We are surrounded by polymers: Whether it's to prepare a meal, use computer keyboards and mousepads, or step onto a new playground, you'll encounter a plastic product made of polymers. Owing to the extraordinary range of properties accessible in polymeric materials, they play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life - from plastics and elastomers on the one hand to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins that are essential for life on the other. This desktop and library reference book provides a comprehensive yet concise overview of the materials, manufacture, structure and architecture, properties, processing, and applications of withing the field of polymers. The book offers a unique mix of theory and application, the essential personal reference for anyone studying or working within the field of polymers.