Rubber Materials: Fundamentals, Sustainability, and Applications provides a fresh perspective on the potential of rubber materials in the 21st century when our global society faces unprecedented challenges related to resource consumption, waste management, and environmental impact. The book begins with an overview of the foundation of rubber science, covering fundamental principles, recent advancements, and future challenges. Sections discuss sustainability aspects and emerging trends within elastomer science and technology, all within the context of the 7Rs of the circular economy. Finally, the book presents advanced sustainable applications of rubber materials in diverse fields, including robotics, healthcare, energy, and more.
This book serves as a valuable reference to materials scientists, industrial and academic researchers, and R&D professionals seeking to explore sustainable solutions in the realm of rubbers and elastomers, including their green applications.
Santana, Marianella Hernández: - Dr. Marianella Hernández Santana is a Materials Engineer (Simon Bolivar University, Caracas, Venezuela) with an MSc in Macromolecular Physical-Chemistry (Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France) and a PhD in Chemical Sciences (Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain). As a Marie Curie Fellow, she joined Prof. van der Zwaag's group (Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands) where she developed self-healing elastomers. Later, she returned to Spain and joined the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP, CSIC). In 2019, she was awarded a Ramon y Cajal position, the most prestigious postdoctoral position in Spain. Currently, she is a Tenured Scientist at ICTP, CSIC, leading a pioneering research line in the development of self-healing elastomers. She is the Director of the International Rubber Technology Network (RITC) of the Latin American Society of Rubber Technology (SLTC), which brings together companies, universities, technological centers, and research institutes specializing in rubber in Ibero-America. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Association of Composite Materials (AEMAC) and chair of the International Conference on Self-Healing Materials (ICSHM 2024). Her research focuses on the implementation of circular economy principles, promoting the use of self-healing materials and bio-based rubber compounds.
Utrera-Barrios, Saul: - Saul Utrera-Barrios, AMRSC, is a Materials Engineer specializing in polymers, from Simón Bolívar University (Caracas, Venezuela) with a MSc in Plastics and Rubbers from Menendez Pelayo International University (UIMP) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (Madrid, Spain). With a PhD in Advanced Chemistry from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, he focuses on the development of self-healing and recyclable elastomeric materials for innovative applications, which has resulted in numerous scientific publications in high impact editorials. He holds membership in several organizations, including the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ, Madrid, Spain), the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS-Rubber Division, Akron, United States of American), the International Rubber Technology Network (RITC) from the Latin American Rubber Technology Society (SLTC) and recently inducted as an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC, London, United Kingdom). His research interests center on the development, processing, characterization, and technology of elastomers and/or rubbers, guided by Circular Economy principles.
