High Performance Polymers - Polyimides Based - from Chemistry to Applications

Polymers are substances whose molecules have high molar masses and are composed of a large number of repeating units. There are both naturally occurring and synthetic polymers. Among naturally occurring polymers are proteins, starches, cellulose, and latex. Synthetic polymers are produced commercially on a very large scale and have a wide range of properties and uses. High performance plastics differ from standard plastics and engineering plastics primarily by their temperature stability, but also by their chemical stability and mechanical properties, production quantity, and price. There are many synonyms for the term high-performance plastics, such as: high temperature plastics, highperformance polymers, high performance thermoplastics or high-tech plastics. We are using high-performance polymers in almost every aspect of our lives from fairly obvious areas like automotive, aerospace, defence and many parts of the energy industry, through to areas you may not automatically think of like electronics, medical, sport and even food-related applications. Without these high-performing plastics, elastomers and composites, there is so much that just wouldn't be either technically possible or economically viable. In most applications the conditions that these materials endure are very harsh in terms of temperature, pressure, mechanical stress/strain or chemical environment and so the correct materials must be carefully selected in order to balance the necessary properties, performance level and durability with cost. High Performance Polymers - Polyimides Based - From Chemistry to Applications review synthesis, mechanisms, ultimate properties, physico-chemical properties, processing and applications of such high performance materials needed in advanced technologies. This book should be of immense valuable for materials scientists, polymer chemists, manufacturers of electronic components and process engineers.