Hans-Georg Elias was born in 1928. He studied at the Technical University of Hanover, Germany, and received his Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich in 1957. After habilitation at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich) in 1961, he was appointed Senior Lecturer and later a professor of organic-chemical technology. In 1971, he became founding president and professor of Polymer Science at the Michigan Molecular Institute (MMI) in Midland, Michigan. During these years, he also worked as consultant to the polymer industry in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States and expert witness to companies and the court. He was an in-house consultant at The Dow Chemical Co., Midland (MI) (1983/84) and an independent consultant between 1985 and 1993. He continues to teach occasionally at MMI. Professor Elias has published more than 200 scientific and technical papers and two patents on the synthesis, characterization, structure, properties, and application of synthetic and biological polymers. His ten authored or edited books have been published in English, French, German, and/or Russian, one of these, a 4-volume work, in six editions. He has lectured on invitation in fifteen countries and was a member of editorial boards of five polymer journals.

A classic in macromolecular science for over 35 years, Macromolecules encompasses the current knowledge on ALL aspects of macromolecular chemistry, in four complete volumes: Chemical Structures and Synthesis; Industrial Polymers and Syntheses; Physical Structures and Properties; and Applications of Polymers.

IntroductionPolymers (Structure)Polymer AdjuvantsProcessingTestingFibers and FabricsRubbers and ElastomersThermoplastics and ThermosetsFilled and Reinforced PlasticsPolymer CompositesPolymer MixturesPolymern Solutions and GelsCoatings and AdhesivesPackaging MaterialsElectrical and Electronic Uses of PolymersPolymers in Optics and OptoelectronicsAppendix

"Macromolecules" provides a broad survey of the entire subject; integrated representations of chemistry, physics, and technology; precise descriptions and definitions of basic phenomena; and balanced treatments of facts and theory. The book series thus intends to bridge the gap between introductory textbooks and the highly specialized texts and monographs that cover only part of polymer science and technology.Volume I is concerned with the fundamentals of chemical structure and principles of synthesis of macromolecules: constitution, configuration, conformation, polymerization equilibria, polymerization mechanisms (ionic, coordination, free-radical, step reactions, including solid-state and biochemical polymerizations), polymer reactions, and strategies for defined polymer architectures.Volume II discusses individual polymers and their industrial syntheses, Volume III the fundamentals of physical structures and properties, and Volume IV the processing and application of polymers as plastics, fibers, elastomers, thickeners, etc.The world of macromolecules in a nutshell.