Fundamental Polymer Science

This successor to the popular textbook, “Polymer Physics” (Springer, 1999), is the result of a quarter-century of  teaching experience as well as critical comments from specialists in the various sub-fields, resulting in better explanations and more complete coverage of key topics. With a new chapter on polymer synthesis, the perspective has been broadened significantly to encompass polymer science rather than “just” polymer physics. Polysaccharides and proteins are included in essentially all chapters, while polyelectrolytes are new to the second edition. Cheap computing power has greatly expanded the role of simulation and modeling in the past two decades, which is reflected in many of the chapters. Additional problems and carefully prepared graphics aid in understanding.

Two principles are key to the textbook’s appeal: 1) Students learn that, independent of the origin of the polymer, synthetic or native, the same general laws apply, and 2) students should benefit from the book without an extensive knowledge of mathematics. Taking the reader from the basics to an advanced level of understanding, the text meets the needs of a wide range of students in chemistry, physics, materials science, biotechnology, and civil engineering, and is suitable for both masters- and doctoral-level students. 

Praise for the previous edition:

...an excellent book, well written, authoritative, clear and concise, and copiously illustrated with appropriate line drawings, graphs and tables. - Polymer International

...an extremely useful book. It is a pleasure to recommend it to physical chemists and materials scientists, as well as physicists interested in the properties of polymeric materials. - Polymer News

The solutions tothe exercises are given in the final chapter, making it a well thought-out teaching text. - Polymer Science

Ulf Wiel Gedde holds the professor chair of Polymeric Materials at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. Professor Gedde's research interests are plastics, polymers, and their properties, polymer physics, crystalline polymers–molecular structure, crystallization kinetics, morphology and properties, thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers, polymers in power-electronics, the long-term performance of polymers, relaxation processes in polymers, polymer fracture, transport properties, polymeric outdoor insulating materials and polymer nanocomposites. 

Gedde is the author of 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and one textbook on Polymer Physics (1995) and 5 patents. He has graduated  44 Ph.D students and was one of the scientific sources for the development of bimodal polyethylene materials (Borstar). Gedde has been Editor of European Polymer Journal and is currently Editor of Polymer Testing. Gedde is member of four journal editorial boards. His teaching activities extends over 40 years and span over a wide range of fields across polymer science. 

Mikael S. Hedenqvist is Professor and heads the Polymeric Materials Division at the Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He works on synthetic and biobased polymers(polyesters, proteins, polysaccharides) on topics such as processing of polymers, long-term properties and mass transport, electric and mechanical properties of polymers, foams and composites (experiments and simulations/modelling). He is editor of Polymer Testing and has co-authored more than 220 peer-review papers and 8 book chapters. He has written 5 course compendia and teaches in courses on e.g. materials mechanical properties, transport properties of polymers and polymer materials. He has graduated (supervised or co-supervised) 34 PhD students and has been faculty opponent 11 times. Hehas 4 patents (and 4 patents applications).

Hedenqvist has been involved as co-founder, member or advisor in three start-up/SME companies. He has been a visiting researcher at CSIC (Madrid), University of Utah (Salt Lake City), ETH (Zürich), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and a visiting Professor at Institut Jozef Stefan (Slovenia) and Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (France).