Abstract
Natural biopolymers, a class of materials extracted from renewable sources, is garnering interest due to growing concerns over environmental safety; biopolymers have the advantage of biocompatibility and biodegradability, an imperative requirement. The synthesis of nanoparticles and nanofibers from biopolymers provides a green platform relative to the conventional methods that use hazardous chemicals. However, it is challenging to characterize these nanoparticles and fibers due to the variation in size, shape, and morphology. In order to evaluate these properties, microscopic techniques such as optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are essential. With the advent of new biopolymer systems, it is necessary to obtain insights into the fundamental structures of these systems to determine their structural, physical, and morphological properties, which play a vital role in defining their performance and applications. Microscopic techniques perform a decisive role in revealing intricate details, which assists in the appraisal of microstructure, surface morphology, chemical composition, and interfacial properties. This review highlights the significance of various microscopic techniques incorporating the literature details that help characterize biopolymers and their derivatives.
Highlights
The ever-rising concern about the environmental impact of synthetic polymers has stimulated a great deal of research interest in the polymers of biological origins
transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is highly recommended when there is a need for in-depth study to understand biopolymer nanocomposites, TEM
All this information obtained from chemical force microscopy (CFM) suggests that it is an invaluable asset in the microscopical analysis of biopolymers
Summary
The ever-rising concern about the environmental impact of synthetic polymers has stimulated a great deal of research interest in the polymers of biological origins. In comparison with conventional polymers with a simpler structure, nature-derived biopolymers have a wide variety of structural complexities, often reliant on many factors including the source, their species, the age of the plant, and the method of extraction Biopolymers, owing to their versatile nature have tremendous potential to replace conventional polymers in a wide range of applications including packaging, textiles, cosmetics, food technology, drug delivery, and structural materials [6]. Biopolymers have been used as reducing and stabilizing agents in the generation of nanoparticles [21,22,23,24,25] The fusion of these two fields has paved the path for a whole class of materials, which have the potential to replace conventional fossil fuel-based polymers and are environmentally benign. Several leading articles have been cited in the present review, which will aid the researchers to comprehend the recent development of various microscopic techniques deployed
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