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biopolymer
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Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by the cells of living organisms. Like other polymers, biopolymers consist of monomeric units that are covalently bonded in chains to form larger molecules. There are three main classes of biopolymers, classified according to the monomers used and the structure of the biopolymer formed: polynucleotides, polypeptides, and polysaccharides. The polynucleotides, RNA and DNA, are long polymers of nucleotides. Polypeptides include proteins and shorter polymers of amino acids; some major examples include collagen, actin, and fibrin. Polysaccharides are linear
Research
643,728 papers- Antibody-Biopolymer Conjugates in Oncology: A Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
- Algae biopolymer towards sustainable circular economy.Bioresource technology · 2021
- Biopolymer-polyphenol conjugates: Novel multifunctional materials for active packaging.International journal of biological macromolecules · 2024
- Biopolymer Microparticles Prepared by Microfluidics for Biomedical Applications.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2020
- Emerging Biopolymer-Based Bioadhesives.Macromolecular bioscience · 2022
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Article
15 sectionsContents
- Biopolymers versus synthetic polymers
- Conventions and nomenclature
- Polypeptides
- Nucleic acids
- Polysaccharides
- Structural characterization
- Common biopolymers
- Biopolymer applications
- Biomedical
- Industrial
- As materials
- Environmental impacts
- See also
- References
- External links
Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by the cells of living organisms. Like other polymers, biopolymers consist of monomeric units that are covalently bonded in chains to form larger molecules. There are three main classes of biopolymers, classified according to the monomers used and the structure of the biopolymer formed: polynucleotides, polypeptides, and polysaccharides. The polynucleotides, RNA and DNA, are long polymers of nucleotides. Polypeptides include proteins and shorter polymers of amino acids; some major examples include collagen, actin, and fibrin. Polysaccharides are linear or branched chains of sugar carbohydrates; examples include starch, cellulose, and alginate. Other examples of biopolymers include natural rubbers (polymers of isoprene), suberin and lignin (complex polyphenolic polymers), cutin and cutan (complex polymers of long-chain fatty acids), melanin, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).
In addition to their many essential roles in living organisms, biopolymers have applications in many fields including the food industry, manufacturing, packaging, and biomedical engineering.thumb|right|220px|In the structure of DNA is a pair of biopolymers, [[polynucleotides, forming the double helix structure ]]