Ritima Banerjee

This book integrates fundamental knowledge about computational modeling, rheology, and characterization of polymeric materials with a thorough and critical overview of advanced and emerging manufacturing techniques in polymer processing, including significant past and recent advances. All concepts are illustrated with case studies, so as to enable the reader to correlate theory with practical applications. It is intended for students, researchers, and R&D professionals engaged in developing advanced polymeric materials and products. Conventional polymer processing has been revolutionized by technologies such as computational modeling, machine learning, and advanced machine design. On the other hand, newer advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, 4D printing, electrospinning, and nanocellular foaming have emerged to enable manufacture of products that would impossible to produce by conventional methods. This book covers both of these aspects, as well as application-specific polymer processing techniques employed in the field of tissue engineering. Furthermore, it addresses fundamental issues related to advanced and emerging processing techniques of sustainable polymeric materials and their nanocomposites, which could shape future research and industrial application of these materials for sustainable future development.

Sustainable Polylactide-Based Composites integrates fundamental knowledge pertaining to manufacturing and characterization of polymer composites with a thorough and critical overview of the state-of-the-art in PLA-based composites, including significant past and recent advances. The book begins with insights into the basics of polymer composites, with special reference to sustainable composites, as well as fundamental knowledge related to PLA. This is followed by chapters on manufacturing methods, morphological characterization techniques, and the mechanical models used for polymer composites. A comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in PLA-based sustainable composites of all extensively used fillers is then presented. After providing fundamental knowledge related to PLA and polymer composites, including structure-property-processing relationship, the book focuses on recent research efforts and key research challenges in the development of PLA-based composites, as well as lifecycle assessment and recycling.

Sustainable Polylactide-Based Blends provides a critical overview of the state-of-the-art in polylactide (PLA)-based blends, addressing the latest advances, innovative processing techniques and fundamental issues that persist in the field. Sections cover the fundamentals of sustainable polymeric materials, polylactide and polymer blends, current and upcoming processing technologies, structure and morphology characterization techniques for PLA and PLA-based blends, and the processing, morphology development, and properties of polylactide-based blends. Final chapters focus on current and future applications, market potential, key challenges and future outlooks. Throughout the book, theoretical modeling of immiscible polymer blends helps to establish structure-property relationships in various PLA-based polymer blends. With in-depth coverage of fundamentals and processing techniques, the book aims to support the selection of each processing method, along with an understanding of surface chemistry to achieve improved compatibility between phases.

Foamability of Thermoplastic Polymeric Materials presents a cutting-edge approach to thermoplastic polymeric foams, drawing on the latest research and guiding the reader through the fundamental science, foamability, structure-property-processing relationship, multi-phase polymeric materials, degradation characteristics of biodegradable foams and advanced applications. Sections provide detailed information on foam manufacturing technologies and the fundamental science behind foaming, present insights on the factors affecting foamability, cover ways of enhancing the foamability of various polymeric materials, with special focus on multi-phase systems, discuss the degradation of biodegradable foams and special morphology development for scaffolds, packaging, acoustic and super-insulation applications, as well as cell seeding studies in scaffolds. Each application has specific requirements in terms of desired properties. This in-depth coverage and analysis helps those looking to move forward with microcellular processing and polymer foaming. This is an ideal resource for researchers, advanced students and professionals interested in the microcellular processing of polymeric materials in the areas of polymer foaming, polymer processing, plastics engineering and materials science.