Synthetic polymers based on long chain molecules have been investigated intensively for over 50 years. They have found important applications as plastics, fibres, rubbers and other materials. The chain molecules may be simple linear structures or they may be branched or cross-linked. During the past decade, sharp fractions of the first synthetic cyclic polymer have been prepared. These fractions of cyclic poly(dimethyl siloxane) consist of ring molecules containing hundreds of skeletal bonds. Some of their properties have been found to be quite different from those of the corresponding linear polymers. Synthetic cyclic polymers, including cyclic polystyrene, have joined the naturally occurring circular DNAs as examples of substantially large ring molecules. This book aims to review current knowledge of cyclic polymers and biological ring macromolecules. In addition, it discusses theories of cyclic macromolecules and describes cyclization processes involving long chain molecules. Since 1865, when Kekule proposed a simple ring structure for benzene, larger and larger ring molecules have been synthesized in the laboratory and discovered in nature. Many more examples are to be expected in the future. In time, large ring molecules should take their proper place alongside long chain molecules as one of the two possible constituent structural units of polymers.

Cyclic Polymers (Second Edition) reviews the many recent advances in this rapidly expanding subject since the publication of the first edition in 1986. The preparation, characterisation, properties and applications of a wide range of organic and inorganic cyclic oligomers and polymers are described in detail, together with many examples of catenanes and rotaxanes. The importance of large cyclics in biological chemistry and molecular biology is emphasised by a wide coverage of circular DNA, cyclic peptides and cyclic oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Experimental techniques and theoretical aspects of cyclic polymers are included, as well as examples of their uses such as ring opening polymerisation reactions to give commercially important materials. This book covers a wide range of topics which should be of interest to many scientific research workers (for example, in polymer science, chemistry and molecular biology), as well as providing a reference text for undergraduate and graduate students.

There are examples aplenty in the macroscopic world that demonstrate the form of objects directing their functions and properties. On the other hand, the fabrication of extremely small objects having precisely defined structures has only recently become an attractive challenge, which is now opening the door to nanoscience and nanotechnology.In the field of synthetic polymer chemistry, a number of critical breakthroughs have been achieved during the first decade of this century to produce an important class of polymers having a variety of cyclic and multicyclic topologies. These developments now offer unique opportunities in polymer materials design to create unprecedented properties and functions simply based on the form, i.e. topology, of polymer molecules.In this book on topological polymer chemistry, the important developments in this growing area will be collected for the first time, with particular emphasis on new conceptual insights for polymer chemistry and polymer materials. The book will systematically review topological polymer chemistry from basic aspects to practice, and give a broad overview of cyclic polymers covering new synthesis, structure characterization, basic properties/functions and the eventual applications.

There are examples aplenty in the macroscopic world that demonstrate the form of objects directing their functions and properties. On the other hand, the fabrication of extremely small objects having precisely defined structures has only recently become an attractive challenge, which is now opening the door to nanoscience and nanotechnology. In the field of synthetic polymer chemistry, a number of critical breakthroughs have been achieved during the first decade of this century to produce an important class of polymers having a variety of cyclic and multicyclic topologies. These developments now offer unique opportunities in polymer materials design to create unprecedented properties and functions simply based on the form, i.e. topology, of polymer molecules. In this book on topological polymer chemistry, the important developments in this growing area will be collected for the first time, with particular emphasis on new conceptual insights for polymer chemistry and polymer materials. The book will systematically review topological polymer chemistry from basic aspects to practice, and give a broad overview of cyclic polymers covering new synthesis, structure characterization, basic properties/functions and the eventual applications.

Molecular Characterization of Polymers presents a range of advanced and cutting-edge methods for the characterization of polymers at the molecular level, guiding the reader through theory, fundamentals, instrumentation, and applications, and supporting the end goal of efficient material selection and improved material performance. Each chapter focuses on a specific technique or family of techniques, including the different areas of chromatography, field flow fractionation, long chain branching, static and dynamic light scattering, mass spectrometry, NMR, X-Ray and neutron scattering, polymer dilute solution viscometry, microscopy, and vibrational spectroscopy. In each case, in-depth coverage explains how to successfully implement and utilize the technique. This practical resource is highly valuable to researchers and advanced students in polymer science, materials science, and engineering, and to those from other disciplines and industries who are unfamiliar with polymer characterization techniques. - Introduces a range of advanced characterization methods, covering aspects such as molecular weight, polydispersity, branching, composition, and tacticity - Enables the reader to understand and to compare the available technique, and implement the selected technique(s), with a view to improving properties of the polymeric material - Establishes a strong link between basic principles, characterization techniques, and real-life applications

It is generally accepted that a new material is often developed by ?nding a new synthesis method of reaction or a new reaction catalyst. Historically, a typical example may be referred to as a Ziegler–Natta catalyst, which has allowed large-scale production of petroleum-based polyole?ns since the middle of the 20th century. New polymer synthesis, therefore, will hopefully lead to creation of new polymer materials in the 21st century. This special issue contributed by three groups focuses on recent advances in polymer synthesis methods, which handle the cutting-edge aspects of the advanced technology. The ?rst article by Yokozawa and coworkers contains an overview of the - action control in various condensation polymerizations (polycondensations). Advanced technologies enabled the control of stereochemistry (regio-, g- metrical-, and enantio-selections), chemoselectivity, chain topology, and st- chiometry of monomers, giving a high molecular weight polymer. It has been recognized for a long time, however, that polycondensation is a dif?cult p- cess in controlling the reaction pathway, because the reaction is of step-growth and the reactivity of monomers, oligomers, and polymers are almost the same during the reaction and hence, the molecular weight of polymers and its d- tribution (M /M ) are impossible to regulate. The authors’ group developed w n a new reaction system (chain-growth condensation polymerization), changing the nature of polycondensation from step-growth to chain-growth; namely the propagating chain-end is active, allowing for control of the product molecular weight as well as the distribution.

Polymers are huge macromolecules composed of repeating structural units. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials. Due to the extraordinary range of properties accessible, polymers have come to play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life - from plastics and elastomers on the one hand to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins on the other hand. The study of polymer science begins with understanding the methods in which these materials are synthesized. Polymer synthesis is a complex procedure and can take place in a variety of ways. This book brings together the "Who is who" of polymer science to give the readers an overview of the large field of polymer synthesis. It is a one-stop reference and a must-have for all Chemists, Polymer Chemists, Chemists in Industry, and Materials Scientists.