Solar Energy Advancements in Agriculture and Food Production Systems aims to assist society and agricultural communities in different regions and scales to improve their productivity and sustainability. Solar energy, with its rapidly growing technologies and nascent market, has shown promise for integration into a variety of agricultural activities, providing an alternative, sustainable solution to current practices. To meet the future demands of modern sustainable agriculture, this book addresses the major existing problems by providing innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions using environment-friendly, advanced, energy-efficient, and cost-optimized solar energy technologies. This comprehensive book is intended to serve as a practical guide for scientists, engineers, policymakers, and stakeholders involved in agriculture and related primary industries, as well as sustainable energy development, and climate change mitigation projects. By including globally implemented solar-based agriculture projects in each chapter and highlighting the key associated challenges and benefits, it aims to bridge the knowledge gap between the market/real-world applications and research in the field.

Fundamentals and Industrial Applications of Magnetic Nanomaterials highlights industrial applications of magnetic nanoparticles, reviews their rapidly emerging applications, and discusses future research directions. The book emphasizes the structure-property-functionality of magnetic nanoparticles for the most relevant industry applications. After reviewing the fundamentals, industry applications in the biomedical, pharma, environmental, cosmetics and energy industries are explored. Cross-cutting barriers to commercialization are then discussed, along with legal, health and safety implications. Finally, opportunities for enabling a more sustainable future are covered. This book is suitable for researchers and practitioners in academia and industry in materials science and engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering.

Protective Textiles from Natural Resources provides systematic coverage of the fundamentals, production methods, processing techniques, characterization techniques, properties and applications of natural textile products for protective purposes. The subject of this book is an important kind of technical textile designed to protect the wearer from injuries, illness and death. They offer enhanced protection against phenomena including heat, cold, flame, chemical, biological, nuclear agents, radiation, disaster and even ballistics. As no single type of clothing can be adequate for all kinds of protection, extensive research is carried out to develop protective clothing for specialized civilian and military applications. The latest research on the use of natural fibres in PPE is also covered, which could make a significant contribution to the fight against the spread of COVID-19. This comprehensive guide explores a wide variety of themes from material processing and design to finished products, through protection against specific hazards to specific applications, including all significant new developments on natural materials for protective textiles.

Recent agricultural, food, and pharmaceutical research focuses attention on the development of delivery systems that can encapsulate, protect, and deliver natural compounds. Nanoemulsions are recognized as the best delivery systems for natural-origin nutraceuticals and phytochemicals, having many agri-food applications. Bio-based Nanoemulsions for Agri-Food Applications provides information on food-grade nanoemulsions and their application in agriculture and the food industry. This book covers concepts, techniques, current advances, and challenges in the formulation of the application of emerging food grade nanoemulsions. Particular attention is placed on food-grade nanoemulsion production methods and components used, such as plant/microbial products, biosurfactants, cosurfactants, emulsifiers, ligand targets, and bioactive/functional ingredients. This is an important reference source for materials scientists, engineers and food scientists who are looking to understand how nanoemulsions are being used in the agri-food sector.

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Materials, Challenges, and Applications presents the advantages of lithium-sulfur batteries, such as high theoretical capacity, low cost, and stability, while also addressing some of the existing challenges. Some of the challenges are low electrical conductivity, the possible reaction of sulfur with lithium to form a soluble lithium salt, the formation of the dendrimer, large volume variation of cathode materials during the electrochemical reaction, and shuttle behavior of highly soluble intermediate polysulfides in the electrolyte. This book provides some possible solutions to these issues through novel architecture, using composite materials, doping to improve low conductivity, etc., as well as emphasizing novel materials, architectural concepts, and methods to improve the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries.

Advances in Inorganic Chemistry, Volume 79, the latest release in an esteemed series that highlights new advances in the field of inorganic chemistry, presents new and interesting topics authored by an international field of experts.

Handbook of Polymers, Third Edition represents an update on available data, including new values for many commercially available products, verification of existing data, and removal of older data where it is no longer useful. Polymers selected for this edition include all primary polymeric materials used by the plastics and chemical industries and specialty polymers used in the electronics, pharmaceutical, medical and aerospace fields, with extensive information also provided on biopolymers. The book includes data on all polymeric materials used by the plastics industry and branches of the chemical industry, as well as specialty polymers in the electronics, pharmaceutical, medical and space fields. The entire scope of the data is divided into sections to make data comparison and search easy, including synthesis, physical, mechanical, and rheological properties, chemical resistance, toxicity, environmental impact, and more.

Biomaterials for Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis covers the application of materials designed to encourage new blood vessel formation. Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis play an important role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research by promoting vascular networks inside engineered tissues and thereby increasing tissue healing and regeneration. However, researchers are faced with the challenge of finding suitable materials for improving angiogenesis and vascular formation in assays. This book reviews a broad range of biomaterials for the promotion of blood vessel genesis, from polymers and bioactive glass, to nanomaterial scaffolds and 3D angiogenic constructs. In addition, the book covers a variety of applications for biomaterials in tissue repair and regeneration, including cardiovascular regeneration, liver tissue engineering and much more. It will serve as a detailed reference for researchers in academia and industry, working in the fields of biomedical science and engineering, materials science, regenerative medicine and translational medicine.

Metal-Organic Framework-Based Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage addresses current challenges and covers design and fabrication approaches for nanomaterials based on metal organic frameworks for energy generation and storage technologies. The effect of synthetic diversity, functionalization, ways of improving conductivity and electronic transportation, tuning-in porosity to accommodate various types of electrolyte, and the criteria to achieve the appropriate pore size, shape and surface group of different metal sites and ligands are explored. The effect of integration of other elements, such as second metals or hetero-atomic doping in the system, to improve catalytic activity and durability, are also covered. This is an important reference source for materials scientists, engineers and energy scientists looking to further their understanding on how metal organic framework-based nanomaterials are being used to create more efficient energy conversion and storage systems.

Recycling and Reusing of Engineering Materials: Recycling for Sustainable Developments covers the latest research and developments in recycling and reusing processes, including new fundamental concepts, techniques, methods and process flows. The book provides applications of these novel technologies to recycling processes and analyzes new and modern ways of recycling techniques. It provides a comprehensive literature review on fundamental aspects of recycling processes, recycling goals, characterization of waste streams, legislative policies and evaluation, electronic recycling, aircraft recycling, recycling processes, energy savings and issues, environmental issues, societal issues, recycled materials, market development for recycling, processing facilities, and awareness and importance of recycling safety. The book is an indispensable reference for researchers in academia and industry. Scientists can use this book for literature reviews and experimental details, and the industry can use its comprehensive detail for literature reviews and to upgrade their processes and systems.

Atlas of Material Damage, Third Edition provides a systematic analysis of modes of damage and morphology of damaged material and compares the experiences of different industries to provide insights into the most frequently encountered failures, reasons for these failures, and potential improvements to prevent future failure. The book covers defect formation, material damage, and how structure of materials impacts designed function. The effects of composition, processing conditions, and singular and combined actions of different degradants on industrial products are discussed at length. Technological steps required to obtain specifically designed morphology for specific performance are outlined, and numerous examples of how this special morphology can be achieved and deployed in electronics, plastics, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, automotive, medical, dental and a range of other fields and applications is also covered.

Applications of Polymers and Plastics in Medical Devices: Design, Manufacture, and Performance is a comprehensive guide to plastic materials for medical devices, covering fundamentals, materials, applications and regulatory requirements. Sections cover the role of plastics in medical devices, socioeconomic factors, the classification of medical devices. The performance of, medical grades and suppliers of polymer materials, which are categorized by performance level are also explored, along with manufacturing processes for device components, including extrusion, casting, injection molding and assembly processes. The book then covers applications in detail, examining each device and the role that polymers and plastics play in its construction and function. This is an essential resource for engineers, R&D, and other professionals working on plastics for medical devices and those in the plastics industry, medical device manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, packaging and biotechnology. In an academic setting, this book is of interest to researchers and advanced students in medical plastics, plastics engineering, polymer science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science.

Hydrogels Based on Natural Polymers presents the latest research on natural polymer-based hydrogels, covering fundamentals, preparation methods, synthetic pathways, advanced properties, major application areas, and novel characterization techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of each natural polymer-based hydrogel are also discussed, enabling preparation tactics for specific properties and applications. Sections cover fundamentals, development, characteristics, structures and properties. Additional chapters cover presentation methods and properties based on natural polymers, including physical and chemical properties, stimuli-responsive properties, self-healing properties, and biological properties. The final section presents major applications areas, including the biomedical field, agriculture, water treatments, and the food industry. This is a highly valuable resource for academic researchers, scientists and advanced students working with hydrogels and natural polymers, as well as across the fields of polymer science, polymer chemistry, plastics engineering, biopolymers and biomaterials. The detailed information will also be of great interest to scientists and R&D professionals, product designers, technicians and engineers across industries.

Advances on Alkali-activated Concrete, provides comprehensive information on materials, structural properties and realistic potential for the application of alkali-activated concretes and cements. Divided over seven key parts, including the design of alkali-activated concrete, their fabrication and curing, rheology, properties of alkali-activated concrete, durability, dynamic performance and LCA, the book will be an essential reference resource for academic and industrial researchers, materials scientists, chemists, manufacturers and civil engineers working with alkali-activated materials and concrete structures.

Industrial Tomography: Systems and Applications, Second Edition thoroughly explores the important techniques of industrial tomography, also discusses image reconstruction, systems, and applications. This book presents complex processes, including the way three-dimensional imaging is used to create multiple cross-sections, and how computer software helps monitor flows, filtering, mixing, drying processes, and chemical reactions inside vessels and pipelines. This book is suitable for materials scientists and engineers and applied physicists working in the photonics and optoelectronics industry or in the applications industries.

Modern Permanent Magnets provides an update on the status and recent technical developments that have occurred in the various families of permanent magnets produced today. The book gives an overview of the key advances of permanent magnet materials that have occurred in the last twenty years. Sections cover the history of permanent magnets, their fundamental properties, an overview of the important families of permanent magnets, coatings used to protect permanent magnets and the various tests used to confirm specifications are discussed. Finally, the major applications for each family of permanent magnets and the size of the market is provided. The book also includes an Appendix that provides a Glossary of Magnetic Terms to assist the readers in better understanding the technical terms used in other chapters. This book is an ideal resource for materials scientists and engineers working in academia and industry R&D.

Metal Oxides for Biomedical and Biosensor Applications gives an in-depth overview of the emerging research in the biomedical and biosensing applications of metal oxides, including optimization of their surface and bulk properties. Sections cover biomedical applications of metal oxides for use in cell cultures, antibacterial and antimicrobial treatments, dental applications, drug delivery, cancer therapy, immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, tissue engineering, and metal oxide-based biosensor development. As advanced and biofunctionalized nano/micro structured metal oxides are finding applications in microfluidics, optical sensors, electrochemical sensors, DNA-based biosensing, imaging, diagnosis and analysis, this book provides a comprehensive update on the topic. Additional sections cover research challenges, technology limitations, and future trends in metal oxides and their composites regarding their usage in biomedical applications.

Defects in Two-Dimensional Materials addresses the fundamental physics and chemistry of defects in 2D materials and their effects on physical, electrical and optical properties. The book explores 2D materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD). This knowledge will enable scientists and engineers to tune 2D materials properties to meet specific application requirements. The book reviews the techniques to characterize 2D material defects and compares the defects present in the various 2D materials (e.g. graphene, h-BN, TMDs, phosphorene, silicene, etc.). As two-dimensional materials research and development is a fast-growing field that could lead to many industrial applications, the primary objective of this book is to review, discuss and present opportunities in controlling defects in these materials to improve device performance in general or use the defects in a controlled way for novel applications.

The study of electromagnetic fields in the treatment of various diseases is not a new one; however, we are still learning how magnetic fields impact the human body and its organs. Many novel magnetic materials and technologies could potentially transform medicine. Magnetic Materials and Technologies for Medical Applications explores these current and emerging technologies. Beginning with foundational knowledge on the basics of magnetism, this book then details the approaches and methods used in the creation of novel magnetic materials and devices. This book also discusses current technologies and applications, as well as the commercial aspects of introducing new technologies to the field. This book serves as an excellent introduction for early career researchers or a reference to more experienced researchers who wish to stay abreast of current trends and developing technologies in the field. This book could also be used by clinicians working in medicine and companies interested in establishing new medical technologies. Each chapter provides novel tasks for future scientific and technology research studies.

Nanosensors for Smart Agriculture covers new breakthroughs in smart agriculture, highlighting new technologies, such as the internet of things, big data and artificial intelligence. In addition, the book provides the many advantages of nanosensors over their micro counterparts, such as lower power consumption, higher sensitivity, lower concentration of analytes, and smaller interaction distances between the object and sensor. Sections provide information on fundamental design concepts and emerging applications of nanosensors in smart agriculture. The book highlights how, when cultivating soil, nanosensors and their wireless networks can be used for soil quality monitoring (moisture/herbicides/organic compound/trace metals monitoring in soil, etc. Other applications cover how smart nanosensors can be used for virus detection and hygiene/pathogen controls in livestocks, their use as active transport tracking devices for smart tracking and tracing, and other various applications, such as (i) nanochips for identity (radio frequency identification), (ii) food inspection, (iii) intelligent food packaging, and (iv) smart storage. This is an important reference source for materials scientists and agricultural engineers who are looking to understand more about how nanosensor technology can be used to create more efficient and sustainable agricultural systems.

Sustainable Polylactide-Based Blends provides a critical overview of the state-of-the-art in polylactide (PLA)-based blends, addressing the latest advances, innovative processing techniques and fundamental issues that persist in the field. Sections cover the fundamentals of sustainable polymeric materials, polylactide and polymer blends, current and upcoming processing technologies, structure and morphology characterization techniques for PLA and PLA-based blends, and the processing, morphology development, and properties of polylactide-based blends. Final chapters focus on current and future applications, market potential, key challenges and future outlooks. Throughout the book, theoretical modeling of immiscible polymer blends helps to establish structure-property relationships in various PLA-based polymer blends. With in-depth coverage of fundamentals and processing techniques, the book aims to support the selection of each processing method, along with an understanding of surface chemistry to achieve improved compatibility between phases.

Principles of Electron Optic: Volume Three: Wave Optics, discusses this essential topic in microscopy to help readers understand the propagation of electrons from the source to the specimen, and through the latter (and from it) to the image plane of the instrument. In addition, it also explains interference phenomena, notably holography, and informal coherence theory. This third volume accompanies volumes one and two that cover new content on holography and interference, improved and new modes of image formation, aberration corrected imaging, simulation, and measurement, 3D-reconstruction, and more. The study of such beams forms the subject of electron optics, which divides naturally into geometrical optics where effects due to wavelength are neglected, with wave optics considered.