A Composite Field of Research

In her chapter, Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent traces the evolution of materials science in three different ways. In her opening section, Bensaude-Vincent shows how the traditional discipline of metallurgy was changed by its contacts with the emerging science of solid-state physics and also X-ray crystallography. One can see parallels with the development of polymer science outlined in Furukawa s chapter. 

Bensaude-Vincent traces the evolution of materials science largely through technological developments. There are alternative ways to explore this process, for 

Similarly, the 1994 edition of a widely used American textbook states [5]  

1 The comment on Nicolas Rasmussen s paper has been written by Robert Olby, whose generous willingness to contribute to this introduction is gratefully acknowledged. 

2 Michael Chayut, New sites for scientific change Paul Flory s initiation into polymer chemistry, Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences 23 (1993) 193-218. 

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Moreover, the development of new strategies for surface modifications of nanoparticles with compounds having FR activity could provide a new field of research on FR systems. The use of novel phosphorus-, nitrogen-, or halogen-containing modifiers, instead of alkylammonium ions, for layered silicates seems promising. FR action conferred by the surface modifier can be combined with action due to composite morphology, particularly when the host polymer is a polymer blend instead of a pure polymer. 

The growth of nanomaterials is a rich field of research that can only be treated in a selective fashion in this chapter. The main concerns are the principle issues that determine formation and growth in the nanoscale range, how growth influences microstructure, the stability of particular sizes, shapes and phases, and structure-property relationships. Unlike most nanomaterials, natural nanomaterials can be formed by either inorganic or biologically-connected (enzymatic) processes. In some cases, the same composition nanomaterials can be formed by either pathway. 

Supported ionic liquid compositions are also a vivid field of research in which many companies tried to make their claims [88-90]. By immobilizing ionic liquids onto silica- or alumina-based carriers it is possible to obtain new Lewis acid catalysts with interesting characteristics. These are presently preferably used for alkylation and acylation reactions of aromatic compounds [91, 92] or isomerizations. Even the co-immobilization of ionic liquids with transition metal complexes [93] or Lewis acids [94] has been described, and it can be anticipated that this particular field offers many options for future catalyst development. 

Gels are cross-linked networks of polymers immersed in a fluid medium. It is now well known that they can exhibit large volume changes in response to many different stimuli temperature, solvent composition, pH, electric fields. The universality of this volume phase transition of gels has now been clearly established. These stimuli-responsive gels have opened a new field of research by generating numerous experimental and theoretical works they also pave the way for a variety of new technologies (/). 

The first synthesis of an ordered mesoporous material was described in the patent literature in 1969. However, because of the lack of analysis, the remarkable features of this product were not recognized [75]. In 1992, a similar material was obtained by scientists in Mobil Oil Corporation who discovered the remarkable features of this novel type of silica and opened up a whole field of research [76]. MCM-41, which stands for Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41, shows a highly ordered hexagonal array of unidimensional pores with a very narrow pore size distribution [77, 78]. Other related phases such as MCM-48 and MCM-50, which... 

This chapter has clearly shown molecular quantum similarity to be a worthy field of research with a large range of appHcations. It allows quantification of the similarity between any pair of atoms or molecules, and it can be used by chemists for all quantum entities for which a density probability function is available. Consequently, molecular similarity can be extended far beyond the traditional approaches that address mainly congeneric molecules, or molecules differing in substituent composition. 

Chemical modification of polymers continues to be an active field of research [1-5]. It is a common means of changing and optimising the physical, mechanical and technological properties of polymers [5-7]. It is also a unique route to produce polymers with unusual chemical structure and composition that are otherwise inaccessible or very difficult to prepare by conventional polymerisation methods. For example, hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) which has a structure which resembles that of the copolymer ethylene and acrylonitrile, is very difficult to prepare by conventional copolymerisation of the monomers. Polyvinyl alcohol can only be prepared by hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate. Most of the rubbers or rubbery materials have unsaturation in their main chain and/or in their pendent groups. So these materials are very susceptible towards chemical reactions compared to their saturated counterparts. 

Both polyimide and epoxy possess a number of unusually valuable characteristics that make them amenable for use in a vast array of applications. Until quite recently, however, the two compounds have not been concurrently fabricated into a material that combines their desirable properties. Recently advances in polyimide solubility and have made the fabrication of polyimide-epoxy composites possible. This chapter reports the various fabrication strategies and problems encountered in synthesis and characterization of the formed composites and opens up the possibility of further endeavor in this field of research. 

Because of the availability of these new methods, devices, and purer materials, it has become more feasible to carry on effective research with adequate surface-chemical control of gas and liquid adsorption, wetting, adhesion, emulsification, foaming, boundary friction, corrosion inhibition, heterogeneous catalysis, electrophoresis, electrode surface potentials, and a variety of other subjects of interest in the surface-chemical and allied fields of research. In view of the present situation, serious investigators should now be able to report results in the scientific literature which will have much more value than ever before. There is no excuse for any investigator s taking such inadequate care in controlling surface composition or surface-active contaminants as was common in over 50% of the research publications in surface and colloid science in the past. 

Among melt-spun fibers, those based on thermotropic liquid-crystalline melts have the highest strength and rigidity reported to date, and appear comparable to polyamides spun from lyotropic liquids-crystalline solutions. This was a very active field of research in the 1970s and later, and many comonomers have been reported. Obviously, these compositions must contain three components at a minimum, but many have four or five com-... 

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