Jithin Joy

CHAPTER 11:Micro and Nano Metal Particle Filled Natural Rubber Composites

The insulating host NR material can be turned into conducting or semi-conducting, depending on the amount of metal particles dispersed throughout the medium. Ferromagnetic iron, nickel and cobalt, aluminium particles, etc. are the choices as metallic magnetic fillers. The composites show a ferromagnetic behaviour and the saturation magnetization is found to increase with the metal content. It is observed that dielectric permittivity increases with an increase as the concentration of filler and decreased by the rise in temperature and the magnetic properties of the composite can be increased by incorporating appropriate amounts of metal particles. Due to to to many advantaged properties of them, they are widely used in chemical sensors, electroluminescent devices, electrocatalysis, batteries, smart windows and memory devices. They also used as microwave absorbers and flexible magnets.

CHAPTER 1:Natural Rubber-Based Composites and Nanocomposites: State of the Art, New Challenges and Opportunities

The discussion of this chapter begins with the brief historical perspectives of natural rubber (NR); the demand of NR, competition of NR to synthetic rubber (SR) and filled-NR for engineering applications are unveiled in the following sections. Challenges to increase the yield of NR latex will be highlighted subsequently. Opportunities to turn lignin from waste NR wood to filler, binder and extender for replacement of carbon black; marketability of NR as industrial raw materials and the potential to develop NR as the feedstock for polymer architectures are discussed. Finally the mechanical properties and applications of filled-NR and non-filled-NR with micro- to nano-fillers; inorganic- and bio-based fillers are advocated in the last section of the chapter.

Gas Transport Through Polymer Bio-nanocomposites

The main function of food packaging is to maintain the quality and safety of food products during storage and transportation and to extend the shelf-life of food products by preventing unfavorable factors or conditions such as spoilage microorganisms, chemical contaminants, oxygen, moisture, light, external force, etc. In order to perform such functions, packaging materials provide physical protection and create proper physicochemical conditions for products that are essential for obtaining a satisfactory shelf-life and maintaining food quality and safety. The food package should hinder gain or loss of moisture, prevent microbial contamination, and act as a barrier against permeation of water vapor, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other volatile compounds such as flavors and taints in addition to the basic properties of packaging materials such as mechanical, optical, and thermal properties. This chapter describes the gas transport through polymer bio-nanocomposites.

Ultraviolet Spectroscopy: A Facile Approach for the Characterization of Nanomaterials

Abstract Ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy is a promising technique that can be used to characterize nanomaterials with light, which is absorbed and scattered by a sample. The properties of materials change dramatically when their size is reduced to the nanometer range, but the characterization of these nanomaterials is not a simple task. In UV spectroscopy the magnitude, peak wavelength, and spectral bandwidth associated with a nanoparticle are reliant on the particles size, shape, and material composition. The precise control of nanoparticle size, size distribution, and dispersion at the nanolevel is very important in the specific usage of these materials. The basics of and the important areas related to UV characterization of nanomaterials are discussed in this chapter.

CHAPTER 16:Nanocellulose: A Novel Support for Water Purification

Water pollution is a serious environmental and public concern all over the world. Many toxic metals (e.g., lead and cadmium) even at trace levels are believed to have adverse effects on human health. Thus, it is important to develop efficient technologies for enhanced removal of toxic metal ions from contaminated waters. Various technologies have been developed for the decontamination of water. Nanocellulose has attracted a great deal of interest as a source of nanometer-sized materials because of their biodegradability, easy availability, and the related characteristics, such as a very large surface-to-volume ratio and outstanding mechanical properties. This article assembles the current applications of nanocellulose in the environment, namely as an adsorbent for heavy metals, water purification, antimicrobial and catalytic activities, and a reinforcement for biodegradable materials. Water pollutant remediation by catalytic decomposition of organic pollutants is a growing application of nanocellulose-based nanocomposites.