RT Journal Article
T1 Chitosan: An Overview of Its Properties and Applications
A1 Aranaz Corral, Inmaculada
A1 Alcántara León, Andrés Rafael
A1 Civera Tejuca, María Concepción
A1 Arias García, Concepción
A1 Elorza Barroeta, Begoña
A1 Heras Caballero, Ángeles María
A1 Acosta Contreras, Florentina Niuris
AB Chitosan has garnered much interest due to its properties and possible applications. Every year the number of publications and patents based on this polymer increase. Chitosan exhibits poor solubility in neutral and basic media, limiting its use in such conditions. Another serious obstacle is directly related to its natural origin. Chitosan is not a single polymer with a defined structure but a family of molecules with differences in their composition, size, and monomer distribution. These properties have a fundamental effect on the biological and technological performance of the polymer. Moreover, some of the biological properties claimed are discrete. In this review, we discuss how chitosan chemistry can solve the problems related to its poor solubility and can boost the polymer properties. We focus on some of the main biological properties of chitosan and the relationship with the physicochemical properties of the polymer. Then, we review two polymer applications related to green processes: the use of chitosan in the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and its use as support for biocatalysts. Finally, we briefly describe how making use of the technological properties of chitosan makes it possible to develop a variety of systems for drug delivery.
SN 2073-4360
YR 2021
FD 2021-09-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/96565
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/96565
LA eng
NO Aranaz I, Alcántara AR, Civera MC, Arias C, Elorza B, Heras Caballero A, et al. Chitosan: An Overview of Its Properties and Applications. Polymers 2021;13:3256. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13193256.
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO Banco Santander
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 13 abr 2025