Polymer Physics: From Suspensions to Nanocomposites and Beyond

Comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of advanced research in polymer physics

This book offers a much-needed overview of the science of polymer physics today. It walks readers through important areas of advanced research in the field, explaining what scientists and engineers need to know about the interrelationships between polymer structures, morphology, and physical and mechanical behavior.

Polymer Physics is divided into four parts: Rheology, Thermodynamics, Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS), and Physics of the Polymeric Nanocomposites. Contributed chapters from leaders in the field emphasize the most important trends in polymer physics, from nanorheology and molecular modeling to PALS applications and physical aging. Key topics include:

• The viscosity of suspensions and solutions
• Kinetics of polymer aging
• Molecular dynamics
• Free volume
• Solid-state physics, thermodynamics, and dynamics
• Multi-component polymeric systems
• Rheology of polymers with nano-fillers

An invaluable resource for chemists, chemical engineers, material scientists, and polymer scientists, Polymer Physics also provides practical guidance for professionals in the plastics, rubber, adhesives, fiber, and paint industries.

LESZEK A. UTRACKI, PhD, is a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada, Industrial Materials Institute, and a former adjunct professor at McGill University, Department of Chemical Engineering, in Montreal, Quebec. He is the author or editor of twenty-one books and has written forty-eight book chapters, hundreds of referenced and non-referenced journal articles, and meeting proceedings.

ALEXANDER M. JAMIESON, PhD, is Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has written hundreds of articles in referenced journals and three book chapters.