Fundamental Polymer Science (Graduate Texts in Physics)

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 was broadened in the second edition to encompass all of polymer science. The third edition contains substantial information about polysaccharides and proteins included in essentially all chapters. Cheap computing power has greatly expanded the role of simulation and modelling in the past decades, which is reflected in many of the chapters. Additional problems and carefully prepared graphics aid have been added. Note the availability at Springer  of the companion books by the same authors: Essential Classical Thermodynamics (2020) and Applied Polymer Science (2021). 

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

This valuable book is ideal for those who wish to get a brief background in polymer science as well as for those who seek a further grounding in the subject. Colloid Polymer Science

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

Ulf Gedde is professor emeritus at KTH Royal Institute of Technology after retirement from the professor chair of Polymeric Materials. His research interests are polymeric materials and their properties, polymer physics, crystalline polymers, polymers in power-electronics, the long-term performance of polymers, transport properties and polymer nanocomposites. Gedde is the author of 300 scientific papers and the textbooks Polymer Physics, Fundamental Polymer Science, Essential Classical Thermodynamics and Applied Polymer Science and is editor of Polymer Testing. He has supervised 44 PhDs, holds 5 patents and was involved in the development of the bimodal polyethylene materials. His teaching which extends over 40 years has been awarded at KTH.

Professor Mikael Hedenqvist heads the division of Polymeric Materials at Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research interests include polymer modelling/simulation, transport properties, processing of polymers, foams and biobased polymers (incl. proteins). Hedenqvist is Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Testing, has supervised 49 PhDs and has authored 365 scientific papers and the textbooks Fundamental Polymer Science and Applied Polymer Science. He holds 7 patents and is co-founder of Peepoople AB. Hedenqvist teaches courses on the mechanical properties of materials, polymeric materials and transport properties.

Lars Berglund is a senior professor of Wood Composites at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research interest is in polymer composites, recently cellulose bio-composites and nanomaterials establishing structure-property relationships. His research contributed to industrial technologies for glass mat thermoplastics, carbon fibre/vinylester composites and rubber-toughened epoxies. Berglund has published more than 300 scientific papers, holds 10 patents and has supervised 30 PhDs. He is the founding director of Wallenberg Wood Science Centre, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and he is an Advanced Grantee from the European Research Council. His teaching includes polymer science and engineering, processing and mechanical behaviour of polymers and composites, cellular materials, and wood and cellulose science.

Mats Johansson is a professor in Polymer Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research interests are polymer chemistry, thermoset polymers in thin film applications, coatings technology, bio-based monomers and polymers, photopolymerization, thiol-ene chemistry, polymerization reaction kinetics and structure - property relationships. Johansson is the author of 180 scientific papers, several book chapters and the supervisor of 20 PhDs. He holds two patents both resulting in commercial full-scale implementation. He is Editor-in-Chief for Progress in Organic Coatings. He has 30 years of experience in teaching on basic polymer technology, polymer chemistry and coating technology.

Jakob Wohlert is Docent in Fibre and Polymer Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He has a background in computational biophysics and his research interests are modelling of biopolymers and plant polysaccharides with focus on both their function in the plant cell wall and their application in sustainable materials, structure-property relationships in heterogeneous systems, macromolecular dynamics, interactions between macromolecules and water, and the thermodynamics of adsorption and solubility. He is the author of 60 scientific papers.