Automotive manufacturers are required to decrease CO2 emissions and increase fuel economy while assuring driver comfort and safety. In recent years, there has been rapid development in the application of lightweight and sustainable materials in the automotive industry to help meet these criteria. This book provides critical reviews and the latest research results of various lightweight and sustainable materials in automotive applications. It discusses current applications and future trends of lightweight materials in the automotive area. While there are a few books published mainly focusing on automotive applications of metallic lightweight materials, to date there is no available book focusing on a broad spectrum of lightweight materials, including metal, plastic, composites, bio-fiber, bio-polymer, carbon fiber, glass fiber, nanomaterials, rubber materials, and foaming materials, as this work does. The book also includes case studies of commercial lightweight automotive parts from sustainable lightweight materials, providing an invaluable resource to those involved in this in-demand research and commercialization area.

Lignin in Polymer Composites presents the latest information on lignin, a natural polymer derived from renewable resources that has great potential as a reinforcement material in composites because it is non-toxic, inexpensive, available in large amounts, and is starting to be deployed in various materials applications due to its advantages over more traditional oil-based materials. This book reviews the state-of-the-art on the topic and their applications to composites, including thermoplastic, thermosets, rubber, foams, bioplastics, nanocomposites, and lignin-based carbon fiber composites. In addition, the book covers critical assessments on the economics of lignin, including a cost-performance analysis that discusses its strengths and weaknesses as a reinforcement material. Finally, the huge potential applications of lignin in industry are explored with respect to its low cost, recyclable properties, and fully biodegradable composites, and the way they apply to the automotive, construction, and packaging industries.

The present book provides a state-of-the-art overview on cellulose and its application in electronic devices. It covers both cellulose from forestry and the development on cellulose for electronic devices. From the fundamental point of view, cellulose was considered as the most abundant available resource of bio-based materials. The research on cellulose was designed for forestry to industrial commercialisation. The overview of cellulose from forestry is provided along with the method for properties modification. After that, significant enhancement of cellulose properties is evaluated on an electronic device. The content of this book is involved on academic research of the author (active from 2010 to the present time) at University of Toronto, Canada, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University, Thailand. As mentioned above, chapter contributions are made from laboratory experience and strong research publication among these institutes. The comprehensive and systematic overview provided within this book is expected to assist the reader in comprehending the importance of taking into account cellulose from forestry and its development for the electronic device. Finally, the editor would like to express sincere appreciation to the research contributors for their dedicated collaboration in cellulose for the electronic device project. We sincerely hope this book will enable readers to connect basic research principles with up-to-date knowledge, thereby encouraging future discoveries and development of cellulose for many possible applications.