Book 1. Biopolymer conjugates industrial applications Chapter 1. Biopolymeric conjugation with thermoplastics and applications

Abstract

Abstract Biopolymers are natural polymers manufactured chemically or generated from biological materials. Biopolymers are a renewable and biodegradable resource. They can be found in various applications in food, manufacturing, packaging, and biomedical engineering industries. Biopolymers are attractive materials due to biocompatibility, biodegradability, natural abundance, and specific properties such as non-toxicity. Biopolymers can be classed on a variety of scales, including origin, the number of monomeric units, the basis of degradability, and heat response. Biopolymers have a wide range of uses due to their unique characteristics and topologies. Biopolymers are reinforced with diverse elements to improve their intended characteristics and practical applications. There is a conjugation of biopolymer with thermoplastic materials. Thermoplastic or thermoset plastic is a form of plastic polymer material that can be molded at a high temperature and solidifies upon cooling. Polylactic acid, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyester are among the many thermoplastics. These thermoplastics were combined with biopolymers to increase their physical, mechanical, and thermal qualities. The works that investigated the conjugation of thermoplastic materials to biopolymers were discussed in this chapter.