Abstract
The review covers recent literature on the ocean as both a source of biotechnological tools and as a source of bio-inspired materials. The emphasis is on marine biomacromolecules namely hyaluronic acid, chitin and chitosan, peptides, collagen, enzymes, polysaccharides from algae, and secondary metabolites like mycosporines. Their specific biological, physicochemical and structural properties together with relevant applications in biocomposite materials have been included. Additionally, it refers to the marine organisms as source of inspiration for the design and development of sustainable and functional (bio)materials. Marine biological functions that mimic reef fish mucus, marine adhesives and structural colouration are explained.
Highlights
Representing around 70% of the biosphere and encompassing 34 of the 36 phyla that categorize living things, marine biodiversity is extremely vast [1]
Chitin isolated from marine sponges is of high interest for the synthesis of bioinorganic composite materials made under high temperatures and pressures
Alginates reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals extracted from birch pulp were developed by Sirvio et al [135]
Summary
Representing around 70% of the biosphere and encompassing 34 of the 36 phyla that categorize living things, marine biodiversity is extremely vast [1]. Have forced species to evolve and develop extraordinary physical and chemical strategies to exploit diverse ecological niches. Blue biotechnology, referring to the exploration and exploitation of the resulting diverse marine organisms in order to develop new products is a constantly expanding field, with important implications for sustainable use of biological oceanic resources [2]. A current approach is that of biomimetism, that is to say imitating natural functions and structures, using marine organisms as source of inspiration. In this way scientists have developed materials with numerous applications in human health, agriculture, energy, aquaculture, fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and environmental sectors including biosensing and bioremediation [3,4,5].
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