Advanced Composites Applications for Covid-19 and Beyond

This book examines advanced composites, such as biocomposites, hybrid composites, hybrid biocomposites, and nanocomposites to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past two years, composite materials have grown in strength, stature, and significance to become a key material of enhanced scientific interest and resultant research into understanding their behavior for selection and safe use in a wide spectrum of technology-related applications. The authors describe distinctive features of these materials, such as low density, high strength, high elastic modulus, high hardness, high temperature endurance, and outstanding chemical and environmental stability. The book further discusses recent global scenarios during the pandemic, composite and biocomposite materials characterization, design solutions, the characteristics and performance of materials and structures, and their roles in reducing virus spread. It also looks at the prospects, obstacles, and future directions of composites.

Introduction to COVID-19 and Its Repercussions.- Basic Knowledge of Composite and Biocomposite.- Role of Composites during COVID-19 Pandemic.- Application of Biocomposites during COVID-19 Pandemic.- Emerging developments on nanocomposite-based membrane filtration material against microbes.- Char Applications in Medical and Domestic Waste Management.- Materials Selection of Biopolymer Composites Filled with Waste Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) using Analytical Hierarchy Process for the Biocomposite Products.- Public Awareness Campaign and its Impacts towards Community.

S.M. Sapuan is a researcher and an A Grade Professor of composite materials at Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a Head of Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology, INTROP, UPM. He has a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from University of Newcastle, Australia, an MSc in Engineering Design from Loughborough University, UK and PhD in Material Engineering from De Montfort University, UK.

R.A. Ilyas is a senior lecturer in Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia. He received his Diploma in Forestry; Bachelor’s Degree (BSc) in Chemical Engineering; and PhD in Biocomposite Technology and Design at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and was the recipient of MVP Doctor of Philosophy Gold Medal Award UPM 2019, for Best PhD Thesis and Top Student Award, INTROP, UPM.

M.M. Harussani is a postgraduate student at the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), Japan, in energy science and engineering, sponsored by the Japanese Government under the Monbukagakusho: MEXT 2022 Scholarship. He has received a BSc degree in physics from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and an MSc degree in materials engineering from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). His exceptional academic performance during his master’s studies earned him the Master’s Gold Medal with Thesis.