Summarizes the significant experimental results on the functionalization of polyolefins and classifies them into several chemical methods. This book also provides information on the functional polyolefin materials. It covers: chemical approaches in the functionalization of polyolefins, and polyolefin materials and their potential applications.

The definitive reference on the properties and applications of polyolefin blends Polyolefins account for more than half of total plastics consumption in the world. In recent years, usage of and research on polyolefin blends have increased significantly due to new applications in medicine, packaging, and other fields and the development of novel polyolefins. With a special emphasis on nano- and micro-structures of crystals and phase morphology, Polyolefin Blends condenses and consolidates current information on polyolefins so that the reader can compare, select, and integrate a material solution. Focusing exclusively on the fundamental aspects as well as applications of polyolefin blends, this authoritative reference: * Features an introductory chapter that serves as a guide to polyolefin blends * Includes chapters covering formulation design, processing, characterization, modeling and simulation, engineering performance properties, and applications * Covers polyolefin/polyolefin blends and polyolefin/non-polyolefin blends * Discusses miscibility, phase behavior, functionalization, compatibilization, microstructure, crystallization, hierarchical morphology, and physical and mechanical properties * Covers new research trends including in-situ reactor blending and reactive processing, such as compatibilization/functionalization in the melt * Contains practical examples from open literature sources and commercial products With chapters contributed by leading experts from several countries, this is a must-have reference for scientists and engineers conducting research on polyolefin blends and for professionals in medical, packaging, and other commodity fields. It is also an excellent text for graduate students studying polymer science and polymer processing.

This first comprehensive overview of reactive extrusion technology for over a decade combines the views of contributors from both academia and industry who share their experiences and highlight possible applications and markets. They also provide updated information on the underlying chemical and physical concepts, summarizing recent developments in terms of the material and machinery used. As a result, readers will find here a compilation of potential applications for reactive extrusion to access new and cost-effective polymeric materials, while using existing compounding machines.

Chemical modification of polymers by reactive modifiers is no longer an academic curiosity but a commercial reality that has delivered a diverse range of speciality materials for niche markets: reactively grafted styrenic alloys, maleated polyolefins, super-tough nylons, silane modified and moisture-cured polyolefins, and thermoplastic elastomers, are but few exam ples of commercial successes. Although the approach of reactive modification of polymers has been largely achieved either in solution or in the solid state (through in situ reactions in polymer melts), it is the latter route that has attracted most attention in the last two decades owing to its flexibility and cost-effective ness. This route, referred to as reactive processing, focuses on the use of suitable reactive modifier(s) and the adoption of conventional polymer processing machinery, an extruder or a mixer, as a chemical reactor, to perform in situ targeted reactions for chemical modification of preformed polymers. This relatively simple, though scientifically highly challenging, approach to reactive modification offers unique opportunities in exploiting various reactive modifiers for the purpose of altering and transforming in a controlled manner the properties of preformed commercial polymers into new/speciality materials with tailor-made properties and custom-designed performance for target applications. Such an economically attractive route constitutes a radical diversion away from the traditional practices of manufacturing new polymers from monomers which involves massive in vestments in sophisticated technologies and chemical plants.

This introductory text is an important resource for new engineers, chemists, students, and chemical industry personnel to understand the technical aspects of polypropylene which is the 2nd largest synthetics polymer in manufactured output. The book considers the following topics: What are the principal types of polypropylene and how do they differ? What catalysts are used to produce polypropylene and how do they function? What is the role of cocatalysts and how have they evolved over the years? How are industrial polypropylene catalysts tested and the resultant polymer evaluated? What processes are used in the manufacture of polypropylene? What are the biopolymer alternatives to polypropylene? What companies are the major industrial manufacturers of polypropylene? What is the environmental fate of polypropylene?

The result of decades of research by a pioneer in the field, this is the first book to deal exclusively with achieving high-performance metal-polymer composites by chemical bonding. Covering both the academic and practical aspects, the author focuses on the chemistry of interfaces between metals and polymers with a particular emphasis on the chemical bonding between the different materials. He elucidates the various approaches to obtaining a stable interface, including, but not limited to, thermodynamically driven redox reactions, bond protection to prevent hydrolysis, the introduction of barrier layers, and stabilization by spacer molecules. Throughout, chemical bonding is promoted as a simple and economically viable alternative to adhesion based on reversible weak physical interaction. Consequently, the text equips readers with the practical tools necessary for designing high-strength metal-polymer composites with such desired properties as resilience, flexibility, rigidity or degradation resistance.

Proceedings of an ACS-PMSE Division Symposium held in Orlando, Florida, August 21-25, 1996

In modern polymer science a variety of polymerization methods for the direct synthesis of polymers bearing functional groups are known. However, there is still a large number of functional groups that may either completely prevent polymerization or lead to side reactions. Post-polymerization modification, also known as polymer-analogous modification, is an alternative approach to overcome these limitations. It is based on the polymerization of monomers with functional groups that are inert towards the polymerization conditions but allow a quantitative conversion in a subsequent reaction step yielding a broad range of other functional groups. Thus, diverse libraries of functional polymers with identical average degrees of polymerization but variable side chain functionality may easily be generated. Filling the gap for a book dealing with synthetic strategies and recent developments, this volume provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the field of post-polymerization modification. As such, the international team of expert authors covers a wide range of topics, including new synthetic techniques utilizing different reactive groups for post-polymerization modifications with examples ranging from modification of biomimetic and biological polymers to modification of surfaces. With its guidelines this is an indispensable and interdisciplinary reference for scientists working in both academic and industrial polymer research.

More than 99% of all visible matter in the universe occurs as highly ionized gas plasma with high energy content. Electrical low- and atmospheric-pressure plasmas are characterized by continuous source of moderate quantities of energy or enthalpy transferred predominantly as kinetic energy of electrons. Therefore, such energetically unbalanced plasmas have low gas temperature but produce sufficient energy for inelastic collisions with atoms and molecules in the gas phase, thus producing reactive species and photons, which are able to initiate all types of polymerizations or activate any surface of low reactive polymers. However, the broadly distributed energies in the plasma exceed partially the binding energies in polymers, thus initiating very often unselective reactions and polymer degradation. The intention of this book is to present new plasma processes and new plasma reactions of high selectivity and high yield. This book aims to bridge classical and plasma chemistry, particularly focusing on polymer chemistry in the bulk and on the surface under plasma exposure. The stability of surface functionalization and the qualitative and quantitative measurement of functional groups at polymer surface are featured prominently, and chemical pathways for suppressing the undesirable side effects of plasma exposure are proposed and illustrated with numerous examples. Special attention is paid to the smooth transition from inanimate polymer surfaces to modified bioactive polymer surfaces. A wide range of techniques, plasma types and applications are demonstrated.

Antioxidant Polymers is an exhaustive overview of the recent developments in the field of polymeric materials showing antioxidant properties. This research area has grown rapidly in the last decade because antioxidant polymers have wide industry applications ranging from materials science to biomedical, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.