Polymerization

As the human endeavors have advanced in the various fields of technology and science, so has advanced our need for new and improved material. From ancient natural materials like, rocks, stone, plant fibers, jute, hemp, hair, wool, silk and animal hide, mankind has moved to new materials like rubbers, resins, glass, synthetic fibers, plastics, and has now advanced to a variety of polymers. These polymeric material include foams, fibers, films, membranes, emulsions and coatings. These synthetic materials have wide range of applications that range from baby diaper, packaging, manufacturing cars, light weight aircrafts for aerospace industry, dental implants, medical devices and building construction material. Structurally, polymers are substances containing a large number of repeated small structural units, joined by a particular type of linkage. All polymers are not synthetic, like nylon, teflon, epoxy, polyethylene, synthetic rubber. Interestingly, there are many naturally occurring polymers, like DNA, proteins, wool, cellulose, silk, pectin, chitin etc. This book is an attempts to provide an overview of the current understanding of biopolymers and free radical polymerization process, as well as applications of polymers.