Biopolymers Based Micro- and Nano-Materials

Biopolymers such as agar, agarose, alginate, carageenan, cellulose, chitin, chitosan, collagen, hyaluronic acid, gelatin, glucan, starch, DNA, RNA and protein have been produced from laboratory to industrial scale. The physico-chemical properties of these biopolymers such as chemical compositions, solubility, molecular weight and viscosity are of major importance on the preparation of micro- and nanomaterials such as powder, solution, hydrogel, micro- and nano-sized pores in membrane, micro- and nano-fiber, macro- and micro-beads, nano-particles, and micro- and nano-structured scaffold. These micro and nano-materials have been used in various sectors such as agriculture, food, medicine, etc. This monograph will address the source and production methods of biopolymers, properties of biopolymers, preparation of micro- and nano-materials using biopolymers, characterization of micro- and nano-biomaterials and application of micro- and nano-biomaterials.