This book examines the current state of the art, new challenges, opportunities, and applications in the area of polymer nanocomposites. Special attention has been paid to the processing-morphology-structure-property relationship of the system. Various unresolved issues and new challenges in the field of polymer nanocompostes are discussed. The influence of preparation techniques (processing) on the generation of morphologies and the dependence of these morphologies on the properties of the system are treated in detail. This book also illustrates different techniques used for the characterization of polymer nanocomposites. The handpicked selection of topics and expert contributors across the globe make this survey an outstanding resource reference for anyone involved in the field of polymer nanocompostes for advanced technologies.

The discovery of molecular and cellular mechanisms of pathology, together with the present data on drug treatment result in enhanced drug design and testing. The known mechanisms of biological activity as displayed by ascorbic acid and other natural reductones are the reason that they are considered to be physiologically compatible antioxidants, many of which are trace elements in food. The pharmacological potential of natural antioxidants may be enhanced by chemical modification. Biotic antioxidants possess an important potential to be a reliable basis of the development of new multipurpose drugs, within the framework of existing technological structures. This book shows approaches for possible use of these natural antioxidants. In particular, such an approach is described for the case of the design of superoxide dismutase models with anti-tumour activity.

The basic problem of polymer physics is obtaining aEURO~structure-propertiesaEURO (TM) correlations for their future application for practical purposes. However, these cannot be obtained without the development of a quantitative model of the polymer structure. This problem has been actively investigated during the last 45 years, which resulted in obtaining a great amount of experimental (mostly indirect) proofs of existence of the local order in the polymer amorphous state. Now, the time has come for creating a structural model of polymer basing based on the local order ideas. The cluster model, as presented in this monograph, of the polymer amorphous state structure represents the realization of such attempts. The development of this cluster model is based on well-known experimental observation: the behavior of glassy polymers in the area of stimulated high-elasticity plateau is described in the framework of rubber elasticity concepts. This gives an opportunity to present the local order (cluster) zone as a multifunctional entanglement of the physical network consisting of several collinear closely packed segments of different macromolecules (the amorphous analogue of crystallite with extended chains) and surrounded by a packless matrix. An independent method for assessing local order zone fraction in the structure has been elaborated. Segment length in the cluster equals the length of the chain statistical segment that gives a correlation between molecular and structural parameters of the polymer. Application of the cluster model allowed description and obtaining of analytical aEURO~structure-propertiesaEURO (TM) correlations for many processes proceeding in polymers: elasticity, yielding, degradation, transport, some thermodynamic processes, structural relaxation, plasticization, structural stabilization at thermo-oxidative degradation, etc. The relation between the cluster model and some modern physical concepts, for instance fractal analysis, fluctuation free volume kinetic

This book examines the current state of the art, new challenges, opportunities, and applications in the area of polymer nanocomposites. Special attention has been paid to the processing-morphology-structure-property relationship of the system. Various unresolved issues and new challenges in the field of polymer nanocompostes are discussed. The influence of preparation techniques (processing) on the generation of morphologies and the dependence of these morphologies on the properties of the system are treated in detail. This book also illustrates different techniques used for the characterization of polymer nanocomposites. The handpicked selection of topics and expert contributors across the globe make this survey an outstanding resource reference for anyone involved in the field of polymer nanocompostes for advanced technologies.

This volume in the book series New Concepts in Polymer Science deals with the damaging effects, which microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, etc. can have on a range of materials in machinery. The book aims to provide theoretical notions about the mechanisms of material damaging by microorganisms under operation conditions as well as to give recommendations for protection of technical articles and machinery. This monograph consists of the following topics: finding of kinetic regularities, analytical models and quantitative indices for stages material biodamaging; study of influence of properties of materials, features of microorganisms, temperature, humidity and other factors on interaction between a material and a biodestructor; and, compilation of guidelines to determine and forecast biological resistance (bioresistance) of materials, development of means and methods for their protection as well as estimates of their efficiency. This monograph will be of value and interest to researchers and engineers working in fields in which materials are subject to active microbiological aging and destruction.

Polymer Yearbook 13 brings together reviews and information on the progress of polymer science worldwide, including useful and topical information such as a list of new publications in polymer science and a compilation of dissertation abstracts. This volume includes reviews of key aspects of polymer science, including contributions from Russia, and details of important publications., This volume also contains reviews on state-of-the-art Japanese research presented at the annual Spring and Fall meetings of the Japanese Polymer Science Society. The aim of this section is to make information on the progress of Japanese polymer science, and on topics of current interest to polymer scientists in Japan, more easily available worldwide.

This book is a collection of technical papers focusing on the preparation, characterization and application of polymer-nanocomposites. The various chapters in the book are written by prominent researchers from industry, academia, and government/private research laboratories across the globe. Different techniques adopted for the preparation of nano composites, their methods of characterization and their applications are discussed. The main objective of this book is to summarize in a fairly comprehensive manner many of the recent technical accomplishments in the area of polymer nanocomposites. The book is intended to serve as a one stop reference resource for important research accomplishments in the area of polymer nanocomposites.

New fields of science and technology call for new materials with valuable performance characteristics. Long-term resistance to such temperatures can be found only in polymers with chains made up of thermostable fragments. Particularly interesting in this respect are elementorganic polymers with inorganic and organo-inorganic molecular chains. Elementorganic polymers are not only highly thermostable, but also perform well under low temperatures, sunlight, humidity, weather, etc. Thus, these polymers (especially silicones) are widely and effectively used in the electrical, radio, coal, mechanical rubber, aircraft, metallurgical, textile and other industries. They are of great utility not only in industry, but also in households and in medicine, where their merits can hardly be overestimated. The need to publish this book arose with the scientific and technical developments of the last decade, the reconstruction and technical renovation of existing factories, as well as fundamental changes in some syntheses of elementorganic monomers and polymers. Moreover, nowadays it is essential to train highly-skilled chemical engineers with a comprehensive knowledge of current chemistry, of the production technology of elementorganic monomers and polymers, and of their characteristics and applications.

This volume in the book series "New Concepts in Polymer Science deals with the damaging effects, which microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, etc. can have on a range of materials in machinery. The book aims to provide theoretical notions about the mechanisms of material damaging by microorganisms under operation conditions as well as to give recommendations for protection of technical articles and machinery.
This monograph consists of the following topics: finding of kinetic regularities, analytical models and quantitative indices for stages material biodamaging; study of influence of properties of materials, features of microorganisms, temperature, humidity and other factors on interaction between a material and a biodestructor; and, compilation of guidelines to determine and forecast biological resistance (bioresistance) of materials, development of means and methods for their protection as well as estimates of their efficiency.
This monograph will be of value and interest to researchers and engineers working in fields in which materials are subject to active microbiological aging and destruction.

The basic problem of polymer physics is obtaining 'structure-properties' correlations for their future application for practical purposes. However, these cannot be obtained without the development of a quantitative model of the polymer structure.
This problem has been actively investigated during the last 45 years, which resulted in obtaining a great amount of experimental (mostly indirect) proofs of existence of the local order in the polymer amorphous state. Now, the time has come for creating a structural model of polymer basing based on the local order ideas. The cluster model, as presented in this monograph, of the polymer amorphous state structure represents the realization of such attempts.
The development of this cluster model is based on well-known experimental observation: the behavior of glassy polymers in the area of stimulated high-elasticity plateau is described in the framework of rubber elasticity concepts. This gives an opportunity to present the local order (cluster) zone as a multifunctional entanglement of the physical network consisting of several collinear closely packed segments of different macromolecules (the amorphous analogue of crystallite with extended chains) and surrounded by a packless matrix. An independent method for assessing local order zone fraction in the structure has been elaborated. Segment length in the cluster equals the length of the chain statistical segment that gives a correlation between molecular and structural parameters of the polymer.
Application of the cluster model allowed description and obtaining of analytical 'structure-properties' correlations for many processes proceeding in polymers: elasticity, yielding, degradation, transport, some thermodynamic processes, structural relaxation, plasticization, structural stabilization at thermo-oxidative degradation, etc.
The relation between the cluster model and some modern physical concepts, for instance fractal analysis, fluctuation free volume kinetic theory, percolation theory, irreversible colloidal aggregation models, are outlined.
A separate chapter is devoted to the features of formation and control of the relative part of local order zones in non-crystalline domains of semi-crystalline polymers and their connection to the structure of crystallites.

The behavior of substances in solutions may not be adequately characterized by the effect of any single physicochemical parameter of solvents, nor are numerous semi-empirical scales of the solvent effect (their 'polarity') suitable for their limited selections only. In recent decades, it has been found that the variation of reaction rate constants in solutions or that spectral parameters of dissolved substances are determined by the total effect of different solvation processes. This monograph presents numerous examples of such an approach and characterizes various empirical and semi-empirical scales of solvent properties. It is shown that additional consideration of some structural parameters of solvents, namely, their cohesive energy and the molar volume, may provide for spreading this approach on homolytical and catalytic reaction.
It is also shown that for the solvolysis reaction, one of the excessive reagents may represent either a reagent or a solvent, which requires additional consideration of its structural characteristics in the Hammeth equation.
The application of the principle of free energy linearity also allowed adequate generalization of data on the effect of solvents on different physicochemical processes, such as dissolution of gases and solids in various solvents, swelling of polymers and solid fossil fuels, coal extraction, adsorption, absorption, diffusion, and chromatography. Special attention is paid to substance distribution between two immiscible phases. Properties of both an extractive phase and an active extractant dissolved in inert diluter are taken into account. The majority of these processes indicate the efficiency of solvent self-association factorthat defines the energy consumption for formation of a void for an alien molecule injection.

The monograph is intended for elucidation of the novel trend in chemical physics regarding the polymer non-crystalline phase. It stresses the physical phenomena affecting the kinetics and mechanism of chemical reactions proceeding in the non-crystalline polymer matrix (NCPM). NCPM is depicted in terms of a supramolecular (carcass-micellar) model. The model is thought to reflect heterophase packing of polymeric chains, which co-operate as a molecular-chain sponge.
The NCPM model presented is proved for adequate description of principal structure-physical phenomena to elaborate the scheme of structural-kinetic modeling of chemical reactions in bulky polymers. Structure-physical phenomena elucidated in the monograph are:
-peculiarities of polymer plasticization and polymer blending with liquids;
-structural and thermodynamic aspects of sorption of low molecular species;
-properties of ESR (spin) probes and optical (molecular) probes;
-features of water absorbed by polymers;
-mechanical a thermal effects generated by the molecular-chain sponge;
-supramolecular aspects of NCPM chemical physics.
This monograph includes the structural-kinetic modeling of complex polymer chemical reactions. It deals with the problem of mechanism and kinetics of free radical chain reactions using thermal and photochemical model reactions of dibenzoyl peroxide with glassy-like polymers (cellulose triacetate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyamide PA-548), viscoelastic polymers (atactic polypropylene, polyamide PA-548, polyethylene, polyisobutylene, melted poly(ethylene oxide), and isotactic polypropylene. In all cases, the supramolecular heterophase mechanism of the processes, which wasunknown for homogeneous systems, was proved. Furthermore, heterophase mechanisms of photochemical reaction between naphthalene and cellulose triacetate and photolysis of poly(methyl methacrylate) proceeding as a photochain reaction are indicated.

There are obvious benefits in using flame-retardants, as many human lives and property are saved from fire. A large number of compounds have been identified as being used as flame-retardants. At present, knowledge of long-term effects resulting from exposure to flame retardants and their breakdown products is limited. The aim of this volume in the book series "New Concepts in Polymer Science" is to provide a general overview of the nature, mechanism of action, use and environmental hazards for a number of flame-retardants. This monograph (together with the book by the same authors, "Ecological Aspects of Polymer Flame Retardancy" (1999) will valuable to anyone interested in the field of flame-retardant chemicals.

The monograph is intended to systematize data on active sites and their kinetic and stereospecific heterogeneity (polysite phenomenon) in olefin and diene monomer ion, ion-coordination and complex radical polymerization processes. Questions of molecular-mass distribution of polymers obtained by ion and ion-coordination polymerization methods are discussed together with composition and stereo regularity distribution of olefin copolymers. Data on the influence of transition and non-transition metal origin and their ligand ambience, conditions of catalytic system preparation and polymerization are shown. Various assessment methods of polymerization active site distribution by kinetic activity and stereospecific action are considered. In particular, an assessment method for kinetic activity distribution at ion-coordination diene polymerization is described, mathematical simulation parameters for polymerization processes are shown, taking into account the polysite structure of catalytic systems. Of special attention are geometrical and electron structure of active sites in the ion-coordination polymerization by the quantum chemistry method, interrelation between reactivity of some types of active sites and stereospecificity of their action in diene polymerization. The importance of ratio between specific time elementary act duration at the diene injection, coordinated on an active site, and time of propagating macrochain end unit existence in the s-state at polydiene microstructure formation is indicated. Questions of the polysite mechanism occurrence in complex radical polymerization processes are discussed. A possibility for polymerization to proceed in both free-radical and complex related chain propagation sites is shown.

This book considers general aspects of the theory of polymers applied in optics. The main factors affecting the light loss in polymeric wave beam guides (PG) are discussed, and the mechanism of light loss in PG is analysed. Polymers applied in fiber optics are classified with reference to methods of fabrication and purification of the materials. Technological aspects of material fabrication are considered together with kinetic aspects of polymerisation. Updated information on polymerisation kinetics of MMA and styrene, and copolymerisation of these monomers with each other is reported. Other topics discussed in the book are heterogeneity of optic copolymers, association between structure and reactivity of monomers, other properties of optic copolymers, and areas of their commercial application. This volume will be of value and interest to anyone working in the field of optic polymers, both in academia and industry.

This monograph aims to give an overview of recent chemical and technological developments in the area of polymers and co-polymers derived from isobutylene, which have a wide range of (industrial) applications.
The scientific basis for presenting the material application of the acid-base theory with a view to the fundamental steps of isobutylene polymerization is combined with the application of quantum-chemical calculations of catalysts, linked active centers, separate elementary stages of the process, and critical analysis of some experimental data. In addition, a number of problems, such as the macrokinetic description of isobutylene polymerization, description of the balanced scheme of industrial production of isobutylene polymers, and initiation of isobutylene polymerization with the help of immobilized cationic catalysts are discussed. Special attention is given to ecological aspects of synthesis and application of isobutylene polymers.
This book will be of value and interest to researchers in the areas of chemistry and physics of high-molecular compounds, as well as engineers and technologists specialized in the area of olefins and polyolefins.

New Approaches To Polymer Materials

Research On Chemical Kinetics

Synthesis & Properties Of Polymers

Kinetic & Thermodynamic Aspects of Polymer Stability

The book is devoted to kinetics and thermodynamics of the processes with participation of some biological compounds and their synthetic analogues. Aspects of their acting as model enzymes, molecular receptors, photo sensitizers, pharmocophores, and biopharmaceutical compounds are under consideration. Quantitative characteristics of transfer of cations, anions and small organic molecules, fermentative catalysis, diffusion of the drug molecular through biological membranes are found. Mechanisms of the processes are discussed. Biological activity of studied compounds is evaluated. Bio-damages of materials as well as adhesions of microorganisms on materials surface are investigated.

The proposed monograph summarizes scientific achievements in the field of polysaccharide chemistry performed in the last decade. For the first time, the particular features of polysaccharide structure, physical-chemical properties and biochemical transformations in their interrelations are considered as well as the questions of polysaccharide modification along the whole hierarchical chain, including starch mono-, di-, oligo- and polysaccharides, chitin, chitozan and cellulose. Polysaccharide interactions with diverse solvents and low-molecular, macrocyclic and high-molecular substances in solutions are scrutinized. Several aspects of mechanical-chemical modification of polysaccharides in solid state and in gel are observed. Modern concepts of enzyme degradation of polysaccharides and technologies of natural polymers processing are analyzed.
The book is intended for wide range of readers: students, post graduates, engineers and scientists engaged in polymer chemistry, organic and physical chemistry.

This book is mainly dedicated to the processes of ozonolysis, destruction and stabilisation of polymers, reactions and structure formation of polymers in fractal spaces, hydrosilylation reactions, anti-adhesive coatings, synergism and antagonism in processes of polymers phototransformation and light stabilisation, selective oxidation, carbocations reactions and polymer analogous reactions.

New Research on Biotechnology & Medicine

This book deals with the ecological aspects of polymer flame retardation. It deals with methods for estimating polymer flammability, the mode of action of modern flame retardants, and ecological concerns of the most used halogenated flame retardants.