Advanced Microscopy: A Strong Analytical Tool in Materials Science

This interdisciplinary book, Advanced Microscopy: A Strong Analytical Tool in Materials Science, covers the methodology and applications of different advanced microscopic techniques in various research fields, including chemistry, nanotechnology, polymers, chemical engineering, and biomedical engineering, providing an informative overview that helps to determine the best applications for advanced materials.

Materials usually behave very differently at nanoscale in all aspects, and this volume shows how microscopy can help provide a detailed understanding of materials such as semiconductors, metals, polymers, biopolymers, etc. The volume illustrates advanced microscopic techniques that include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal microscopy, and others. The microscopy techniques presented in the volume show applications in many areas of science, including botany and plant science, medicine, nanotechnology, chemistry, food science, waste management, and others.

This book presents the diverse advanced microscopic techniques for researchers, giving a better understanding as well as implementation of novel techniques in materials science.

Merin Sara Thomas, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. She has been working in the multidisciplinary field of nanotechnology with a focus on biomedical applications of electrospun nanocomposites and filtration applications. Her research interests include biopolymers and synthesis of nanoparticles. She has published six internationally peer-reviewed papers and five book chapters. She earned her PhD at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.

Józef T. Haponiuk, PhD, has been in the Faculty of Chemistry of Gdansk University of Technology (GUT), Poland, since 1974. He was formerly Head of Polymers Technology Department, which achieved outstanding results in scientific and educational activities under his leadership. It is now one of the leading departments of the university. Dr. Haponiuk holds 10 patents and has 25 patent applications. He is also author or co-author of over 300 original scientific contributions in the area of chemical technology, polymer engineering, polymer characterization, chemistry and technology of polymers and rubber, thermal analysis of polymers, materials science, and biopolymers. He is especially interested in polyurethane technology and the recycling of elastomers and rubber. He actively collaborates with Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, India, and the Lviv Polytechnic, Ukraine. He has received multiple awards and distinctions for his excellent scientific activity. Dr. Haponiuk obtained his PhD from the Technische Hochschule Leuna Merseburg, Germany.

Sabu Thomas, PhD, DSc, FRSC, is the Vice Chancellor, senior most professor and outstanding scientist, and leading academic of Mahatma Gandhi University, India, where he has been serving for the last 34 years. He has held many positions, which include Pro Vice Chancellor; Regional Director of the School of Technology and Applied Sciences; Dean of Technology and Applied Sciences and Syndicate Member; Erudite Professor in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Translational Sciences at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine; Adjunct Professor and AcSIR Director at the School of Chemical Sciences; and Director at the International and Inter University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Currently he also holds the position of the Honorary Director of the School of Energy Materials of Mahatma Gandhi University. Dr. Thomas's groundbreaking inventions in polymer nanocomposites, polymer blends, and green bionanotechnological and nano-biomedical sciences have made transformative differences in the development of new materials in the automotive, space, housing, and biomedical fields. In collaboration with India's premier tire company, Apollo Tyres, Professor Thomas's group invented new high performance barrier rubber nanocomposite membranes for inner tubes and inner liners for tires. A prolific author and researcher, Dr. Thomas has won many awards for his work and is acknowledged as one of the most productive researchers in India.

Anne George, MD, is currently Director of the Institute for Holistic Medical Sciences, Kerala, India. Dr. George has worked as a senior house surgeon, resident doctor, gynecologist, and associate professor at various hospitals in India. She has received two international research fellowships, from the University Laval, Canada, and KU Leuven Gasthuisberg, Belgium. She is an expert in the field of anatomy, cancer, Ayurveda, and nanomedicine. Dr. George is a fellow of the American Medical Society and a member of many professional bodies. She has published peer-reviewed research papers and organized several international conferences. She received an MBBS from Trivandrum Medical College, University of Kerala, India; a Diploma in Acupuncture from the University of Vienna, Austria; and MD from Kottayam Medical College, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India.