Chitin-Based Nanocomposites: Biomedical Applications
- Citation:
- João, Carlos, Jorge Carvalho Silva, and João Paulo Borges. "Chitin-Based Nanocomposites: Biomedical Applications." In Eco-friendly Polymer Nanocomposites, edited by Vijay Kumar Thakur and Manju Kumari Thakur, 439-457. Springer India, 2015.
Abstract:
Chitin, the second most abundant polymer in nature, is a renewable, nontoxic, biodegradable, and antibacterial polysaccharide. This semicrystalline biopolymer exhibits hierarchical structure from nano to micro-scale and is responsible for interesting living tissue properties. Recently, the scientific interest in chitin nanofibrils for applications in biomedical and tissue engineering fields has increased due to their particular capabilities such as matrix reinforcements, bioactivity and morphology similar to natural tissues. This chapter is focused on composite materials reinforced with chitin nanofibrils and their biomedical applications.