Polymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications

Polymer-based advanced functional materials are one of most sought after products of this global high performance material demand as polymer-based materials guarantee both processing ease and mechanical flexibilities. This volume provides a comprehensive and updated review of major innovations in the field of polymer-based advanced functional materials which focuses on constructive knowledge on advanced multifunctional materials and their resultant techno-commercial applications. The contents aim at restricting the coverage to energy and environment related applications as the said two are the most emerging application domains of polymer-based advanced functional materials. It highlights the cutting-edge and recent research findings of polymer based advanced functional materials in energy and environment sectors wherein each chapter focuses on a specific energy and environment related application of polymer-based advanced functional materials, their preparation technique, nature enhancement achieved and allied factors. This volume would be of great interest to researchers, academicians and professionals, involved in polymers, chemistry, energy and environmental research, and other allied domains.

Dr. S.K. Nataraj is currently working as Professor at Centre for Nano and Material Sciences (CNMS), Jain University, India. He obtained his Ph.D. on ‘Membrane Based Separation Processes for Industrial Effluent Treatment’ in 2008 from Centre of Excellence in Polymer Science (CEPS), Karnatak University, India. He pursued his postdoctoral assignment at Alan G MacDiarmid Energy Research Institute (AMERI), Chonnam National University, South Korea on Energy Materials. He was also a postdoctoral scholar at Institute of Atomic Molecular Sciences (IAMS), Academia Sinica, Taiwan to develop ion-exchange membranes for fuel cell applications. Further, he worked as Qatar University visiting fellow at Cambridge University (2010-11) and continued as full time Postdoctoral Research Associate (2011-2013) at Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK. Later, he moved to India to work as DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow (2013-2015) at CSIR-CSMCRI, Bhavnagar. He has been admitted to the prestigious Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), UK. He teaches courses in separation and purification technologies, battery-fuel cells and solid-state materials at postgraduate level. He has Published  over 90 research articles, 14 US/PCT patents, 15 book chapters, among others. 

Dr. Sachhidananda S is a CSIR-Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Engineering, India. His primary research interest is in the area of advanced functional materials which embraces search for polymer based composite materials for solar energy conversion and storage, mechanically flexible spectral manipulators for UV protection and sensing, and electro-active smart materials for pressure sensing. He is the recipient of IX^th National Award for Technology Innovation from the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India. He has filed 1 Indian and 1 US patent, and has 32 research papers in reputed international journals, and 6 book chapters to his credit.

Dr. Chetankumar Patel is currently working as an associate professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Sitarambhai Naranji Patel Institute of Technology and Research Centre, India. He pursued his Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 2016. He was at PRISME Laboratory, University of Orleans, France as a Postdoctoral fellow (2018-19). He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Mechanical engineering from L.D. College of Engineering, India in 2002 and 2007 respectively. His primary areas of research include microscopic and macroscopic spray investigations, in-cylinder spray and combustion visualization, in-cylinder combustion investigations, emissions, noise and vibrations investigations, biofuels, composite materials, manufacturing science and engineering. He has 16 peer-reviewed publication in high impact SCI journals and 6 peer-reviewed international conference publications. He also authored three book chapters.