Handbook of Composites from Renewable Materials: Biodegradable Materials

This unique multidisciplinary 8-volume set focuses on the emerging issues concerning synthesis, characterization, design, manufacturing and various other aspects of composite materials from renewable materials and provides a shared platform for both researcher and industry.

The Handbook of Composites from Renewable Materials comprises a set of 8 individual volumes that brings an interdisciplinary perspective to accomplish a more detailed understanding of the interplay between the synthesis, structure, characterization, processing, applications and performance of these advanced materials. The Handbook comprises 169 chapters from world renowned experts covering a multitude of natural polymers/ reinforcement/ fillers and biodegradable materials.

Volume 5 is solely focused on 'Biodegradable Materials'. Some of the important topics include but not limited to: Rice husk and its composites; biodegradable composites based on thermoplastic starch and talc nanoparticles; recent progress in biocomposites of biodegradable polymer; microbial polyesters: production and market; biodegradable and bioabsorbable materials for osteosynthesis applications; biodegradable polymers in tissue engineering; composites based on hydroxyapatite and biodegradable polylactide; biodegradable composites; development of membranes from biobased materials and their applications; green biodegradable composites based on natural fibers; fully biodegradable all-cellulose composites; natural fiber composites with bioderivative and/or degradable polymers; synthetic biodegradable polymers for bone tissue engineering; polysaccharides as green biodegradable platforms for building up electroactive composite materials; biodegradable polymer blends and composites from seaweeds; biocomposites scaffolds derived from renewable resources for bone tissue repair; pectin-based composites; recent advances in conductive composites based on biodegradable polymers for regenerative medicine applications; biosynthesis of PHAs and their biomedical applications; biodegradable soy protein isolate/poly(vinyl alcohol) packaging films; and biodegradability of biobased polymeric materials in natural environment.

Vijay Kumar Thakur is a Lecturer in the School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing Engineering, Cranfield University, UK. Previously he had been a Staff Scientist in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University, USA. He spent his postdoctoral study in Materials Science & Engineering at Iowa State University, USA, and gained his PhD in Polymer Chemistry (2009) at the National Institute of Technology, India. He has published more than 90 SCI journal research articles in the field of polymers/materials science and holds one US patent. He has also published about 25 books and 33 book chapters on the advanced state-of-the-art of polymers/materials science with numerous publishers, including Wiley-Scrivener.

Manju Kumar Thakur has been working as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Division of Chemistry, Govt. Degree College Sarkaghat Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India since 2010. She received her PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the Chemistry Department at Himachal Pradesh University. She has deep experience in the field of organic chemistry, biopolymers, composites/ nanocomposites, hydrogels, applications of hydrogels in the removal of toxic heavy metal ions, drug delivery etc. She has published more than 30 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, 25 book chapters and co-authored five books all in the field of polymeric materials.

Michael R. Kessler is a Professor and Director of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University, USA. He is an expert in the mechanics, processing, and characterization of polymer matrix composites and nanocomposites. His honours include the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Elsevier Young Composites Researcher Award from the American Society for Composites. He has more than 150 journal articles and 5800 citations, holds 6 patents, published 5 books on the synthesis and characterization of polymer materials, and presented at least 200 talks at national and international meetings.