Understanding cooperative phenomena far from equilibrium is one of the fascinating challenges of present-day many-body physics. Glassy behaviour and the physical ageing process of such materials are paradigmatic examples. The present volume, primarily intended as introduction and reference, collects six extensive lectures addressing selected experimental and theoretical issues in the field of glassy systems.

Understanding cooperative phenomena far from equilibrium is one of the fascinating challenges of present-day many-body physics. Glassy behaviour and the physical ageing process of such materials are paradigmatic examples. The present volume, primarily intended as introduction and reference, collects six extensive lectures addressing selected experimental and theoretical issues in the field of glassy systems.

Understanding cooperative phenomena far from equilibrium is one of the fascinating challenges of present-day many-body physics. Glassy behaviour and the physical ageing process of such materials are paradigmatic examples. The present volume, primarily intended as introduction and reference, collects six extensive lectures addressing selected experimental and theoretical issues in the field of glassy systems.

Handbook of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry: Recent Advances, Techniques and Applications, Volume Six, Second Edition, presents the latest in a series that has been well received by the thermal analysis and calorimetry community. This volume covers recent advances in techniques and applications that complement the earlier volumes. There has been tremendous progress in the field in recent years, and this book puts together the most high-impact topics selected for their popularity by new editors Sergey Vyazovkin, Nobuyoshi Koga and Christoph Schick—all editors of Thermochimica Acta. Among the important new techniques covered are biomass conversion; sustainable polymers; polymer nanocompsoties; nonmetallic glasses; phase change materials; propellants and explosives; applications to pharmaceuticals; processes in ceramics, metals, and alloys; ionic liquids; fast-scanning calorimetry, and more. - Features 19 all-new chapters to bring readers up to date on the current status of the field - Provides a broad overview of recent progress in the most popular techniques and applications - Includes chapters authored by a recognized leader in each field and compiled by a new team of editors, each with at least 20 years of experience in the field of thermal analysis and calorimetry - Enables applications across a wide range of modern materials, including polymers, metals, alloys, ceramics, energetics and pharmaceutics - Overviews the current status of the field and summarizes recent progress in the most popular techniques and applications

Ageing of composites is a highly topical subject given the increasing use of composites in structural applications in many industries. Ageing of composites addresses many of the uncertainties about the long-term performance of composites and how they age under conditions encountered in service.The first part of the book reviews processes and modelling of composite ageing including physical and chemical ageing of polymeric composites, ageing of glass-ceramic matrix composites, chemical ageing mechanisms, stress corrosion cracking, thermo-oxidative ageing, spectroscopy of ageing composites, modelling physical and accelerated ageing and ageing of silicon carbide composites. Part two examines ageing of composites in transport applications including aircraft, vehicles and ships. Part three reviews ageing of composites in non-transport applications such as implants in medical devices, oil and gas refining, construction, chemical processing and underwater applications.With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Ageing of composites is a valuable reference guide for composite manufacturers and developers. It also serves as a source of information for material scientists, designers and engineers in industries that use composites, including transport, chemical processing and medical engineering. - Addresses many of the uncertainties about the long-term performance of composites and how they age under conditions encountered in service - Reviews processes and modelling of composite ageing including chemical ageing mechanisms and stress corrosion cracking - Discusses ageing of composites in both transport and non-transport applications ranging from aircraft to implants in medical devices

The last few years have seen many developments in the study of ?frustrated? systems, such as spin glasses and random fields. In addition, the application of the idea of spin glasses to other branches of physics, such as vortex lines in high temperature superconductors, protein folding, structural glasses, and the vulcanization of rubber, has been flourishing. The earlier reviews are several years old, so now is an appropriate time to summarize the recent developments. The articles in this book have been written by leading researchers and include theoretical and experimental studies, and large-scale numerical work (using state-of-the-art algorithms designed specifically for spin-glass-type problems), as well as analytical studies.

This is the first book to logically present the major problems of the vitreous state within the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. Filled with elementary explanations for difficult problems, this easily understood text/reference treats in detail the criteria of glass transition, the peculiarities of relaxing structural parameters, and the Prigogine-Defay ratio. Based on the author's rigorous generalization of the Second Law for non-equilibrium, the book systematizes all known thermodynamic data for glasses and melts. The thermodynamic essence of structural relaxation and memory effects are considered. The viscous flow theories are treated as a constituent of the kinetic description. All theoretical questions are illustrated by comparison of calculations with the experiments for glasses of inorganic and organic nature, with special attention to structural classification. An informative review of modern structural investigations is included. The bibliography follows the history of the main problems from the nineteenth century.

Accelerated Aging: Photochemical and Thermal Aspects represents the culmination of more than 40 years of research by noted scientist Robert L. Feller. The book focuses on the long-term performance of materials such as wool, dyes, and organic compounds; their resistance to change when exposed to environmental factors such as oxygen, ozone, moisture, heat, and light; and their physical durability with handling and use over time. Processes of deterioration are discussed based on speeded-up laboratory studies designed to clarify the chemical reactions involved and their physical consequences.

"the present book will be of great value for both newcomers to the field and mature active researchers by serving as a coherent and timely introduction to some of the modern approaches, ideas, results, emerging understanding, and many open questions in this fascinating field of polymer glasses, supercooled liquids, and thin films" –Kenneth S. Schweizer, Morris Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (from the Foreword) This book provides a timely and comprehensive overview of molecular level insights into polymer glasses in confined geometries and under deformation. Polymer glasses have become ubiquitous to our daily life, from the polycarbonate eyeglass lenses on the end of our nose to large acrylic glass panes holding water in aquarium tanks, with advantages over glass in that they are lightweight and easy to manufacture, while remaining transparent and rigid. The contents include an introduction to the field, as well as state of the art investigations. Chapters delve into studies of commonalities across different types of glass formers (polymers, small molecules, colloids, and granular materials), which have enabled microscopic and molecular level frameworks to be developed. The authors show how glass formers are modeled across different systems, thereby leading to treatments for polymer glasses with first-principle based approaches and molecular level detail. Readers across disciplines will benefit from this topical overview summarizing the key areas of polymer glasses, alongside an introduction to the main principles and approaches.