Polymeric materials of the 21st century often contain atoms that are not
present in traditional polymers. Polymers containing nontraditional
atoms are now of interest because of their unique properties. This book
demonstrates the breadth of these properties and some of the specialized
analytical techniques that have been developed to characterize them.
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 emphasize the emerging special properties of
mate- als dealing with the transmission of light for the purpose of
communication, as well as other efforts. Later chapters deal with the
use of materials in treating a variety of disease-causing
microbes--including viruses responsible for pandemic herpes and the
common cold (Chapter 8), cancers (Chapter 11), and bacterial infections
(Chapter 17). The interaction of these materials for future biological
investigations is investigated in Chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 12 provides
a comprehensive review of the application of Mössbauer spectroscopy to
metal-containing polymers and Chapter 13 reviews the application of a
new mass spectrometry technique. The use of metal-containing polymers as
catalysts is described in Chapters 1, 9, and 10. Their use as precursors
for advanced ceramics (Chapter 14), high temperature materials (Chapter
15), and flame reta- ants (Chapter 16) is also discussed. The unusual
property of selected materials to spontaneously form fibers is described
in Chapter 18.
