This book presents the synthetic methodologies as well as the properties and potential usage of various ruthenium-containing materials. Starting from the first examples of 'ruthenopolymers' reported in the 1970s to the 3D architectures now synthesized, these materials have shown their importance far beyond fundamental polymer science. As well as highlighting the remarkable properties and versatile applications, this book also addresses a key question related to the applications of such heavy-metal-containing materials from the perspective of achieving a sustainable future. This book is of interest to both materials scientists and chemists in academia and industry.

Ulrich S. Schubert was born in Tübingen (Germany) in 1969. He studied chemistry in Frankfurt and Bayreuth (both Germany) and at the Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (USA). His Ph.D. studies were performed at the Universities of Bayreuth and South Florida. After a postdoctoral training with J.-M. Lehn at the University of Strasbourg (France), he moved to the TU Munich (Germany) and obtained his Habilitation in 1999. During 1999-2000, he was Professor at the University of Munich and during 2000-2007 Full-Professor at the TU Eindhoven (the Netherlands). Since 2007, he is Full-Professor at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. Prof. Schubert is founder and director of the Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM) and the Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry Jena (CEEC Jena). He received a VICI award of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and is Fellow of the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry, Polymer Division (USA), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC, UK), and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI, USA). Prof. Schubert is Elected Member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech, Germany) and External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society (MPI of Colloids & Interfaces, Golm, Germany). He has currently an h-Index of 107 and, since 2016, is listed as ISI "Highly cited researcher."Andreas Winter was born in Herne (Germany) in 1972 and studied chemistry at the University of Dortmund (Germany) where he graduated in organic chemistry in 1999. In 2003, he received his Ph.D. in chemistry (University of Paderborn, Germany) for work on applications of the Mannich reaction in the synthesis of pyridine derivatives under supervision of Prof. N. Risch, and stayed on as a postdoc. Subsequently, in 2005, he joined the group of Prof. U. S. Schubert at the TU Eindhoven, the Netherlands. In 2010, he moved with group from there to the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. His research is focused on the synthesis of metallosupramolecular materials for optoelectronic and energy-conversion applications. George Newkome received his B.Sc. and then his Ph.D. from Kent State University followed by a postdoctorate at Princeton University with Dr. R. K. Hill. In 1968, he became a Professor of Chemistry at Louisiana State University attaining the rank of Full Professor in 1978. In 1982, he was appointed the rank of Louisiana State University Distinguished Research Master, followed by an appointment as Executive Director of the newly formed Center for Energy Studies. In 1986, he joined the faculty at the University of South Florida as a Professor of Chemistry and their first Vice President for Research; in 1992, he was named Distinguished Research Professor. In 2001, he became the Oelschlager Professor of Science and Technology and Professor in the Departments of Polymer Science and Chemistry at The University of Akron as well as their Vice President for Research, Dean of Graduate Studies, President of the Ohio Research Foundation, and Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund. In 2015, he received the honor of Docteur Honoris Causa, de l'Universite de Bordeaux. He was named the 2016 Kent State University Alumnus of the Year. In 2018, he became Professor Emeritus at The University of Akron and Research Professor at the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Fellow of the AAAS, Royal Society of Chemistry, Ohio Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Inventors. He has published over 540 scholarly articles and reviews, 69 patents, and over 20 scientific books and monographs.