Polymers in Information Storage Technology

This volume documents the proceedings of the Symposium on Polymers in Information Storage Technology held as a part of the American Chemical Society meeting in Los Angeles, September 25-30, 1988. It should be recorded here that this symposium was cosponsored by the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering, and the Division of Polymer Chemistry. Polymers are used for a variety of purposes in both optical and magnetic information storage technologies. For example, polymers find applications as substrate, for storing information directly, as protective coating, as lubricant, and as binder in magnetic media. In the last few years there has been a high tempo of research activity dealing with the many ramifications of polymers in the exciting arena of information storage. Concomitantly, we decided to organize this symposium and I believe this was the premier event on this topic. This symposium was conceived and organized with the following objectives in mind: (1) to bring together those actively involved (polymer chemists, polymer physicists, photochemists, surface and colloid chemists, tribo10gists and so on) in the various facets of this topic; (2) to provide a forum for discussion of latest R&D activity in this technology; (3) to provide an opportunity for cross-pollination of ideas; and (4) to identify and highlight areas, within the broad purview of this topic, which needed intensified or accelerated R&D efforts.