Advanced Polymeric Materials ─ From Macro- to Nano-Length Scales

The aim of this new compendium is to provide a solid understanding of the recent developments in advanced polymeric materials from macro- to nano-length scales. Composites are becoming more important because they can help to improve our quality of life, such as being put into service in flight vehicles, automobiles, boats, pipelines, buildings, roads, bridges, and dozens of other products, including medical products. The chapters cover a multitude of important advances, including explanations of the significance of the new fillers, like graphene and carbon nanotubes, in different matrix systems. Coverage of the application of these materials in biological and others fields also makes this book unique.

Topics include advances on the processing, properties, recyclability, and reparability, and applications for polymer matrix composites, ceramic matrix composites, carbon matrix composites, wood-based composites, biocomposites, ecocomposites, nanocomposites, and more.

Sabu Thomas, PhD, is a professor in the School of Chemical Sciences and honorary director of the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He joined Mahatma Gandhi University as a full-time faculty. Since 1989, he has been associated with several universities in Europe, China, Malaysia, and South Africa. His research focuses are polymer blends, recyclability, reuse of waste plastics and rubbers, fiber-filled polymer blends, nanocomposites, elastomers, pervaporation phenomina, and sorption and diffusion. Thomas is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry of London, a member of New York Academy of Science, USA, and the recipient of awards from the Chemical Research Society of India and the Material Research Society of India (2013). He has supervised 65 PhD theses, and he has 17,500 citations to his credit. His h-index is 68.

Nandakumar Kalarikkal, PhD, is the honorary joint director of the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and associate professor in the School of Pure and Applied Physics of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. Kalarikkal is also a visiting faculty member in Alemaya University and Mekkele University in Ethiopia. He is also a visiting fellow in JNCASR, Bangalore. His research interests include nanostructured materials, non-linear optics, laser plasma, and phase transitions.

Maciej Jaroszewski, PhD, is an assistant professor and head of the High Voltage Laboratory at Wroclaw University of Technology in Wroclaw, Poland. He received a MS and PhD in high voltage engineering from the same university in 1993 and 1999 respectively. Dr. Jaroszewski was a contractor/prime contractor of three grants and a head of grant for "degradation processes and diagnosis methods for high voltage ZnO arresters for distribution systems" and is currently a contractor of a key project co-financed by the foundations of European Regional Development Foundation within the framework of the Operational Programme Innovative Economy. His current research interests include high voltage technique, HV equipment diagnostics, HV test techniques, degradation of ZnO varistors, and dielectric spectroscopy.

Josmin P. Jose is a research scholar at the School of Chemical Sciences at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala, India. She is currently concentrating in organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposites for her doctoral degree. She has completed her master’s in chemistry from Loyola College, Chennai, and joined for research. She could publish five research articles in high-impact journals and a book chapter inPolymer Composites, volume 1. She presented a paper on "Hybrid Nanoparticle Based XLPE/SiO2/TiO2 and XLPE/SiO2 Nanocomposites: Nanoscale Hybrid Assembling, Mechanics and Thermal Properties" at the international conference held in Kuching, Malaysia, in September 2013. She is a co-editor of a book on polymer composites with Apple Academic Press, Inc. 2013. She is currently pursuing research experience with a very active polymer research group in INSA, Lyon, France.