Nano Research & Applications

Circular economy: New opportunities in sustainable nano materials and polymer bionanocomposites

38^th International Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology
August 01-02, 2022 | WEBINAR

Sabu Thomas

Mahatma Gandhi University, India

ScientificTracks Abstracts: Nano Res Appl(Los Angeles)

Abstract

Green chemistry started for the search of benign methods for the development of nanoparticles from nature and their use in the field of antibacterial, antioxidant, and antitumor applications. Bio wastes are ecofriendly starting materials to produce typical nanoparticles with well-defined chemical composition, size, and morphology. Cellulose, starch, chitin and chitosan are the most abundant biopolymers around the world. All are under the polysaccharides family in which cellulose is one of the important structural components of the primary cell wall of green plants. Cellulose nanoparticles (fibers, crystals and whiskers) can be extracted from agro waste resources such as jute, coir, bamboo, pineapple leafs, coir etc. Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose, it is a characteristic component of the cell walls of fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods and nanoparticles of chitin (fibers, whiskers) can be extracted from shrimp and crab shells. Chitosan is the derivative of chitin, prepared by the removal of acetyl group from chitin (Deacetylation). Starch nano particles can be extracted from tapioca and potato wastes. These nanoparticles can be converted into smart and functional biomaterials by functionalization through chemical modifications (esterification, etherification, TEMPO oxidation, carboxylation and hydroxylation etc) due to presence of large amount of hydroxyl group on the surface. The preparation of these nanoparticles includes both series of chemical as well as mechanical treatments; crushing, grinding, alkali, bleaching and acid treatments. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used to investigate the morphology of nanoscale biopolymers. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and x ray diffraction (XRD) are being used to study the functional group changes, crystallographic texture of nanoscale biopolymers respectively. Since large quantities of bio wastes are produced annually, further utilization of cellulose, starch and chitins as functionalized materials is very much desired. The cellulose, starch and chitin nano particles are currently obtained as aqueous suspensions which are used as reinforcing additives for high performance environment-friendly biodegradable polymer materials. These nanocomposites are being used as biomedical composites for drug/gene delivery, nano scaffolds in tissue engineering and cosmetic orthodontics. The reinforcing effect of these nanoparticles results from the formation of a percolating network based on hydrogen bonding forces. The incorporation of these nano particles in several bio-based polymers have been discussed. The role of nano particle dispersion, distribution, interfacial adhesion and orientation on the properties of the ecofriendly bio Nanocomposites has been carefully evaluated.
References:
1. Sabu Thomas et al. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 10 (23), pp 20032–20043, 2018.
2. Sabu Thomas et al. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2017.
3. R Augustine, A Augustine, N Kalarikkal, S Thomas, Progress in Biomaterials 5 (3-4), 223-235, 2016.
4. SS Babu, S Mathew, N Kalarikkal, S Thomas, Biotech 6 (2), 249, 2016.
5. S Gopi, A Pius, S Thomas, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2016.
6. J Joy, P Mathew, S Thomas, S Pillai, Journal of Renewable Materials 4 (5), 351-364, 2016
7. E Fortunati, F Luzi, A Jiménez, DA Gopakumar, D Puglia, S Thomas, ...Carbohydrate polymers 149, 357-368, 2016.

Biography

Sabu Thomas is currently Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India. Prof. Thomas is a highly committed teacher and a remarkably active researcher well-known nationally and internationally for his outstanding contributions in polymer science and nanotechnology. He has published over 1200 research articles in international refereed journals. And has also edited and written 165 books with an H-index of 122 and total citation of more than 72,000. He has received a large number of international and national awards and recognitions. Under the leadership of Prof. Thomas, Mahatma Gandhi University has been transformed into a top University in the country where excellent outcomebased education is imparted to the students for their holistic development.