Handbook of Natural Polymers, Volume 1

Dr. Sreekala Meyyarappallil Sadasivan is recognized for her research in the field of polymer macro, micro and nanocomposites, polymer foams and their blends. After receiving her Ph.D. in Chemistry (Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam), she held research positions in the Japan and Germany before joining the Sree Sankara College. Currently she is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at School of Chemical Sciences, director of School of Polymer Science and Technology (SPST) and Joint director of School of Nanoscience and Technology (SNST) and International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IIUCNN), Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. The research in Sreekala’s laboratory is focused on development and property improvements of polymer composites for high end automotive, aerospace and structural applications, development of fully biodegradable, green and sustainable polymer composites from natural fibers, biopolymers etc. for industrial application, electronic applications of polymer nanocomposites such as nanogenerators, electromagnetic shielding (EMI) etc., biomedical applications of polymer composites for effective wound healing and development of biofiller entrapped polymer nanocomposites for water remediation. She was ranked among the top 2% of scientists in the world (Rising Stars List) according to a subject-by subject study undertaken by a team from Stanford University and Scopus experts for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. She has an h-index of 38 and total citation of 7306. She is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Indian Rubber Institute, and was the recipient of JSPS and AvH fellowship, CSIR senior research fellowship and ICS-UNIDO fellowship.Dr. Lakshmipriya Ravindran is NavaKerala Post-Doctoral Fellow (NKPDF), International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IIUCNN) Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India- 686560. With a focus on a wide array of research areas, her contributions have been instrumental in advancing the field of materials science and nanotechnology. Her primary research interests encompass the synthesis of nano materials sourced from both bio-origin and synthetic materials. A significant portion of her work revolves around the preparation of nanocomposites and macrocomposites, exploring their applications across various domains. Her expertise extends to the realm of flexible electronics, polymer foams, polymer hydrogels, and membranes designed for water purification. Dr. Ravindran has also delved into the conversion of biomass for energy storage, a crucial area for sustainable energy solutions. She has authored many papers, book chapters and edited books. She convened many international conferences. Also delivered invited talks in international conferences within India and abroad. She has bagged best oral presentation in an international conference and best poster presentation in a national conference.Prof. Koichi Goda is Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Full Professor, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at Yamaguchi University, Japan. Prof. Goda has significant experience in areas including biopolymers, composite materials, reliability, and nanotechnology, with recent research focusing on green composites. He has received numerous awards for his work in including most recently the Meritorious Contribution Award from JCOM (Committee on Composite Materials of JSMS – The Society of Materials Science, Japan) in 2018, and the JSMS Award for Distinguished Service to Chugoku Branch in 2020.Professor Sabu Thomas is currently an Emeritus Professor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He was the former Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University. He is a Senior Professor of Christ University, Bangalore, India. He is also a visiting Professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and an Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Polymer and Process Engineering, IIT Roorkee, India. He is the Chairman of the TrEST Research Park, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. The H index of Professor Thomas is 163 and he has more than 133,000 citations

• 1. The state of the art of biopolymers, challenges and opportunities, and future prospects 2. Extraction and classification of starch from different sources: structure, properties and characterization3. Starch as a promising replacement for synthetic polymers, and starch-based composites, blends, IPNs and Gels 4. Extraction of Nanocellulose from natural resources 5. Nanocellulose a promising reinforcement for polymers 6. Commercialization of polysaccharides: Lab to industry 7. Extraction of chitin and chitosan and its structural evaluation 8. Chitin and Chitosan based polymer blends, IPNs and gels 9. Antibacterial activity of Chitin and Chitosan 10. Grafted natural polymers: synthesis and structure property relationships 11. Isolation of Gluten from wheat flour and structural analysis 12. Extraction of alginate from different natural resources 13. Physical and chemical impact of nanoparticles reinforced alginate-based biomaterials 14. Natural Rubber based micro and nanocomposites15. Gelatin based polymer blends, IPNs, Gels, cryogels, and aerogels16. Isolation and structural evaluation of Pectin; Pectin based polymer blends, composites, IPNs and gels 17. Extraction of lignin and their blends, composites, IPNs and gels 18. Isolation and processing of Keratin based polymer blends, composites, IPNs and gels 19. Gutta Percha a natural biopolymer: Isolation, classifications, and property analysis 20. Isolation and classifications of Shellac 21. Silk based natural biomaterials: Extraction and characterization 22. Wool a natural biopolymer: Extraction and structure property relationships 23. Extraction and properties of casein biopolymer from milk24. Synthesis and characterization of Albumin incorporated with nanomaterials 25. Synthesis and characterization of collagen 26. Extraction of hemicellulose and characterizations 27. Bioconversion of waste to polyhydroxyalkanoates - a circular bioeconomy approach 28. Different sources, extraction, and characterization of zein 29. Isolation and characterization of soya protein 30. Extraction and physicochemical characterization of gum 31. Effect of fillers and filler-host interactions on the properties of natural polymer-based composites 32. Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity studies of natural biopolymers 33. Biodegradability, life cycle analysis, recycling of natural biopolymers