Advances in Bionanocomposites: Materials, Applications, and Life Cycle brings together the latest research in bio-based nanocomposites, with a strong emphasis on improved sustainability in terms of preparation, lifecycle and end applications. The book begins by introducing biopolymers, bionanocomposites and the latest methods for their synthesis, processing and characterization. Other sections focus on specific bio-based materials, including bionanocomposites based on polylactic acid, poly(vinyl alcohol), chitosan, starch, cellulose, and protein. A range of advanced applications are then introduced across 3D printing, high entropy alloys, wastewater remediation, agriculture, biomedicine, solar cells, electrochemical sensors, and packaging. Throughout the book, opportunities for improved sustainability are analyzed and highlighted. The final section brings this together with in-depth coverage of biodegradation, lifecycle, environmental impact, circular economy, economic considerations and future opportunities in bionanocomposites. This is a valuable resource for researchers, advanced students, R&D professionals, and industrial scientists from a range of disciplines.

Inorganic and organometallic polymers feature many attractive properties that are useful for the design of diverse functional materials. Emphasising concepts that inform polymer design, synthesis and applications, readers of this book will gain a complete understanding of the introduction to inorganic and organometallic polymer science that will further their studies in materials science, chemistry and engineering. The first chapter lays down the core concepts that the book builds from, including polymerisation and naming conventions. It also reveals why some organometallic polymers are better suited than organic polymers in certain applications. Subsequent chapters discuss the chemistry of metals in particular the transition metals as they relate to polymer properties, before walking the reader through in-depth chapters on synthesis, structure, properties, characterization, and examples of inorganic and organometallic polymers. The final chapter presents applications of these polymers in diverse fields ranging from biomedicine, energy to catalysis. Worked examples and exercises are provided at the end of each chapter to assist students in assessing their understanding of these concepts, and journal references are included to direct students to published literature related to inorganic and organometallic polymers. Ideal for lecturers teaching a one semester advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in polymer science, as well as for self-study researchers and industrial chemists that are working with polymers, this book provides the user with a complete and expert grounding to the field.

Electrospinning is a technique used to produce nanofibres from a polymer solution using an electrostatic force. The technology is now being used to create materials for a wide variety of uses from tissue engineering and 3D printing to packaging materials and electronic sensors. This new book focusses on the recent developments in their design, process parameters and polymers-selection to enable the commercial applications of electrospinning. The initial chapters introduce the technique and then specific chapters focus on the different application areas showing the various approaches for successful implementation of this fabrication process towards commercialization from basic research and development. The book will be suitable for graduate students, academics and industrial entrepreneurs in materials science, polymer science and chemical engineering as well as those interested in the energy and health applications of the materials.

The aim of this work is to develop topical hydrogels containing diclofenac potassium (DP) at 1 % w/v concentration using conventional hydrophilic hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC, 50cPs) and different grades of modified hydrophobic hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC, 60L, 60M, 90L and 90 M grade). Small quantity of hydrophobic HPMC is good enough to prepare gel of satisfactory quality. Hydrophobic formulations of higher viscosity with small quantity of polymer show higher release compared to hydrophilic formulations of lower viscosity with higher polymer concentration. Kinetic analysis of in vitro release profile was done by comparing the goodness-of-fit of some empirical/ semi-empirical and statistical models. From the accuracy point of view, direct fitting is preferred to transformed linear fit methods. Further, it was observed that the log-logistic distribution was the best fit for hydrophobic formulations. For hydrophilic ones, the semi-empirical models and Weibull distribution worked best, although log-logistic also showed a close fit. Hydrophobic formulations with enhancers are found to have the most promising anti-nociceptive activity.