4,541
Views
92
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Reviews

Chitosan: a New Versatile Bio-polymer for Various Applications

, , , &
Pages 377-404 | Published online: 02 Apr 2012
 

Abstract

Chitin is the second-most natural polysaccharide in the world, next to cellulose. The main sources of chitin are two marine crustaceans, shrimp and crab. Our objective is to appraise the state of art concerning this polysaccharide, as well as one of its most important derivatives known as chitosan. Chitosan is soluble in acidic aquous media and has vast applications in various fields. Here we briefly describe the characterization, chemical modification, de-polymerization and applications of chitin and chitosan. This review emphasizes recent papers on high value adding applications of these materials in gene therapy, drug delivery, wastewater treatment, packaging, etc.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.