This book presents cutting-edge experimental and computational results and provides comprehensive coverage on the impact of non-equilibrium structure and dynamics on the properties of soft matter confined to the nanoscale. The book is organized into three main sections: · Equilibration and physical aging: by treating non-equilibrium phenomena with the formal methodology of statistical physics in bulk, the analysis of the kinetics of equilibration sheds new light on the physical origin of the non-equilibrium character of thin polymer films. Both the impact of sample preparation and that of interfacial interactions are analyzed using a large set of experiments. A historical overview of the investigation of the non-equilibrium character of thin polymer films is also presented. Furthermore, the discussion focuses on how interfaces and geometrical confinement perturb the pathways and kinetics of equilibrations of soft glasses (a process of tremendous technological interest). · Irreversible adsorption: the formation of stable adsorbed layers occurs at timescales much larger than the time necessary to equilibrate soft matter in bulk. The question is posed as to whether this process could be considered as the driving force of equilibration. In this section, the investigation of the physics of irreversible chain adsorption is accompanied by a detailed analysis of the molecular dynamics, structure, morphology, and crystallization of adsorbed layers. · Glass transition and material properties: the discussion covers a broad range of non-equilibrium phenomena affecting different families of soft materials - polymers, low molecular weight glass formers, and liquid crystals. In these systems, geometrical confinement induces the formation of non-equilibrium phases, otherwise not achievable via processing of bulk samples. The examples illustrated in this section show how non-equilibrium phenomena can be exploited as innovative processing parameters to fabricate novel nanomaterials with improved performance. Finally, the differences between experiments performed under equilibrium conditions and temperature scans from equilibrium to non-equilibrium states at the nanoscale are discussed.

This book deals with those properties of non-equilibrium soft matter that deviate greatly from the bulk properties as a result of nanoscale confinement.The ultimate physical origin of these confinement effects is not yet fully understood. At the state of the art, the discussion on confinement effects focuses on equilibrium properties, finite size effects and interfacial interactions. However this is a limited vision which does not fully capture the peculiar behaviour of soft matter under confinement and some exotic phenomena that are displayed. This volume will be organized in the following three main themes. Equilibration and physical aging: treating non-equilibrium via the formal methodology of statistical physics in bulk, we analyse physical origin of the non-equilibrium character of thin polymer. We then focus on the impact of nanoconfinement on the equilibration of glasses of soft matter (a process of tremendous technological interest, commonly known as physical aging), comparing the latest trends of polymers in experiments, simulations with those of low-molecular weight glass formers. Irreversible adsorption: the formation of stable adsorbed layers occurs at timescales much larger than the time necessary to equilibrate soft matter in bulk. Recent experimental evidence show a strong correlation between the behaviour of polymers under confinement and the presence of a layer irreversibly adsorbed onto the substrate. This correlation hints at the possibility to tailor the properties of ultrathin films by controlling the adsorption kinetics. The book reports physical aspects of irreversible chain adsorption, such as the dynamics, structure, morphology, and crystallization of adsorbed layers. Glass transition and material properties: this section of the book focuses on the spread of absolute values in materials properties of confined systems, when measured by different experimental and computation techniques and a new method to quantify the effects of confinement in thin films and nanocomposites independently on the investigation procedure will be presented.

This book is indexed in Chemical Abstracts ServiceSoft and bio-nanomaterials offer a tremendously rich behavior due to the diversity and tailorability of their structures. Built from polymers, nanoparticles, small and large molecules, peptoids and other nanoscale building blocks, such materials exhibit exciting functions, either intrinsically or through the engineering of their organization and combination of blocks. Thus, it is not surprising that a variety of challenges, for example, in energy storage, environment protection, advanced manufacturing, purification and healthcare, can be addressed using these materials. The recent advances in understanding the behavior of soft matter and biomaterials are being actively translated into functional materials systems and devices, which take advantages of newly discovered and specifically created morphologies with desired properties. This major reference work presents a detailed overview of recent research developments on fundamental and application-inspired aspects of soft and bio-nanomaterials and their emerging functions, and will be divided into four volumes: Vol 1: Soft Matter under Geometrical Confinement: From Fundamentals at Planar Surfaces and Interfaces to Functionalities of Nanoporous Materials; Vol 2: Polymers on the Nanoscale: Nano-structured Polymers and Their Applications; Vol 3: Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials: Nanomaterials Built from Biomolecules and Using Bio-derived Principles; Vol 4: Nanomedicine: Nanoscale Materials in Nano/Bio Medicine.

A complete and timely overview of the topic, this Encyclopedia imparts knowledge of fundamental principles and their applications for academicians, scientists and researchers, while informing engineers, industrialists and entrepreneurs of the current state of the technology and its utilization. The most comprehensive source on polymer blends available on the market Offers a complete and timely overview of the topic Each article presents up to date research & development on a topic and its basic principles and applications, integrates case studies, laboratory and pilot plant experiments, and gives due reference to published and patented literature Equips academics, scientists and researchers with knowledge of fundamentals principles and their applications, and informs the engineers, industrialists and entrepreneurs about the state of the art technology and its applications

Supramolecular Nanotechnology Provides up-to-date coverage of both current knowledge and new developments in the dynamic and interdisciplinary field of supramolecular nanotechnology In recent years, supramolecular nanotechnology has revolutionized research in chemistry, physics, and materials science. These easily manipulated molecular units enable the synthesis of novel nanomaterials for use in a wide range of current and potential applications including electronics, sensors, drug delivery, and imaging. Supramolecular Nanotechnology presents a state-of-the-art overview of functional self-assembling nanomaterials based on organic and polymeric molecules. Featuring contributions by an international panel of experts in the field, this comprehensive volume covers the design of self-assembled materials, their synthesis and diverse fabrication methods, the characterization of supramolecular architectures, and current and emerging applications in chemistry, biology, and medicine. Detailed chapters discuss the synthesis of peptide-based supramolecular structures and polymeric self-assembling materials, their characterization, advanced microscopy techniques, nanostructures made of porphyrins, polyelectrolytes, silica, their application in catalysis and cancer, atomistic and coarse-grained simulations, and more. Presents cutting-edge research on rationally designed, self-assembled supramolecular structures Discusses the impact of supramolecular nanotechnology on current and future research and technology Highlights applications of self-assembled supramolecular systems in catalysis, biomedical imaging, cancer therapies, and regenerative medicine Provides synthetic strategies for preparing the molecular assemblies and various characterization techniques for assessing the supramolecular morphology Describes theoretical modeling and simulation techniques for analyzing supramolecular nanostructures Supramolecular Nanotechnology: Advanced Design of Self-Assembled Functional Materials is essential reading for materials scientists and engineers, polymer and organic chemists, pharmaceutical scientists, molecular physicists and biologists, and chemical engineers.

This Encyclopedia begins with an introduction summarizing itsscope and content. Glassmaking; Structure of Glass, GlassPhysics,Transport Properties, Chemistry of Glass, Glass and Light,Inorganic Glass Families, Organic Glasses, Glass and theEnvironment, Historical and Economical Aspect of Glassmaking,History of Glass, Glass and Art, and outlinepossible newdevelopments and uses as presented by the best known people in thefield (C.A. Angell, for example). Sections and chapters arearranged in a logical order to ensure overall consistency and avoiduseless repetitions. All sections are introduced by a briefintroduction and attractive illustration. Newly investigatedtopics will be addresses, with the goal of ensuring that thisEncyclopedia remains a reference work for years to come.

This book is unique in supplying a comprehensive presentation of high pressures, negative pressures, random constraints and strong electric field exogenic (external) impacts on various soft matter systems. The book is an excellent guide in this novel and still puzzling research area. The book comes as a result from the ARW NATO brainstorming discussion in Odessa, Ukraine (8-12 Oct. 2005). It contains 31 papers prepared by key specialists in the field.