Plastics and Sustainability: Practical Approaches provides a broad overview of sustainability as applied to plastics, offering a range of opportunities and solutions to be applied in an academic or industrial setting. The book begins by introducing the challenges and opportunities relating to plastics and environmental sustainability. This is followed by detailed eco-profiles organized by polymer category. Subsequent chapters explore various approaches to plastics sustainability, with in-d...

Polylactic Acid: A Practical Guide for the Processing, Manufacturing, and Applications of PLA, Second Edition, provides a practical guide for engineers and scientists working in PLA and on the development of emerging new products. The current market situation for PLA and biodegradable polymers is described, along with applications across a range of market sectors. In addition, the mechanical, chemical, thermal, rheology and degradation properties are included. Updates include new chapters ...

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is the first viable thermoplastic that can be produced from a plant-based feedstock such as corn or sugar cane, and yet be processed by the conventional melt processing technologies. At the same time, Polylactic Acid is produced at the largest industrial scale of all biodegradable polymers. It is being used in biomedical applications, for bottle production and in compostable food packaging. It is also being evaluated as a material for tissue engineering. Mass producti...

Focusing on a variety of coatings, this book provides detailed discussion on preparation, novel techniques, recent developments, and design theories to present the advantages of each function and provide the tools for better product performance and properties.• Presents advantages and benefits of properties and applications of the novel coating types• Includes chapters on specific and novel coatings, like nanocomposite, surface wettability tunable, stimuli-responsive, anti-f...

Biomass Fractionation Technologies for a Lignocellulosic Feedstock-based Biorefinery reviews the extensive research and tremendous scientific and technological developments that have occurred in the area of biorefinering, including industrial processes and product development using 'green technologies', often referred as white biotechnology. As there is a huge need for new design concepts for modern biorefineries as an alternative and amendment to industrial crude oil and gas refineries, t...

Permeability properties are essential data for the selection of materials and design of products across a broad range of market sectors from food packaging to Automotive applications to Medical Devices. This unique handbook brings together a wealth of permeability data in a form that enables quick like-for-like comparisons between materials. The data is supported by a full explanation of its interpretation, and an introduction to the engineering aspects of permeability in polymers. The thi...

Today, young cosmetics researchers who have completed their graduate studies and have entered a cosmetics company are put through several years of training before they become qualified to design cosmetics formulations themselves. They are trained so that they can design formulas not by a process of logic but by heart, like craftsmen, chefs, or carpenters. This kind of training seems a terrible waste of labor and time. To address this issue and allow young scientists to design novel cosmeti...

Functionalized Conjugated Polyelectrolytes presents a comprehensive review of these polyelectrolytes and their biomedical applications. Basic aspects like molecular design and optoelectronic properties are covered in the first chapter. Emphasis is placed on the various applications including sensing (chemical and biological), disease diagnosis, cell imaging, drug/gene delivery and disease treatment. This book explores a multi-disciplinary topic of interest to researchers working i...

Thoroughly revised edition of the classic text on polymer processingThe Second Edition brings the classic text on polymer processing thoroughly up to date with the latest fundamental developments in polymer processing, while retaining the critically acclaimed approach of the First Edition. Readers are provided with the complete panorama of polymer processing, starting with fundamental concepts through the latest current industry practices and future directions. All the chapters hav...

The use of distinctive colourants and finishes has a significant impact on the aesthetic appeal and functionality of technical textiles. Advances in the textile chemical industry facilitate production of diverse desirable properties, and are therefore of great interest in the production of textile products with enhanced performance characteristics. Drawing on key research, Advances in the dyeing and finishing of technical textiles details important advances in this field and outlines their...

A classical metastable state possesses a local free energy minimum at infinite sizes, but not a global one. This concept is phase size independent. We have studied a number of experimental results and proposed a new concept that there exists a wide range of metastable states in polymers on different length scales where their metastability is critically determined by the phase size and dimensionality. Metastable states are also observed in phase transformations that are kinetically impeded ...

The book elucidates the role of inorganic polyphosphates in eukaryotic cells, from fungi and protozoa to human being. To date, there is plenty of evidence that these anionic biopolymers occurring in the cells of all living organisms, from bacteria to humans, perform numerous regulatory functions. The book describes the evolution of PolyPs, their role in lower eukaryotes and their involvement in various processes in the human organism, as well as its use in biomaterials such as bioactive gl...