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........ published in NEWSLETTER # 60

SOLVENTS AND SELF-ORGANIZATION OF POLYMERS
by Professor S.E. Webber, Dept. of Chemistry, The University of Texas, Austin (U.S.A.)

In recent years there has been considerable emphasis on self- organization of molecules, supramolecular architecture, "smart materials", and so on. The bulk of this effort has been directed towards "small molecules" of the type familiar to synthetic organic chemists. In polymer science it has been realized for quite some time that complex structures can form in the solid state of mixtures of phase separated polymers, and of course there is the ultimate example of self-organization that occurs in biopolymers.

This volume (NATO ASI SERIES E327) describes the current state of synthetic polymer self-organization in which the solvent plays a major role. From the point of view of molecular engineering, the solvent provides a control parameter in addition to the monomer type, the distribution of monomers in the polymer, and the polymer molecular weight. This book describes the first attempt to look at this subject as a unified whole, and combines contributions from synthetic chemists, physical chemists, and physicists.

Experimental methods and theoretical results are both represented, along with a review of potential applications such as drug delivery, solubilization of hydrophobic species in water, surface modification, polymer micelles, associating polymers, etc. The coverage of this book is unusually broad and many of the chapters are of a tutorial nature, such that his book is an excellent starting point for polymer researchers who are interested in this emerging field, as well as a reference for researchers already active in related fields. The organization of the book is such that it could be used as the primary source for an advanced course in this subject area.
Reference books: C123, C215, C326, C405, E182, E206, E230, E246, E327

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