Nano Hydrogels: Physico-Chemical Properties and Recent Advances in Structural Designing (Gels Horizons: From Science to Smart Materials)

This book introduces the reader to important aspects of the nano-hydrogels. It covers the development of hydrogels and their biology, chemistry and properties. Focus is also given to innovative characterization techniques and advances in structural design, with special emphasis on molecular structure, dynamic behavior and structural modifications of hydrogels. This book serves as a consolidated reference work for the diverse aspects of hydrogels, creating a valuable resource for students and researchers in academia and industry.    From the Back Cover This book introduces the reader to important aspects of the nano-hydrogels. It covers the development of hydrogels and their biology, chemistry and properties. Focus is also given to innovative characterization techniques and advances in structural design, with special emphasis on molecular structure, dynamic behavior and structural modifications of hydrogels. This book serves as a consolidated reference work for the diverse aspects of hydrogels, creating a valuable resource for students and researchers in academia and industry.    About the Author Jiya Jose is a currently Postdoctoral Researcher in Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. She has done her Ph.D. in Marine Sciences from Cochin University of Science and Technology, India. Her research interests include marine microbiology and nanobiotechnology. Dr. Jose has been the recipient of the prestigious UGC – Dr. S. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellowship, as well as receiving many awards for the research in national and international conferences. She has served as an Editor on 2 books, authored 7 book chapters and 28 research publications in international journals and conferences.   Sabu Thomas is currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India, in addition to being the Founder Director of the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. After his B.Tech. in Polymer Science and Rubber Technology from the University of Cochin, he went on to do his Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Prof. Thomas is the Chief Editor of Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects and has received many national and international awards, including Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry, MRSI award, SESR award, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Scientific Excellence, an honorary degree by Université de Lorraine and multiple fellowships by prestigious societies and universities. Prof. Thomas’ research has spanned many areas of nanocomposite and polymer science and engineering, and he has edited more than 70 books, holds 5 patents and authored more than 1101 research publications and edited 135 books. Vijay Kumar Thakur (VKT) is currently a Professor in the Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre at SRUC, United Kingdom and also holds an Adjunct Professor position in the Research School of Polymeric Materials, Jiangsu University, China. He has previously held faculty positions at Cranfield University UK, Washington State University USA, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and LHU–Taiwan. His expertise includes the synthesis of biobased monomers/ polymers and the processing of sustainable composites. He has been a PI/ Co-I on several projects sponsored by BAE Systems; EPSRC (EP/T024607/1); Royal Academy of Engineering (IAPP-33- 24/01/2017; IAPP18-19\295); UKIERI (DST/INT/UK/P-164/2017); Innovate UK and others. He has published over 160 SCI journal articles, 2 patents, 44 books & 35 book chapters in areas concerning polymers and materials science (Hi 66, 12,500 citations.  12 of his research publications have received the distinction of being listed as highly cited papers and 3 of being ‘hot’ papers by Web of Science.