Preface Materials' response to internal or external stimuli formulates the basis o f n ovel m aterials o f t he 21 C entury. P olymeric m aterials, p articularly polymeric films, have paced the evolution o f technologies for the past few decades and their importance i n the advancement o f global growth is indispensable. Ranging from applications as protective or beatifying coatings applied to a variety o f surfaces, to biofilms or medical devices saving human lives, or conductive polymers and insul ators for electronic devices, polymeric films have been o f importance due to their versatility o f applications. These developments were possible due to tremendous scientific advances during the past few decades. A l t h o u g h scattered research studies indicated that the distribution o f molecular entities within a given film may lead to new and often puzzling surface and interfacial properties, it was only during the past decade that the importance o f stratification processes i n polymeric films was recognized. This i s particularly important i n v i e w o f the fact that such processes may generate response films by the deliberate use o f cognitively driven molecular entities, thus generating desirable stimuliresponsive interactions. One well-recognized stimuli-responsive example is the concepts o f memory shapes known for many years i n metals, but recent developments i n nanocomposites offer new opportunities for polymeric films and coatings. One can envision that incorporation o f carbon nanotubes into a polymer film w i l l allow recoveries o f the original s hape w hen e xposed t o a s timulus s uch a s e lectricity o r h eat. There are other examples and a l l demonstrate that it is enormously important to understand atomic and molecular levels interactions i n polymeric films i n order to gain knowledge that i s the k e y e n a b l e r t o many next-generation devices. These tasks represent extreme scientific and technological challenges and hopefully this monograph w i l l take us one step closer to the development o f new and often unprecedented stimuli-responsive characteristics o f polymeric films and coatings.
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on December 27, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: September 29, 2005 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2005-0912.pr001
st
ix Urban; Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Films and Coatings ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on December 27, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: September 29, 2005 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2005-0912.pr001
W h i l e the introductory chapter provides a b r i e f overview o f a variety o f stimuli-responsive behaviors i n polymers, the first section o f this b o o k i s devoted t o synthetic a n d m echanistic aspects o f polymers that are capable o f controlling topologies and architectures o f surfaces as w e l l as synthetic immobilization o f polymers on surfaces. Synthesis and applications o f polyelectrolyte brushes as w e l l as gradient stimuliresponsive layers are discussed along w i t h chemisorption processes on conductive surfaces. T h e second section o f this monograph deals w i t h physicochemical aspects o f stimuli-responsive polymers w i t h the focus o f conformational changes resulting from temperature, stratification o f individual components as a result o f external or internal stimuli, film formation from colloidal solutions, liquid crystalline films, mechanical damage modeling and interfacial stresses, neural elements modeling o f coatings, and supra-molecular stimuli-responsive pores and inclusions. One o f the best learning and at the same time p u z z l i n g platforms o f stimuli-responsiveness are biological systems. W e hope this book w i l l provide a starting point for this process and w i l l encourage further studies to understand responses i n polymeric films v i a interdisciplinary research activities. U s i n g this knowledge, the development o f synthetic routes for macromolecular chain responses and stimuli functions enab l i n g new technologies and predicting environmental responses w i l l become possible.
Marek W. Urban School o f Polymers and H i g h Performance Materials The University of Southern Mississippi 118 College Avenue Hattiesburg, MS 39406
x Urban; Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Films and Coatings ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.
