Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Polymer Nanocomposites: From Synthesis to Applications

Sabu Thomas is the chairman at the Trivandrum Engineering Science and Technology Research Park (TrEST Research Park) and the former vice chancellor at the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He is also the director at the School of Energy Materials, the School of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Prof. Thomas is also the former director at the School of Chemical Sciences and the founder of the School of Polymer Science and Technology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He received his Ph. D. in 1987 in Polymer Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India. He has been ranked no.1 in India about the number of publications (most productive scientists). Prof. Thomas’s research group specialized areas of polymers which includes Polymer blends, Fiber filled polymer composites, Particulate-filled polymer composites and their morphological characterization, Ageing and degradation, Pervaporation phenomena, sorption and diffusion, Interpenetrating polymer systems, Recyclability and reuse of waste plastics and rubbers, Elastomer cross-linking, Dual porous nanocomposite scaffolds for tissue engineering, etc. Prof. Thomas’s research group has extensive exchange programs with different industries, research, and academic institutions all over the world and is performing world-class collaborative research in various fields. Professors Centre is equipped with various sophisticated instruments and has established state-of-the-art experimental facilities which cater to the needs of researchers within the country and abroad. His H Index- 133, Google Citations- 86424, Number of Publications- 1300, and Books-160.

Dr. Lakshmipriya Somasekharan got her PhD from IIUCNN, Mahatma Gandhi University with a UGC-JRF fellowship. Her interest is in the preparation and characterisation of polymer nanocomposites, with a research focus on POSS natural rubber nanocomposites, synthesis of POSS nanoparticles and its hybrids with other nanofillers, and preparation and characterisation of nanocomposites with elastomers.