The growing interest in replacing petroleum-based products by inexpensive, renewable, natural materials will have a significant impact on sustainability, environment, and the polymer industry. This book provides scientists a useful framework to help take advantage of the latest research conducted in this rapidly advancing field enabling them to develop and commercialize their own products quickly and more successfully.

High Performance Plant Phenol-Based Polymers brings together the latest advances in phenol-based polymers, composites, and nanocomposites, covering synthesis, preparation, characterization, processing, and applications. Bio-renewable plant phenols represent a diverse class of chemicals with great industrial significance due to their unique structures and high abundance. The depolymerization process of lignin into small bio-based phenols is a relatively new approach and has received considerable attention recently. This process produces key intermediates, phenolic compounds that can be used to develop and design a wide range of high-performance, bio-renewable, and multifunctional polymers and composites. This book will provide materials scientists and engineers with a useful framework to help take advantage of the latest research conducted in this rapidly advancing field, enabling them to develop and commercialize their own products quickly and more successfully. The book will be of practical interest to academic researchers, industrial scientists, engineers, and advanced students in the area of materials science and engineering, particularly those with an interest in high-performance bio-based polymers and composites.

Bio-based Plant Oil Polymers and Composites provides engineers and materials scientists a useful framework to help take advantage of the latest research conducted in this rapidly advancing field-enabling them to develop and commercialize their own products quickly and more successfully. Plant oil is one of the most attractive options as a substitute for non-renewable resources in polymers and composites, and is producing materials with very promising thermomechanical properties relative to traditional, petroleum-based polymers. In addition to critical processing and characterization information, the book assists engineers in deciding whether or not they should use a plant oil-based polymer over a petroleum-based polymer, discussing sustainability concerns, biodegradability, associated costs, and recommended applications. The book details the advancements in the development of polymeric materials and composites from plant oils, and provides a critical review of current applications in various fields, including packaging, biomedical, and automotive applications. Also includes the latest progress in developing multifunctional biobased polymers-by increasing thermal conductivity or adding antibacterial properties, for example.