Rubber Technology: Manufacture, Processing, Properties, and 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.

Abitha V.K. is a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Her areas of research include rubber, polymer blends, fibre filled polymer composites, particulate filled polymer composites and their morphological and structural characterization. Dr. Abitha has written several book chapters, and has co-edited three books with Elsevier.

Keloth Paduvilan Jibin is an assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry, Mahatma Gandhi College, Iritty Kannur, Kerala, India. He completed his Master of Science degree in Analytical Chemistry in 2016, and was ranked first in the MSc Analytical Chemistry at Mahatma Gandhi University. Jibin has presented several papers at national and international conferences. As part of his work on nanomaterials, he has been involved in projects on optical studies of samarium complexes, synthesized using curcumin, isolated from turmeric extract as ligand, and on the synthesis of Mg and Co co-doped ZnO-based diluted magnetic semi-conductors, for optoelectronic applications. Currently he is working in the area of hybrid polymer nanocomposites for engineering applications. He has published 10 journal articles, more than 10 book chapters and edited two books.

Hanna J. Maria is a Senior Researcher at the School of Energy Materials and the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Her research focusses on natural rubber composites and their blends, thermoplastic composites, lignin, nanocellulose, bionanocomposites, nanocellulose, rubber-based composites and nanocomposites.