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05/30/2007 -
Supramolecular Polymers, Second Edition (2005)
edited by Alberto Ciferri
ISBN 0-8247-2331-7. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2005. Hardcover. 761 pages. $139.95..
Supramolecular Polymers, second edition which will be called Supra for this review is well named. Supra is one super book. Supra is comprehensive and covers new and interesting ground. Polymers offer chemists the chance to create really novel structures and exercise their creative imagination. Indeed polymer chemistry can be like sculpture. The combination of polymer chemistry and supramolecular chemistry offers a still richer domain. In supramolecular chemistry the bonds that join the polymers are hydrogen bonds, pi bonds and coordination interactions rather than covalent bonds as found in block copolymers. Electrostatic interactions and van der Waals forces also come into play. Supramolecular chemistry makes for self-assembly. Much interesting work has been in this area as related in Supra. Examples of shapes formed by self-assemblies are columnar, tubular, and helical structures as illustrated in Chapter 16 of Supra. Sams or self-assembled monolayers which are formed by ordered chemisorption on a surface are another example of self assembly. Chapter 18 of Supra is devoted to sams. Biomolecules can be confined to solid surfaces as is shown in Chapter 12. This leads to such state of the art applications as bioanalytical sensors, biologically compatible surfaces, and connections between circuits and cells. Materials of unusual physical properties have scientific significance. Layered polyelectrolyte assemblies as covered in Chapter 19 certainly qualify. One interesting property that these assemblies have is that they are capable of self healing. Another significant polymer type is reveled in Chapter 8 of Supra. This chapter is devoted to the concept of polymers with intertwined and interlocked structures. The interlocked structures are well illustrated in Chapter 8. Supra is full of such intriguing molecular structures, figures, and diagrams. The state of the art ideas in Suprado need to be illustrated and mere words are not adequate to understand the concepts advanced. Supra compares well with other science texts in illuminating chemistry using structural drawings, formulas, equations, and sketches. Some of the drawings in Supra are intricate and complicated. Patience and skill are required in rendering these molecules due to their size and complexity. Increased molecular complexity allows molecules to be used for novel purposes. Supra is not the only book showing advanced structures but it ranks with the best in this regard. Supra is edited by Alberto Ciferri, who has published over 200 papers and contributed one of the 22 chapters in Supra. A slew of other brilliant academic researchers from leading universities in Europe and the United States contributed their findings to Supra. This approach of using multiple contributors allows Supraa to cover the field of advances in supramolecular chemistry and polymer science in more depth than a sole writer could do. Supra is well written and referenced. This is to be expected from a book written by academically oriented scientists and is seen in comparable works.
For example, Corbia and Zimmerman, who wrote Chapter 6, cited 123 references. This is typical for Supra chapters. A good science background helps greatly in understanding Supra. A background in mathematics through calculus is needed in some chapters, and an advanced undergraduate background in polymers, chemistry, and materials would also be needed for extracting all the meaning from this text. All told Supra shows that there is a multitude of exciting developments in macromolecular science.
For more on Supramolecular Polymers, Second Edition , visit the CRC Press web site. |
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