The Origins of Polymer Science

Polymers, which include synthetic materials such as plastics, vinyl, Nylon, polyester, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and natural materials such as silk, cotton, starch and cellulose, are used in our lives every day. Since scientists began to control and manipulate polymers in the 19th Century, chemists have created hundreds of durable synthetic polymeric materials from just a few simple building blocks. Experimentation continues today with increasing polymer uses for applications in chemical, instrumentation, mechanical, electrical and electronic industries. 

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Historical Overview on the Origin of Polymer Science and Synthesis of Polyamides and Polyesters... 

The whole of polymer science is constructed around a battery of concepts which are largely distinct from those familiar in other families of materials, metals in particular. This is the reason why I invited an eminent polymer scientist who was originally a physical metallurgist to write, for a textbook of physical metallurgy edited by me, a chapter under the title A metallurgist s guide to polymers (Windle 1996). The objective was to remove some of the mystery surrounding polymer science in the eyes of other kinds of materials scientists. 

Dr. Mark is acknowledged throughout the scientific community as the father of polymer science. He received the National Medal of Science in 1980, the 1978 Senior U.S. Scientist Award, 29 other medals and awards from various international organizations, and 17 honorary degrees. In 1977, he was appointed as an Honorable Member of the Japan Chemical Society. He has published over 500 original and review articles and some 20 books on topics related to polymer chemistry. Dr. Mark is founder and first editor of the Journal of Polymer Science, the definitive publication in its field, and is currently editor of the Journal of Applied Science and associate editor of the Textile Research Journal. In addition to these duties he serves as Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology. 

The development of polymer science with the study of new polymerization processes and polymers showed that the original classification by Carothers was not entirely adequate and left much to be desired. Thus, for example, consider the polyurethanes, which are formed by the reaction of diols with diisocyanates without the elimination of any small molecule ... 

Standard Journal, appearing semimonthly and containing original articles, short notes, and letters to the editor. With 500 papers per year such a journal could take care of about 50% of all articles and would represent a considerable concentration of information. Right now two magazines exist that are exclusively devoted to papers on basic science in the polymer field the Journal of Polymer Science and Makromoleku-lare Chemie. Together they have about 1600 pages per year and contain about 18% of all articles written in the field. 

Figure 5.15 Model of structural evolution process in the isothermal crystallization of polyethylene chains. The random chain segments change to the locally regularized trans-form. The stacked lamellar structure is formed with the long period 800 A. The structure changes further to the stacked lamellar structure of 400 A period by inserting the new lamella into the original lamellae. It is noted that the radius of gyration is kept unchanged during this process. (From Reference 46 with permission from the Society of Polymer Science, Japan.)...

The history of polymer science can be followed best with the books Morawetz H (1985) Polymers, The Origin and Growth of a Science. Wiley, New York and Furukawa Y (1998) Inventing Polymer Science Staudinger, Carothers, and the Emergence of Macromolecular... 

That proposal helped greatly and Morawetz came indeed to Freiburg in 1983 for a long stay. His book, a tme landmark in scientific writing on the origins and contexts of the evolution of polymer science, appeared finally in 1985 [1]. At that time, G.W. had moved to Mainz in Germany as one of the founders of the newly created Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (together with E.W. Fischer). But this is another story. 

I approached polymer chemistry via the recognition that there could be such a thing as supramolecular polymer chemistry [4—6]. After a slow start and some braking of the motion here and there, it has become a full part of the world of polymer science, expounded for instance in a recent summa opere (for an up-to-date, in-depth review of the field of polymer science, see the 10-volume set [7]). The field embraces chemistry, physics, and biology as both a science and a technology, as testified by the many original publications, reviews, and books, which are far too numerous to be extensively cited (for a selection of reviews, see [8-19] for supramolecular materials, see also [20, 21] for coordination and metaUosupramolecular polymers, see [22-28]). 

My serious interest in the history of polymer science was stimulated by Herbert Morawetz and his ground breaking monograph Polymers—The Origins and Growth of a Science. He has been a constant source of encouragement. 

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