This book summarizes the recent advances in applications of starch in state-of-the-art drug carriers (hydrogel, micro- and nano-particulate carriers) with stimulus-responsive and target-specific properties. It also highlights the role of starch and its derivatives in transmucosal administration to improve the bioavailability of drugs. Further, it outlines the principles of effective, advanced, starch-based drug delivery systems and illustrates how these principles are key to the development of future drug delivery strategies. This interesting reference resource is useful for students, researchers and engineers in the fields of carbohydrate chemistry, polymer sciences and drug delivery.

Over the past few decades, there has been unprecedented progress in the design of versatile biopolymer-based nanoplatforms for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications, particularly due to their attractive traits, including excellent biocompatibility, outstanding biodegradability, low immunogenicity, and facile chemical modifiability. Biopolymer-Based Nanomaterials in Drug Delivery and Biomedical Applications serves as a clear and detailed body of information on the synthesis and characterization of biopolymer-based materials in nanomedicine. This book describes various nanomaterials consisting of biopolymers including polysaccharides (i.e., derived from plants, animals, bacteria, algae, and fungi) and polypeptides in terms of their structures, synthetic protocols, and characterization and uses as therapeutic drugs and gene delivery carriers and in other biomedical fields. The chapters of this book, which are contributed by internationally renowned scholars working in the arena of biopolymer-based nanomaterials, would offer a wide vision on the potential future applications of these nanomaterials in the delivery and targeting of bioactive molecules of pharmaceutical interests and in tissue engineering, biosensing, bioimaging, and diagnostic purposes. The state-of-the-art information presented in the book would also encourage young investigators and researchers to further bring cutting-edge developments in the field of nanomedicine in the near future. - Provides a scholarly insight into the recent development of biopolymer-based nanomaterials - Focuses on the diverse cutting-edge techniques for the fabrication of native and modified biopolymer-based nanoplatforms and their applications in drug delivery and biomedical fields - Assesses the opportunities and challenges of biopolymer-based nanocarriers in pharmaceutical and biomedical research

This book provides the whole spectrum of polysaccharides from basic concepts to commercial market applications. Chapters cover various types of sources, classification, properties, characterization, processing, rheology and fabrication of polysaccharide-based materials and their composites and gels. The applications of polysaccharides include in cosmetics, food science, drug delivery, biomedicine, biofuel production, marine, packaging, chromatography and environmental remediation. It also reviews the fabrication of inorganic and carbon nanomaterials from polysaccharides. The book incorporates industrial applications and will fill the gap between the exploration works in the laboratory and viable applications in related ventures.

There is a growing demand for strategies to address the impact of polymers and plastics in ecosystems. The principles of green chemistry offer a good source of such strategies. Ecofriendly Functional Polymers: An Approach from Application-Targeted Green Chemistry provides a holistic overview of polymer chemistry, development, and applications in the context of these sustainability-driven principles. It encourages researchers to consider the principles of green chemistry, environmental impacts, and end-user needs as integral aspects for consideration at the earliest stages of any design process, and draws together key aspects of polymer chemistry, organic synthesis, experimental design, and applications in a single volume. Beginning with an authoritative guide to fundamental polymer chemistry and its impact in the current environmental context, the book then discusses a range of key theoretical and experimental aspects of designing eco-friendly functional polymers. Applications of ecofriendly functional polymers across an entire range of fields are discussed, and a selection of case studies highlights the implementation of theoretical and experimental information to address a broad selection of issues. - Highlights the physicochemical principles of green chemistry and the development of biodegradable and recyclable polymers in this context - Compiles key information connecting structural features with properties, experimental strategies, and appropriate applications into a single volume - Discusses requirements and applications across a broad range of fields, supported by practical examples

With contributions from around the world, the editors have pulled together a tightly curated set of chapters which showcase how polysaccharide-based materials are employed in a range of biomedical systems.

This book comprehensively summarizes the recent achievements and trends in encapsulation of micro- and nanocontainers for applications in smart materials. It covers the fundamentals of processing and techniques for encapsulation with emphasis on preparation, properties, application, and future prospects of encapsulation process for smart applications in pharmaceuticals, textiles, biomedical, food packaging, composites, friction/wear, phase change materials, and coatings. Academics, researchers, scientists, engineers, and students in the field of smart materials will benefit from this book.

The Handbook of Chitin and Chitosan: Chitin and Chitosan Based Polymer Materials for Various Applications, Volume Three, is a must-read for polymer chemists, physicists and engineers interested in the development of ecofriendly micro and nanostructured functional materials based on chitin and their various applications. The book addresses their isolation, preparation and properties and their composites, nanomaterials, manufacturing and characterizations. This is the third of three volumes in a series that contains the latest on the major applications of chitin and chitosan based IPN's, blends, gels, composites and nanocomposites, including environmental remediation, biomedical applications and smart material applications. - Provides a comprehensive overview of Chitin and Chitosan materials, from their synthesis and nanomaterials, to their manufacture and applications - Volume Three focuses on the applications of Chitin and Chitosan - Includes contributions from leading researchers across the globe and from industry, academia, government and private research institutions - Highlights current status and future opportunities