Polymers, Liquid Crystals, and Low-Dimensional Solids

Polymers, Liquid Crystals, and Low-Dimensional Solids
Author: Norman H. March
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 635
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461323673

This book deals with three related areas having both fundamental and technological interest. In the first part, the objective is to provide a bird's eye view on structure in polymeric solids. This is then complemented by a chapter, directly technological in its emphasis, dealing with the influence of processing on polymeric materials. In spite of the technological interest, this leads to some of the current fundamental theory. Part II, concerned with liquid crystals, starts with a discussion of the physics of the various types of material, and concludes with a treatment of optical applications. Again, aspects of the theory are stressed though this part is basically phenomenological in character. In Part III, an account is given first of the use of chemical-bonding arguments in understanding the electronic structure of low-dimensional solids, followed by a comprehensive treatment of the influence of dimen sionality on phase transitions. A brief summary of dielectric screening in low-dimensional solids follows. Space-charge layers are then treated, including semiconductor inversion layers. Effects of limited dimensionality on superconductivity are also emphasized. Part IV concludes the volume with two specialized topics: electronic structure of biopolymers, and topological defects and disordered systems. The Editors wish to acknowledge that this book had its origins in the material presented at a course organized by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste.

Introduction to Liquid State Physics

Introduction to Liquid State Physics
Author: Norman Henry March
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 454
Release: 2002
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789810246525

This important book provides an introduction to the liquid state. A qualitative description of liquid properties is first given, followed by detailed chapters on thermodynamics, liquid structure in relation to interaction forces and transport properties such as diffusion and viscosity. Treatment of complex fluids such as anisotropic liquid crystals and polymers, and of technically important topics such as non-Newtonian and turbulent flows, is included. Surface properties and characteristics of the liquid-vapour critical point are also discussed. While the book focuses on classical liquids, the final chapter deals with quantal fluids.

Amorphous Solids and the Liquid State

Amorphous Solids and the Liquid State
Author: Norman H. March
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 547
Release: 2013-11-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1475791569

This book has its origins in the 1982 Spring College held at the Interna tional Centre for Theoretical Physics, Miramare, Trieste. The primary aim is to give a broad coverage of liquids and amorphous solids, at a level suitable for graduate students and research workers in condensed-matter physics, physical chemistry, and materials science. The book is intended for experimental workers with interests in the basic theory. While the topics covered are many, it was planned to place special emphasis on both static structure and dynamics, including electronic transport. This emphasis is evident from the rather complete coverage of the determination of static structure from both diffraction experiments and, for amorphous solids especially, from model building. The theory of the structure of liquids and liquid mixtures is then dealt with from the standpoint of, first, basic statistical mechanics and, subsequently, pair potentials constructed from the electron theory of simple metals and their alloys. The discussion of static structure is completed in two chapters with rather different emphases on liquid surfaces and interfaces. The first deals with the basic statistical mechanics of neutral and charged interfaces, while the second is concerned with solvation and double-layer effects. Dynamic structure is introduced by a comprehensive discussion of single-particle motion in liquids. This is followed by the structure and dynamics of charged fluids, where again much basic statistical mechanics is developed.

Polymer Structure Characterization

Polymer Structure Characterization
Author: Richard A Pethrick
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
Total Pages: 493
Release: 2015-10-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1782625593

The different physical properties displayed by low molar mass organic materials and polymers are a result of their molecular organisation. In order to understand the structure – property relationship of a material it is necessary to first look at the interactions at a molecular level. This new edition of Polymer Structure Characterization provides readers with the background needed to understand the factors that influence molecular organization and how this affects the morphology and bulk physical properties of a material. In order to introduce the concepts, the book first looks at small molecular systems and builds up to complex macromolecular systems. The second edition has been fully revised and updated to include new examples and references. Topics covered include: organic crystals, liquid crystals, plastic crystals, polymer crystal growth, amorphous glassy materials, polymer surfaces and interfaces, colloids and molecular organization in liquids as well as two new chapters on self-assembly and biopolymer systems. The book is intended to provide complimentary material for a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in materials science, molecular chemistry and chemical physics. In addition to polymer and material scientists, the book would also be of interest to chemists and physicists studying the properties of organic materials.

Liquid Crystalline and Mesomorphic Polymers

Liquid Crystalline and Mesomorphic Polymers
Author: Valery P. Shibaev
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1461383331

Among the various new directions in modern polymer science, the design and investigation of liquid crystal (LC) polymers have been the ones growing most actively and fruitfully. In spite of that, the possible formation of an anisotropic LC phase was only demonstrated theoretically for the first time in the 1950s by Onsager [1] and Flory [2], and then experimentally verified in the studies with polypeptides solutions. In essence, the studies of these LC lyotropic systems did not deviate from the theme of purely academic interest. It was at the beginning of the 1970s that the experimental "explosion" occurred, when aromatic polyamides were synthesized and their ability to form LC solutions in certain very aggressive solvents was discovered. The search for practical applications of such LC systems was crowned with the successful creation of the new generation of ultrastrong high-modulus ther mostable fibers, such as the Kevlar, due to the high degree of order of the macromolecules in the anisotropic LC state. In fact, these investigations coincided with the swift emergence on the practical "scene" of thermotropic low-molar-mass liquid crystals, with the use of these materials in microelectronics and electro optics (figures and let ters indicators, displays in personal computers, and flat TV, etc.). Polymer scientists also began to develop methods of synthesizing thermotropic LC polymers by incorporating mesogenic fragments in the main (main-chain LC polymers) or side branchings of the macromolecules (side-chain or comb shaped polymers).

Polymer Structure Characterization

Polymer Structure Characterization
Author: Richard Arthur Pethrick
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2007
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0854044663

This book brings together, in a logical fashion, the way in which molecular interactions lead to the observedmorphologies in crystalline organic materials and polymers. It is arranged into self contained chapters on various aspects of materials science and includes discussions of topics such as crystal growth, polymer morphology, amorphous glassy materials, polymer phase separation and structure and organisation in materials. The main feature of this title is that, within a single volume, a range of topics is covered which normally would only be found in a number of separate volumes. It is aimed at polymer - materials scientists but will also be of interest to chemists and physics students interested in the properties of organic materials.

Electro-optic and Photorefractive Materials

Electro-optic and Photorefractive Materials
Author: Peter Günter
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642719074

This volume is based on lectures and contributed papers presented at the Eleventh Course of the International School of Materials Science and Tech nology that was held in Erice, Sicily, Italy at the Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture during the period 6-17 July 1986. The subject of the course was "Electro-optic and Photorefractive Materials: Applications in Sig nal Processing and Phase Conjugation" . The fields of electro-optics and photorefraction have developed rapidly since the invention of lasers just over twenty-five years ago. The possibil of altering the optical properties of a material by electric fields or by ity optical waves is of great importance for both pure science and for practical applications such as optical signal processing, telecommunications and opti cal display devices. These effects allow us to manipulate (modulate, deflect) and process a given light wave. Modulation, deflection and processing of light waves by means of the electro-optic effect is of fundamental importance in fiber optic telecommuniC1. tions and sensor systems w here the light signals can be processed prior or subsequent to transmission through the fibers. Thin film electro-optic materials with suitable electrode arrays on· the surface of the wave-guiding structures result in a technology often referred to as inte grated optics. In principle, integrated optics devices allow miniaturization and integration of many operations onto a single chip. The photorefractive effect, defined as a photo-induced change of the in dices of refraction, was the other topic treated in this course.