonnation on some ofthe most important advances reported at aseries ofconferences on Frontiers ofPolymers and Advanced Materials. The particular meeting covered in this proceedings volume was held in KualaLumpur, Malaysia, from January 16th through the 20th, 1995. It follows earlier proceedings, also published by Plenum, for a conference in New Delhi in 1991, and another in Jakarta in 1993. All of these conferences focused on the most recent and important advances in a wide range of carefully chosen subject areas dealing with advanced materials and new technologies. TheMalaysiaConference was organized by the Malaysian MinistryofScience, Technology and Environment; Malaysian Industry-Government Group for Higher Technology; Standards and Industrial Research Institute ofMalaysia; State University ofNew York at Buffalo; and Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association. The stated goals ofthe conference were: To highlight advances and new findings in Polymers and Advanced Materials To bring together leading international scientists, engineers and top level industrial managementfor discussionsonthe CUTTent status ofadvanced materials, new technologies and industrial opportunities To foster global communication in polymers and advanced materials technology. Tbe Malaysianconferencecoveredbytheseproceedingsemphasized"composites and blends," ''high-performance materials," ''materials for photonics," ''materials for electronics," ''biomaterials'', "recycling of materials," "sol-gel and processed materials," "advanced materials from natural products," and ''multifunctional and smart materials." There was also a separate symposium on ''business opportunities.""

This volume contains the proceedings of the Europhysics Conference on Gels, held in Balatonszeplak, Hungary, in September 1995.
Topics of the contributions cover fundamentals and applications of gels formed from inorganic and organic polymers, colloidal particles and surfactant systems, new powerful methods such as scattering techniques, rheology, atomic microscopy, swelling pressure and mechanical measurements, gels with sensitivity to changes in chemical and physical environment, novel technical and biomedical applications, computer simulation and new theoretical approaches.

This volume chronicles the proceedings of the Third Symposium on Particles on Surfaces : Detection, Adhesion and Removal held as a part of the 21st Annual Meeting of the Fine Particle Society in San Diego , California, August 21 - 25 , 1990 . The first two symposia i n t h i s series were held in 1986 and 1988 , respectively, and have been properly l documented ,2. Li ke its antecedent s the Third symposium was very well received, and the continuing success of these symposia reinforced our earlier belief that regular symposia on the topic of particles on surfaces were very much needed. Concomitantly, the fourth symposium in this series is planned in Las Vegas , July 13-17 , 199 2 . l As pointed out in the Preface to the earlier two volumes ,2, the topic of particles on surfaces is of tremendous interest and concern in a wide spectrum of technological areas . The objectives of the Third symposium were es s ent i a l ly the same as those of the earlier two and our intent her e was to provide an update on the research and development activities in the world of particles on surfaces . Apropos , there has been a deliberate attempt every time to s eek out new people to present their research results and we have been very succes s f ul in this mission.

The chapters in this collection are from papers which were presented at a symposium on solid-state NMR of polymers. A two-part program on available NMR techniques applicable to solid polymer analysis was presented at the 3rd Chemical Congress of North American held in Toronto, Ontario, June 5-10,1988. The program was sponsored by the Division of Polymer Chemistry with support provided by the Division, its Industrial Sponsors, and the Donors of the Petroleum Research Fund administered by the American Chemical Society. Co-organizers included Professor Colin Fyfe of the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada), Professor Hans Spiess of the Max Planck Institut fur Polymerforschung (Mainz, West Germany), and myself. The full-day tutorial, which was free to registered attendees, covered the range of topics. The purpose of the tutorial was to provide a basic introduction to the field so that newcomers to its present and future applications could develop sufficient understanding to learn effectively from the subsequent symposium. The first talk attempted to give listeners a feel for the way a novice spectroscopist can learn to use the various NMR techniques to explore his own areas of interest. Simple experiments can provide unique information about solid polymers that can be useful in interpreting synthetic results and in relating solid-state conformation, morphology and molecular motion to physical properties.

Reviewing over 100 chemical and physical methods for analysis of polymers, Manual of Plastics Analysis is so detailed and comprehensive that chemists can apply the methods - many previously unpublished - directly from the book. A genuine laboratory manual, the volume supplies prodigious amounts of up-to-date information on all types of polymers, polymer additives, volatiles, adventitious impurities, monomers, metals, and pigments. Extremely well-suited for classroom teaching, research, or industrial applications, the book contains numerous tables and figures, as well as many chemical equations illustrating its analytical techniques.

This volume chronicles the proceedings of the Symposium on Metallized Plastics: Fundamental and Applied Aspects held under the auspices of the Dielectrics and Insulation Division of the Electrochemical Society in Chicago, October 10-12, 1988. This was the premier symposium on this topic and if the comments from the attendees are any barometer of the success of a symposium then it was a grand success. Concomitantly, it has been decided to hold it on a regular basis (at intervals of 18 months) and the second event in this series is planned as a part of the Electrochemical Society meeting in Montreal, Canada, May 6-10, 1990. Metallized plastics find a legion of applications ranging from mundane to very sophisticated. A complete catalog of the various technological applications of metallized plastics will be prohibitively long, so here some eclectic examples should suffice to show why there is such high tempo of R&D activity in the arena of metallized plastics, and all signals indicate that this high tempo will continue unabated. For example, polymeric films are metallized for packaging (food and other products) purposes, and the applications of metallized plastics in the automotive industry are quite obvious. In the field of microelectronics and computer technology, insulators are metallized for interconnection and other functional purposes. Also plastics are metallized to provide electromagnetic shielding.

This treatise is a compendium of refereed papers based on invited talks presented at the American Chemical Society Symposium on Electrorheological (ER) Materials and Fluids. ER fluids were first investigated 50+ years ago. These fluids, which change rheology when placed in an electric field, were recognized, from the beginning, for allowing an extremely efficient interface between electrical control and mechanical devices. Critical problems, however, existed with the initial fluids, which prevented them from serious consideration for large-scale applications. While over time some of the critical problems have been solved and activity in ER technology has increased, commercial success has remained elusive. A recent Department of Energy report concluded that a primary reason for the failure to commercialize this promising technology is due to a lack in understanding the physics and chemistry of how the materials work. The goal of the symposium was to address the issue of understanding how ER materials work and how they can be used. One of the outcomes of the symposium, which we hope is conveyed in this book, is a feeling that if the mechanism of ER is to be fully understood and improved, expertise from diverse fields must be applied to the problem.

This volume includes a number of selected papers of the international conference "Colloidal Aspects of Lipids," held in June 1997 at Lund, Sweden. In conjunction with the conference Professor Kare Larsson, well-known and respected as a leading scientist in this field of food technology during the recent decades, was honored.

This book brings together selected contributions both on the fundamental information on the physics and chemistry of these materials, new physical ideas and decisive experiments. It constitutes both an insightful treatise and a handy reference for specialists and graduate students working in solid state physics and chemistry, material science and related fields.

This book documents the proceedings of the symposium, "Mineral Scale Formation and Inhibition," held at the American Chemical Society Annual Meeting August 21 to 26, 1994, in Washington, D. C. The symposium, sponsored by the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, was held in honor of Professor George H. Nancollas for his pioneering work in the field of crystal growth from solution. A total of 30 papers were presented by a wide spectrum of scientists. This book also includes papers that were not presented but were in the symposium program. The separation of a solid by crystallization is one of the oldest and perhaps the most frequently used operations in chemistry. Because of its widespread applicability, in recent years there has been considerable interest exhibited by academic and industrial scientists in understanding the mechanisms of crystallization of sparingly soluble salts. The salt systems of great interest in industrial water treatment area (i. e., cooling and boiler) include carbon ates, sulfates, phosphates, and phosphonates of alkaline earth metals. Although not as common as calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate, barium and strontium sulfates have long plagued oil field and gas production operations. The build-up of these sparingly soluble salts on equipment surfaces results in lower heat transfer efficiency, increased corrosion rates, increased pumping costs, etc. In the laundry application, insoluble calcium carbonate tends to accumulate on washed fabrics and washing equipment parts, resulting in undesirable fabric-encrustation or scaling."

The development of "tailormade" electrode surfaces using electroactive polymer films has been one of the most active and exciting areas of electrochemistry over the last 15 years. The properties of these materials have been examined by a wide range of scientists from a variety of perspectives, and now electroactive polymer research is considered to be a reasonably mature area of research endeavor. Much is now understood about the fundamental mechanism of conduction in these materials. A wide range of electrochemical techniques may be used to probe the conductivity processes in these materials, and more recently, a number of in situ spectroscopic techniques have been used to further elucidate the structure of these materials. The in situ spectroscopies and allied techniques have also been used to obtain correlations between structure and redox activity. The applications found for electroactive polymers are many and varied, and range from thin film amperometric chemical and biological sensors, electrocatalytic systems, drug delivery devices, and advanced battery systems through to molecular electronic devices. The research literature on electroactive polymers is truly enormous and can daunt even the most hardened researcher. The vast quantity of material reported in the literature can also intimidate beginning graduate students. Hence the present book. The original idea for this book arose as a result of a series of lectures on chemically modified eiectrodes and electroactive polymers given by the writer to final-year undergraduates at Trinity College Dublin.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 28th Europhysics Conference on Macromolecular Physics held in Ulm, Germany, in September 1993. The topic covers a broad scope within the field of polymer science. In its early days, interest was focused on the nature of the melt and of the glass transition. The latter phenomen underwent a pronounced renewal with the advent of the mode coupling theory, and polymers constitute only one class of substances within this context. Consequently, this volume considers the glass transition from different points of view. It is the aim of this publication to demonstrate the state of the art of this evolution by a balanced presentation of the subject that considers experimental work, theory, and computer stimulation techniques.

Ultracentrifugation contains the proceedings of the VIII. same-named symposium held in 1993, at Osnabruck, FRG. The volume presents the current concepts in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) including: . biochemical and biophysical applications . characterization of polyelectrolytes, synthetic polymers, gels and lattices . modern, fully computerized analytical ultracentrifuge Optima XL-A . future technical developments."

Water-based technology has undergone revolutionary changes during the past two decades. Interest in the properties and uses of water-based coatings, paints and inks has continued to grow since the establishment of the Clean Air Act of 1970. The present book is devoted to recent developments and trends in water-based coating and ink technology. This volume is divided in three broad catagories: (1) Additives and Water-based Coating/Ink Systems, (2) Surface Modifications and Wettability, and (3) Ink/Coating Formulations and Their characterization. The role of various additives to improve the performance and properties of water-based coatings with special reference to surface phenomena such as wettability, adhesion, surface energies, dispersion stability, particle size and size distribution are presented in these sections. This volume documents the proceedings of the International symposium on Surface Phenomena and Additives in Water-Based Coatings and Printing Technology sponsored by the 21st Annual Meeting of the Fine Particle Society (FPS). This meeting was held in San Diego, california, AUgust 21-25, 1990. The symposium upon which this volume is based was organized in four sessions emphasizing several basic and applied aspects of water-based coatings and printing technology. Major topics discussed include advances in water-based technology, water-based flexo and gravure inks, hydrophobically-modified cellulosic thickeners, organosilicones, uv curable silicone release coatings, surface characterization of Ti02 pigments, polymer substrates, flexographic plates and coating films, pigment wetting and dispersing agents, hydrotrope effect in emulsion polymers, film thickness control, particle size measurements, rheological properties, and statistically designed mixtures for ink formulations.

The issue is dedicated to Professor Dr. h. c. Milan Schwuger on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Most of the papers included in this volume are related to the central theme: the interaction of surface active agents with solid materials. It comprises an impressing overview of the actual research in colloid science and reveals expected trends of this strongly developing field at the turn of the millennium.

After an introductory chapter, the processing, microstructure, and properties of various ceramic materials, reinforcements, and their composites are described. A separate chapter is devoted to processing of ceramic reinforcements, with a special emphasis on fibers. Processing of ceramic matrix composites is the next chapter, which includes novel techniques such as sol-gel processing and ceramics from polymeric precursors. The next four chapters cover the subjects of interface region in ceramic composites, mechanical and physical properties, and the role of thermal stresses and the important subject of toughness enhancement. Laminated composites made of ceramics are described in a separate chapter. Finally, a chapter is devoted to various applications of ceramic matrix composites. Throughout the text, the underlying relationships between the components of the triad: processing, microstructure, and properties are brought out. An exhaustive list of references and suggested reading is provided.

3 In 1992 the annual world production of plastics reached 102 x 1()6m at a value of 3 over US$300 billion, while that of steel was 50 x1()6m ata value ofUS$l25 billion (Table 1. 1). Furthermore, from 1980 to 1990, plastics production increased by 62%, while thatofsteeldecreasedby 21%. Considering theunevenpolymerconsumption around theworld,polymerproductionwillhave toincreasebya factor often before currently recorded levels ofplastics sales in developed countries willbe universally reached. Polymers are the fastest growing structural materials. In addition, the polymer blend segment of the plastics industry increases at a rate about three times higher than thewhole. The aim of thisbook is to trace the historicalevolution of the polymer blends industry. Table 1. 1 World production of steel and plastics for 1992 Production Steel Plastics 410 102* Production volume (Mt/year) 3 Production volume (M(m )/year) 51 102 Production value (billion US$/year) 125 310 Growth from 1980to 1990 (%) -21 -1;62 ,. 121 Mt/year in 1996 A polymer (from the Greek poly = manyand meros = units) is a substancecomposed ofmacromoleculesbuiltby covalentlyjoiningatleast50 molecular segments, called mel'S. The word polymer was introduced in 1832 by Jons Jacob Berzelius for sub- stances thatmayhaveidenticalchemicalcompositionbutdifferinmolecularweight (e. g. , acetylene, benzene and styrene, having the formula CnH with n == 2,6and 8, n respectively). During the years 1859-1863, Louren~o reported that condensation of ethylene glycol with ethylene dibromide resulted in a mixture of ethers, whose members, separated by distillation, were identified as HD-(C2l4D-)n-H with n == 2 to 6 (Stahl, 1981).