Polymers at Surfaces and Interfaces

This final year undergraduate textbook deals with the behaviour of polymers at surfaces and interfaces.

This text deals from a fundamental viewpoint with the behaviour of polymers at surfaces and interfaces. Topics covered include the nature and properties of the surface of a polymer melt, the structure of interfaces between different polymers and between polymers and non-polymers, the molecular basis of adhesion, and the properties of polymers at liquid surfaces. Emphasis is placed on the underlying physical principles. Statistical mechanics models of the behaviour of polymers near interfaces are introduced, with the emphasis on theory that is tractable and applicable to experimental situations. Advanced undergraduates, graduate students and research workers in physics, chemistry and materials science with an interest in polymers will find this book of value.

Preface; 1. Introduction and overview; 2. The surface of a simple polymer melt; 3. Experimental techniques; 4. Polymer/polymer interfaces; 5. Adsorption and surface aggregation from polymer solutions and mixtures; 6. Tethered polymer chains in solutions and melts; 7. Adhesion and the mechanical properties of polymer interfaces at the molecular level; 8. Polymers spread at air/liquid interfaces; Index.

This study deals with the behaviour of polymers at surfaces and interfaces. Topics covered include the nature and properties of the surface of a polymer melt, the structure of interfaces between different polymers and between polymers and non-polymers, the molecular basis of adhesion and the properties of polymers at liquid surfaces.