聚合物降解與穩定涉及降解反應及其控制，這是現代聚合物技術的許多不同方面的從業者關注的主要問題。降解反應發生在加工過程中，當聚合物受到熱、氧和機械應力時，以及在材料的使用壽命中，當氧和陽光是最重要的降解介質時。在更特殊的應用中，降解可能受到高能輻射、臭氧、大氣污染物、機械應力、生物作用、水解和許多其他影響。如果要使聚合物的技術和應用繼續向前發展，就必須了解這些反應的機理和穩定過程。因此，這類調查報告是本雜志的一項主要職能。然而，聚合物技術也有了新的發展，降解過程在其中找到了積極的應用。例如,現在可光降解的塑料,聚合物產品的回收利用將變得越來越重要,退化和燃燒研究參與的定義與高分子材料相關的火災隱患和微電子行業是極其依賴于聚合物降解生產的電路。聚合物的性能也可以通過固化和接枝等工藝得到改善，這些工藝的化學性質可能與在其他條件下導致物理性能惡化的工藝密切相關。各種各樣的輻射被用來啟動許多這些現代的技術過程，使聚合物光化學得到了一個新的突出，并在這本雜志中找到了一個主要的位置。對所有這些過程的研究廣泛使用了現代儀器分析方法，各種光譜、色譜和熱分析技術尤其突出。在該領域的各個領域的調查之間顯然有很強的共同紐帶。聚合物降解和穩定性為他們的工作提供了發表的論壇。

Polymer Degradation and Stability deals with the degradation reactions and their control which are a major preoccupation of practitioners of the many and diverse aspects of modern polymer technology.Deteriorative reactions occur during processing, when polymers are subjected to heat, oxygen and mechanical stress, and during the useful life of the materials when oxygen and sunlight are the most important degradative agencies. In more specialised applications, degradation may be induced by high energy radiation, ozone, atmospheric pollutants, mechanical stress, biological action, hydrolysis and many other influences. The mechanisms of these reactions and stabilisation processes must be understood if the technology and application of polymers are to continue to advance. The reporting of investigations of this kind is therefore a major function of this journal.However there are also new developments in polymer technology in which degradation processes find positive applications. For example, photodegradable plastics are now available, the recycling of polymeric products will become increasingly important, degradation and combustion studies are involved in the definition of the fire hazards which are associated with polymeric materials and the microelectronics industry is vitally dependent upon polymer degradation in the manufacture of its circuitry. Polymer properties may also be improved by processes like curing and grafting, the chemistry of which can be closely related to that which causes physical deterioration in other circumstances.Radiation of various kinds is used to initiate many of these modern technological processes so that polymer photochemistry has come to a new prominence and finds a major place in this journal.The study of all these processes has made extensive use of modern instrumental analytical methods and the various spectrometric, chromatographic and thermal analysis techniques have been particularly prominent.There is clearly a strong common bond between investigations in various parts of the field. Polymer Degradation and Stability provides a forum for the publication of their work.