Introduction to Polymers

Thoroughly updated, this long-awaited new edition of a bestselling text provides extensive, detailed, and balanced coverage of polymer chemistry and polymer physics, spanning synthesis, characterization, bulk properties and morphology, and mechanical and electrical properties of polymers. The material has been completely reorganized and expanded to offer a coherent format for teaching and learning the fundamental aspects of contemporary polymer science. This edition incorporates the most important developments that have occurred in the past two decades, including "living" radical polymerization, supramolecular polymerization, and block and graft copolymer synthesis methods.

Thoroughly updated, Introduction to Polymers, Third Edition presents the science underpinning the synthesis, characterization and properties of polymers. The material has been completely reorganized and expanded to include important new topics and provide a coherent platform for teaching and learning the fundamental aspects of contemporary polymer science.

New to the Third Edition

Part I

This first part covers newer developments in polymer synthesis, including 'living' radical polymerization, catalytic chain transfer and free-radical ring-opening polymerization, along with strategies for the synthesis of conducting polymers, dendrimers, hyperbranched polymers and block copolymers. Polymerization mechanisms have been made more explicit by showing electron movements.

Part II

In this part, the authors have added new topics on diffusion, solution behaviour of polyelectrolytes and field-flow fractionation methods. They also greatly expand coverage of spectroscopy, including UV visible, Raman, infrared, NMR and mass spectroscopy. In addition, the Flory-Huggins theory for polymer solutions and their phase separation is treated more rigorously.

Part III

A completely new, major topic in this section is multicomponent polymer systems. The book also incorporates new material on macromolecular dynamics and reptation, liquid crystalline polymers and thermal analysis. Many of the diagrams and micrographs have been updated to more clearly highlight features of polymer morphology.

Part IV

The last part of the book contains major new sections on polymer composites, such as nanocomposites, and electrical properties of polymers. Other new topics include effects of chain entanglements, swelling of elastomers, polymer fibres, impact behaviour and ductile fracture. Coverage of rubber-toughening of brittle plastics has also been revised and expanded.

While this edition adds many new concepts, the philosophy of the book remains unchanged. Largely self-contained, the text fully derives most equations and cross-references topics between chapters where appropriate. Each chapter not only includes a list of further reading to help readers expand their knowledge of the subject but also provides problem sets to test understanding, particularly of numerical aspects.

The second edition of this book is currently the recommended text for a second year undergraduate lecture course I deliver. In future I will recommend the third edition for both this course and a fourth year (Masters) lecture course on advanced polymer synthesis. Moreover, not only have Young and Lovell produced an excellent text (again) for supporting undergraduate teaching, this book is also a superb entry level text for postgraduates students with limited experience of polymers.Chemistry World, 2012

Auteur
Robert J. Young is a professor of polymer science and technology at the University of Manchester and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He has published extensively and is listed on ISIHighlyCited.com. His research focuses on the relationships between structure and properties in polymers and composites. Peter A. Lovell is a professor of polymer science at the University of Manchester. His research and publications focus on aspects of emulsion polymerization and related processes, especially in relation to understanding how to control the chemical structure, morphology and properties of the polymers produced.

Résumé
Includes chapters on polymer composites and functional polymers for electrical, optical, photonic, and biomedical applications. This book features a section on controlled radical polymerizations such as nitroxide, ATRP, RAFT/MADDIX, and CCT and includes material on NMR spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

Contenu
Concepts, Nomenclature and Synthesis of Polymers. Characterization of Polymers. Phase Structure and Morphology of Bulk Polymers. Properties of Bulk Polymers. Answers to Problems. Index.