Polymer fibres 2000 - The Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester, UK, 5-7 July 2000

Natural polymers fibres such as hair and wool have been exploited since antiquity. The development of synthetic polymers in the last century was driven partly by the need for man-made fibres. Because of this, polymer fibres have been the focus of intensive research for a many years and, by some people, the field is now perceived as being mature. This, however, is far from the case and in recent years there have been unparalleled developments in the preparation of new polymer-based fibres, new techniques of fibre characterisation and novel applications of polymer fibres. Moreover, polymer fibres are finding increasing use in high-performance composites where their high levels of stiffness and strength combined with low density give rise to materials with outstanding mechanical properties.