Polysaccharide/inorganic hybridization

Most of the supports so far studied are conventional in the field of catalysis. Some new kinds of support have emerged including mesostructured materials,193 dendrimers, organic-inorganic hybrids, and natural polymers such as polysaccharides or polyaminoacids. Nevertheless, at the moment, supported catalysts still suffer from relatively poor stability when compared to classical heterogeneous catalysts, and from limited activity when compared to homogeneous catalysts. The driving force for this research is thus to make up some of these deficits. 

One of the important fields where carbohydrate polymer/inorganic hybrids may be successfully applied is bioactive materials, e.g., artificial bones expedient for surgery to accelerate the recovery of living bones. There has been increasing interest in hydroxyapatite (HAp) deposition onto the matrix surface of cellulose or related polysaccharide. HAp is a form of calcium phosphate, a main constituent of the inorganic phase of human bone. This kind of study is also a step on the way to exploitation of new biomimetic mineralization methods. 

A more recent trend in polymer materials research is the hybridization of cellulosic polysaccharides with inorganic compounds natural and synthetic layered clays, silica, zeolites, metal oxides, and apatites are employable as nanoscale components. In addition, if mesoscopic assemblies such as liquid-crystalline ordering are used in the construction of new compositional systems, the variety of functionalized cellulosic materials will be further expanded. 

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