Specialty Polymers and Materials

Shrikaant Kulkarni, PhD, is an Adjunct Professor of Business at the Victoria Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, as well as an Adjunct Professor at the Centre of Research Outcome and Impact at Chitkara University, Punjab, India. Dr. Kulkarni has been a senior academician and researcher for over four decades. He has delivered invited lectures and conducted sessions at national and international conferences and faculty development programs. He has guided many major and minor projects in engineering chemistry, green chemistry, nanotechnology, analytical chemistry, catalysis, chemical engineering materials, industrial organization, management, and AI. He has published over 100 research papers in national and international journals and conferences, authored more than 50 book chapters, and edited 25 books published by international publishers, with additional books in the offing. He has also authored four textbooks in engineering chemistry.Vasi Shaikh, PhD, is Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Science and Environmental Studies, where he established the Polymer Chemistry Research Laboratory and an industryoriented postgraduate program in industrial polymer chemistry. He has over 30 years of experience in education, research, and industry. He was awarded the Ideal Teacher Award and the Best Teacher Award by MIT-WPU and Savitribai Phule Pune University, respectively. He has published book chapters and articles in national and international journals, presented at conferences and given invit ed talks, worked on several research projects, and consulted on various projects. His areas of research include LCPs, microplastics, plant extract-derived nanoparticles and nanocomposites in drug applications, water purification, green and biomaterials, etc. He started his career as a production chemist with Asian Paints (I) Ltd. and worked as a junior and senior research fellow on DST-sponsored research projects.

• PART I: SPECIALTY POLYMERS FOR AGRICULTURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND PACKAGING APPLICATIONS 1. Recent Advances in Polymers for Oilfield Applications: Focus on Carbon Geo-Storage 2. Agricultural Use of Various Polymeric Nanocomposites and Future Avenues 3. Smart Polymeric Coatings and Adhesives 4. Edible Polymers and Their Applications in Food Packaging and Other Areas PART II: SMART POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES FOR CATALYTIC, SENSING, DRUG DELIVERY, AND DEFENSE APPLICATIONS 5. Recent Advancements in Smart Hybrid Polymeric Gels for Catalytic Applications 6. Electrospun Nanofiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites and Their Advanced Applications 7. Next-Generation Polymer-Based Biosensor Design 8. Applications of Biodegradable Polymers for Drug Delivery Systems 9. Poloxamer: Application as a Promising Polymer in Different Drug Delivery Systems PART III: HIGH PERFORMANCE POLYMERS FOR SPECIALTY APPLICATIONS 10. Recent Advancements in Nontraditional Luminous Polymers, Their Production, and Potential Applications 11. Applications of Cellulose Nano-Crystals (CNC) in Drug Delivery 12. Rubbers and Elastomers in Specialty Applications