Comprehensive Polymer Science

Comprehensive Polymer Science presents an authoritative and comprehensive treatment on the role of polymers in modern science and technology. Like the book's first edition, this update gives a broad, in-depth, and fundamental understanding of polymer synthesis, polymerization processes, properties, characterization methods, and techniques to develop polymer nanostructures and soft objects. Readers will find discussions on a myriad of applications of polymeric materials, with this fully revised and updated edition including a greater focus on issues surrounding sustainability, energy, and biomedical fields.

As a complete overview of the flourishing role of polymers in modern science and technology, this new edition retains the critically acclaimed approach of the previous edition while introducing readers to the latest developments in the field.

• Provides broad, in-depth coverage of all aspects of polymer science and engineering, including the latest advances in the field
• Integrates multidisciplinary aspects of the science into a single, comprehensive, newly updated reference work
• Covers fundamental issues surrounding bio-based and biodegradable polymers that could shape future research
• Presents industrial applications and their role in sustainable future development
• Includes coverage of the main challenges and an outlook on polymer-based advanced and functional materials for applications in agriculture, biomedical, water-purification, and green and sustainable energy
• Addresses fundamental issues that persist concerning plastic sustainability

Professor Suprakas Sinha Ray is a Chief Research Scientist and Manager of the Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, and Director of the DSTI-CSIR Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa. He received his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry at the University of Calcutta, India, in 2001, and was a recipient of the ‘‘Sir P. C Ray Research Award’’ for the best PhD work. Prof. Ray’s current research focuses on the applications of advanced nanostructured & polymeric materials. He is one of the most active and highly cited authors (h-index of 99) in the field of polymer nanocomposite materials, and he has recently been ranked by Thomson Reuters among the Top 1% most impactful and influential scientists and among the top 50 high-impact chemists.

He has delivered more than 77 plenary/keynote/invited presentations at international conferences and has organised or co-organised several events. He authored 16 books, co-authored 13 edited books, wrote 65 book chapters on various aspects of polymer-based nano-structured materials and their applications, and published 687 articles in high-impact international journals. His work also includes 14 articles in peer-reviewed international conference proceedings and 30 articles in national and international conference proceedings. Additionally, he holds nine patents (registered or pending) and has developed 13 new technologies, which he has shared with colleagues, collaborators, and industry partners. His team has commercialised several products and supported SMMEs. Over the past 19 years, he has mentored 27 postdoctoral fellows and supervised 48 PhD and 17 Master’s students. In 2016, he was honored with South Africa’s most prestigious NSTF Award.