Book Description

The Supplement Volume II is the concluding volume of the Comprehensive Polymer Science work. This second supplement brings up-to-date the most authoritative and complete work of reference ever published on the science and technology of polymers, plastics and related materials. The topics selected for this volume fall within two major categories: (1) recent developments that justify authoritative critical reviews: and (2) polymer topics of current interest that could not be included in the main seven volume work and in Supplement Volume I. Under the first category the following selected topics are included: • advances in non-traditional catalysis and polymerization kinetics • synthesis of polymers of novel structures • present status of theories of polymer crystallization and directions for future research • recent developments in theories of rubber elasticity Under the second category the following selected topics are included: • statistical thermodynamics of phase separation in copolymers and blends of copolymers • metal complexation with macromolecules • microwave processing of polymers – an area for several potential applications