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A classical metastable state possesses a local free energy minimum
at infinite sizes, but not a global one. This concept is phase size
independent. We have studied a number of experimental results and
proposed a new concept that there exists a wide range of metastable
states in polymers on different length scales where their
metastability is critically determined by the phase size and
dimensionality. Metastable states are also observed in phase
transformations that are kinetically impeded on the pathway to
thermodynamic equilibrium. This was illustrated in structural and
morphological investigations of crystallization and mesophase
transitions, liquid-liquid phase separation, vitrification and gel
formation, as well as combinations of these transformation
processes. The phase behaviours in polymers are thus dominated by
interlinks of metastable states on different length scales. This
concept successfully explains many experimental observations and
provides a new way to connect different aspects of polymer physics.
As a new and exciting field of interdisciplinary macromolecular
science and engineering, polymeric materials will have a profound
presence in 21st century chemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical,
manufacturing, infrastructure, electronic, optical and information
technologies. The origin of this field derived from an area of
polymer science and engineering encompassing plastic technologies.
The field is rapidly expanding to incorporate new interdisciplinary
research areas such as biomaterials, macromolecular biology, novel
macromolecular structures, environmental macromolecular science and
engineering, innovative and nano-fabrications of products, and is
translating discoveries into technologies.
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