Although in nature the vast majority of polymers are condensation polymers, much publicity has been focused on functionalized vinyl polymers. Functional Condensation Polymers fulfills the need to explore these polymers which form an increasingly important and diverse foundation in the search for new materials in the twentyfirst century. Some of the advantages condensation polymers hold over vinyl polymers include offering different kinds of binding sites, their ability to be made biodegradable, and their different reactivities with various reagents under diverse reaction conditions. They also offer better tailoring of end-products, different tendencies (such as fiber formation), and different physical and chemical properties. Some of the main areas emphasized include dendrimers, control release of drugs, nanostructure materials, controlled biomedical recognition, and controllable electrolyte and electrical properties.
From the reviews: "The articles are written by some of the leading experts in these fields. The section covering light and energy consists of five interesting articles covering various classes of polymers and polymer properties. The properties of these materials were very interesting as well. I enjoyed reading this book. The articles are of importance to synthetic chemists developing new classes of functional polymers and to materials scientists and engineers interested in their properties and applications. This book is a very useful reference and would be a valuable resource for both industrial and academic researchers." (Polymer News, 28:6)