Vijayamohanan K Pillai is Acting Director, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, and Scientist, Physical & Materials Chemistry Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. He has been a Visiting Scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York and won several awards and honours. His areas of interest are self-assembled monolayers, monolayer-protected nanoclusters, and hybrid materials and their electrochemistry.

Meera Parthasarathy is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical & Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu. Her current research activity includes electrochemistry, materials science, nanomaterials synthesis and functionalization, fuel cells, biological separations and electrochemical imaging.

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Series
Editorial Advisory Board
1 Functional Materials: A Virtual Tour
1.1 Materials Science and Engineering—The Conventional Outlook
1.2 What are Functional Materials?
1.3 Where do Functional Materials come from?
1.4 Historical Perspectives
1.5 Lessons from Nature
1.6 Significance of Functional Materials
1.7 Engineering Functions
1.8 Dematerialization
1.9 The Way Ahead—Multiscale Modelling and Computation
1.10 Conclusions
2 Classification of Functional Materials
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Classification Based on Chemical Identity
2.3 Classification Based on Functions and Applications
2.4 Technological Relevance
2.5 Conclusions
3 Molecular Self-Assembly
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Classification of Self-assembled Monolayers
3.3 Synthetic Protocols and Challenges 3.4 Limitations of Self-assembly
3.5 Applications of SAMs
3.6 Conclusions
4 Bioinspired Materials
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Classification of Bioid Materials
4.5 Bionics: Bioinspired Information Technology
4.5 Biomineralization—en route to Nanotechnology
4.6 Advantages and Limitations
4.7 Challenges Ahead
4.8 Conclusions
5 Smart Materials
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Smart Tools to Impart intelligence
5.3 Representative Examples
5.4 Technological Limitations and Challenges
5.5 Conclusions
6 Functional Materials for Sustainable Energy
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Materials for Solar Energy Conversion
6.4 Materials for Electrochemical Power Sources
6.5 Hydrogen Economy—a Material Challenge
6.6 Impact of Nanotechnology
6.7 Conclusions
7 Materials for Polymer Electronics
7.1 Introduction
7.2 From Molecular Electronics to Polymer Electronics
7.3 Polymeric Semiconductors in Light Emitting Diodes
7.4 Polymer Photovoltaics
7.5 Polymer Displays
7.6 Field Effect Transistors
7.7 Intelligent Polymers for Data Storage 7.8 Conclusions
8 Functional Nanocomposites
8.1 Why ‘Nano’composites?
8.2 Classification of Nanocomposites
8.3 Synthetic Strategies
8.4 How to make Nanocomposites ‘Functional’?
8.5 Interfacial Engineering—Harvesting Maximum Performance
8.6 Theoretical models for Interfacial Interactions
8.7 Applications of Nanocomposites
8.8 Conclusions
xiv Contents
9 Going Beyond Functional Materials—Future Directions
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Limitations of Functional Materials 9.3 Major Challenges in Developing Next Generation Materials
9.4 Social Impact of Functional Materials
9.5 Functional Materials and the UN Millennium Development Goals
9.6 Predictions for the Future
9.7 Epilogue

This book lucidly explains various aspects of functional materials, beginning from fundamental definitions to specific applications and methods of introducing functions, emerging synthetic tools and many attendant challenges. The authors admirably unravel the subject’s multi-disciplinary breadth and convey their smart understanding of the new innovative trends in the design, synthesis and manufacture of new materials. They elegantly combine various aspects of molecular design, material preparation, organization, characterization and applications with many fascinating, real-life examples..

— R A Mashelkar
National Research Professor, CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow & President, Global Research Alliance
National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India