Natural polymers proteins

Both synthetic and naturally occurring polymers have been used as CSPs. Figure 3.2 shows typical CSPs prepared from optically active polymers (1-18) 1-15 are totally synthetic polymers, including vinyl polymers (1-7), polyamides (8-12), polyurethanes (13), polyacetylene (14), and polysaccharide analogue (15). The CSPs 16-18 are based on natural polymers, proteins (16), and polysaccharides (17, 18). 

As previously mentioned, the use of naturally existing polymers to produce fibers has had a long history. In the case of cellulose the results were fabulous. An initial investment of 930,000 produced net profits of 354,000,000 in 24 years for one rayon company.7 On the other hand, efforts to use another family of natural polymers—proteins—have thus far resulted in failure or at best very limited production. 

On the other hand, biomedical applications are very limited in both in vivo and in vitro conditions due to the high toxicity of these nanoparticles to the cells (You-yu et al., 2014). Therefore, nanoparticles are coated with compounds, such as natural polymers (proteins and carbohydrates) (Nair et al., 2010), synthetic organic polymers (polyethylene glycol), polyvinyl alcohol, poly-L-lactic acid. 

Chitin and chitosan can be blended with synthetic or natural polymers (proteins, DNA, alginate, hyaluronan, etc.) or introduced as Abres in composite materials. The majority of the applications covered in the literature seem to be that in the biomedical and pharmaceutical domains. Many of these applicaAons are menAoned in this review. 

This field of sfudy is actually quite old. Interaction and complex formation between natural polymers (proteins) and surfactants (lipids) were recognized early in this century, and much study on mixtures of proteins and synthetic surfactants was carried out in the 1940s and 1950s (1,2). Work on mixtures of synthetic uncharged polymers and ionic surfactants was initiated by Saito in the 1950s and on various (mostly natural) anionic polymers and cationic surfactants by Scott and co-workers at about the same time. For summaries of this early work several reviews are available (3-5). 

Natural Polymers Proteins and Enzymes 6 Conformational Structure... 

Natural Polymers Proteins Carbohydrates Nucleic Acids... 

Photonics is a hybrid science, conceived only a few years ago. It concerns itself with such matters as chemical sources of light, new lasers, transmission of light by fibre optics and other means, electro-optical instruments, and the like. Its practical applications range from energy generation to communications and information processing. The liquid crystal displays (above) are one outcome, but synthetic and even natural polymers (proteins especially) now permeate developments in the field. 

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