Professor Andre Moliton is the Director of the Unite de Microelectronique, Optoelectronique et PolymC(res at the Universite de Limoges, France. The translator, Dr Roger C Hiorns, is a post-doc at the Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des PolymC(res at the Universite de Pau et des Pays de lbAdour, France.