Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface to second edition -- Preface to first edition -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Background -- 1.2 Structure of disordered chains and the liquid state -- 1.3 The ordered polymer chain -- 1.4 Morphological features -- References -- 2 Fusion of homopolymers -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Nature of the fusion process -- 2.3 Fusion of the n-alkanes and other oligomers -- 2.4 Polymer equilibrium -- 2.5 Nonequilibrium states -- References -- 3 Polymer-diluent mixtures -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Melting temperature: concentrated and moderately dilute mixtures -- 3.3 Crystallization from dilute solution: exible chains -- 3.4 Helix-coil transition -- 3.5 Transformations without change in molecular conformation -- 3.6 Chemical reactions: melting and compound formation -- References -- 4 Polymer-polymer mixtures -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Homogeneous melt: background -- 4.2.1 Homogeneous melt: only one component crystallizes -- 4.2.2 Homogeneous melt: both components crystallize -- 4.3 Two chemically identical polymers differing in molecular weight -- 4.4 Crystallization from a heterogeneous melt -- References -- 5 Fusion of copolymers -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Equilibrium theory -- 5.2.1 Crystalline phase pure -- 5.2.2 Comonomers in both phases -- 5.3 Nonequilibrium considerations -- 5.4 Experimental results: random type copolymers -- 5.4.1 Course of fusion -- 5.4.2 Melting temperature-composition relations: crystalline phase pure -- 5.4.3 Melting temperature-composition relations: crystalline phase mixed -- 5.5 Branching -- 5.6 Alternating copolymers -- 5.7 Block or ordered copolymers -- 5.8 Copolymer-diluent mixtures -- References -- 6 Thermodynamic quantities -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Melting temperatures, heats and entropies of fusion -- 6.3 Entropy of fusion -- 6.4 Polymorphism.

References -- 7 Fusion of cross-linked polymers -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Theory of the melting of isotropic networks -- 7.3 Melting temperature of networks formed from random chains -- 7.4 Melting temperature of networks formed from axially ordered chains -- 7.5 Melting temperature of networks formed from randomly arranged crystallites -- 7.6 Melting of network-diluent mixtures -- 7.7 Fibrous proteins -- References -- 8 Oriented crystallization and contractility -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 One-component system subject to a tensile force -- 8.3 Multicomponent systems subject to a tensile force -- 8.4 Oriented crystallization and contractility in the absence of tension -- 8.5 Contractility in the fibrous proteins -- 8.6 Mechanochemistry -- References -- Author index -- Subject index.