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 important and attractive biomaterials for researchers and clinical applications due to the ease of tailoring their chemical, physical and biological properties for target devices. Due to this versatility they are rapidly replacing other classes of biomaterials such as ceramics or metals. As a result, the demand for biomedical polymers has grown exponentially and supports a diverse and highly monetized research community. Currently worth $1.2bn in 2009 (up from $650m in 2000), biomedical polymers are expected to achieve a CAGR of 9.8% until 2015, supporting a current research community of approximately 28,000+. Summarizing the main advances in biopolymer development of the last decades, this work systematically covers both the physical science and biomedical engineering of the multidisciplinary field. Coverage extends across synthesis, characterization, design consideration and biomedical applications. The work supports scientists researching the formulation of novel polymers with desirable physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical and degradation properties for specific targeted biomedical applications. - Combines chemistry, biology and engineering for expert and appropriate integration of design and engineering of polymeric biomaterials - Physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical and degradation properties alongside currently deployed clinical applications of specific biomaterials aids use as single source reference on field. - 15+ case studies provides in-depth analysis of currently used polymeric biomaterials, aiding design considerations for the future

This collection of texts written by well-recognised specialists was constituted having in view these important directions of actual research. Sustainable economical growth requires safe resources of raw materials for the industrial production. Today's most frequently used industrial raw material, petroleum, is neither sustainable, because limited, nor environmentally friendly. While the economy of energy can be based on various alter-native raw materials, such as wind, sun, water, biomass, as well as nuclear fission and fusion, the economy of substances is fundamentally depending on biomass, in particular biomass of plants. In the last decades because of the crude oil and other natural resources crisis, a new alternative has been proposed consisting in utilisation of renewable natural resources as feedstock and fuel, among which the biomass is the most promising.

This clear and concise textbook introduces the huge field of polymer science to students taking degree courses in chemistry, materials science and related subjects covering polymers. By focusing on the few major polymers, for example polystyrene and PVC, which are in common use and which thestudents will recognize, the book illustrates simply the basic principles of polymer science. It looks at the factors which give rise to the special properties of polymers, and emphasizes how polymer molecules can be synthesised with different sizes and architectures to tailor the properties of theresulting material. The later chapters then introduce a wide range of polymers, some with special applications now and others with exciting potential for the future. There are exercises at the end of each chapter.

Polymeric materials form the basis of daily life. Despite the great contribution of traditional methodologies such as anionic and radical polymerizations in preparing various functional polymers, the increasing demand for polymers with new structures and functions has inspired the development of new synthetic techniques. Many new polymerizations including click polymerization, controlled/living radical polymerization, multicomponent polymerization have been well developed. Focusing on breakthroughs and recent progress, Synthetic Polymer Chemistry provides efficient tools for the synthesis of linear and topological polymers. Chapters cover topics including fabrication of supramolecular polymers, organocatalytic synthesis and olefin co(polymerization). This title will be a valuable reference for those working in polymer chemistry, as well as students and researchers interested in opto-electronic, biological and materials sciences.

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.

This new volume, Natural Polymers: Perspectives and Applications for a Green Approach, covers the synthesis, characterizations, and properties of natural polymeric systems, including their morphology, structure, and dynamics. It also introduces the most recent innovations and applications of natural polymers and their composites in the food, construction, electronics, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and engineering industries. Natural polymers provide a striking substitute for various applications as compared to synthetic polymers obtained from petrochemicals because they are biocompatible, biodegradable, easily available, and fall within the budget of many industries. The applications of natural polymers in pharmaceutical industries are large in comparison to synthetic polymers and are also wide in scope in the food and cosmetic industries. This new volume provides the information needed to design new applications for natural polymers. This book is a valuable reference for researchers, academicians, chemists, pharmacists, researchers, scientists, industrialists dealing with applications of natural polymers and people working in field of natural polymers.

Hydrogels Based on Natural Polymers presents the latest research on natural polymer-based hydrogels, covering fundamentals, preparation methods, synthetic pathways, advanced properties, major application areas, and novel characterization techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of each natural polymer-based hydrogel are also discussed, enabling preparation tactics for specific properties and applications. Sections cover fundamentals, development, characteristics, structures and properties. Additional chapters cover presentation methods and properties based on natural polymers, including physical and chemical properties, stimuli-responsive properties, self-healing properties, and biological properties. The final section presents major applications areas, including the biomedical field, agriculture, water treatments, and the food industry. This is a highly valuable resource for academic researchers, scientists and advanced students working with hydrogels and natural polymers, as well as across the fields of polymer science, polymer chemistry, plastics engineering, biopolymers and biomaterials. The detailed information will also be of great interest to scientists and R&D professionals, product designers, technicians and engineers across industries. Provides systematic coverage of all aspects of hydrogels based on natural polymers, including fundamentals, preparation methods, properties and characterization Offers a balanced assessment of the specific properties and possibilities offered by different natural polymer-based hydrogels, drawing on innovative research Examines cutting-edge applications across biomedicine, agriculture, water treatments, and the food industry

Updated to reflect a growing focus on green chemistry in the scientific community and in compliance with the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training guidelines, Carraher’s Polymer Chemistry, Eighth Edition integrates the core areas that contribute to the growth of polymer science. It supplies the basic understanding of polymers essential to the training of science, biomedical, and engineering students. New in the Eighth Edition: Updating of analytical, physical, and special characterization techniques Increased emphasis on carbon nanotubes, tapes and glues, butyl rubber, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, poly(ethylene glycols), shear-thickening fluids, photo-chemistry and photophysics, dental materials, and aramids New sections on copolymers, including fluoroelastomers, nitrile rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymers, and EPDM rubber New units on spliceosomes, asphalt, and fly ash and aluminosilicates Larger focus on the molecular behavior of materials, including nano-scale behavior, nanotechnology, and nanomaterials Continuing to provide a user-friendly approach to the world of polymeric materials, the book allows students to integrate their chemical knowledge and establish a connection between fundamental and applied chemical information. It contains all of the elements of an introductory text with synthesis, property, application, and characterization. Special sections in each chapter contain definitions, learning objectives, questions, and additional reading, with case studies woven into the text fabric. Symbols, trade names, websites, and other useful ancillaries appear in the appendices to supplement the text.

In the search for sustainable materials, natural polymers present an attractive alternative for many applications compared to their synthetic counterparts derived from petrochemicals. The two volume set, Natural Polymers, covers the synthesis, characterisation and applications of key natural polymeric systems including their morphology, structure, dynamics and properties. Volume one focuses on natural polymer composites, including both natural and protein fibres, and volume two on natural polymer nanocomposites. The first volume examines the characterization, life cycle assessment and new sources of natural fibres and their potential as a replacement for synthetic fibres in industrial applications. It then explores the important advancements in the field of wool, silk, spidersilk and mussel byssus fibres. The second volume looks at the properties and characterization of cellulose, chitosan, furanic, starch, wool and silk nanocomposites and the potential industrial applications of natural polymer nanocomposites. With contributions from leading researchers in natural polymers from around the globe, Natural Polymers provides a valuable reference for material scientists, polymer chemists and polymer engineers.