Preprint Review Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Chitosan: A Versatile Polymer for 21st Century

Inmaculada Aranaz
ORCID logo ,
Andrés R. Alcántara
ORCID logo ,
Maria Concepción Civera
ORCID logo ,
Concepción Arias
,
Begoña Elorza
,
Angeles Heras Caballero
,
Niuris Acosta
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 30 August 2021 / Approved: 31 August 2021 / Online: 31 August 2021 (11:07:28 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Aranaz, I.; Alcántara, A.R.; Civera, M.C.; Arias, C.; Elorza, B.; Heras Caballero, A.; Acosta, N. Chitosan: An Overview of Its Properties and Applications. Polymers 2021, 13, 3256. Aranaz, I.; Alcántara, A.R.; Civera, M.C.; Arias, C.; Elorza, B.; Heras Caballero, A.; Acosta, N. Chitosan: An Overview of Its Properties and Applications. Polymers 2021, 13, 3256.

Abstract

Chitosan arouses large interest due to its properties and possible applications. Every year the number of publications and patents based on this polymer increases. Chitosan exhibits poor solubility in neutral and basic media limiting its use in such conditions. Another serious obstacle is directly related to its natural origin. Chitosan is not a single polymer with a defined structure but a family of molecules with differences in their composition, size, and monomer distribution. These properties have a fundamental effect on the biological and technological performance of the polymer. Moreover, some of the biological properties claimed are discrete. In this review, we discuss how chitosan chemistry can solve the problems related to its poor solubility and can boost the polymer properties. We focus on some of the main biological properties of chitosan and the relationship with the physicochemical properties of the polymer. Then, we visit two polymer applications related to green processes: the use of chitosan in the green synthesis of metallic na-noparticles and its use as support in biocatalyst. Finally, we briefly describe how making use of the technological properties of chitosan it is possible to develop a variety of systems for drug delivery

Keywords

chitosan; chitin; biological activit; drug delivery; antioxidant; antimicrobial; biocatalysis; nanoparticles

Subject

Chemistry and Materials Science, Polymers and Plastics

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.