chemorheology of thermosetting polymers edited by c. a. may, acs symposium series no. 227, american...

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Book reviews 87 systems. Available methods are reviewed critically and some cxamples discussed. The conclusion is that no general method exists and a proof note emphasizes the problems facing this type of enterprise. Recent developments in the preparation, use and application of substituted polyacetylcncs are described by Masuda and Higashimura. Interest in these materials stems from the fact that they are tractable, in contrast to the parent polymer. They may be used as mcmbranes for the separation of liquids and gases. Bross, Derouct, Epaillard, Soutif, Legeay and Dusek survey the use of radical polymerization to produce polymers with terminal hydroxyl groups. The generic name for these com- pounds is ‘hydroxytelechelic’. There are many synthetic routes, all of which are describcd. Thc rcvicw covers mechanistic aspects, with a summary of applications. The fourth article lacks a section of ‘concluding remarks’; a final statement of the authors’ crystallized views is very useful indeed in articlcs of the kind published here, so much so that this reviewer would like to see it made a compulsory feature. This volume certainly maintains the high standard of the series. A. D. Jenkins Chemorheology of thermosetting polymers Edited by C. A. May, ACS Symposium Series No. 227, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1983. pp. x + 325, price $44.95 (USA and Canada), $53.95 (elsewhere). ISBN 0-8412-0794-1 The 18 symposium papers comprising this volume amply illustrate the importance of chemorheology as an applied science in a number of fields-surface coatings, printing inks and adhesives, as well as thermosetting polymcrs used in automotive, aerospace, electronics and other industries. Applic- ations of modern analytical techniques including rotational viscometry, torsion braid analysis, dynamic spring analysis, high performance liquid chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry are emphasised. The first chapter sets the scene with an excellent overview of the subject. In subsequent chaptcrs there is a wealth of information on aspects of the chemorheology of epoxy, polyester, polyurethane and the newer acetylene-terminated resins. On specific tcchniques, the dielectric properties of a thermosetting resin are related to chemical and rheological changes during curing, chemiluminescence is used to monitor ageing reactions and predict long-term properties of polymers. The technique called attenuated reflection of shear pulses is used to study the drying properties of acrylic copolymer films. Four chapters discuss mathematical models used to evaluate and predict chemical and rheological changcs in curing processes. These include finite element analysis, a kinetic model of cure developed from the aspect of relaxation phenomena, data from viscosity/timc curves of thermosetting powder coatings relating rheology to cure performance and predicting the viscosity of a curing resin at any point in its time/temperature history. The range of topics in this volume should attract a wider readership than that suggested by the title: chemorheology is an expanding research field in several industries. The book is somewhat dated but the readcr will be encouraged to seek information on more recent advances. There are some 240 literature references. The papers are reproduced as submitted, with a few typing errors, etc., but nothing that detracts from the generally high standard of this informative book. G. H. Hutchinson High performance polymers: Their origin and development Edited by R. B. Seymour and G. S. Kirshenbaum, Elscvicr Science Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1986. pp. xiii +461, price 555.00. ISBN 0-4440- 1 139-0 A Symposium on the ‘History of High Performance Polymers’ was held by the American Chemical Society in New York in April 1986. This volumc reprints the papers presented, in camera-ready form. In polymer language, a definition of ‘high performance’ is not possible as the term is subjective. For the purposes of this book, a more satisfactory tcrm may be ‘engineering polymers’, which are described as proccssable materials which can out-perform classic materials, such as metals and ceramics. However, in this book, thc description is flexible and several other types of polymers are mentioned in detail, including ‘liquid crystalline’ polymers, fluoroplastics, thermosets, some fibres, high perfor- mance elastomers and high barrier packaging materials. It is, perhaps, a sign of maturity in a discipline that historical accounts of its development begin to appcar-several have been published in the last few years (e.g. scc that of Morawetz, reviewed in British Polymer Journal, 1986, 18, 209) and the present volume includes several accounts of the pattern of development of individual polymers, by those closely involved. These historical accounts are, of course, all written within living memory: The Introduction mentions Lord Todd’s statement, as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, made early in this decade, that ‘chemistry’s biggest contribution to society has been the development of polymerisation’. The first paper is provided by the most remarkable ‘living memory’ of polymer science-Herman F. Mark, now well into his nineties, whose career spans the first acceptance of the concept of chain-like molecules to the present day. His contribution on ‘High performance polymers-natural and synthetic’ is simple and perceptive-just two headings ‘How nature does it’ and ‘How we now try to do it’, pointing out the propertics needed in synthetic polymers to improve on natural polymers: modulus (hardness, rigiditytas in wood, shells, ivory, antlers, horn; tensile strength-as in silk, flax, sisal, spiders web; toughness (work to r u p t u r e t a s in reptile skin, shark skin, cocunut stem; elasticity (resilienceFas in muscle tendon, fish bladder, bamboo; durability (for thousands of yearstas in bone, some woods, large shells, some animal skin. Many of these properties, sometimes with the additional requirement of long-term high temperaturc stability, have now been achieved. This book is about ‘How’. The first group of papers on engineering plastics in- clude several accounts of the development of polyamides- Nylon 66 (from DuPont), Nylon 6 (BASF), Nylon 11, 12 (Atochem); of polyesters--Aromatic polycarbonates (from bis- phenol A) (General Electric, Bayer), polybutylene terephthalates (Celanese), injection mouldable polyethylene terephthalate (DuPont), polyarylates (aromatic polyesters from aromatic dicarboxylic acids and diphenols) (Union Carbide); on acetal BRITISH POLYMER JOURNAL VOL.20. NO.l. 1988

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Book reviews 87

systems. Available methods are reviewed critically and some cxamples discussed. The conclusion is that no general method exists and a proof note emphasizes the problems facing this type of enterprise.

Recent developments in the preparation, use and application of substituted polyacetylcncs are described by Masuda and Higashimura. Interest in these materials stems from the fact that they are tractable, in contrast to the parent polymer. They may be used as mcmbranes for the separation of liquids and gases.

Bross, Derouct, Epaillard, Soutif, Legeay and Dusek survey the use of radical polymerization to produce polymers with terminal hydroxyl groups. The generic name for these com- pounds is ‘hydroxytelechelic’. There are many synthetic routes, all of which are describcd. Thc rcvicw covers mechanistic aspects, with a summary of applications.

The fourth article lacks a section of ‘concluding remarks’; a final statement of the authors’ crystallized views is very useful indeed in articlcs of the kind published here, so much so that this reviewer would like to see it made a compulsory feature.

This volume certainly maintains the high standard of the series.

A. D. Jenkins

Chemorheology of thermosetting polymers Edited by C. A. May, ACS Symposium Series No. 227, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1983. pp. x + 325, price $44.95 (USA and Canada), $53.95 (elsewhere). ISBN 0-8412-0794-1

The 18 symposium papers comprising this volume amply illustrate the importance of chemorheology as an applied science in a number of fields-surface coatings, printing inks and adhesives, as well as thermosetting polymcrs used in automotive, aerospace, electronics and other industries. Applic- ations of modern analytical techniques including rotational viscometry, torsion braid analysis, dynamic spring analysis, high performance liquid chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry are emphasised.

The first chapter sets the scene with an excellent overview of the subject. In subsequent chaptcrs there is a wealth of information on aspects of the chemorheology of epoxy, polyester, polyurethane and the newer acetylene-terminated resins.

On specific tcchniques, the dielectric properties of a thermosetting resin are related to chemical and rheological changes during curing, chemiluminescence is used to monitor ageing reactions and predict long-term properties of polymers. The technique called attenuated reflection of shear pulses is used to study the drying properties of acrylic copolymer films.

Four chapters discuss mathematical models used to evaluate and predict chemical and rheological changcs in curing processes. These include finite element analysis, a kinetic model of cure developed from the aspect of relaxation phenomena, data from viscosity/timc curves of thermosetting powder coatings relating rheology to cure performance and predicting the viscosity of a curing resin at any point in its time/temperature history.

The range of topics in this volume should attract a wider readership than that suggested by the title: chemorheology is an expanding research field in several industries. The book is somewhat dated but the readcr will be encouraged to seek

information on more recent advances. There are some 240 literature references. The papers are reproduced as submitted, with a few typing errors, etc., but nothing that detracts from the generally high standard of this informative book.

G. H. Hutchinson

High performance polymers: Their origin and development Edited by R. B. Seymour and G. S. Kirshenbaum, Elscvicr Science Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1986. pp. xiii +461, price 555.00. ISBN 0-4440- 1 139-0

A Symposium on the ‘History of High Performance Polymers’ was held by the American Chemical Society in New York in April 1986. This volumc reprints the papers presented, in camera-ready form.

In polymer language, a definition of ‘high performance’ is not possible as the term is subjective. For the purposes of this book, a more satisfactory tcrm may be ‘engineering polymers’, which are described as proccssable materials which can out-perform classic materials, such as metals and ceramics. However, in this book, thc description is flexible and several other types of polymers are mentioned in detail, including ‘liquid crystalline’ polymers, fluoroplastics, thermosets, some fibres, high perfor- mance elastomers and high barrier packaging materials. It is, perhaps, a sign of maturity in a discipline that historical accounts of its development begin to appcar-several have been published in the last few years (e.g. scc that of Morawetz, reviewed in British Polymer Journal, 1986, 18, 209) and the present volume includes several accounts of the pattern of development of individual polymers, by those closely involved. These historical accounts are, of course, all written within living memory: The Introduction mentions Lord Todd’s statement, as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, made early in this decade, that ‘chemistry’s biggest contribution to society has been the development of polymerisation’.

The first paper is provided by the most remarkable ‘living memory’ of polymer science-Herman F. Mark, now well into his nineties, whose career spans the first acceptance of the concept of chain-like molecules to the present day. His contribution on ‘High performance polymers-natural and synthetic’ is simple and perceptive-just two headings ‘How nature does it’ and ‘How we now try to d o it’, pointing out the propertics needed in synthetic polymers to improve on natural polymers: modulus (hardness, r ig id i ty tas in wood, shells, ivory, antlers, horn; tensile strength-as in silk, flax, sisal, spiders web; toughness (work to r u p t u r e t a s in reptile skin, shark skin, cocunut stem; elasticity (resilienceFas in muscle tendon, fish bladder, bamboo; durability (for thousands of y e a r s t a s in bone, some woods, large shells, some animal skin.

Many of these properties, sometimes with the additional requirement of long-term high temperaturc stability, have now been achieved. This book is about ‘How’.

The first group of papers on engineering plastics in- clude several accounts of the development of polyamides- Nylon 66 (from DuPont), Nylon 6 (BASF), Nylon 11, 12 (Atochem); of polyesters--Aromatic polycarbonates (from bis- phenol A) (General Electric, Bayer), polybutylene terephthalates (Celanese), injection mouldable polyethylene terephthalate (DuPont), polyarylates (aromatic polyesters from aromatic dicarboxylic acids and diphenols) (Union Carbide); on acetal

BRITISH POLYMER JOURNAL VOL.20. NO. l . 1988