Universality and Specificity in Materials

Once we have finished the business of universality and specificity, the final discussion of the chapter, and indeed of the book as a whole, will serve as a personal reflection on what appear to me to be some of the more intriguing and fertile realms for reflection in coming years. These queries are strictly a matter of personal taste and should be viewed by the reader as nothing more than suggestions, something akin to looking over my shoulder as I list possible directions for my own future thought. 

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The contributors of the chapters in this book have various areas of expertise. Therefore, this book is interdisciplinary and is written for readers with a background in physical science. I believe that this book will be of interest to university students, lecturers and researchers who are interested in the fields of materials science, engineering and technology and, specifically, in advanced ceramic materials, metal, polymer composite, nanomaterials, bio-materials and optical materials. As it deals with many basic concepts that are of concern in the relevant fields, this book can also be used as a primer for studies in materials science and engineering. 

Both inorganic and organic sorbent materials are suitable for apphcation in partition PLC. The relevant material in this connection is cellulose. Celluloses are natural products with the universal chemical formula (CgHioOj),. These native celluloses have a fibrous structure and they need to be groimd and purified before use in PLC. Besides native cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose can also be used in partition PLC. In this case the cellulose has been recrystaUized and is rod-shaped. The specific surface area of celluloses is in the range of about 2 m /g. 

ARCILLA RESEARCH is a small, Dutch-based, technology enterprise which has developed a special body of techniques and materials based on a mineral binder system, whereby products with ceramic-like properties are cured rather than fired. In partnership with industry, university and government institutions, Arcilla is developing innovative products and systems to meet high technical specifications and which impact upon the environment, physical resources and mass needs. The mineral binder system and range of new materials are neither cements nor ceramics yet offer many of the advantages of both. Three units have... 

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