AIMS AND SCOPE
Polymer Degradation and Stability deals with the degradation reactions and their control which are a major preoccupation of practitioners
of the many and diverse aspects of modern polymer technology.
Deteriorative reactions occur during processing, when polymers are subjected to heat, oxygen and mechanical stress, and during
the useful life of the materials when oxygen and sunlight are the most important degradative agencies. In more specialised
applications, degradation may be induced by high energy radiation, ozone, atmospheric pollutants, mechanical stress, biological
action, hydrolysis and many other influences. The mechanisms of these reactions and stabilisation processes must be understood if
the technology and applications of polymers are to continue to advance. The reporting of investigations of this kind is therefore a
major function of this journal.
However there are also new developments in polymer technology in which degradation processes find positive applications. For
example, photodegradable plastics are now available, the recycling of polymeric products will become increasingly important,
degradation and combustion studies are involved in the definition of the fire hazards which are associated with polymeric materials and
the microelectronics industry is vitally dependent upon polymer degradation in the manufacture of its circuitry. Polymer properties
may also be improved by processes like curing and grafting, the chemistry of which can be closely related to that which
causes physical deterioration in other circumstances.
Radiation of various kinds is used to initiate many of these modern technological processes so that polymer photochemistry has
come to a new prominence and finds a major place in this journal.
The study of all these processes has made extensive use of modern instrumental analytical methods and the various
spectrometric, chromatographic and thermal analysis techniques have been particularly prominent.
There is clearly a strong common bond between investigators in various parts of the field.
Polymer Degradation and Stability provides
a forum for the publication of their work.
Editor-in-Chief
N. C. BILLINGHAM
The University of Sussex,
Department of Chemistry,
Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK
E-mail: N.Billingham@sussex.ac.uk
Editor for Biodegradable and Bio-based Polymers
T. IWATA
Science of Polymeric Materials,
Department of Biomaterial Sciences,
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences,
University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
E-mail: atiwata@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Editor-in-Chief and Editor for General Degradation
J.-L. GARDETTE
Université Blaise Pascal,
Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand,
Equipe Photochimie, Campus des Cézeaux
63170 Aubière, France
E-mail: luc.gardette.pds@univ-bpclermont.fr
Editor for Fire Retardants and Nanocomposites
B. SCHARTEL
BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing,
Unter den Eichen 87,
12205 Berlin, Germany
E-mail: bernhard.schartel@bam.de
Editorial Board
H. Abe
RIKEN Biomass Engineering Program,
Wako, Japan
A.-C. Albertsson
The Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm, Sweden
N. S. Allen
Chemistry Department, Manchester
Metropolitan University, UK
S. AI-Malaika
Aston University, Birmingham, UK
G. Camino
Politecnico di Torino, Alessandria, Italy
M. Celina
Sandia National Laboratories,
Albuquerque, NM, USA
E. Chiellini
University of Pisa, Italy
Y. Doi
The Institute of Physical and Chemical
Research, Saitama, Japan
G. A. George
School of Chemistry, Queensland
University of Technology, Brisbane,
Australia
P. Gijsman
DSM Research, Geleen,
The Netherlands
S. S. Im
Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
F. P. La Mantia
Universita di Palermo, Italy
H. Nishida
Kyushu Institute of Technology,
Kitakyushu, Japan
J. E. Pickett
G.E. Global Research, Niskayuna,
NY, USA
J. Scheirs
ExcelPlas Australia, Edithvale, VIC, Australia
G. Scott
Aston University, Birmingham, UK
W. H. Starnes
Department of Chemistry,
College of William and Mary Williamsburg,
Virginia, USA
J. Wang
National Flame Retardant Materials Laboratory,
School of Chemical Engineering, Beijing
Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
C. A. Wilkie
Department of Chemistry,
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Editor Emeritus Professor N. Grassie
Publication information: Polymer Degradation and Stability (ISSN 0141-3910). For 2012, volume 97 (12 issues) is scheduled
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