Prof. Dr. Marek W. Urban is an internationally and nationally recognized scientist in the area of polymeric stimuli-responsive films and coatings. He is the J.E. Sirrine Endowed Chair and Professor of materials science and engineering at Clemson University, USA. He graduated from Marquette University (MS), Michigan Tech (PhD), and did a post doc at Case Western Reserve University. He has authored over 300 research papers, three books, and edited 8 American Chemical Society Advances in Chemistry Series books and one by Wiley-VCH. He chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Polymer Films and Coatings and is the recipient of numerous awards. The current focus of his research is on stimuli-responsive polymeric materials as well as molecular processes governing their behaviour as well as the role of nano-shapes in heterogeneous networks are of particular interest.

• What is Stimuli Responsiveness?;Design of Stimuli-responsive Macromolecular Blocks;Thermally Responsive Materials;Stimuli-responsive Surfaces and Interfaces;Stimuli-responsive Polymer Brushes;Stimuli Responsiveness in Nano and Micro Materials;Biologically Responsive Polymers;Stimuli-responsive Materials in Medical Therapy;Photochromic Materials;Photorefractive Polymers;Self-healing Materials;Shape Memory Materials

Most of the illustrations are appropriate and enable a deeper understanding of the scientific arguments. Chapters are on topics such as tissue engineering, microfluidics, biosensors, molecular electronics, and photochromic devices. Each chapter starts with short definitions of terms or phenomena and provides clear explanations based on physicochemical proofs, combining structural characteristics given by molecular interactions with adequate thermodynamic and kinetics approaches. Each chapter ends with a reference list. The book is accessible to senior undergraduate and graduate students in materials chemistry and physics.