This book offers in-depth insights into the photochemical behavior of multicomponent polymeric-based materials, with a particular emphasis on the photodegradation and photostabilization of these materials. Studying various classes of materials bases such as polysaccharides, wood, synthetic polymers, rubber blends, and nanocomposites, it offers a valuable reference source for graduate and postgraduate students, engineering students, research scholars and polymer engineers working in industry.

Natural fiber composites have experienced a renaissance over the last two decades as a response to societal demands for developing eco-friendly, biodegradable and recyclable materials. They are now being extensively used in everyday products as well as in automotive, packaging, sports and the construction industries. These fibers require surface treatments in order to improve their properties and interfacial bonding with polymer matrices, and to reduce their hydrophilic character. These methods can be grouped into three major categories: chemical, physical and biological. Chemical methods use chemical reagents to reduce fibers' hydrophilic tendency and thus improve compatibility with the matrix. They also expose more reactive groups on the fibre surface to facilitate efficient coupling with the matrix. Physical methods change structural and surface properties of the fiber and thereby influence the interfacial bonding with matrices, without extensively changing the chemical composition of the fibers. They are cleaner and simpler than the chemical methods. Biological methods use biological agents like fungi, enzymes and bacteria to modify the fiber surface properties. These methods are not toxic like chemical methods and are not energy-intensive like physical methods.Surface Treatment Methods of Natural Fibers and their Effects on Biocomposites presents an overview and recent developments of these methods. All the major methods are reviewed, explaining the science and methodology behind each method. The effects of these methods on various properties of fibers and the biocomposites made from these fibers are analyzed in detail.The book will be an essential reference for academic researchers, materials scientists and engineers, postgraduate students and industrial researchers and development scientists and engineers working on natural fibers and biocomposites. - Extensive coverage of all the surface modification methods (chemical, physical, biological) of natural fibers and its effect on properties of produced composites - The chemical mechanisms which are utilized in surface treatments are discussed in detail and how these affect the interfacial properties and characteristics - Systematic and comprehensive review on surface modifications of natural fibres, and explains how the effect of the surface treatment can be characterized and measured, as well as the effect on properties

This book presents the chemical properties of lignocellulosic fibers, knowledge of which is essential for innovation and sustainable development of their transformation. Thermochemical transformation of wood and other lignocellulosics is presented to highlight its volatile, liquid and solid products and their novel applications. Forest biorefinery is described to emphasize the new products from lignocellulosic constituents, both structural (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignins) and those extraneous to cell walls-extractives. New developments in cellulose technology related to nanocellulose are discussed in relation to new applications. Industrial lignins are presented in detail, both in terms of extraction procedures from spent liquors and structural characterization of the isolated lignins. Application of lignocellulosic biopolymers in new composite materials, or in biomaterials for medicinal purposes, and in solid wood preservation, are described. The example of an industrial biorefinery installed in southwestern France more than 40 years ago is presented.

This book provides a systematic and comprehensive account of the recent developments in the recycling of plastic waste material. It presents state-of-the-art procedures for recycling of plastics from different sources and various characterization methods adopted in analyzing their properties. In addition, it looks into properties, processing, and applications of recycled plastic products as one of the drivers for sustainable recycling plastics especially in developing countries. This book proves a useful reference source for both engineers and researchers working in composite materials science as well as the students attending materials science, physics, chemistry, and engineering courses.

Reactive and functional polymers are manufactured with the aim of improving the performance of unmodified polymers or providing functionality for different applications. These polymers are created mainly through chemical reactions, but there are other important modifications that can be carried out by physical alterations in order to obtain reactive and functional polymers. This volume presents a comprehensive analysis of these reactive and functional polymers. Reactive and Functional Polymers Volume Two considers the coupling, crosslinking and grafting reactions to improve the compatibility of reactive and functional polymer blends. In this book, world-renowned researchers have participated, including Dr. Sabu Thomas (Editor-in-chief for the journal ‘Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects’). With its comprehensive scope and up-to-date coverage of issues and trends in Reactive and Functional Polymers, this is an outstanding book for students, professors, researchers and industrialists working in the field of polymers and plastic materials.

This book provides the latest information on bioplastics and biodegradable plastics. The initial chapters introduce readers to the various sources and substrates for the synthesis of bioplastics and biodegradable plastics, and explain their general structure, physio-chemical properties and classification. In turn, the book discusses innovative methods for the production of bioplastics at the industrial level and for the microbial production of bioplastics. It highlights the processes that are involved in the conversion of agro-industrial waste into bioplastics, while also summarizing the mechanisms of biodegradation in bioplastics. The book addresses a range of biotechnological applications of bioplastics such as in agriculture, food packaging and pharmaceutical industry, as well as biomedical applications.

Over the last decades, natural fibers have received growing attention as alternatives to synthetic materials for the reinforcement of polymeric composites. Their specific properties, low price, health advantages, renewability and recyclability make natural fibers particularly attractive for these purposes. Furthermore, natural fibers have a CO2-neutral life cycle, in contrast to their synthetic counterparts. However, natural fibers are also widely known to possess several drawbacks, such as a hydrophilic nature, low and variable mechanical properties, poor adhesion to polymeric matrices, high susceptibility to moisture absorption and low aging resistance. Therefore, extensive research has been conducted on natural fiber-reinforced composites in the last 20 years. In this context, this book presents several interesting papers concerning the use of natural fibers for the reinforcement of polymer-based composites, with a focus on the evaluation of their mechanical performances, ballistic properties, rheological behavior, thermal insulation response and aging resistance in humid or aggressive environments.

The synthetic counterparts of natural polymeric materials are now finding applications as light weight, mechanically strong, and environmentally stable sheets, fibers, films, adhesives, paints, and foams have replaced most of the commodity and structural materials. The systematic research on the preparation, characterization, and utilization of plastics resulted in creation of polymers often containing a set of several desirable properties in a single polymer. The polymers have established their place in engineering applications as well. Although the bulk of plastics production focuses on relatively simple commodity polymers, the proportion of specially designed and tailor-made plastics for specific and sophisticated applications is also increasing at a great pace. The specialty plastics, as well as their use in specific and sophisticated applications, are the key to the continued scientific growth and technological advances in the new millennium. This book thoroughly covers today's rapidly growing field of specialty polymers and their applications in more sophisticated and specialized areas. It gives the most recent in-depth knowledge and extremely comprehensive details of the chemistry, physics, material science, technology, and device applications of specialty polymers. This comprehensive book containing 16 chapters is the result of the untiring efforts of 35 most renowned experts from the national and international scientific community. This book is thought-provoking to the researchers working in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, medicine, polymer chemistry, semiconductor physics, material science, electrochemistry, biology, electronics, photonics, material science, solid state physics, nanotechnology, electrical and electronics engineering, optical engineering, device engineering, data storage, etc.

Handbook of Modern Coating Technologies: Application and Development reviews recent applications and developments of modern coating technologies. The topics in this volume consist of role of antibacterial coatings in the development of biomaterials, insights of technologies for self-healing organic coatings, sensor applications, application of carbon nanotubes–based coating in the field of art conservation, oxide-based self-cleaning and corrosion-protective coatings, protective coatings for wood, applications of optical coatings on spectral selective structures, application of natural antimicrobial coating for controlling foodborne pathogens on meat and fresh produce, efficacy of antimicrobial coating in reducing pathogens on meat, composite membrane: fabrication, characterization, and applications, development of nanostructured HVOF coatings on high strength steel components for turbine blades, nanoscale multilayered composite coating, applications of sol–gel coatings, application of graphene in protective coating industry, application of coatings in outdoor high-voltage installations, defects and doping effects in thin films of transparent and conductive oxides, and functional coatings for lab-on-a-chip systems based on phospholipid polymers.

Modification of Polymer Properties provides, for the first time, in one title, the latest information on gradient IPNs and gradient copolymers. The book covers the broad range of polymer modification routes in a fresh, current view representing a timely addition to the technical literature of this important area. Historically, blends, copolymers, or filled polymers have been developed to meet specific properties, or to optimize the cost/properties relationship. Using the gradient structure approach with conventional radical polymerization, it has been shown that it is possible to optimize properties if appropriate gradients in the composition of copolymer chains are obtained. An overview of the gradient structure approach for designing polymers has not appeared in the recent literature and this title covers the different methods used to modify properties, offering the whole range of ways to modify polymers in just one volume and making this an attractive option for a wide audience of practitioners. The approach for each chapter is to explain the fundamental principles of preparation, cover properties modification, describe future research and applications as examples of materials that may be prepared for specific applications, or that are already in use, in present day applications. The book is for readers that have a basic background in polymer science, as well as those interested in the different ways to combine or modify polymer properties. - Provides an integrated view on how to modify polymer properties - Presents the entire panorama of polymer properties modification in one reference, covering the essential information in each topic - Includes the optimization of properties using gradients in polymers composition or structure