Biodegradable Polymers, Blends and Composites provides a comprehensive review on recent developments in this very important research field. The book's chapters cover the various types of biodegradable polymers currently available and their composites, with discussions on preparation, properties and applications. Sections cover natural rubber-based polymer blends, soy-protein, cellulose, chitin, starch-based, PLA, PHBV, PCL, PVA, PBAT-based blends, Poly (ethylene succinate), PHB and Poly (propylene carbonates). The book will be a valuable reference resource for academic and industrial researchers, technologists and engineers working on recent developments in the area of biodegradable polymers, their blends and composites.

Nano-Bioremediation: Fundamentals and Applications explores how nano-bioremediation is used to remedy environmental pollutants. The book's chapters focus on the design, fabrication and application of advanced nanomaterials and their integration with biotechnological processes for the monitoring and treatment of pollutants in environmental matrices. It is an important reference source for materials scientists, engineers and environmental scientists who are looking to increase their understanding of bioremediation at the nanoscale. The mitigation of environmental pollution is the biggest challenge to researchers and the scientific community, hence this book provides answers to some important questions. As an advanced hybrid technology, nano-bioremediation refers to the integration of nanomaterials and bioremediation for the remediation of pollutants. The rapid pace of urbanization, massive development of industrial sectors, and modern agricultural practices all cause a controlled or uncontrolled release of environmentally-related hazardous contaminants that are seriously threatening every key sphere, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and anthroposphere.

Sustainable Strategies in Organic Electronics reviews green materials and devices, sustainable processes in electronics, and the reuse, recycling and degradation of devices. Topics addressed include large-scale synthesis and fabrication of safe device materials processes that neither use toxic reagents, solvents or produce toxic by-products. Emerging opportunities such as new synthetic approaches for enabling the commercialization of pi-conjugated polymer-based devices are explored, along with new efforts towards incorporating materials from renewable resources for a low carbon footprint. Finally, the book discusses the latest advances towards device biodegradability and recycling. It is suitable for materials scientists and engineers, chemists, physicists in academia and industry.

Nanotechnology for Battery Recycling, Remanufacturing, and Reusing explores how nanotechnology is currently being used in battery recycling, remanufacturing and reusing technologies to make them economically and environmentally feasible. The book shows how nanotechnology can be used to enhance and improve battery recycling, remanufacturing and reusing technologies, covering the fundamentals of battery recycling, remanufacturing and reusing technologies, the role of nanotechnology, the separation, regeneration and reuse of nanomaterials from battery waste, nano-enabled approaches for battery recycling, and nano-enabled approaches for battery remanufacturing and reusing. This book will help researchers and engineers to better understand the role of nanotechnology in the field of battery recycling, remanufacturing and reusing. It will be an important reference source for materials scientists and engineers who would like to learn more about how nanotechnology is being used to create new battery recycling processes.

PEDOT is currently the most widely used polymeric material in research and development. Over the past 10 years, PEDOT has been investigated for potential organic thermoelectric applications because of its superior thermoelectric and mechanical properties compared with other conductive polymers. However, many challenges remain to be solved before it is translated into key technologies. Advanced PEDOT Thermoelectric Materials summarizes current progress and the challenges of PEDOT thermoelectric materials, while clarifying directions for future development. This book provides a comprehensive overview of chemical, physical, and technical information about this organic thermoelectric polymer. The authors also give details about the theoretical basis of PEDOT, including preparation and characterization, and its development as a high-performance thermoelectric material.

Nanotechnology-based Sustainable Alternatives for the Management of Plant Diseases addresses the power of sustainable nanomaterials for plant and food protection. The book highlights dangers arising from bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, seeds, plants, fruits and food production and summarizes new and sustainable strategies. It places a particular focus on plant pathogen control, and in the food packaging sector in agri-food applications. The control of plant pathogens in plants and in food has been conventionally made by adding chemical preservatives and by using thermal processing, but sustainable nanotechnology can be a power tool to aid in this complex set of challenges. Advances in materials science have led to the rapid development of nanotechnology that has great potential for improving food safety as a powerful tool for the delivery and controlled release of natural antimicrobials.

Nanomaterial Recycling provides an update on the many benefits nanomaterials can provide on both environmental and economic issues. Sections cover the appropriate recycling strategies of nanowastes, nanowaste regulations (including nanowaste disposal and recycling standards), promising applications (reuses) of these recycled nanomaterials, and various methods used for the separation of nanoparticles, including (i) centrifugation, (ii)solvent evaporation, (iii) magnetic separation, (iv) using pH/thermal responsive materials, (v) molecular antisolvents, (vi) nanostructured colloidal solvents, and more. This book is an important reference source for materials scientists and engineers who are seeking to increase their understanding of nanomaterials, recycling processes and techniques. As nanomaterials can be recycled from both new/pure products (from nano manufacturing) and used products (nano waste: waste from nano integrated products), this book is a welcomed addition to many disciplines.

Nickel-Titanium Smart Hybrid Materials: From Micro- to Nano-structured Alloys for Emerging Applications describes advanced properties that can be adapted in NiTi-alloys. Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) systems are receiving wide demand in growing industries due to their smart, high-temperature or biocompatible behavior. These influenced behaviors are carefully described in the micro-scale and nanoscale range, with NiTi smart materials described on the basis of their shape memory effect (SME) and super-elastic (SE) properties for sensor and actuator application. This book discusses novel properties of nickel-titanium systems, helping materials scientists and engineers produce smart technologies and systems for the aeronautical, automobile, mechanical, healthcare and electronics industries.

There is a growing need for better membranes in several emerging application fields especially those related to energy conversion and storage as well as to water treatment and recycling. Processability, is an important functional property, often ignored, especially in the early discovery phase for new materials, but it should be one of the most important properties, that needs to be considered in the development of better membrane materials. Useful membrane materials have to be capable of being formed into thin membranes, in particular for membrane gas separation, water treatment and desalination, and then packaged, into large area membrane modules. All gas separation membranes that are in current commercial use are based on polymers, which are solution-processable. This book intends to deal with composite, in most cases hybrid polymer-based membranes for three separate application fields: energy conversion, energy storage and water treatment and recovery. Each chapter will explain clearly the various membrane processes then go on to discuss in detail the corresponding advanced membranes used. The logic that lies behind this is that you have to understand the process in order to develop new high-performance membranes. By taking this approach, the author aims to overcome the disconnection that currently exists between membrane materials scientists and industrial process engineers.

Metal Oxide-Carbon Hybrid Materials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications reviews the advances in the fabrication and application of metal oxide-carbon-based nanocomposite materials. Their unique properties make them ideal materials for gas-sensing, photonics, catalysis, opto-electronic, and energy-storage applications. In the first section, the historical background to the hybrid materials based on metal oxide-carbon and the hybridized metal oxide composites is provided. It also highlights several popular methods for the preparation of metal oxide-carbon composites through solid-state or solution-phase reactions, and extensively discusses the materials' properties. Fossil fuels and renewable energy sources cannot meet the ever-increasing energy demands of an industrialized and technology-driven global society. Therefore, the role of metal oxide-carbon composites in energy generation, hydrogen production, and storage devices, such as rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors, is of extreme importance. These problems are discussed in in the second section of the book. Rapid industrialization has resulted in serious environmental issues which in turn have caused serious health problems that require the immediate attention of researchers. In the third section, the use of metal oxide-carbon composites in water purification, photodegradation of industrial contaminants, and biomedical applications that can help to clean the environment and provide better healthcare solutions is described. The final section is devoted to the consideration of problems associated with the development of sensors for various applications. Numerous studies performed in this area have shown that the use of composites can significantly improve the operating parameters of such devices. Metal Oxide-Carbon Hybrid Materials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications presents a comprehensive review of the science related to metal oxide-carbon composites and how researchers are utilizing these materials to provide solutions to a large array of problems.

Organic Ferroelectric Materials and Applications aims to bring an up-to date account of the field with discussion of recent findings. This book presents an interdisciplinary resource for scientists from both academia and industry on the science and applications of molecular organic piezo- and ferroelectric materials. The book addresses the fundamental science of ferroelectric polymers, molecular crystals, supramolecular networks, and other key and emerging organic materials systems. It touches on important processing and characterization methods and provides an overview of current and emerging applications of organic piezoelectrics and ferroelectrics for electronics, sensors, energy harvesting, and biomedical technologies. Organic Ferroelectric Materials and Applications will be of special interest to those in academia or industry working in materials science, engineering, chemistry, and physics.

Biomaterials in Endodontics offers an up-to-date overview of endodontic biomaterials and their applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. This book details the key biomaterials used in clinical endodontics and the benefits and challenges of using these materials, from root canal obturation materials to alloys for endodontic files and hand instruments. Chapters also offer a unique insight into the regenerative applications of endodontic biomaterials, such as the use of stem cells and growth factors for bone regeneration. Biomaterials in Endodontics is a useful resource for researchers working in biomedical engineering, regenerative medicine, and materials science with an interest in dentistry and bone regeneration. This book is also a helpful guide for endodontists, dentists, dental scientists, and clinicians with an interest in biomaterials for endodontics.

Semiconductor Nanodevices: Physics, Technology and Applications explores recent advances in the field. The behaviour of these devices is controlled by regions of nanoscale dimensions which typically determine the local density of electronic states and lead to the observation of a range of quantum effects with significant potential for exploitation. The book opens with an introduction describing the development of this research field over the past few decades which contrasts quantum-controlled devices to conventional nanoscale electronic devices where an emphasis has often been placed on minimising quantum effects. This introduction is followed by seven chapters describing electrical nanodevices and five chapters describing opto-electronic nanodevices; individual chapters review important recent advances. These chapters include specific fabrication details for the structures and devices described as well as a discussion of the physics made accessible. It is an important reference source for physicists, materials scientists and engineers who want to learn more about how semiconductor-based nanodevices are being developed for both science and potential industrial applications. The section on electrical devices includes chapters describing the study of electron correlation effects using transport in quantum point contacts and tunnelling between one-dimensional wires; the high-frequency pumping of single electrons; thermal effects in quantum dots; the use of silicon quantum dot devices for qubits and quantum computing; transport in topological insulator nanoribbons and a comprehensive discussion of noise in electrical nanodevices. The optical device section describes the use of self-assembled III-V semiconductor nanostructures embedded in devices for a range of applications, including quantum dots for single and entangled photon sources, quantum dots and nanowires in lasers and quantum dots in solar cells.

Sustainable Nanotechnology for Environmental Remediation provides a single-source solution to researchers working in environmental, wastewater management, biological and composite nanomaterials applications. It addresses the potential environmental risks and uncertainties surrounding the use of nanomaterials for environmental remediation, giving an understanding of their impact on ecological receptors in addition to their potential benefits. Users will find comprehensive information on the application of state-of-the-art processes currently available to synthesize advanced green nanocomposite materials and biogenic nanomaterials. Other sections explore a wide range of promising approaches for green nanotechnologies and nanocomposites preparations. Case study chapters connect materials engineering and technology to the social context for a sustainable environment. Applications and different case studies provide solutions to the challenges faced by industry, thus minimizing negative social impacts.

Liquid Crystal Polymer Nanocomposites summarizes, in a comprehensive manner, numerous modern technical research accomplishments on the development of nanocomposites from liquid crystalline polymers. It emphasizes various studies at the nano-scale, including discussions of liquid crystalline block copolymers, liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites, barrier property studies of liquid crystalline epoxy and their nanocomposites, liquid crystalline polymer-based microfibrillar and nanofibrillar composites, liquid crystalline polymer/nanoplatelet nanocomposites, liquid-crystalline elastomer/graphene oxide nanocomposites, and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers. It provides detailed information on methods of preparation, the properties of these materials and a discussion on the structure-properties relationship. With an emphasis on data and experimental results, the book's authors illustrate how the liquid crystal structure can have an impact on the final properties of nanocomposite.

Storing Energy: With Special Reference to Renewable Energy Sources, Second Edition has been fully revised and substantially extended to provide up-to-date and essential discussion that will support the needs of the world's future energy and climate change policies. New sections cover thermal energy storage, tidal storage, sustainability issues in relation to storing energy and impacts on global energy markets. Various systems are discussed, including mechanical/kinetic, thermal, electrochemical and other chemical, as well as other emerging technologies. Incorporating advancements described in the book will help the people of the world further overcome the problems related to future energy and climate change.

High Plasticity Magnesium Alloys focuses on the microstructure, mechanical properties and processing methods of magnesium alloy materials. The title offers theory and methods on high-plasticity magnesium alloys, including phase diagram construction, alloying and deformation. Four typical high-plasticity magnesium alloys are discussed through thermodynamic phase diagram construction and the characterization of their microstructure, mechanical properties and texture at as-cast, extruded, rolled and heat-treated states. Chapters update principle calculations for the effects of alloying elements, Mg-Gd-Zr medium strength and high-plasticity alloys, medium strength and high-plasticity Mg-Mn based alloys, medium strength and high-plasticity Mc-Sn based alloys, and Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Mn high-strength and high-plasticity magnesium alloys. This book presents the plasticity of magnesium alloys, and guides the design and development of new high-strength and high-plasticity magnesium alloys. It provides detailed solutions for practicing industrial engineers.

Principles of Electron Optics: Second Edition, Advanced Wave Optics provides a self-contained, modern account of electron optical phenomena with the Dirac or Schroedinger equation as a starting point. Knowledge of this branch of the subject is essential to understanding electron propagation in electron microscopes, electron holography and coherence. Sections in this new release include, Electron Interactions in Thin Specimens, Digital Image Processing, Acquisition, Sampling and Coding, Enhancement, Linear Restoration, Nonlinear Restoration - the Phase Problem, Three-dimensional Reconstruction, Image Analysis, Instrument Control, Vortex Beams, The Quantum Electron Microscope, and much more.

Nanotechnology in Modern Animal Biotechnology: Concepts and Applications discusses the advancement of nanotechnologies in almost every field, ranging from materials science, to food, forensic, agriculture and life sciences, including biotechnology and medicine. Nanotechnology is already being harnessed to address many of the key problems in animal biotechnology, with future applications covering animal biotechnology (e.g. animal nutrition, health, disease diagnosis, and drug delivery). This book provides the tools, ideas and techniques of nanoscale principles to investigate, understand and transform biological systems. Nanotechnology provides the ability to manipulate materials at atomic and molecular levels and also arrange atom-by-atom on a scale of ~1-100 nm to create, new materials and devices with fundamentally new functions and properties arising due to their small scale.

The purpose of aligning short fibers in a fiber-reinforced material is to improve the mechanical properties of the resulting composite. Aligning the fibers, generally in a preferred direction, allows them to contribute as much as possible to reinforcing the material. The first edition of this book detailed, in a single volume, the science, processing, applications, characterization and properties of composite materials reinforced with short fibers that have been orientated in a preferred direction by flows arising during processing. The technology of fiber-reinforced composites is continually evolving and this new edition provides timely and much needed information about this important class of engineering materials. Each of the original chapters have been brought fully up-to-date and new developments such as: the advent of nano-composites and the issues relating to their alignment; the wider use of long-fiber composites and the appearance of models able to capture their orientation during flow; the wider use of flows in micro-channels in the context of composites fabrication; and the increase in computing power, which has made relevant simulations (especially coupling flow kinematics to fiber content and orientation) much easier to perform are all covered in detail. The book will be an essential up-to-date reference resource for materials scientists, students, and engineers who are working in the relevant areas of particulate composites, short fiber-reinforced composites or nanocomposites.

Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (TADF-OLEDs) comprehensively introduces the history of TADF, along with a review of fundamental concepts. Then, TADF emitters with different colors, such as blue, green, red and NIR as well as white OLEDs are discussed in detail. Other sections cover exciplex-type TADF materials, emerging application of TADF emitters as a host in OLEDs, and applications of TADF materials in organic lasers and biosensing.