Electropolymerization


Book Description

In recent years, great focus has been placed upon polymer thin films. These polymer thin films are important in many technological applications, ranging from coatings and adhesives to organic electronic devices, including sensors and detectors. Electrochemical polymerization is preferable, especially if the polymeric product is intended for use as polymer thin films, because electrogeneration allows fine control over the film thickness, an important parameter for fabrication of devices. Moreover, it was demonstrated that it is possible to modify the material properties by parameter control of the electrodeposition process. Electrochemistry is an excellent tool, not only for synthesis, but also for characterization and application of various types of materials. This book provides a timely overview of a current state of knowledge regarding the use of electropolymerization for new materials preparation, including conducting polymers and various possibilities of applications.




Advanced Electrode Materials


Book Description

This book covers the recent advances in electrode materials and their novel applications at the cross-section of advanced materials. The book is divided into two sections: State-of-the-art electrode materials; and engineering of applied electrode materials. The chapters deal with electrocatalysis for energy conversion in view of bionanotechnology; surfactant-free materials and polyoxometalates through the concepts of biosensors to renewable energy applications; mesoporous carbon, diamond, conducting polymers and tungsten oxide/conducting polymer-based electrodes and hybrid systems. Numerous approaches are reviewed for lithium batteries, fuel cells, the design and construction of anode for microbial fuel cells including phosphate polyanion electrodes, electrocatalytic materials, fuel cell reactions, conducting polymer based hybrid nanocomposites and advanced nanomaterials.




Fundamentals of Solar Cell Design


Book Description

Solar cells are semiconductor devices that convert light photons into electricity in photovoltaic energy conversion and can help to overcome the global energy crisis. Solar cells have many applications including remote area power systems, earth-orbiting satellites, wristwatches, water pumping, photodetectors and remote radiotelephones. Solar cell technology is economically feasible for commercial-scale power generation. While commercial solar cells exhibit good performance and stability, still researchers are looking at many ways to improve the performance and cost of solar cells via modulating the fundamental properties of semiconductors. Solar cell technology is the key to a clean energy future. Solar cells directly harvest energy from the sun’s light radiation into electricity are in an ever-growing demand for future global energy production. Solar cell-based energy harvesting has attracted worldwide attention for their notable features, such as cheap renewable technology, scalable, lightweight, flexibility, versatility, no greenhouse gas emission, environment, and economy friendly and operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation. Thus, solar cell technology is at the forefront of renewable energy technologies which are used in telecommunications, power plants, small devices to satellites. Aiming at large-scale implementation can be manipulated by various types used in solar cell design and exploration of new materials towards improving performance and reducing cost. Therefore, in-depth knowledge about solar cell design is fundamental for those who wish to apply this knowledge and understanding in industries and academics. This book provides a comprehensive overview on solar cells and explores the history to evolution and present scenarios of solar cell design, classification, properties, various semiconductor materials, thin films, wafer-scale, transparent solar cells, and so on. It also includes solar cells’ characterization analytical tools, theoretical modeling, practices to enhance conversion efficiencies, applications and patents.




Polymer Photovoltaics


Book Description

An international perspective on the latest research in polymer solar cell technology.




Semiconducting Polymers


Book Description

Semiconducting polymers are of great interest for applications in electroluminescent devices, solar cells, batteries and diodes. In recent years vast advances have been made in the area of controlled synthesis of semiconducting polymers, specifically polythiophenes. The book is separated into two main sections, the first will introduce the advances made in polymer synthesis, and the second will focus on the microstructure and property analysis that has been enabled because of the recent advances in synthetic strategies. Edited by one of the leaders in the area of polythiophene synthesis, this new book will bring the field up to date with more recent models for understanding semiconducting polymers. The book will be applicable to materials and polymers chemists in industry and academia from postgraduate level upwards.




Polymer Chemistry


Book Description

A well-rounded and articulate examination of polymer properties at the molecular level, Polymer Chemistry focuses on fundamental principles based on underlying chemical structures, polymer synthesis, characterization, and properties. It emphasizes the logical progression of concepts and provide mathematical tools as needed as well as fully derived problems for advanced calculations. The much-anticipated Third Edition expands and reorganizes material to better develop polymer chemistry concepts and update the remaining chapters. New examples and problems are also featured throughout. This revised edition: Integrates concepts from physics, biology, materials science, chemical engineering, and statistics as needed. Contains mathematical tools and step-by-step derivations for example problems Incorporates new theories and experiments using the latest tools and instrumentation and topics that appear prominently in current polymer science journals. The number of homework problems has been greatly increased, to over 350 in all. The worked examples and figures have been augmented. More examples of relevant synthetic chemistry have been introduced into Chapter 2 ("Step-Growth Polymers"). More details about atom-transfer radical polymerization and reversible addition/fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization have been added to Chapter 4 ("Controlled Polymerization"). Chapter 7 (renamed "Thermodynamics of Polymer Mixtures") now features a separate section on thermodynamics of polymer blends. Chapter 8 (still called "Light Scattering by Polymer Solutions") has been supplemented with an extensive introduction to small-angle neutron scattering. Polymer Chemistry, Third Edition offers a logical presentation of topics that can be scaled to meet the needs of introductory as well as more advanced courses in chemistry, materials science, polymer science, and chemical engineering.




Self-Healing Polymers


Book Description

Self-healing is a well-known phenomenon in nature: a broken bone merges after some time and if skin is damaged, the wound will stop bleeding and heals again. This concept can be mimicked in order to create polymeric materials with the ability to regenerate after they have suffered degradation or wear. Already realized applications are used in aerospace engineering, and current research in this fascinating field shows how different self-healing mechanisms proven successful by nature can be adapted to produce even more versatile materials. The book combines the knowledge of an international panel of experts in the field and provides the reader with chemical and physical concepts for self-healing polymers, including aspects of biomimetic processes of healing in nature. It shows how to design self-healing polymers and explains the dynamics in these systems. Different self-healing concepts such as encapsulated systems and supramolecular systems are detailed. Chapters on analysis and friction detection in self-healing polymers and on applications round off the book.




Properties of Polymers


Book Description

Properties of Polymers: Their Correlation with Chemical Structure; Their Numerical Estimation and Prediction from Additive Group Contributions summarizes the latest developments regarding polymers, their properties in relation to chemical structure, and methods for estimating and predicting numerical properties from chemical structure. In particular, it examines polymer electrical properties, magnetic properties, and mechanical properties, as well as their crystallization and environmental behavior and failure. The rheological properties of polymer melts and polymer solutions are also considered. Organized into seven parts encompassing 27 chapters, this book begins with an overview of polymer science and engineering, including the typology of polymers and their properties. It then turns to a discussion of thermophysical properties, from transition temperatures to volumetric and calorimetric properties, along with the cohesive aspects and conformation statistics. It also introduces the reader to the behavior of polymers in electromagnetic and mechanical fields of force. The book covers the quantities that influence the transport of heat, momentum, and matter, particularly heat conductivity, viscosity, and diffusivity; properties that control the chemical stability and breakdown of polymers; and polymer properties as an integral concept, with emphasis on processing and product properties. Readers will find tables that give valuable (numerical) data on polymers and include a survey of the group contributions (increments) of almost every additive function considered. This book is a valuable resource for anyone working on practical problems in the field of polymers, including organic chemists, chemical engineers, polymer processers, polymer technologists, and both graduate and PhD students.




Metal-Organic Frameworks


Book Description

Metal-organic frameworks represent a new class of materials that may solve the hydrogen storage problem associated with hydrogen-fueled vehicles. In this first definitive guide to metal-organic framework chemistry, author L. MacGillivray addresses state-of-art developments in this promising technology for alternative fuels. Providing professors, graduate and undergraduate students, structural chemists, physical chemists, and chemical engineers with a historical perspective, as well as the most up-to-date developments by leading experts, Metal-Organic Frameworks examines structure, symmetry, supramolecular chemistry, surface engineering, metal-organometallic frameworks, properties, and reactions.