Applied Polymer Science

Applied polymer science is the subfield of material science and organic chemistry, which focuses on polymeric materials and their applications. It includes polymer synthesis, recycling, bulk production and applications in biomedical, material science, plastic industry, fiber and composite material industry and many more. Polymers are the backbone of current manufacturing industry, and they are found everywhere around us including both natural and synthetic polymers. Polymers are used for making household items, protective coatings, bodies of electronic gadgets, solar panels, and they are a big part of our food chain as well. Straight chain polymers and branched polymers are the two basic types of polymers. Among branched polymers, there are several sub categories, such as Isotactic, Atactic, Syndiotactic and Eutactic polymers. The type of branching determines the physical properties of the polymer, such as their melting point, tensile strength, flexibility etc. Therefore, in this book, several articles covering different aspects of applied polymer science are presented. It includes latest applications of polymeric materials, recycling of polymers, and niche polymers, which are used in unique applications.