Polymers are substances containing a large number of structural units joined by the same type of linkage. These substances often form into a chain-like structure. Starch, cellulose, and rubber all possess polymeric properties. Today, the polymer industry has grown to be larger than the aluminium, copper and steel industries combined. Polymers already have a range of applications that far exceeds that of any other class of material available to man. Current applications extend from adhesives, coatings, foams, and packaging materials to textile and industrial fibres, elastomers, and structural plastics. Polymers are also used for most composites, electronic devices, biomedical devices, optical devices, and precursors for many newly developed high-tech ceramics. This book presents leading-edge research in this rapidly-changing and evolving field.

Polymers are used in everything from nylon stockings to commercial aircraft to artificial heart valves, and they have a key role in addressing international competitiveness and other national issues. Polymer Science and Engineering explores the universe of polymers, describing their properties and wide-ranging potential, and presents the state of the science, with a hard look at downward trends in research support. Leading experts offer findings, recommendations, and research directions. Lively vignettes provide snapshots of polymers in everyday applications. The volume includes an overview of the use of polymers in such fields as medicine and biotechnology, information and communication, housing and construction, energy and transportation, national defense, and environmental protection. The committee looks at the various classes of polymersâ€"plastics, fibers, composites, and other materials, as well as polymers used as membranes and coatingsâ€"and how their composition and specific methods of processing result in unparalleled usefulness. The reader can also learn the science behind the technology, including efforts to model polymer synthesis after nature's methods, and breakthroughs in characterizing polymer properties needed for twenty-first-century applications. This informative volume will be important to chemists, engineers, materials scientists, researchers, industrialists, and policymakers interested in the role of polymers, as well as to science and engineering educators and students.

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From weather-proof tires and artificial hearts to the o-rings and valve seals that enable successful space exploration, rubber is an indispensable component of modern civilization. Stiff competition and stringent application requirements foster continuous challenges requiring manufacturers to fund ever-expanding research projects. However, this vas

This book covers a broad range of polymeric materials and provides industry professionals and researchers in polymer science and technology with a single, comprehensive book summarizing all aspects involved in the functional materials production chain.This volume presents the latest developments and trends in advanced polymer materials and structur

This volume contains some of the papers presented at the 16th Italian Meeting on Polymer Science and Technology of the Macromolecular Italian Association (AIM) which was held in Pisa, Italy, on September 22-25, 2003. The content is devoted to polymer synthesis and Modification, structure-property relationships, blending and processing, nanostructured and hybrid systems, functional and special polymers, environmental aspects and recycling. The book offers a significant insight into the latest achievements in polymer science and technology in modern areas of ongoing research activities in Italy and throughout the world through the intense international collaborations in which Italian groups are engaged. Therefore, the volume may be of help to enlarge the research perspectives of polymer chemists, engineers and physicists in both academia and industry.

This new volume presents leading-edge research in the rapidly changing and evolving field of polymer science as well as on chemical processing. The topics in the book reflect the diversity of research advances in the production and application of modern polymeric materials and related areas, focusing on the preparation, characterization, and applic

Porous Polymer Science and Applications aims to provide recent developments and advances in synthesis, tuning parameters, and applications of porous polymers. This book brings together reviews written by highly accomplished panels of experts working in the area of porous polymers. It encompasses basic studies and addresses topics of novel issues concerning the applications of porous polymers. Chapter topics span basic studies, novel issues, and applications addressing all aspects in a one-stop reference on porous polymers. Applications discussed include catalysis, gas storage, energy and environmental sectors making this an invaluable guide for students, professors, scientists and R&D industrial experts working in the field of material science and engineering and particularly energy conversion and storage. Additional features include: Provides a comprehensive introduction to porous polymers addressing design, synthesis, structure, properties and characterization. Covers task-specific applications of porous polymers. Explores the advantages and opportunities of these materials for most major fields of science and engineering. Outlines novel research areas and potential development and expansion areas.