A couple of years ago a small group of people began discus­ sing the possibility of running an advanced summer school in the area of polymer blends. There had been a number of recent advan­ ces in this field, and given the considerable interest in these new polymeric materials, we thought such a meeting would be well received both by industry and academia. We wanted it to contain a wide range of background science and technology and also up to date recent advances in the field. It became clear as the discus­ sion progressed that the experts in the field were scattered over the length and breadth of Europe and North America and thus the cost of bringing them together for a summer school would necessi­ tate a high registration fee which would deter many of the research workers we wished to attract. The NATO Advanced Study Institute programme enables a subject to be covered in depth and by giving generous funds to cover lecturers' costs ensures that a wide spectrum of research workers can attend. We decided to apply to NATO and this book contains the results of our request. The ASI was funded under the 'Double-Jump' Programme which is not a new Olympic event but a way of supporting courses on sub­ jects of direct industrial interest. The Institute was also backed by donations from several companies and approximately half those attending were from industrial organisations.

Inhalt

1. Thermodynamic Theory and Experimental Techniques for Polymer Blends.- 2. Glass Transitions and Compatibility; Phase Behavior in Copolymer Containing Blends.- 3. Microscopy and other Methods of Studying Blends.- 4. Preparation of Blends.- 5. Light, Neutron and X-Ray Scattering Techniques for Studying Polymer Blends.- 6. Liquid-Liquid Phase Equilibria in Polymer Blends.- 7. Polymer Blend Modification of PVC.- 8. Synthesis of Block and Graft Copolymers.- 9. Block Copolymers; Morphological and Physical Properties.- 10. Colloidal Behaviour and Surface Activity of Block Copolymers.- 11. Relationships between Morphology, Structure, Composition and Properties in Isotactic Polypropylene Based Blends.- 12. Rubber-Rubber Blends.- 13. Pure and Applied Research on Interpenetrating Polymer Networks and Related Materials.- 14. Fracture Toughness Evaluation of Blends and Mixtures and the Use of the J Method.- 15. Crazing and Cracking in Glassy Homopolymers.- 16. The Mechanical Properties of Homogeneous Glassy Polymer Blends.- 17. Mechanical Properties of High-Impact Polymers.- 18. Fatigue of High-Impact Polymers.- 19. Yielding and Failure Criteria for Rubber Modified Polymers, Part 1.- 20. Yielding and Failure Criteria for Rubber Modified Polymers, Part 2.- 21. Multiphase Thermosetting Polymers.- 22. Processing and Phase Morphology of Incompatible Polymer Blends.- Seminars.- 1. Pulse-Induced Critical Scattering.- 2. Phase Separation in Polymer Blends.- 3. Thermodynamics of Compatibility in Binary Polymeric Mixtures.- 4. PVC Blending Resins: Properties and Appllications.- 5. Block Copolymers as Homogenizing Agents in Blends of Amorphous and Semicrystalline Polymers.- 6. Study of Copolymer-Homopolymer Blends.- 7. Rubber-Plastics Blends.- 8. Isotactic Polypropylene/Rubber Blends: Effect of Crystallization Conditions and Composition on Properties.- 9. Ethylene-Propylene Rubber and Polyolefin Polymer Blends: Present Situation and Future Trends.