Book excerpt: Offers coverage of all known commodity, transitional, engineering, high-temperature and high-performance thermoplastics, and analyzes emerging developments in the creation of new thermoplastics. The text examines: important issues in the field for each substance discussed, including history, development and commercialization; polymer formation mechanisms and process technologies; the affect of structural and phase characteristics on properties; the commercial relevance of thermoplastic blends, alloys, copolymers and composites; and more.