12 - Polysaccharides-metal oxide composite: A green functional material

Abstract

Polysaccharides are the most abundant long-chain carbohydrates found in food sources. Different types of polysaccharides such as starch, cellulose, bacterial cellulose, glycogen, chitin, agar, alginate, pectin, hyaluronic acid, etc. exist. The nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable nature of polysaccharides make their materials suitable for many industrial applications including pharmaceutical, biomedical, food, environmental, packaging, energy, and others. The polysaccharide-based materials are considered a good alternative to nondegradable petroleum-based polymers. Their combination with other materials results in composite materials possessing improved physical characteristics and enhanced performance in various important fields. Metal oxide-based materials are very important candidates in a wide range of applications including chemical sensors, biosensors, magnetic storage media, catalysis, environmental, and biomedical. However, sometimes they cannot be used in their virgin form and needs to be modified by combining with other materials to make them suitable for specific use and improve their performance. Metal oxides are combined with polysaccharides to fabricate polysaccharides-metal oxide composite materials. The resultant composite materials are eco-friendly and biocompatible and are used in food packaging, drug delivery, the environmental, and several other applications. The nature and wide variety of applicability of polysaccharides and metal oxide-based composite materials have attracted researchers from various fields to explore more about these important materials. Several studies have been reported in this important field. In the present chapter, an attempt is made to overview various types, methods of fabrications, and significant applications of polysaccharides-metal oxide-based composite materials.