This book is concerned with heavy metals, which are considered to be the most hazardous pollutants present in the water system. Heavy metals are extensively studied and their effects on human health are reviewed here. Although several adverse health effects of heavy metals are known for a long time, exposure to heavy metals continues and is even increasing in some parts of the world. This books deals with the source of heavy metals in the environment and possible mitigation measures for metal recovery. The technology available for the detection of heavy metals and the latest remediation techniques are also discussed in detail. In this way, the book also addresses general background to polymers and their composite materials for removal of specific toxic heavy metals from waste water. The different adsorption isotherm models and adsorption mechanism using biosorption methods are also described. The widespread applications of low-value agricultural products, ion-exchange, coagulation, precipitation, flocculation, ultra-filtration and electrochemical methods are mentioned. The book reviews the essential issues and will be of interest to academicians, research scholars and industries. It will be the precious resource for all undergraduate and postgraduate students at institutes and universities.

Graphene oxide is a carbon-based material what produces a monolayer or a few layers of oxygen-functionalized graphene. The number of layers usually differentiate between graphene oxide and graphite oxide. Though a multilayer system, graphite oxide monolayer flakes and few-layer flakes can be found in a graphene oxide dispersion. Due to the presence of oxygen functionalities, graphene oxide can easily disperse in various organic solvents including water and is compatible with a different matrix that dramatically enhances electrical and mechanical properties when mixed with polymer and ceramic materials. Graphene oxide possesses a sp2 bonding network. Graphene oxide can be used as an intermediary in the production of single layer or few-layer graphene sheets. Graphene oxide can be reduced in solution and as a thin film using a variety of reducing conditions, and reduction converts the graphene oxide into a material that has a large enhancement in electrical conductivity. Graphene oxide has been used in a variety of applications not limited to materials science engineering and biotechnology. The present book describes the advances in research and applications of graphene oxide; in Chapter One, the general introduction on graphene oxide is introduced whereas in Chapter Two a broader summary of laser processing for graphene oxide/transition metal oxide nanocomposite coatings are described. Chapter Three discusses a graphene oxide template for the scaffolding transition metal/metal oxide ingredient. Chapter Four concludes the new advances in graphene oxide-metal nanocomposites for cancer theranostics. Chapter Five summarizes graphene oxide membranes as supercapacitor separators and Chapter Six contains details of graphene oxide in terms of the advances in research and applications of membranes. Chapter Seven speaks on the conductivity of graphene oxide films while Chapter Eight describes the application of graphene oxide based nanocomposites in heterogeneous photocatalysis for water purification. Chapter Nine deals with an immense uprising, detailing the functionalization and fine-tuning of 2D graphene designed for heterogeneous catalysis to make things greener. Chapter Ten summarizes graphene oxides for biomedical and therapeutic applications. Chapter Eleven describes graphene oxide as an outstanding material for advanced batteries while Chapter Twelve speaks on behalf of self-assembled graphene oxides and their different applications. Chapter Thirteen describes the versatile applications of graphene oxide in the field of nanoelectronic while Chapter Fourteen concludes this book with details about the design, fabrication, testing and delivery of graphene oxide in solar energy storage. This book will be highly beneficial to the researchers working in the area of graphene oxide, polymer/ceramic chemistry, materials science, engineering, drug delivery, medicine and environmental science. It also covers membrane and super capacitors with their advanced applications. This book also provides a platform for all researchers to carry out graphene oxide research and the advances in the area. The book also covers recent fundamentals, advancements and newer prospects about the future research in graphene oxides.

Biopolymers such as cellulose, lignin, starch, pectin, chitin, xylan, etc. are copiously available in nature in the form of plant biomass. They have been used for various applications such as biofuels, nanobiocomposites, biomedicine, etc. Biopolymers have unique antimicrobial properties, and are thus used for food packaging. The field of biomaterials is interdisciplinary and includes chemistry, biology and medicine. There are different ways to apply biopolymers for the benefit of our society. Although natural polymers are cheap and available in large quantities, it is still difficult to utilise their potentials. Still, there are challenges to develop new methodologies for the efficient and economic utilisation of these biopolymers. Consequently, the modification of these materials is the focus of recent scientific research. These modifications improve the various properties of biopolymers required for specific applications. Modifications improve heat, moisture resistance, solubility in water, sustainability, flexibility, compatibility, biodegradability, etc. Biopolymers modified by blending shows considerable improvement in the impact resistance of brittle polymers. Biopolymer systems containing particles with one or more dimensions in the nanometer scale are called bionanocomposites, a special class of materials possessing unique thermal stability, fire resistance, mechanical and optical properties. Bionanocomposites have been effectively used in controlled drug delivery, food packaging, etc.

Polymers have generated considerable interest in a large number of technologically important fields such as human healthcare systems. Polymers represent a very important domain of materials and have become an integral part of day to day human life. Polymers exist in nature; they have been and continue to be an integral part of the universe. This book is intended for scientists and researchers to use in their research or in their professional practice in polymer chemistry and its biomedical applications. Multiple biological, synthetic and hybrid polymers are used for multiple medical applications. A wide range of different polymers are available, and they have the advantage to be tunable in physical, chemical and biological properties and in a wide range to match the requirements of specific applications. This book gives a brief overview about the introduction and developments of polymers for different applications. The biomedical polymers comprise not only bulk materials, but also coatings and pharmaceutical nano-carriers for drugs. The surface modification of the inorganic nanoparticles with a physically or chemically end-tethered polymer chain has been employed to overcome the problems associated with the polymers. Chemically attached polymer chains not only stabilize the inorganic nanoparticles, but also lead to photosensitivity, bioactivity, biocompatibility and pharmacological properties in the composites. Polymer encapsulated silica nanocomposites (mesoporous) have potential applications in different fields, such as optics, bio-catalysis, microelectronics bone tissue engineering, coatings cosmetics, inks, agriculture, drug release systems, diagnoses, enzyme imaging, temperature-responsive materials, and thermosensitive vehicles for cellular imaging. Polymer grafted nanosized particles are known to have excellent properties such as good dispersion ability in solvents and polymer matrices. Polymer-based controlled drug delivery systems have some specific advantages, such as improved efficiency and reduced toxicity. The incorporation of a thermoresponsive polymer layer often enhances protein absorption and specific biomolecular tagging through hydrogen bonding. As a result, the nanocomposite gets cleared from the body at a faster rate (blood residence becomes low). This book is composed of fourteen edited chapters; it is intended for scientists and researchers to use in their research or in their professional practice in polymer chemistry and its biomedical applications.