The policy adopted in Volume 1 of this series of including a relatively small number of topics for detailed review has been continued here. The techniques selected have received considerable attention in recent years. F or this reason and because of the significance of the characterisation data, further coverage of 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering is given in the first two chapters. In Chapter I a large part of the review describes the determination of monomer sequence distributions and configurational sequences in copolymers formed from more than one polymerisable monomer. The review on neutron scattering (Chapter 2) is directed towards the determination of the chain conformation in semi-crystaIIine polymers, which has provided important results for the interpretation of chain folding and morphology in crystaIIisable polymers. Laser Raman spectroscopy has also been used for morphological studies, and this application together with a description of the theoretical and experimental aspects of the technique is given in Chapter 3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy because of its extreme sensitivity to surface characteristics has provided information on polymeric solids that could not be obtained by other techniques. The principles and practice of this ESCA technique, including its use for simple elemental analysis, structural elucidation and depth profiling, are described in Chapter 4. The final two chapters are mainly concerned with the chain conformation of polymers in dilute solution. Ultrasonic techniques (Chapter 5) show pmmise for observing the dynamics of conformational changes.

The policy adopted in Volume 1 of this series of including a relatively small number of topics for detailed review has been continued here. The techniques selected have received considerable attention in recent years. F or this reason and because of the significance of the characterisation data, further coverage of 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering is given in the first two chapters. In Chapter I a large part of the review describes the determination of monomer sequence distributions and configurational sequences in copolymers formed from more than one polymerisable monomer. The review on neutron scattering (Chapter 2) is directed towards the determination of the chain conformation in semi-crystaIIine polymers, which has provided important results for the interpretation of chain folding and morphology in crystaIIisable polymers. Laser Raman spectroscopy has also been used for morphological studies, and this application together with a description of the theoretical and experimental aspects of the technique is given in Chapter 3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy because of its extreme sensitivity to surface characteristics has provided information on polymeric solids that could not be obtained by other techniques. The principles and practice of this ESCA technique, including its use for simple elemental analysis, structural elucidation and depth profiling, are described in Chapter 4. The final two chapters are mainly concerned with the chain conformation of polymers in dilute solution. Ultrasonic techniques (Chapter 5) show pmmise for observing the dynamics of conformational changes.

This volume includes reviews on tackling polymer characterisation problems and on developing specific characterisation techniques. The first two chapters and the last chapter describe progress in providing character isation information for polymers containing long-chain branching, for polymer blends, and for polymers having preferred orientation. The remaining chapters review progress in individual techniques, showing with examples the characterisation results which may be obtained. It is recognised that the degree of chain branching which can evolve in some polymerisation processes can have a marked effect on the flow properties of a polymer, and therefore on polymer processing behaviour. In the first chapter the characterisation of long-chain branching from measurements of the molecular size and molar mass of a polymer in dilute solution is outlined. It is indicated that a complete characterisation of branching requires the combined use of several techniques, emphasising in particular recent developments involving gel permeation chromatography. Thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy are widely used techniques in polymer characterisation. Both techniques can provide, very quickly, significant results with readily available instrumentation. This is illustrated by the review of the characterisation of polymer blends by thermal analysis in Chapter 2. An assessment of blend morphology, which influences the behaviour of a material consisting of two or more polymers, is presented in terms of transition temperatures. Conventional infrared spectroscopy involves dispersive spectrometers which do not always provide accurate information on composition and structure for complex polymeric materials."

Over two decades ago, !he term characterisation covered just those techniques which measured the properties of polymers in solution in order to determine molecular weight and size. The discoveries of stereoregular polymers and polymer crystals created the need for new and advanced techniques for characterising chain structures and bulk properties. Further demands for new and improved characterisation methods for bulk polymers have resulted from the recent development and exploitation of multi phase polymeric systems, such as polymer blends, block and graft copolymers, and polymer composites. Today, therefore, characterisation is a very important part of polymer science. The polymer chemist must know the chain length, chain microstructure and chain conformation of the polymers he or she has prepared, i. e. the determination of molecular properties. The scientist involved in exploiting polymers in such applications as plastics, elastomers, fibres, surface coatings and adhesives must be informed on the morphology and physical and mechanical behaviour of his or her products, i. e. the determination of bulk and surface properties and their dependence on molecular properties. The techniques required for these determinations now cover an extremely wide field. Our aim has been to review a number of techniques critically and in sufficient depth so that the present state and future potential of each technique may be judged by the reader. Three criteria were used in the selection of techniques. First, we wished to present new methods which have been developed actively in the polymer field during the past five years.