Summarizing advances from the past two decades and filling the need for a single reference devoted to this multidisciplinary field, this three-volume set summarizes all aspects of polyelectrolytes, their chemical synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, fabrication, processing into multilayers, self-assemblies, thin films and nanostructures, physical properties, solution behavior, theoretical models and industrial applications. Thirty-six review chapters represent the efforts of 60 experts from 12 countries, drawn together by editors Sukant K. Tripathy and Jayant Kumar (both: U. of Massachusetts) and Hari Singh Nalwa (president of American Scientific Publishers, and a prolific author, editor, scientist, and inventor); the foreword is by Alan G. MacDiarmid, Nobel Laureate in chemistry. The phenomenal range of applications e.g. wastewater and oil-spill treatment, personal care products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, biosensors, surfactants, ion-exchangers, stabilizers, adhesives, fuel cells, optical and opto-electronic devices, drug delivery, and gene therapy makes this reference relevant to a wide variety of fields, including the polymer, materials, biomedical, and membrane sciences, as well as chemistry, physics, electrochemistry, and nanotechnology, among others. Each volume is individually indexed. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)