Preface H I G H - T E M P E R A T U R E - H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E ORGANIC POLYMERS and polymer composites are materials that exhibit superior properties, in terms of both thermal and mechanical behavior, to those of more typical materials. These properties include stability at high temperatures (tens of thousands of hours at 350 °F in air), light weight (low density), high specific strength and stiffness, high toughness, low heat distortion and warpage, and good processability.

The maturation of the field of synthetic polymer chemistry, as well as the development of an improved understanding of structure-property relationships, has resulted in the ability to synthesize materials with prop­erties designed for a particular application. This versatility makes these high-temperature-high-performance organic polymers attractive for aerospace, microelectronic, and other industrial applications. Current uses include films in semiconductor applications, matrix resins in carbon fiber reinforced composites, foams for insulation, ablatives, adhesives for metals and composites, fibers for sporting goods, and membranes for industrial gas separation.

The symposium upon which this volume is based was organized to provide coverage of new polymers as well as the important physics and engineering aspects of these materials relative to processing and perfor­mance in various applications. The book begins with an introductory chapter designed to give an overview of the entire field. The remainder of book is organized into three sections: Properties; Processing and Modeling; and Applications and New Materials. Each section contains four to six chapters describing leading edge research and development that encompass a variety of materials, experimental techniques, theories, processes, and applications. Work is included from an international group of scientists and engineers from the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and Australia.

The breadth of the information presented in this book should make it useful for materials scientists, polymer chemists, and engineers in the aerospace, automotive, chemical, and electronics industries. W e hope that the book wi l l become a useful resource for a broad spectrum of scientists and engineers whose work concerns the preparation, processing, properties, and applications of polymers and polymer composites.

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In High-Temperature Properties and Applications of Polymeric Materials; Tant, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1995.

Acknowledgments

Several organizations generously provided funds to support the sympo­sium upon which this book is based. We thank Eastman Chemical Com­pany, Netzsch, A M E T E K — Haveg Division, the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society, and the A C S Division of Poly­meric Materials: Science and Engineering, Inc.

We very much appreciate the help of Anne Wilson and Rhonda Bi t -terli of the A C S Books Department who managed to keep both the edi­tors and contributors on track. Finally, we thank the contributors for sharing the results of their work with us.

M A R T I N R . T A N T Research Laboratories Eastman Chemical Company Kingsport, TN 37662

J O H N W . C O N N E L L Langley Research Center National Aeronautics and Space Administration Hampton, VA 23681-0001

H U G H L . N. M C M A N U S Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139

June 21, 1995

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In High-Temperature Properties and Applications of Polymeric Materials; Tant, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1995.