Cover: Introduction to Materials Chemistry, Second Edition by Harry R. Allcock

Introduction to Materials Chemistry

Second Edition

Harry R. Allcock

The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
USA







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Preface to the Second Edition

This is an introductory textbook that seeks to bring together the scope of the chemical aspects of materials science. The logic behind the book is that many chemists and chemical engineers with a developing interest in materials need an overview introduction about the many ways in which chemistry and materials science are dependent on each other. Many physicists and engineers, while proficient in the theoretical and mathematical aspects of the field, may be uncertain about the underlying chemistry and about the opportunities that exist for the synthesis of new materials on which their work will eventually depend. Thus, all the topics in this book are covered at a general and often elementary level because the objective is to provide a perspective that emphasizes the cross‐disciplinary nature of the materials field, and to point the reader toward more specialized sources.

This second edition differs from the first in a number of ways. Several new topics have been introduced to reflect the influence of recent research. For example, subjects such as metal‐organic frameworks and inverse opals have been added, together with an expanded section on polymers, carbon‐based materials, and the role of materials in devices. Moreover, the fundamental chemistry reviewed in the first edition has been expanded to emphasize the aspects that have grown in importance from a materials viewpoint in the past 10 years or were not covered in the original edition. However, the overall approach of fundamental simplicity has been retained to maintain the role of the book as an introductory text. Another objective in the second edition is to emphasize the cross‐disciplinary character of the field and, where possible, to explain the (sometimes opaque) nomenclature that exists in different areas of materials science.

The suggested reading examples given at the end of each chapter include two types of publications: those of historical significance that illustrate the discovery aspects of the different topics and recent publications that suggest how a given field is currently evolving. It goes without saying that the reader is encouraged to further explore all the topics in this book through Web‐based reviews and databases.

As with the first edition, I am grateful for the input and encouragement from chemists and materials scientists in academia, industry, and government. Discussions with Dr. John Badding and other colleagues at The Pennsylvania State University have been particularly useful. But, of course, any errors in the book are my responsibility alone.

University Park, Pennsylvania, 2019

Part I
Background to Materials Chemistry