Natural Polymers: Perspectives and Applications for a Green Approach

This new volume, Natural Polymers: Perspectives and Applications for a Green Approach, covers the synthesis, characterizations, and properties of natural polymeric systems, including their morphology, structure, and dynamics. It also introduces the most recent innovations and applications of natural polymers and their composites in the food, construction, electronics, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and engineering industries.

Natural polymers provide a striking substitute for various applications as compared to synthetic polymers obtained from petrochemicals because they are biocompatible, biodegradable, easily available, and fall within the budget of many industries. The applications of natural polymers in pharmaceutical industries are large in comparison to synthetic polymers and are also wide in scope in the food and cosmetic industries. This new volume provides the information needed to design new applications for natural polymers.

This book is a valuable reference for researchers, academicians, chemists, pharmacists, researchers, scientists, industrialists dealing with applications of natural polymers and people working in field of natural polymers.

Jissy Jacob is currently working as a research scholar under the guidance of Prof. Sabu Thomas at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India. She has expertise in polymer chemistry. Her research interests are in the field of biopolymer-based nanocomposites for food packaging application. She works towards the development of mesoporous materials from sustainable resources via green synthesis processes and fabrication of several biopolymer composites with improved mechanical, thermal, and gas barrier properties. Her research articles have been published in reputed journals.

Fernando Gomes, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Biopolymers and Sensors Lab at the Macromolecules Institute of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His expertise mainly focuses on the use of renewable resources and nanocomposites in sensors, drug delivery, and environmental recovery. He coordinated research projects with financial support from government sponsoring agencies, and has published over 130 scientific articles, several chemistry books in Portuguese, several books about biopolymers in English, and almost 200 papers in conference proceedings and scientific meetings. He was the co-convener of the Sixth International Conference on Natural Polymers, Biopolymers and Biomaterials: Applications from Macro to Nanoscale (http: //www.biopolymers.macromol.in/) and Chairman of the Fifth International Conference on Natural Polymers, Biopolymers and Biomaterials: Applications from Macro to Nanoscale (https: //www.icnp2017rio.com/). He has supervised many undergraduate, MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral students. Dr. Gomas is a member of the editorial board of the journal Current Applied Polymer Science, Associate Editor of the MedCrave Online Journal (MOJ) Polymer Science, and Editor of the Academic Journal of Polymer Science. He received a Young Scientist Award of Rio de Janeiro State (FAPERJ 2011 and 2014) and has been a member of Postgraduate Program in Science and Technology of Polymers of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro since 2008.

Józef T. Haponiuk, PhD, has been Head of the Polymers Technology Department at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Gdansk University of Technology since 2006. His special scientific interests include polyurethane chemistry and processing, polymer and rubber recycling, biopolymers, the use of biomass-derived raw materials in polymer technology, polymer composites, and nanocomposites. Dr. Haponiuk is the author or co-author of over 300 original scientific papers, including 90 published papers in periodicals from the JCR list, editor and co-author of monographs in international publications (Elsevier, Apple Academic Press, Royal Society of Chemistry), and creator of 11 granted patents and 25 patent applications. Professor Haponiuk is a valued academic teacher in the field of polymers chemistry and engineering. He has supervised 12 PhD theses.

Nandakumar Kalarikkal, PhD, is the Director of School of Pure and Applied Physics and International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. His research activities involve nanotechnology and nanomaterials, sol-gel synthesis of nanosystems, semiconducting glasses, ferroelectric ceramics, and nonlinear and electro-optic materials. He is the recipient of research fellowships and associateships from prestigious organizations such as the Department of Science and Technology and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of the Government of India. He has collaborated with national and international scientific institutions in India, South Africa, Slovenia, Canada, and Australia, and is co-author of several books chapters, peer-reviewed publications, and invited presentations in international forums.

Sabu Thomas, PhD, DSc, FRSC, is currently Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University and the Founder Director and Professor of International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Kottayam, India. He is also a full professor of polymer science and engineering at the School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University. Professor Thomas is an outstanding leader with sustained international acclaim for his work in nanoscience, polymer science and engineering, polymer nanocomposites, elastomers, polymer blends, interpenetrating polymer networks, polymer membranes, green composites and nanocomposites, nanomedicine, and green nanotechnology. Dr. Thomas has been conferred with a Honoris Causa DSc from the University of South Brittany, France, and University of Lorraine, France. He received many national and international awards, and he has published over 800 peer-reviewed research papers, reviews, and book chapters. He has co-edited 80 books, and he holds six patents.