Chemical and structure modification of polymers This timely volume provides an overview of polymer characterization test methods and presents experimental research in polymers using modern methods. Each chapter describes the principle of the respective method as well as the detailed procedures of experiments with examples of actual applications and demonstrates the advantage and disadvantages of each physical technique. Thus readers will be able to apply the concepts as described in the book to their own experiments. The successful characterization of polymer systems is one of the most important objectives of todays experimental research of polymers. Considering the tremendous scientific technological and economic importance of polymeric materials especially in industry it is impossible to overestimate the usefulness of experimental techniques in this field. Since the chemical pharmaceutical medical and agricultural industries as well as many others depend on this progress to an enormous degree it is critical to be as efficient precise and cost effective in our empirical understanding of the performance of polymer systems as possible. This presupposes our proficiency with and understanding of the most widely used experimental methods and techniques. The methods and instrumentation described in this volume represent modern analytical techniques useful to researchers product development specialists and quality control experts in polymer synthesis and manufacturing. Engineers polymer scientists and technicians will find this volume useful in selecting approaches and techniques applicable to characterizing molecular compositional rheological and thermodynamic properties of elastomers and plastics.