Report on the 1986 Gordon Research Conference on Elastomers Held in New Hampshire on 1986.

There was considerable emphasis on block copolymers and other types of multi-phase systems. Specific subjects included their synthesis, structure, morphology, properties, advantages, and disadvantages. Two other types of elastomers emphasized were semi-inorganic in nature, specifically the phosphazines and silicones. Organophosphazene elastomers were discussed in detail, as was the hydrosilylation cure of elastomers, particularly the silicone type. Several ways of improving the anionic polymerization of alpha-methylsyrene were discussed, and then the use of such sequences in thermoplastic elastomers. Two other types of thermoplastic elastomers, covered in other talks, were based on modified diene polymers and on polydiphenylsiloxane sequences. The anionic polymerization of polar monomers, some of which are of interest in the elastomers area were discussed. Methods for determining the state of cure in an elastomer were discussed, as was the use of NMR spectroscopy to characterize the structure of cured elastomeric materials. Other general topics were phase transitions in gels (both from the experimental and theoretical points of view), and the characterization of sequence orientation in deformed elastomers. A rather different, unusual subject was the study of bioelastomers. The remaining presentations focused on silica fillers in elastomers, adhesion problems, and tire-wear models.