In comparison to synthetic polymers, biopolymers offer advantages like well-defined and more-complex structures, (bio)degradability, non-toxicity, and renewability. This definition includes proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides. e., macromolecules that are formed by living organisms). Īccording to IUPAC, biopolymers are substances that are composed of one type of biomacromolecules (i. To meet this demand for alternative materials for specific applications, many different biopolymers and renewable resource-based biopolymers have been studied and developed. For such materials, these should not only be biodegradable but also be derived from natural resources. Since they are typically derived from fossil raw materials, however, synthetic polymers are increasingly being replaced by biodegradable materials because of environmental concerns. When it comes to applications like food packaging, synthetic polymers are mostly used for them because of certain benefits these polymers offer, including versatility, functionality, affordability, and flexibility. Depending on the type of monomer as well as the size and molecular structure of the polymer molecule, polymers show unique properties.
Polymers are macromolecules that are composed of small repeating units called “monomers” (Figure 1). Intrinsic viscosity is used to classify polymers and helps to identify the applications that specific polymers can be used for. Intrinsic viscosity determination is used in the field of polymer chemistry, which is a chemistry subdiscipline that deals with the synthesis of polymers as well as the analysis of a polymer’s structure and properties.
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