Polymers and polymer composites have been increasinqly used in place of metals for various industries; namely, aerospace, automotive, bio-medical, computer, electrophotography, fiber, and rubber tire. Thus, an understanding of the interactions between polymers and between a polymer and a rigid counterface can enhance the applications of polymers under various environments. In meet ing this need, polymer tribology has evolved to deal with friction, lubrication and wear of polymeric materials and to answer some of the problems related to polymer-polymer interactions or oolymer rigid body interactions. The purpose of this first International Symposium was to introduce advances in studies of polymer friction and wear, especially in Britain and the U.S.S.R. Most earlier studies of the Fifties were stimulated by the growth of rubber tire industries. Continuous research through the Sixties has broadened the base to include other polymers such as nylon, polyolefins, and poly tetra fluoroethylene, or PTFE. However, much of this work was published in engineering or physics journals and rarely in chemistry journals; presumably, the latter have always considered the work to be too applied or too irrelevant. Not until recent years have chemists started to discover words such as tribo-chemistry or mechano chemistry and gradually become aware of an indispensable role in this field of polymer tribology. Thus, we were hoping to bring the technology up to date during this SympOSium, especially to the majority of participants, polymer chemists by training."

This book is a collection of selected papers presented at the symposium titled "In situ Spectroscopy in Monomer and Polymer Synthesis," held at the April, 2001 ACS National Meeting in San Diego, California, USA. The co-organizers of this symposium were Timothy Long, Judit E. Puskas, Robson F. Storey, and J. Andrews. In situ spectroscopic monitoring is gaining popularity both in academia and industry. FfIR monitoring is used most frequently, but UV-visible, raman, and NMR spectroscopy are also important. This book concentrates mostly on FfIR monitoring, both in the near and mid-infrared ranges. The first chapter is a short general overview of FfIR spectroscopy, followed by the symposium contribu tions. We thought that this would be especially useful for student readers. We hope that the book will present a state-of-the-art overview of research related to in situ spectroscopic monitoring. -Judit E. Puskas ix Acknowledgments This book would not have been possible without the dedicated effort of the chapter contributors and the symposium committee: Professor Judit E. Puskas Professor Timothy Long Professor Robson F. Storey Professor J. Andrews The symposium was financially supported by: ACS-Petroleum Research Fund REMSPEC Co. Wyatt Technology Co.

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.

Determining the composition and properties of complex hydrocarbon mixtures in petroleum, synthetic fuels, and petrochemical products usually requires a battery of analytical techniques that detect and measure specific features of the molecules, such as boiling point, mass, nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies, etc. there have always been a need for new and improved analytical technology to better understand hydrocarbon chemistry and processes. This book provides an overview of recent advances and future challenges in modern analytical techniques that are commonly used in hydrocarbon applications. Experts in each of the areas covered have reviewed the state of the art, thus creating a book that will be useful to readers at all levels in academic, industry, and research institutions.

"Functionalized Conjugated Polyelectrolytes "presents a comprehensive review of these polyelectrolytes and their biomedical applications. Basic aspects like molecular design and optoelectronic properties are covered in the first chapter. Emphasis is placed on the various applications including sensing (chemical and biological), disease diagnosis, cell imaging, drug/gene delivery and disease treatment. This book explores a multi-disciplinary topic of interest to researchers working in the fields of chemistry, materials, biology and medicine. It also offers an integrated perspective on both basic research and application issues. Functionalized conjugated polyelectrolyte materials, which have already drawn considerable interest, will become a major new direction for biomedicine development.

This is truly an exciting time to be in the ?eld of polymer science. Advances in polymerization methods are providing polymer scientists with the ability to specify and control polymer composition, structure, architecture, and molecular weight to a degree that was not possible just a decade ago. This, in turn, is resulting in many novel application possibilities of polymers ranging from drug delivery systems and nanolithographyto stimuli-responsivematerials and many others. In addition,many of the application areas of polymers - such as coatings, adhesives, thermoplastics, composites, and personal care - are also taking advantage of the ability to design polymersduringtheir developmentefforts. Not to forget,manyof these applications of polymers involve mixing polymers with solvents, catalysts, colorants, and many other ingredients to prepare a formulated product. However, the tuning of polymer composition and structure as well as polymer formulations to optimize the ?nal performance properties can be challenging, - pecially since in many cases several interacting variables need to be optimized simultaneously. This is where the methodologies and techniques of combinatorial and high-throughput experimentation to synthesize and characterize polymer - braries can be an invaluable approach. Simply put, a polymer library is a collection of multiple polymer samples having a systematic variation in one or more variables related to composition, structure, or process. Various methods and strategies have been explored to ef?ciently prepare a large number of polymer samples and also to screen these samples for key properties of interest.

With the aim of providing a deeper insight into possible mechanisms of biological self-organization, this thesis presents new approaches to describe the process of self-assembly and the impact of spatial organization on the function of membrane proteins, from a statistical physics point of view. It focuses on three important scenarios: the assembly of membrane proteins, the collective response of mechanosensitive channels and the function of the twin arginine translocation (Tat) system. Using methods from equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, general conclusions were drawn that demonstrate the importance of the protein-protein interactions. Namely, in the first part a general aggregation dynamics model is formulated, and used to show that fragmentation crucially affects the efficiency of the self-assembly process of proteins. In the second part, by mapping the membrane-mediated forces into a simplified many-body system, the dynamic and equilibrium behaviour of interacting mechanosensitive channels is derived, showing that protein agglomeration strongly impacts its desired function. The final part develops a model that incorporates both the agglomeration and transport function of the Tat system, thereby providing a comprehensive description of this self-organizing process.

Flammability has been recognized as an increasingly important social and scientific problem. Fire statistics in the United States (Report of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control. "America Burning: ' 1973) emphasized the vast devastation to life and property--12.000 lives lost annually due to fire. and these deaths are usually caused by inhaling smoke or toxic gases: 300.000 fire injuries: 11.4 billion dollars in fire cost at which 2.7 billion dollars is related to property loss: a billion dollars to burn injury treatment: and 3.3 billion dollars in productivity loss. It is obvious that much human and economic misery can be attributed to fire situations. In relation to this. polymer flammability has been recognized as an in creasingly important social and scientific problem. The development of flame-retardant polymeric materials is a current example where the initia tive for major scientific and technological developments is motivated by sociological pressure and legislation. This is part of the important trend toward a safer environment and sets a pattern for future example. Flame retardancy deals with our basic everyday life situations-housing. work areas. transportation. clothing and so forth-the "macroenvironment" capsule within which "homosapiens" live. As a result. flame-retardant polymers are now emerging as a specific class of materials leading to new and diversified scientific and technological ventures."

The development and application of bioactive nano-structured constructs for tissue regeneration is the focus of the research summarised in this thesis. Moreover, a particular focus is the rational use of supercritical carbon dioxide foaming and electrospinning technologies which can lead to innovative polymeric bioresorbable scaffolds made of hydrolysable (both commercial and 'ad-hoc' synthesized) polyesters. Mainly, the author discusses the manipulation of polymer chemical structure and composition to tune scaffold physical properties, and optimization of scaffold 3D architecture by a smart use of both fabrication techniques. The multidisciplinary nature of this research is imperative in pursuing the challenge of tissue regeneration successfully. One of the strengths of this thesis is the integration of knowledge from chemistry, physics, engineering, materials science and biomedical science which has contributed to setting up new national and international collaborations, while strengthening existing ones.

This volume is devoted to solidification of polymers in general; crystalline, liquid crystalline, and amorphous polymers, including oriented polymers and the effects of pressure and processing are discussed. A distinguished international group of authors has contributed to the volume.

H. Yoshida, T. Ichikawa Electron Spin Echo Studies of Free Radicals in Irridated Polymers M. Ogasawara Application of Pulse Radiolysis to the Study of Polymers and Polymerizations I. Kaetsu Radiation Synthesis of Polymeric Materials for Biomedical and Biochemical Applications S. Tagawa Radiation Effects of Ion Beams on Polymers H.Yamaoka Polymer Materials for Fusion Reactors

With contributions by: R.H. Boyd; B.G. Sumpter, D.W. Noid, G.L. Liang, B. Wunderlich; M.D. Ediger, D.B. Adolf; R.-J. Roe; I. Bahar, B. Erman, L. Monnerie; A.A. Gusev, F. Muller-Plathe, W.F. van Gunsteren, U.W. Suter; L.R. Dodd, D.N. Theodorou; E. Leontidis, J.J. de Pablo, M. Laso, U.W. Suter; K.S. Schweizer."

"Imagination and shrewd guesswork are powerful instruments for acquiring scientific knowledge . . . " 1. H. van't Hoff The last decades have witnessed a rapid growth of quantum chemistry and a tremendous increase in the number of very accurate ab initio calculations of the electronic structure of molecules yielding results of admirable accuracy. This dramatic progress has opened a new stage in the quantum mechanical description of matter at the molecular level. In the first place, highly accurate results provide severe tests of the quantum mecha nics. Secondly, modern quantitative computational ab initio methods can be synergetically combined with various experimen tal techniques thus enabling precise numerical characterization of molecular properties better than ever anticipated earlier. However, the role of theory is not exhausted in disclosing the fundamental laws of Nature and production of ever increasing sets of data of high accuracy. It has to provide additionally a means of systematization, recognition of regularities, and ratio nalization of the myriads of established facts avoiding in this way complete chaos. Additional problems are represented by molecular wavefunctions provided by the modern high-level computational quantum chemistry methods. They involve, in principle, all the information on molecular system, but they are so immensely complex that can not be immediately understood in simple and physically meaningful terms. Both of these aspects, categorization and interpretation, call for conceptual models which should be preferably pictorial, transparent, intuitively appealing and well-founded, being sometimes useful for semi quantitative purposes."

This volume contains the proceedings of the "International Workshop on Optical Methods and the Physics of Colloidal Dispersions," held in memory of Prof. Dr. Klaus Schatzel at the end of September, 1996, in Mainz, Germany. The meeting focused on two special aspects of colloidal science, namely novel optical methods and the physics of colloidal dispersions. In particular, the contributed papers show that the increase in the quality and number of suitable model systems has significantly enhanced our knowledge of colloidal properties, structures and dynamics."

The action of enzymes fascinated mankind long before they were rec ognized for the complex chemicals that they are. The first application of these remarkable compounds to produce ethanol by fermentation is lost to antiquity. Payer and Persoz (Ann. Chim. Phys., 53, 73 (1833ii)) appear to have provided the first step toward understanding this com plex area when they reported the isolation of diastase in 1833. These workers showed that diastase could catalyze the hydrolysis of starches to sugars. Somewhat earlier Kirchhoff (Schwigger's Journal, 4, 108 (1812)) had shown that a small amount of dilute acid could hydrolyze a seemingly endless amount of starch to sugars. The genius of Berzelius recognized the commonality of these two observations in connection with a few other isolated observations and in 1834 coined the term catalysis to describe such actions. Professor Leibig was one of the giants of the chemical world in 1840. In addition to his own work, Liebig was training the world's next generation of chemists in his laboratory in Giessen. This cadre of chemists were very impressed by the master teacher so that is it only natural that Liebig's views should dominate with this next generation of chemists. Leibig was, in the 1830s and 1840s, developing his mastery of agricultural chemistry. The mechanism of putrefication was of great concern to Leibig, and he turned to the newly defined area of catalysis for an explanation."

A reasonable case could be made that the scientific interest in catalytic oxidation was the basis for the recognition of the phenomenon of catalysis. Davy, in his attempt in 1817 to understand the science associated with the safety lamp he had invented a few years earlier, undertook a series of studies that led him to make the observation that a jet of gas, primarily methane, would cause a platinum wire to continue to glow even though the flame was extinguished and there was no visible flame. Dobereiner reported in 1823 the results of a similar investigation and observed that spongy platina would cause the ignition of a stream of hydrogen in air. Based on this observation Dobereiner invented the first lighter. His lighter employed hydrogen (generated from zinc and sulfuric acid) which passed over finely divided platinum and which ignited the gas. Thousands of these lighters were used over a number of years. Dobereiner refused to file a patent for his lighter, commenting that "I love science more than money." Davy thought the action of platinum was the result of heat while Dobereiner believed the ~ffect ~as a manifestation of electricity. Faraday became interested in the subject and published a paper on it in 1834; he concluded that the cause for this reaction was similar to other reactions.

The subject of this volume is limited in that it addresses amphiphiles at liquid/air, liquid/liquid, and liquid/solid interfaces, with litte attention paid to vapor/solid interfaces. This volume will serve to summarize our current understanding of interfacial structure at the molecular level in these systems, and the relation of this structure to chemical and physicochemical phenomena.

In this book, academic researchers and technologists will find important information on the interaction of polymeric and non-polymeric inhibitors with a variety of scale forming crystals such as calcium phosphates, calcium carbonate, calcium oxalates, barium sulfate, calcium pyrophosphates, and calcium phosphonates. Moreover, the book delivers information to plant managers and formulators who would like to broaden and deepen their knowledge about processes involved in precipitation of sparingly soluble salts and learn more about the inhibitory aspects of various commercially available materials. Furthermore, experienced researchers will obtain fruitful and inspiring ideas from the easily accessible information about overlapping research areas, which will promote discoveries of new inhibitors (synthetic and/or natural) for the currently unmet challenges.

Asphaltenes have traditionally been viewed as being extremely complex, thus very hard to characterize. In addition, certain fundamental properties of asphaltenes have pre viously been inaccessible to study by traditional macroscopic methods, further limiting understanding of asphaltenes. These limitations inhibited development of descriptions regarding the microscopic structure and solution dynamics of asphaltenes. However, a variety ofmore recent studies have implied that asphaltenes share many chemical properties with the smaller, more tractable components of crude oils. Recent measurements have indicated that asphaltene molecular weights are not as arge as previously thought, perhaps in the range of 600 to I 000 amu. In addition, new experimental methods applied to asphaltene chemical structures have been quite revealing, yielding a broad understanding. Conse quently, the ability to relate chemical structure with physical and chemical properties can be developed and extended to the understanding of important commercial properties of asphal tenes. This book treats significant new developments in the fundamentals and applications of asphaltenes. In the first section ofthe book, new experimental methods are described that characterize asphaltene structures from the molecular to colloidallength scale. The colloidal properties are understandable in terms of asphaltene chemical structures, especially with regard to the heteroatom impact on bonding. However, quantitative measurements of the of asphaltene self-association still need to be determined. In the second section of enthalpy this book, the fundamental understanding of asphaltenes is related riirectly to asphaltene utilization."