Integration of Fundamental Polymer Science and Technology

'Integration of Fundamental Polymer Science and Technology' is a theme that admits of countless variations. It is admirably exemplified by the scientific work of R. Koningsveld and C. G. Vonk, in whose honour this meeting was organized. The interplay between 'pure' and 'applied' is of course not confined to any particular subdiscipline of chemistry or physics (witness the name IUPAC and IUPAP) but is perhaps rarely so intimate and inevitable as in the macromolecular area. The historical sequence may vary: when the first synthetic dye was prepared by Perkin, considerable knowledge of the molecular structure was also at hand; but polymeric materials, both natural and synthetic, had achieved a fair practical technology long before their macromolecular character was appreciated or established. Such historical records have sometimes led to differences of opinion as to whether the pure or the applied arm should deserve the first place of honour. The Harvard physiologist Henderson, as quoted in Walter Moore's Physical Chemistry, averred that 'Science owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to Science'. On the other hand, few would dispute the proposition that nuclear power production could scarcely have preceded the laboratory observations of Hahn and Strassmann on uranium fission. Whatever history may suggest, an effective and continuous working relationship must recognize the essential contributions, if not always the completely smooth meshing, of both extremes.

1: Thermodynamics.- Thermodynamics and Engineering Needs.- Statistics of Surface Contact Distributions.- Polymer Melt and Glass: Thermodynamic and Dynamic Aspects.- A Fresh Look at Solutions of Polymer Mixtures.- Polymer-Polymer Interactions and Phase Diagrams of Compatible Polyblends by Gas-Chromatography.- Application of the Mean-Field Lattice-Gas Model to Partially-Miscible Polymer Systems.- Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Mixtures of Statistical Copolymers.- Characterization of Industrial Polymers and Polymer Mixtures by Turbidimetric Measurements at the Lower Critical Solution Temperature.- II: Characterization/Solution Behaviour.- Characterization of Copolymers: Chromatographic Cross-Fractionation Analysis of Styrene-Acrylonitrile Copolymers.- CPF: A New Method for Large Scale Fractionation.- Flow Birefringence of Associations of Polymers in Solution.- Theoretical Calculation of Diffusion Coefficient and Viscosity of Star Polymers in Solution.- A Photon Correlation Spectroscopy Investigation of Precipitation Polymerization in Liquid Vinyl Chloride.- III: Blends.- The Role of Specific Interactions in Polymer Miscibility.- Relation of Interdiffusion and Self-Diffusion in Polymer Mixtures.- Crystallization and Melting Studies on Poly(ethylene oxide)/Poly(methyl methacrylate) Mixtures.- Specific Intermolecular Interactions in Polymer Blends.- Thermal and Morphological Analysis of Poly(?-caprolactam)—Poly(etherester) Mixtures.- Isochrone Viscoelastic Functions via Activation Energy of Flow: Charge Transfer Compatibilized Polyblends.- Modification of Thermosetting Resins by Thermoplastics.- The Toughness Behavior of Emulsion ABS: Effect of Rubber Concentration and Acrylonitrile Content on the Deformation Modes.- IV: Networks.- Thermodynamics of Casein Gels and the Universality of Network Theories.- Crosslinking Theory Applied to Industrially Important Polymers.- Reversible and Irreversible Deformation of Van der Waals Networks.- Photopolymerization of Diacrylates.- Simulation Model for Densely Cross-Linked Networks Formed by Chain-Reactions.- Nonlinear Viscoelasticity of EPDM Networks.- Some Comments on the Thermodynamics of Swelling.- Thermoreversible Gelation of Vinyl Polymers.- Static and Dynamic Lightscattering of Thermoreversible Gelling iota-Carrageenan.- Effects of Poly(acrylamide) on the Solution and Gel Properties of Water-Gelatin System.- Compatibility and Viscoelasticity of Mixed Biopolymer Gels.- Halato-Telechelic Polymers as Models of Ion-Containing Polymers and Thermoreversible Polymer Networks.- Ion-Containing Networks: Structural Modifications Induced by Lithium Ions.- Ion-Containing Networks: Recent Results Concerning Transport Properties.- V: Diffusion/Barrier Properties.- Diffusion of Gases and Liquids in Glassy and Semi-Crystalline Polymers.- Transport Regulated Electrochemical Reactions in Polyimide Films.- Processing of Barrier Film by Coextrusion.- VI: Chain Dynamics.- Single-Chain Dynamics in Polymer Characterization.- Non-Ideal Statistics and Polymer Dynamics.- Computation and Display of Polymer Chain Behaviour.- Deuteron-NMR Studies of Molecular Motions in Solid Polymers.- A Two-Dimensional NMR Study of Very Slow Molecular Motions in Polymers.- Transitions and Mobile Phases by NMR Normal Alkanes and Polyethylene.- Morphology and Chain Dynamics of Polymers as Reflected from Polymer-Dye Interactions.- Emission Spectroscopy and the Molecular Mobility of Polyepoxide Networks.- Mobility of Sidegroups in Polydimethylsiloxane.- Glass Transitions in Unsymmetrically Substituted Siloxanes.- VII: Processing/Rheology.- From Molecular Models to the Solution of Flow Problems.- Transient-Network Theories: New Developments and Applications.- Rheological Properties of a LDPE Melt in Transient Uniaxial Elongational Flow, Described with a Special Type of Constitutive Equation.- Physical Background of Mould Filling With and Without Crystallization.- On the Mathematical Modelling of the Injection Moulding Process.- Mixing Processes in Polymer Processing.- Blending of Incompatible Polymers.- Polymer Reactions During Melt-Processing.- Assessing Rubber Processing Aids Effectiveness.- Plastics Processing.- VIII: Structure and Morphology.- Some Facets of Order in Crystalline Polymers as Revealed by Polyethylene.- Investigation of the Crystallization Process of Polymers by Means of Neutron Scattering.- Lamellar Organization in Polymer Spherulites.- Considerations on the Crystallization with Chain Folding in Polymers.- Chain Mobility in Phase Transformations of Inorganic Polymers.- Ultra-Drawing of High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Cast from Solution. IV. Effect of Annealing/Re-crystallization.- Microhardness of Semicrystalline Polymers.- Model Calculations for WAXS Profiles from the Polymer Crystalline Particle Size Distribution.- Infrared Spectroscopy on PET Yarns.- Interaction Between Crystallization and Orientation.- Neutron Scattering of Poly(ethylene terephthalate).- The Similarity Between Cellulose and Aramid Fibres.- Crystalline Order in Nylon 4,6.- Pulsed EPR Study of the Trapping Process of Radicals in Polyethylene.- Analysis of Filled Rubbers Using SAXS.- SAXS Studies of Semi-Crystalline Polymer Blends Using Synchrotron Radiation.- Ultra-Drawing of Polypropylene.- Spinning of Fibers from Cellulose Solutions in Amine Oxides.- IX: New Developments.- Future Trends in Polymer Chemistry.- Recent Investigations of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks.- Polymers with Metal-like Conductivity: Structure, Properties and Applications.- The Mechanical Properties of Polypyrrole Plates.- High Modulus Flexible Polymers.- Radiation Treatment of Polymers.- High Precision Replication of Laservision Video Discs Using UV-Curable Coatings.- Fast Curing Low-Modulus Coatings for High-Strength Optical Fibres.- Replication of High Precision Aspherical Lenses Using UV-Curable Coatings.