Mechanical Properties of Single Molecules and Polymer Aggregates Rudiger Berger, Kurt Binder, Gregor Diezemann, Jurgen Gauss, Mark Helm, Katharina Landfester, Wolfgang Paul (Halle), Peter Virnau. Optical Properties of Individual Molecular Aggregates and Nano Particles Thomas Basche, Hans-Jurgen Butt, Gregor Diezemann, Jurgen Gauss, Klaus Mullen, Harald Paulsen, Carsten Sonnichsen, Rudolf Zentel. Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks I: Self-assembly of Copolymers Kurt Binder, Holger Frey, Andreas Kilbinger (Univ. Fribourg), Ute Kolb, Michael Maskos (IMM Mainz), Wolfgang Paul (Univ. Halle), Hans Wolfgang Spiess. Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks II: Complex Polymer Architectures Kurt Binder, Hans Jurgen Butt, Angelika Kuhnle, Klaus Mullen, Wolfgang Paul (Univ. Halle), Erwin Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Hans Wolfgang Spiess, Thomas Vilgis. Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks III: Polymer Complexes in Biological Applications Kurt Kremer, Heiko Luhmann, Christine Peter, Friederike Schmid, Erwin Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Eva Sinner (Univ. of Natural Resources, Vienna), Tanja Weil (Univ. Ulm)."

Traditionally, most synthetically developed materials are hardened by heating them to an elevated temperature, a process requiring large amounts of energy and space. Interest in photo cured materials using UV-light is growing due to simplifications in manufacturing and growing environmental concerns; it is expected photocuring could reduce electricity consumption by 90% compared to traditional curing. Photocured materials also reduce evaporation of volatile organic components, curing time and waste, thereby enhancing productivity and reducing work space. The materials technologies based on photocuring are gaining momentum, and this will be the first book to provide an in-depth focus on the subject. This book summarises the fundamentals required to understand the field, characterises the use of novel materials and the development of synthetic aspects, and discusses the future of the technology. The comprehensive review chapters are suitable for a broad readership from diverse backgrounds including chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering, medical science, pharmacy, biotechnology and biomedical engineering. Photocured Materials will be of interest to students, researchers, scientists, engineers and professors.

There has been much scientific interest in the behaviour of colloidal particles at liquid interfaces. From a research aspect they provide model systems for fundamental studies of condensed matter physics. From a commercial aspect they provide applications for making new materials in the cosmetics, food and paint industries. In many cases of colloidal particles at interfaces, the mechanism of particle interactions is still unknown. Particle-Stabilized Emulsions and Colloids looks at recent studies on the behaviour of particles at liquid interfaces. The book first introduces the basic concepts and principles of colloidal particles at liquid-liquid interfaces including the interactions and conformations. The book then discusses the latest advances in emulsions and bicontinuous emulsions stabilized by both solid and soft particles and finally the book covers applications in food science and oil extraction. With contributions from leading experts in these fields, this book will provide a background to academic researchers, engineers, and graduate students in chemistry, physics and materials science. The commercial aspects will also be of interest to those working in the cosmetics, food and oil industry.

This volume highlights the latest developments and trends in advanced polyblends and their structures. It presents the developments of advanced polyblends and respective tools to characterize and predict the material properties and behavior. The book provides important original and theoretical experimental results that use non-routine methodologies often unfamiliar to many readers. Furthermore chapters on novel applications of more familiar experimental techniques and analyses of composite problems are included, which indicate the need for the new experimental approaches that are presented. Technical and technological development demands the creation of new materials that are stronger, more reliable, and more durable-materials with new properties. Up-to-date projects in creation of new materials go along the way of nanotechnology. With contributions from experts from both the industry and academia, this book presents the latest developments in the identified areas. This book incorporates appropriate case studies, explanatory notes, and schematics for more clarity and better understanding. The book is designed as a textbook for postgraduate students, as a teaching support for the faculty, as a reference book for early research career beginners, and as a reference book for the scientific community at large for understanding the significance of modern materials and chemical engineering. This book will be useful for chemists, chemical engineers, technologists, and students interested in advanced nano-polymers with complex behavior and their applications This new book: * Gives an up-to-date and thorough exposition of the present state of the art of polyblends and composites * Familiarizes the reader with new aspects of the techniques used in the examination of polymers, including chemical, physicochemical, and purely physical methods of examination * Describes the types of techniques now available to the polymer chemist and technician and discusses their capabilities, limitations, and applications * Provides a balance between materials science and mechanics aspects, basic and applied research, and high-technology and high-volume (low-cost) composite development

This book reports on origin and history of polycondensation chemistry beginning in the first half of the 19th century. Furthermore, history and inventors of the most important polycondensates, such as Nylons, PET or polycarbonates, are described. The classical theory of step-growth polymerizations is discussed in the light of the latest experimental and theoretical results. Particular emphasis is laid on the role of cyclization reactions. Special categories of polycondensation processes are discussed in more detail: syntheses of hyperbranched and multicyclic polymers, non-stoichiometric polycondensations, interfacial polycondensations, solid state polycondensations, condensative chain polymerizations etc.

This text provides an important structural analysis of polymer solutions and melts, using fractal analysis. The book covers the theoretical fundamentals of macromolecules fractal analysis. It then goes on to discuss the fractal physics of polymer solutions and the fractal physics of melts. The intended audience of the book includes specialists in chemistry and physics of polymer synthesis and those in the field of polymers and polymer composites processing.

This book focuses on food, non-food, and industrial packaging applications of polymers, blends, nanostructured materials, macro, micro and nanocomposites, and renewable and biodegradable materials. It details physical, thermal, and barrier properties as well as sustainability, recycling, and regulatory issues. The book emphasizes interdisciplinary research on processing, morphology, structure, and properties as well as applications in packaging of food and industrial products. It is useful for chemists, physicists, materials scientists, food technologists, and engineers.

Une Perspective Historique; Y. Ne'eman. REVIEW PAPERS: Focal Conic Domains in Smectics; P. Boltenhagen, et al. On Polymer Brushes and Blobology; A. Halperin. RESEARCH PAPERS: Polymer Physics: NonDebye Screening in Polyelectrolyte Solutions; K. Kremer, et al. Polymers in a Random Environment and Molecular Quasi-Species; L. Peliti. Crystallography: Twins in Diamond Films; D. Shechtman. Dynamics of Disordered Systems/Glasses: Dynamics of Interface Depinning in a Disordered Medium; S. Stepanow, et al. Percolation, Diffusion, and Fractons: Hull of Percolation Clusters in Three Dimensions; J.M. Debierre. Dynamics of Diffusion and Invasion Fronts; J.F. Gouyet. Surfactants and Liquid Crystals: Vesicles of High Topological Genus; X. Michalet, et al. SCIENCE AND SOCIETY: Neo-Darwinian Processes in the Evolution of Science and of Human Societies; Y. Ne'eman. 19 additional articles. Index.

This book provides a broad overview of current studies in the engineering of polymers and chemicals of various origins. The innovative chapters cover the growth of educational, scientific, and industrial research activities among chemists, biologists, and polymer and chemical engineers. This book publishes significant research and reviews reporting new methodologies and important applications in the fields of industrial chemistry, industrial polymers, and biotechnology, as well the latest coverage of chemical databases and the development of new computational methods and efficient algorithms for chemical software and polymer engineering.

This book gives the reader an introduction to the field of surfactants in solution as well as polymers in solution. Starting with an introduction to surfactants the book then discusses their environmental and health aspects. Chapter 3 looks at fundamental forces in surface and colloid chemistry. Chapter 4 covers self-assembly and 5 phase diagrams. Chapter 6 reviews advanced self-assembly while chapter 7 looks at complex behaviour. Chapters 8 to 10 cover polymer adsorption at solid surfaces, polymers in solution and surface active polymers, respectively. Chapters 11 and 12 discuss adsorption and surface and interfacial tension, while Chapters 13- 16 deal with mixed surfactant systems. Chapter 17, 18 and 19 address microemulsions, colloidal stability and the rheology of polymer and surfactant solutions. Wetting and wetting agents, hydrophobization and hydrophobizing agents, solid dispersions, surfactant assemblies, foaming, emulsions and emulsifiers and microemulsions for soil and oil removal complete the coverage in chapters 20-25.

This volume, Bioresponsive Polymers: Design and Application in Drug Delivery, focuses on recent advancements in bioresponsive polymers and their design, characterization, and applications in varied fields, such as drug delivery and gene delivery. It looks at several carriers for drug delivery and biological molecules using different bioresponsive polymers. To address the many difficulties in existing dosage forms, this book provides information on recent developments to overcome drawbacks of conventional forms of the drug delivery. The chapters cover most areas of bioresponsive polymers, starting with a basic introduction to bioresponsive polymers, followed by chapters on design, characterization, and mechanism of bioresponsive polymers; and applications of drug and gene delivery using bioresponsive polymers via oral, topical, nasal, ocular, and parenteral methods. The book also reviews recent advancements in bioresponsive polymers and advanced applications, such as engineering particulate moieties, biomedical applications, hydrogels as emerging therapy, and electrochemical responses, bioresponsive nanoparticles, and bioresponsive hydrogels.

Chromogenic materials change their optical properties in response to an external stimulus. Due to their potential applications as light valve (e.g., in sun protecting glazing) or as temperature sensor, thermotropic, and thermochromic materials have come more and more into the focus of research and development. Commercialization of such high-tech products has already started and certainly many others will enter the market in near future.
This book is the first to give an overview of the scientific and applicative aspects of the entire class of thermochromic and thermotropic materials. It discusses the origin of the thermo-optical effects at the molecular level and presents the macroscopic optical and material properties of chromogenic materials as well as their present and potential future application. With a view to particular potential applications, the book outlines the specific development strategies of these materials.

The book addresses scientific and application-oriented researchers as well as students in the fields of smart adaptive polymers and sun-protecting materials. By providing the fundamental knowledge and outlining the future trends of thermochromism, this book familiarizes the readers with the entire field of the phenomenon.

This is the second volume of a two-volume work which summarizes in an edited format and in a fairly comprehensive manner many of the recent technical research accomplishments in the area of Elastomers. Advances in Elastomers discusses the various attempts reported on solving these problems from the point of view of the chemistry and the structure of elastomers, highlighting the drawbacks and advantages of each method. It summarize the importance of elastomers and their multiphase systems in human life and industry, and covers all the topics related to recent advances in elastomers, their blends, IPNs, composites and nanocomposites.

This second volume is deals with composites and nanocomposites of elastomers.

This book covers the theory of the strength of laminated and reinforced structures made of polymer materials with regard to the changeability of physico-chemical properties is examined. It presents an experimental-theoretical method on the definition of physico-mechanical properties of polymers composite materials and polymerized bundles made of fibers with emphasis on the changes of physico-chemical properties of the materials. With mathematical strictness, the experimental and theoretical studies presented here will aid in the development of reliable methods and new practices of analyzing structures with the influence of chemically aggressive liquids and gases and in the creation of specific production structures that will withstand corrosive environments.

Polymeric and hybrid nanoparticles have received increased scientific interest in terms of basic research as well as commercial applications, promising a variety of uses for nanostructures in fields including bionanotechnology and medicine. Condensing the relevant research into a comprehensive reference, Polymer and Polymer-Hybrid Nanoparticles: From Synthesis to Biomedical Applications covers an array of topics from synthetic procedures and macromolecular design to possible biomedical applications of nanoparticles and materials based on original and unique polymers.
The book presents a well-rounded picture of objects ranging from simple polymeric micelles to complex hybrid polymer-based nanostructures, detailing synthetic procedures, techniques for characterization and analysis, properties, and behavior in selective solvents and dispersions. Each chapter contains background and introductory information, summarizing generalities on the nanosystems being discussed. The chapters also describe representative works of experts and provide in-depth, focused discussions.
The authors present current knowledge on the following topics:

• Designed synthesis of functional polymers
• Construction of block copolymer micellar and nonmicellar self-assembled structures
• Construction of organic organic hybrid nanosized particles
• Construction of organic inorganic hybrid nanoparticles and nanoassemblies

The final chapter addresses biological applications of polymeric nanoparticles, including delivery of low-molecular-weight drugs, macromolecular drugs, imaging and diagnostics, and photodynamic therapy. Summarizing important developments in the field, the authors condense relevant research into a comprehensive resource.

Catalysis has always been part of the development of mankind; from the fermentation of alcoholic drinks, through the development of fertilisers in the agricultural revolution and production of bulk chemicals in the 20th Century. Today, society demands improved production routes with greater product output and energy efficiency; the ultimate goal to achieving this would be having all catalytic reactions in concert, effectively functioning like a biological cell. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a relatively new type of hybrid material. Their crystalline porous structure, built up from organic and inorganic building blocks, presents a vast array of composition, porosity and functionality offering enormous potential in catalytic systems. This book examines the latest research and discovery in the use of MOFs in catalysis, highlighting the extent to which these materials have been embraced by the community. Beyond presenting a digest of recent research by major players in the field, the book presents the strategies behind recent developments, providing a lasting reference for seasoned researchers and newcomers to the field.

Polymers are used in many everyday technologies and their degradation due to environmental exposure has lead to great interest in materials which can heal and repair themselves. In order to design new self healing polymers it's important to understand the fundamental healing mechanisms behind the material. Healable Polymer Systems will outline the key concepts and mechanisms underpinning the design and processing of healable polymers, and indicate potential directions for progress in the future development and applications of these fascinating and potentially valuable materials. The book covers the different techniques developed successfully to date for both autonomous healable materials (those which do not require an external stimulus to promote healing) and rehealable or remendable materials (those which only recover their original physical properties if a specific stimulus is applied). These include the encapsulated-monomer approach, reversible covalent bond formation, irreversible covalent bond formation and supramolecular self-assembly providing detailed insights into their chemistry. Written by leading experts, the book provides polymer scientists with a compact and readily accessible source of reference for healable polymer systems.

First Published in 2006. This volume introduces and provides a semantic analysis of Discourse Adjectives, a natural class of adjectives that the author argues includes apparent, clear, evident, and obvious among its prototypical members. With a main claim that Discourse Adjectives do not provide information about the facts of the world. Rather, they are used by interlocutors to negotiate the status of propositions in a discourse.

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With chapters by the editors and other experts in the field of polymer science, this book covers a broad selection of important research advances in the field, including updates on enzymatic destruction and photoelectric characteristics, studies on the changes in the polymer molecular mass during hydrolysis and a new type of bioadditive for motor fuel, and an exploration of the interrelation of viscoelastic and electromagnetic properties of densely cross-linked polymers. Also included are chapters that discuss the problems of mechanics of textile performance, new aspects of polymeric nanofibers, a mathematical model of nanofragment cross-linked polymers, and much more.

An outstanding international scientific event in the field of metathesis chemistry, the NATO ASI "Green Metathesis Chemistry: Great Challenges in Synthesis, Catalysis and Nanotechnology" has been recently organized in Bucharest, Romania (July 21- August 2, 2008). Numerous renowned scientists, young researchers and students, convened for two weeks to present and debate on the newest trends in alkene metathesis and identify future perspectives in this fascinating area of organic, organometallic, catalysis and polymer chemistry with foreseen important applications in materials science and technology. Following the fruitful practice of NATO Advanced Study Institutes, selected contributions covering plenary lectures, short communications and posters have been compiled in this special volume dedicated to this successful convention on green metathesis chemistry.

General interest was primarily focused on relevant "green chemistry" features related to all types of metathesis reactions (RCM, CM, enyne metathesis, ADMET and ROMP). Diverse opportunities for green and sustainable technologies and industrial procedures based on metahesis have been identified. Largely exemplified was the utility of this broadly applicable strategy in organic synthesis, for accessing natural products and pharmaceuticals, and also its ability to fit in the manufacture of smart and nanostructured materials, self-assemblies with nanoscale morphologies, macromolecular engineering.

There are examples aplenty in the macroscopic world that demonstrate the form of objects directing their functions and properties. On the other hand, the fabrication of extremely small objects having precisely defined structures has only recently become an attractive challenge, which is now opening the door to nanoscience and nanotechnology.In the field of synthetic polymer chemistry, a number of critical breakthroughs have been achieved during the first decade of this century to produce an important class of polymers having a variety of cyclic and multicyclic topologies. These developments now offer unique opportunities in polymer materials design to create unprecedented properties and functions simply based on the form, i.e. topology, of polymer molecules.In this book on topological polymer chemistry, the important developments in this growing area will be collected for the first time, with particular emphasis on new conceptual insights for polymer chemistry and polymer materials. The book will systematically review topological polymer chemistry from basic aspects to practice, and give a broad overview of cyclic polymers covering new synthesis, structure characterization, basic properties/functions and the eventual applications.

Presents updated information in the field of biodegradable biopolymers Provides an up-to-date summary of the varying market applications of biopolymers characterized by biodegradability and sustainability Includes case studies that illustrate the sustainable development process from a materials perspective

From the late-1960's, perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSAs) ionomers have dominated the PEM fuel cell industry as the membrane material of choice. The "gold standard' amongst the many variations that exist today has been, and to a great extent still is, DuPont's Nafion (R) family of materials. However, there is significant concern in the industry that these materials will not meet the cost, performance, and durability requirementsnecessary to drive commercialization in key market segments - es- cially automotive. Indeed, Honda has already put fuel cell vehicles in the hands of real end users that have home-grown fuel cell stack technology incorporating hydrocarbon-based ionomers. "Polymer Membranes in Fuel Cells" takes an in-depth look at the new chem- tries and membrane technologies that have been developed over the years to address the concerns associated with the materials currently in use. Unlike the PFSAs, which were originally developed for the chlor-alkali industry, the more recent hydrocarbon and composite materials have been developed to meet the specific requirements of PEM Fuel Cells. Having said this, most of the work has been based on derivatives of known polymers, such as poly(ether-ether ketones), to ensure that the critical requirement of low cost is met. More aggressive operational requi- ments have also spurred the development on new materials; for example, the need for operation at higher temperature under low relative humidity has spawned the creation of a plethora of new polymers with potential application in PEM Fuel Cells.

This book describes the latest research on nanopolysaccharides in the development of functional materials, from their preparation, properties and functional modifications to the architecture of diverse functional materials. Polysaccharide-based nanoparticles, including nanocellulose, nanochitin, and nanostarch have attracted interest in the field of nanoscience, nanotechnology, and materials science that encompasses various industrial sectors, such as biomedicine, catalyst, coating, energy, optical materials, environmental materials, construction materials, and antibacterial materials. This book establishes a fundamental framework, highlighting the architecture strategies of typical functional systems based on nanopolysaccharides and integrated analysis of their significant influence and properties to various functional behaviors of materials, to help readers to fully understand the fundamental features of nanopolysaccharides and functional materials. Addressing the potential for practical applications, the book also covers the related industrial interests and reports on highly valued products from nanopolysaccharides, providing ideas for future studies in the area. Intended both for academics and professionals who are interested in nanopolysaccharides, it is also a valuable resource for postgraduate students, researchers, and engineers involved in R&D of natural polymers, nanotechnology, and functional materials.