Polymers have achieved an enviable position as the class of materials having the highest volume of production, exceeding that of both metals and ceramics. The meteoric rise in the production and utilization of polymers has been due to advances in polymer synthesis which allow the creation of specific and well-defined molecular structures, to new knowledge concerning the relationships between polymer structure and properties, and to an improved understanding of how processing can be used as a tool to develop morphological features which result in desired properties. Polymers have truly become...

Polymers have achieved an enviable position as the class of materials having the highest volume of production, exceeding that of both metals and ceramics. The meteoric rise in the production and utilization of polymers has been due to advances in polymer synthesis which allow the creation of specific and well-defined molecular structures, to new knowledge concerning the relationships between polymer structure and properties, and to an improved understanding of how processing can be used as a tool to develop morphological features which result in desired properties. Polymers have truly become...