This is the first volume of a two-volume work which summarizes in an edited format and in a fairly comprehensive manner many of the recent technical research accomplishments in the area of Elastomers. “Advances in Elastomers” discusses the various attempts reported on solving these problems from the point of view of the chemistry and the structure of elastomers, highlighting the drawbacks and advantages of each method. It summarize the importance of elastomers and their multiphase systems in human life and industry, and covers all the topics related to recent advances in elastomers, their blends, IPNs, composites and nanocomposites. This first volume focuses on advances on the blends and interpenetrating networks (IPNs) of elastomers.

This is the second volume of a two-volume work which summarizes in an edited format and in a fairly comprehensive manner many of the recent technical research accomplishments in the area of Elastomers. “Advances in Elastomers” discusses the various attempts reported on solving these problems from the point of view of the chemistry and the structure of elastomers, highlighting the drawbacks and advantages of each method. It summarize the importance of elastomers and their multiphase systems in human life and industry, and covers all the topics related to recent advances in elastomers, their blends, IPNs, composites and nanocomposites. This second volume is deals with composites and nanocomposites of elastomers.

Elastomer materials are characterized by their high elongation and (entropy) elasticity, which makes them indispensable for widespread applications in various engineering and medical areas as well as consumer goods. This book focuses on the state-of-the-art of elastomers covering all aspects from their properties to applications. The development and testing of advanced elastomers is of particular interest. Attention is given to various aspects of elastomers, such as ever-increasing environmental concepts dealing with recyclability and reusability, incorporation of functional groups or additives to obtain novel functionality or bioelastomers, analytical description of mechanisms and structure relations of the fracture behavior of elastomers, and their external stimuli-responsive character. The scope of the book encompasses contributions at the frontier of science in polymer network synthesis, experimental and theoretical physics of polymer networks, and new structures and functionalities incorporated into elastomers leading to enhanced properties of crosslinked elastomeric materials, among others.

‘Recent Advances in Elastomeric Nanocomposites’ reviews the recent progresses in the synthesis, processing as well as applications of elastomeric nanocomposites. Elastomers are a very important class of polymer materials and the generation of their nanocomposites by the incorporation of nano-filler has led to significant enhancement of their properties and, hence, expansion of their application potential. Most of the studies related with these materials are present in the form of research papers. Here, the authors present a comprehensive text covering the whole of the subject. The book is tailored more from the applications point of view, but also provide enough introductory material for research scholars new to this field.

The present book is a sequel to "Elastomers and Rubber Elasticity," edited by J.E. Mark and J. Lal and published by the American Chemical Society in 1982. It is also based on papers presented at an ACS Symposium, sponsored by the Division of Polymer Chemistry, Inc., in this case one held in Chicago in September of 1985. The keynote speaker was to have been Pro fessor Paul J. Flory, and his untimely death just prior to the symposium was a tremendous loss to all of polymer science, in particular to those in terested in elastomeric materials. It is to his memory that this book is dedicated. There has been a great deal of progress in preparing and studying elas tomers since the preceding symposium, which was in 1981. In the case of the synthesis and curing of elastomers, much of the background necessary to an appreciation of these advances is given in the first, introductory chapter.

Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomers, by F. Brömmel, D. Kramer, H. Finkelmann Applications of Liquid Crystalline Elastomers, by C. Ohm, M. Brehmer und R. Zentel Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Light, by Peter Palffy-Muhoray Electro-Opto-Mechanical Effects in Swollen Nematic Elastomers, by Kenji Urayama The Isotropic-to-Nematic Conversion in Liquid Crystalline Elastomers, by Andrija Lebar, George Cordoyiannis, Zdravko Kutnjak und Bostjan Zalar Order and Disorder in Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers, by Wim H. de Jeu und Boris I. Ostrovskii