Biographical note

Dr. Aparna Thankappan is Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, Baselius College, Kerala, India. She completed her PhD in Photonics in 2015 at Cochin University of Science and Technology, before working on a project on ZnO nanostructures for solar cell applications at the International and Interuniversity Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, from 2015 to 2017. She has published numerous articles and edited books in the area of advanced materials. Prof. Sabu Thomas is a Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering and the Director of the School of Energy Materials at Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Trivandrum Engineering Science & Technology Research Park (TrEST Research Park) in Thiruvananthapuram, India. He is the founder director of the International and Inter-university Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Mahatma Gandhi University and the former Vice-Chancellor of the same institution. Prof. 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. Thomas has been conferred with Honoris Causa (DSc) by the University of South Brittany, France. Prof. Yuhua Wang is Director of the National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, and Professor at the School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, China. From 2006 to 2012, he was Deputy Dean of the School of Physics Science and Technology at Lanzhou University. His research interests involve the discovery, development, and application of novel functional materials, and he has received numerous research grants and awards. Prof. Wang has published a large number of journal articles, several book chapters, and 21 patents.