Luminescent Metal Nanoclusters: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

Luminescent Metal Nanoclusters: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications provides a comprehensive accounting of various protocols used for the synthesis of metal nanoclusters, their characterization techniques, toxicity evaluation and various applications and future prospects. The book provides detailed experimental routes, along with mechanisms on the formation of benign metallic clusters using biomaterials and a comprehensive review regarding the preparation, properties and prospective applications of these nano clusters in various fields, including therapeutic applications. Various methods to protect nanocluster materials to increase their stability are emphasized, including the incorporation of ligands (protein, small molecule, DNA, thiols).

This book addresses a gap in the current literature by bringing together the preparation, characterization and applications of all the possible types of reported metal nanoclusters and their hybrids. It is suitable for materials scientists and engineers in academia and those working in research and development in industry. It may also be of interest to those working in the interdisciplinary nanotechnology community, such as physical chemists.

Dr. Sabu Thomas (Ph.D.) is the Director of the School of Energy Materials, School of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of Mahatma Gandhi University, India. He received his Ph. D. in 1987 in Polymer Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, and a member of the American Chemical Society. He has been ranked no.1 in India about the number of publications (most productive scientists). Prof. Thomas's research group specialized areas of polymers which includes Polymer blends, Fiber filled polymer composites, Particulate-filled polymer composites and their morphological characterization, Ageing and degradation, Pervaporation phenomena, sorption and diffusion, Interpenetrating polymer systems, Recyclability and reuse of waste plastics and rubbers, Elastomer cross-linking, Dual porous nanocomposite scaffolds for tissue engineering, etc. Prof. Thomas's research group has extensive exchange programs with different industries, research, and academic institutions all over the world and is performing world-class collaborative research in various fields. Professors Centre is equipped with various sophisticated instruments and has established state-of-the-art experimental facilities which cater to the needs of researchers within the country and abroad. His H Index- 133, Google Citations- 86424, Number of Publications- 1300, and Books-160.

Kuruvilla Joseph is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, India. His research areas includes nanomaterials and nanocomposites, polymer blends and composites, synthesis of polymers from natural resources, green materials and biocomposites, aging and degradation, and development of biosensors.

Dr. Saritha Appukuttan was awarded her PhD from Mahatma Gandhi University in 2012 working in the field of polymer nanocomposites. She has also been worked for two years on the development of gas barrier membranes on an ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) project. She has published around 25 book chapters with highly reputed publishers and several research papers in high impact international journals such as Composites Part A, Composites Part B, and Materials Chemistry and Physics and has edited two books on "Fibre Reinforced Composites: Constituents, compatibility, perspectives and applications" (Elsevier) and on "Luminescent Metal Nanoclusters" (Elsevier). Currently, she is editing two more books on "Lignin and its Composites: A sustainable tool for health care and medical applications" and "Zero-Dimensional Carbon Nanostructures" to be published by RSC and Elsevier, respectively.

Meegle S. Mathew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Mar Athanasius College, Kothamangalam, India. Her research interests cover nano-biophotonics, optical imaging, the development of biosensors and biomedical devices using fluorescent nanoparticles, polymer nanocomposites for biomedical applications, photocatalysis, and photoreduction.