Preface

Magnesium (Mg) is an exciting element of the s-block of the modern periodic table, playing a crucial role in photosynthesis. While this is an undisputed aspect of Mg, this element also plays multiple roles as a material in diverse physical forms in a wide variety of industries. This book highlights the diverse aspects of Mg and presents research on its uses with a focus on Mg-based products for sustainable living.

The book is divided into two sections. Section 1 includes two chapters that outline the applicability of Mg-based products in diverse sectors, with due consideration to environmental impact. Section 2 includes four chapters that discuss fine-tuning the parameters of Mg-based alloys/composites/compounds that are critical for their use as engineering or biofunctionalized materials.

Chapter 1, "Introductory chapter: Magnesium - A Perspective" by Abhineet Verma and Sailaja S. Sunkari summarizes some of the important sectors where Mg is involved, including transportation, energy storage, and the chemical industry.

Chapter 2, "Magnesium Alloys for Sustainable Weight-Saving Approach: A Brief Market Overview, New Trends and Perspectives" by Fabrizio D'Errico, Martin Tauber, and Michael Just discuss the environmental impact of Mg processing technologies and the high costs involved in bringing the material into general use. Discussing the factors that drive the demand for Mg alloys in the transportation industry, the authors address the concerns of environmental impact due to processing technologies and provide a hopeful perspective on how the market can propel with Mg-based products for sustainable living.

Chapter 3, "Magnesium in Synthesis of Porous and Biofunctionalized Metallic Materials" by Mariana Correa Rossi, Liliana Romero Resendiz, and Vicente Amigó Borrás presents the advantages of the inherent characteristics of Mg that make it a suitable candidate to couple with other elements for alloying. The chapter deliberates on the experimental techniques to combine Mg with titanium (Ti) for achieving biocompatible Ti–Mg alloys suited for cell growth required for bone degeneration or for use in bone implants.

Chapter 4, "The Role of Silane Sol-Gel Coatings on the Corrosion Protection of Magnesium Alloys" by Emilia Merino, Alicia Durán, and Yolanda Castro examines the relevance of silica sol-gel coatings as an alternative method to control the corrosion of Mg and its alloys and discusses strategies for modification of the sol-gel matrix by incorporation of different types of inhibitors to achieve an active barrier property in Mg alloys for corrosion prevention. Mg alloys are widely explored as structural components of materials in aerospace, automobile, and biomedical fields due to their lightweight and biocompatibility. However, for any material to display its efficient function, its stability is paramount under experimental working conditions. The need for such stability becomes more vital when the functional environment is biological media.

Chapter 5, "Experimental Investigation of Mechanical and Wear Behaviour of AZ91 Magnesium Hybrid Composite Materials" by P. Mathiazhagan and S. Jayabharathy critically examines the significance of hybrid Mg composites and details the development of new and cost-effective magnesium-based alloy hybrid materials by addition of reinforcements like titanium, titanium dioxide, and graphene via stir casting technique for use in varied industrial applications. In the present consumer-driven world, hybrid composite materials overweigh normal materials in terms of fulfilling consumer requirements with minimal harmful effects on the environment.

Chapter 6, "Magnesium Borates: The Relationship between the Characteristics, Properties, and Novel Technologies" by Fatma Tugce Senberberr Dumanli illustrates the emerging synthetic methodologies to obtain magnesium borates, with redesigned morphologies finding use in adsorption, ion-battery agents, and hydrogen release agents in chemotherapy applications. The chapter highlights the benefits of novel methods like solid-state or hybrid synthetic methods over traditional methods in obtaining Mg borates, a starting reagent of extensive use in several industrial applications, and highlights the relationship between their synthesis, characteristics, and novel applications.

Present-day Mg research opens new frontiers in materials research addressing the major concerns of sustainable living and gives hope of retaining a healthy planet earth for future generations.

I wish to thank the chapter authors for their excellent contributions. I am also grateful to Author Service Manager Ms. Marina Dusevic at IntechOpen for her guidance and patient help throughout the publication process. I offer sincere thanks to IntechOpen for the invitation to be the academic editor of this book. I also thank Prof. Satyen Saha and Mr. Abhineet Verma for their help. Finally, I thank my parent institution Banaras Hindu University, India, and the IoE incentive grant for senior faculty that helped me take part in this book project.

> **Sailaja S. Sunkari** Department of Chemistry, Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
