Engineering of Natural Polymeric Gels and Aerogels for Multifunctional Applications

Sabu Thomas is a Professor and Director of the International and Interuniversity Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. Professor Thomas is internationally recognized for his contributions to polymer science and engineering, with his research interests encompassing polymer nanocomposites, elastomers, polymer blends, interpenetrating polymer networks, polymer membranes, green composites, nanocomposites, nanomedicine, and green nanotechnology. His groundbreaking inventions in polymer nanocomposites, polymer blends, green bionanotechnology, and nano-biomedical sciences have significantly advanced the development of new materials for the automotive, space, housing, and biomedical fields.

Dr. Bastien Seantier is a chemical physicist working in the field of material sciences, currently as associate professor at the Institute of Research Dupuy De Lôme, University of South Britany, Lorient, France. With a background in materials science and polymer chemistry, he completed his PhD in chemical physics for macromolecular imprinting on lipid bilayers at the Institute Charles Sadron, Strasbourg, France, in 2004. Dr. Seantier’s current research deals with designing new polysaccharide aerogels for multifunctional applications. Starting from cellulose nanofibers extracted from several natural resources, he aims to develop biomaterials for various applications, such as thermal insulation, biomedical applications, bio-sensors, filtration, and biocomposites. These materials are now designed with various polysaccharide bioresources and processes as environmentally friendly as possible, like freeze-drying or spray freeze-drying. The aim is to control and tune the structure and morphology of the aerogels to specific applications.

Blessy Joseph is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. She earned degrees in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from the University of Kerala, India, including a master’s focused on Molecular Medicine. She later pursued her PhDin the same field at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. Her research focuses on nanotechnology, drug delivery systems, biomaterials, and polymer nanocomposites for tissue engineering.