Omastová special issue

Preface Omastova´ Special Issue Bratislava, January 2007 This special issue of Polymer Engineering and Science (PES) includes selected papers presented at the 20th Bratislava International Conference on Macromolecules, Advanced Polymeric Materials (APM 2006), held in Bratislava, Slovakia, June 11–15, 2006. This conference was devoted to reviewing the achievements and current trends in the science and technology of polymeric materials in the following areas: • nanomaterials, thin layer technologies, composites, and optically and electrically active systems • surfaces, interfaces, interphases, and confined systems • chromatography and mass spectrometry methods for molecular characterization of advanced polymers by • bulk methods for characterization of advanced polymers • modern processing and testing methods • biopolymers, biodegradable and biocompatible polymers.

The APM 2006 conference is a continuation of the series of conferences organized by the Polymer Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences beginning in 1968. Nine plenary lectures, 23 contributed lectures, 20 short oral communications, and 93 posters were presented. Young researchers and PhD students were able to present short oral communications and discuss their results. About 50 participants came from Slovakia and about 110 from 33 other countries, The papers of this special issue of PES reflect the main scientific areas of polymer science presented at the conference. Polymeric nanocomposites are materials composed of a polymer matrix with nanometer-size particles dispersed within. The size and shape of the dispersed nanoparticles produce performance advantages of nanocomposites compared with conventional polymer composites. Clay/polymer nanocomposites were well-represented in the papers presented. The incorporation of well dispersed nanoparticles results in increased stiffness, strength, barrier properties, flame, and heat resistance. Other types of nanoparticles, including those containing high aspect ratio carbon nanotubes, were also discussed. Conductive composites, silicon carbide/polypyrrole, were described, in which using silicon carbide was used as the inorganic substrate in the presence or absence of an anionic surfactant. AniDOI 10.1002/pen.20855 Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). C 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers V

onic surfactants constitute important building blocks for novel conducting composites with controlled surface chemistry and electrical conductivity. These properties are essential to the design of conductive (nano)fillers based on polypyrrole with a pronounced hydrophobic character, which is of interest for mixing with conventional hydrophobic polymer matrices. Luminescent, thermostable polyimines, which constitute a new class of p-conjugated polymers protonated by amphiphilic compounds, could facilitate the exploration of novel organizations in supramolecular chemistry and may find applications in sensors, photonic and optical materials, and other devices. The interest in polymeric composite materials reinforced with natural fillers, such as wood flour and cellulose microfibrils, has increased considerably in recent years. Such materials offer various advantages with only a few drawbacks, including poor compatibility between hydrophilic natural fibers and hydrophobic polymer matrices. Polymeric composites with natural filler composites have found many applications in the automotive industry, building and the construction sector. Hybrid composites have been prepared by using insert injection molding without the preheating which has been a necessity until now. Thermoelastic material has been molded on etched aluminum sheets with a porous surface providing a large contact area between the insert and the thermoplastic elastomer. Modification of the properties of commodity polymers is still a current topic. A very efficient method for improving the adhesion of polypropylene to polar polymers is to graft a polar carboxylic acid or an anhydride to the polymer backbone. Grafting with maleic anhydride has been carried out in the quasi-solid state of the polymer, allowing the preservation of its pulverized form. The investigation of the properties of advanced materials, including microstructural characterization by various techniques, was also represented at the conference. Progress in polymer synthesis was also discussed during the APM 2006 meeting. Cationic polymers synthesized by radical polymerization, containing different exchangeable anions, can reduce environmental pollution of water by their ability to remove arsenate ions at high pH. Hyperbranched polymers exhibit special properties which differ from those of conventional linear or only slightly branched polymers due to their dense, globular structure and the high number of functional groups. The POLYMER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE—-2007

preparation of novel hyperbranched polymers from AB2 monomers of the 2-oxazoline type with non-equivalent B units is also reported in one conference paper. The success of the conference was due to the help of many people from the local organizing committee and the international advisory board. We would like to thank

DOI 10.1002/pen

them as well as the anonymous referees – who did their work thoroughly and carefully. Ma´ria Omastova´ Chairperson of APM 2006 Guest Editor

POLYMER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE—-2007 V