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Because it is critically important to manufacture quality products, a reasonable balance must be drawn between control requirements and parameters for improved processing method with respect to plastics additives. An important contribution to the commercial polymer industry, this book is one of the first books to combine plastics additives, testing, and quality control. The book is a comprehensive treatise on properties that provides detailed guidelines for selecting and using blends and composites for applications. A valuable resource for operators, processors, engineers, chemists, the book serves to stimulate those already active in natural polymer composites.

After briefly summarizing the main concepts of conducting polymers, this book introduces micro/nanostructured conducting polymers, dealing with their synthesis, structure, formation, and physical and chemical properties. It then looks at their applications.

An overview of the tremendous potential of organic electronics, concentrating on those emerging topics and technologies that will form the focus of research over the next five to ten years. The young and energetic team of editors with an excellent research track record has brought together internationally renowned authors to review up-and-coming topics, some for the first time, such as organic spintronics, iontronics, light emitting transistors, organic sensors and advanced structural analysis. As a result, this book serves the needs of experienced researchers in organic electronics, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, as well as scientists active in closely related fields, including organic chemical synthesis, thin film growth and biomaterials. Cover Figure: With kind permission of Matitaccia.

The second edition of a key reference, fully updated to reflect new research and applications Poly(lactic acid) - PLA, biodegradable polymers derived from lactic acid, have become vital components of a sustainable society. Eco-friendly PLA polymers are used in numerous industrial applications ranging from packaging applications to medical implants and to wastewater treatment. The global PLA market is predicted to expand significantly over the next decade due to increasing demand for compostable and recyclable materials produced from renewable resources. Poly(lactic acid) Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, Applications, and End of Life provides comprehensive coverage of the basic chemistry, production, and industrial use of PLA. Contributions from an international panel of experts review specific processing methods, characterization techniques, and various applications in biomedicine, textiles, packaging, and environmental engineering. Now in its second edition, this fully up-to-date volume features new and revised chapters on 3D printing, the mechanical and chemical recycling of PLA, PLA stereocomplex crystals, PLA composites, the environmental footprint of PLA, and more. Highlights the biodegradability, recycling, and sustainability benefits of PLA Describes processing and conversion technologies for PLA, such as injection molding, extrusion, blending, and thermoforming Covers various aspects of lactic acid/lactide monomers, including physicochemical properties and production Examines different condensation reactions and modification strategies for enhanced polymerization of PLA Discusses the thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of PLA Addresses degradation and environmental issues of PLA, including photodegradation, radiolysis, hydrolytic degradation, biodegradation and life cycle assessment Poly(lactic acid) Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, Applications, and End of Life, Second Edition remains essential reading for polymer engineers, materials scientists, polymer chemists, chemical engineers, industry professionals using PLA, and scientists and advanced students engineers interested in biodegradable plastics.

The effects of contamination of environmental pollutants on public health has garnered worldwide attention and research. To reduce the disease threat to human health, the monitoring and analysis of environmental contaminants are crucial. Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) are proven to be a stepping stone in the fabrication of nanosensors for various food and environmental monitoring and analysis applications. This multidisciplinary book provides a comprehensive overview of the fabrication and development of molecularly imprinted polymer-based devices for various sensing applications. Overall, this book is intended to provide users with concise and well-framed information about molecularly imprinted polymer-based biosensors, which can be exploited by researchers and device manufacturers for the development of novel sensors and their commercialization for environmental monitoring.

Polymers see the light When a plant moves its leaves to face sunlight, it is using light as directional information. Now a synthetic polymer with similar functionality to this biological system has been produced. An object made from this light-sensitive ‘shape memory polymer’ can be deformed to a new temporary shape, then fixed in that shape by light of the right wavelength. The molecular switches in this material are photosensitive groups that connect with and disconnect from each other in response to light of different wavelengths. Polymeric materials with light-induced shape-memory could find application in medical devices, microsystem technology and intelligent surface engineering. Materials are said to show a shape-memory effect if they can be deformed and fixed into a temporary shape, and recover their original, permanent shape only on exposure to an external stimulus 1 , 2 , 3 . Shape-memory polymers have received increasing attention because of their scientific and technological significance 4 , 5 . In principle, a thermally induced shape-memory effect can be activated by an increase in temperature (also obtained by heating on exposure to an electrical current 6 or light illumination 6 , 7 ). Several papers have described light-induced changes in the shape of polymers 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 and gels 13 , 14 , 15 , such as contraction 8 , 9 , 10 , bending 11 , 12 , 13 or volume changes 14 , 15 . Here we report that polymers containing cinnamic groups can be deformed and fixed into pre-determined shapes—such as (but not exclusively) elongated films and tubes, arches or spirals—by ultraviolet light illumination. These new shapes are stable for long time periods, even when heated to 50 °C, and they can recover their original shape at ambient temperatures when exposed to ultraviolet light of a different wavelength. The ability of polymers to form different pre-determined temporary shapes and subsequently recover their original shape at ambient temperatures by remote light activation could lead to a variety of potential medical and other applications.

A huge amount of innovation surrounds PCR as a molecular technique, as researchers continually think of new ways to tweak, adapt, and re-formulate concepts and applications. This volume provides a critical reference point for anyone wishing to use this technology. Topics include the purification and handling of PCR templates, the effect of the manufacture and purification of the oligonucleotide on PCR behavior, optimum buffer composition, probe options, and the design and optimization of qPCR assays. The book also explores the development and refinement of instrumentation and effective controls to protect against uncertainties due to reaction variability.

This authoritative, widely cited book has been used all over the world. The Fourth Edition incorporates the latest developments in the field while maintaining the core objectives of previous editions: To correlate properties with chemical structure and to describe methods that permit the estimation and prediction of numerical properties from chemical structure, i.e. nearly all properties of the solid, liquid, and dissolved states of polymers.