BOOKS & MEDIA

Emerging
nanotechnologies for
manufacturing
Waqar Ahmed and M. J. Jackson
Springer 2009 500 pp
ISBN: 978-0-8155-1583-8
125 / $199 / 133
Nanotechnology is a technology on
the verge of commercialization. In
this important work, an unrivalled
team of international experts provides
an exploration of the emerging
nanotechnologies that are poised to
make the nano-revolution a reality in
the manufacturing sector.

Integrated design
of multiscale,
multifunctional
materials and products
David McDowell, et al.
CRC Press 2009 392 pp
ISBN: 978-1-85617-662-0
54.99 / $89.95 / 59.95
This book presents the motivation
for pursuing concurrent design of
materials and products, thoroughly
discussing the details of multiscale
modeling and multilevel robust
design and provides details of the
design methods/strategies along
with selected examples of designing
material attributes for specified
system performance.

Materials
characterization
techniques
Sam Zhang, et al.
Elsevier 2008 344 pp
ISBN: 978-1-42004-294-8
$99.95
Materials Characterization Techniques
presents the principles of widely
used advanced surface and structural
characterization techniques for quality
assurance, contamination control, and
process improvement.

Expert
Graduate
Undergraduate

Nano- and Biocomposites

EAdvanced polymer-based nanocomposite materials have gained in
popularity during the last decade for a wide range of engineering
applications, with improvement of various types of products and
commercialization of products, which exploit their unique behavior.
Luc Avrous | luc.averous@unistra.fr

These novel materials show specific nano-structures and

unique mechanical, thermal properties, conductivity, and
permeability. Due to their properties and high potentials,
these systems continue to become increasingly
popular and important for a wide range of engineering
applications as evidenced by continued governments
initiatives involving strong R&D inputs.
The behavior of these systems brings
new challenges in understanding,
predicting, and managing potential
adverse effects, such as toxicity and the
impact of exposure on human being
and the environment. Thus, widespread
applications of nano-materials have
enormous potential to both positively
and negatively affect the human health
and the environment.
In the past few years of research,
biological and biomedical applications
of nano-structural resins have been
conducted in in-vitro and in-vivo
environments. The evaluation involved how the resins
can bond for biocompatibility to bone for repair after
breaking, to teeth for filling in safe conditions, to
various types of tissues for wound healing... Synthetic
polymeric and natural (from biomass) materials have
been found to be suitable for tissue engineering
applications. For an example, silk (like cocoon or
spider) fiber, and biodegradable polymer biocomposites
produced by electrospinning have been developed for
tissue engineering (scaffolding), e.g. for bone repair.
Many researchers have also demonstrated the use
of nanostructural and mainly inorganic materials as
reinforcements, such as nano-apatite, lamellar nanoclays
(montmorillonites), and nanofibers (carbon nanotubes).
According to their chemical structures and geometries,
these nano-fillers enhance the mechanical properties and
thermal stability of biocompatible and/or biodegradable
polymers for both environmental and biomedical
(artificial joints, scaffolding) applications. Tissue
engineering is one aspect that utilizes both engineering
and life science disciplines to either maintain existing
tissue structures or enable tissue growth.
This book includes major works from different aspects of
nano-material and biomaterial technologies to contribute
to the advanced materials and biomedical industries. This
book also deals with various environmental nano-materials

based on, e.g., enzymatic biopolymers to develop new

environmental nano-biocomposites in agreement with
the concept of sustainable development. In fact, nano
and bio (biotechnology) are the two foremost research
areas that govern the majority of research in science and
engineering fields, throughout the world. These materials
can be found at the crossroad of these two
areas (nano-bio).
Some of the main applications explored in
this book include: (i) tissue engineering and
growth, (ii) mechanical and thermal stability
enhancement of biocompatible polymers for
artificial joints and scaffolding, (iii) thermal
management for directed energy weapons,
deicing, and electronics, (iv) structural
performance for primary and secondary
airframe structures, jet engines, (v) electrical
conductivity for lightning-strike protection,
electromagnetic interference (EMI),
electrostatic discharge (ESD), and energy
(Eds.) Alan Kin-tak Lau, Farzana Hussain, Khalid Lafdi
Nano- and Biocomposites
CRC Press 2009 408 pp ISBN: 978-1-4200-8027-8
$159.95 / 99.00

storage, (vi) durability for chemical, wear, flame retardance,

permeability (vii) health monitoring for certification
with non destructive examination (NDE certification),
damage detection, and long-term degradation, and (viii)
biodegradable nano-structural materials with a controlled
end of life by biodegradation, in a compost or in contact
with living tissues.
This book provides a basic understanding of nanomaterial and nano-composite researches to explain the
fundamentals of how nano-structured fillers strengthen
(bio) polymer-based materials. With an emphasis on
how nano- and biocomposites are used to create new
biomedical and environmental applications. The text of
this book also focuses on the crucial yet often-ignored
potential toxicity impact of using nano-structured
materials (nano-fillers). It presents important guidelines
and new insights to stimulate investigation of anticipated
research in this fascinating new field. Researchers,
scientists, academic teachers and graduade students
should appreciate this cutting-edge exploration of nanomaterials, biomaterials, and the ever-evolving world of
nano-biomaterials.

APRIL 2010 | VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 4

57