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Understanding Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics : Foundations, Applications, Frontiers
Our time is characterized by an explosion of information and by an accel- ation of knowledge. A book cannot compete with the huge amount of data available on the Web. However, to assimilate all this information, it is n- essary to structure our knowledge in a useful conceptual framework. The purpose of the present work is to provide such a structure for students and researchers interested by the current state of the art of non-equilibrium th- modynamics. The main features of the book are a concise and critical pres- tation of the basic ideas, illustrated by a series of examples, selected not only for their pedagogical value but also for the perspectives o?ered by recent technological advances. This book is aimed at students and researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, material sciences, and biology. We have been guided by two apparently antagonistic objectives: gener- ity and simplicity. To make the book accessible to a large audience of n- specialists, we have decided about a simpli?ed but rigorous presentation. Emphasis is put on the underlying physical background without sacri?cing mathematical rigour, the several formalisms being illustrated by a list of - amplesandproblems.
Thermal analysis of polymeric materials
"Thermal Analysis of Polymeric Materials" systematically treats macroscopic measurements by thermal analysis and the quantitative link to microscopic, molecular structure and mobility. Reversible and irreversible thermodynamics, kinetics, quantum mechanics, and statistical thermodynamics are the roots of the described thermal analysis. The book aims to broaden readers’ understanding of materials and the connection of flexible macromolecules (polymers) to small molecules and rigid macromolecules (minerals, salts, and metals). An effort is made to discover how the long, flexible molecules fit into their small phases which are characterized as microphases or nanophases. Their order ranges from amorphous to mesophase-like and crystalline. Ultimately, it is shown that the basic structure-property-processing triangle is connected to the better-known types of molecules and their common macroscopic phases.
