Midland Researcher Spearheads New Polymer Book
A groundbreaking book about the applications of unique materials called polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes is out, and a researcher at Michigan Molecular Institute is at the center of it.
Applications of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes, the third volume of publisher Springer's "Advances in Silicon Science" series, is edited by MMI research scientist Claire Hartmann-Thompson. She also contributed one of the book's nine chapters.
"This is the first book to provide a comprehensive review of the applications of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes, or POS," Hartmann-Thompson said. "POS is an area that has not been fully reviewed until now, but has become increasingly important as POS materials have become cheaper and available in large volumes i recent years."
POS is a class of silicon material with properties intermediate between those of silica (quartz, for example) and silicones (flexible polymers, elastomers, sealants, etc). Hartmann-Thompson said POS materials are being used in such diverse areas as catalysis, plastics processing and formulation, composite materials, superhydrophobic surfaces, medical devices and dental materials, space materials, electronics, sensors and fuel cells.
"The audience for this book is essentially anyone with a commercial or academic interest in these areas," she said. "The contributors are an international Who's Who of experts in this field of study, true pioneers in the POS world. We would've been hard-pressed to find a set of authors more qualified to discuss this particular subject."
Hartmann-Thompson contributed a chapter covering electronic and energy applications based on MMI expertise in sensors, fuel cells and batteries as a foundation, and also covering LED and liquid crystal and lithographic technologies.
The book is available from the publisher at springer.com; it is also available at amazon.com.
Michigan Molecular Institute, founded in 1971, is a non-profit organization dedicated to polymer research and education. In addition to its research activity, MMI has served as the incubator for several successful businesses, including Dendritech, the world leader in commercial dendrimer production; Impact Analytical, a premier analytical testing lab; Oxazogen, a supplier of advanced specialty films, coating materials and polymers; and MITCON, which serves the information technology needs of more than 35 local non-profit organizations. For more information, visit www.mmi.org.
