The development of the field of synthetic metal-containing polymers - where metal atoms form an integral part of the main chain or side group structure of a polymer - aims to create new materials which combine the processability of organic polymers with the physical or chemical characteristics associated with the metallic element or complex. This book covers the major developments in the synthesis, properties, and applications of synthetic metal-containing macromolecules, and includes chapters on the preparation and characterization of metal-containing polymers, metallocene-based polymers, rigid-rod organometallic polymers, coordination polymers, polymers containing main group metals, and also covers dendritic and supramolecular systems. The book describes both polymeric materials with metals in the main chain or side group structure and covers the literature up to the end of 2002.
