Chapter 4 - Microscopic studies on chitin and chitosan-based interpenetrating polymer networks, gels, blends, composites, and nanocomposites

Abstract

With the ever increasing demands of a rising human population, the competition for global resources is becoming even greater. On the one hand, high-performance materials are required for advancements in defense, space exploration, and biomedical research and, on the other hand, environmental issues related to toxicity, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness need to be addressed. Researchers around the world work hard to produce technologies and materials that have positive impacts on the living conditions within society, which also minimize environmental impacts and production costs to overcome these increasing challenges. The most simple remedy to avoid such problems is to use “smart” engineering, which uses “benign” materials obtained from renewable natural resources. As a result of these researches, they have found out that chitin and chitosan are one such compound. This chapter covers areas like the classification of biopolymers, classification of chitin and chitosan-based gels, blends, and composites, a brief description of microscopic studies, properties, and the applications of chitin and chitosan-based IPNs, blends gels, composites, and nanocomposites.