ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology focuses on the characterization, fabrication, and manipulation of biological and non biological structures smaller than 100 nm. Structures on this scale have been shown to have unique and novel functional properties. The potential benefits of nanotechnology have been recognized by many industries, and commercial products are already being manufactured, such as in the microelectronics, aerospace, pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared mainly by methods like salting out, spontaneous emulsification/diffusion, solvent evaporation, polymerization, and nanoprecipitation. In addition, electrospraying or the supercritical technology has shown to be capable of producing uniform particles of less than 100 nm. Nanoparticles can be prepared from a variety of materials such as protein, polysaccharide, and synthetic polymers. The selection of matrix depends on the size of nanoparticle required, surface characteristics, degree of biodegradability, biocompatibility, and toxicity. Among biologically inspired nanocomposites, polysaccharides are probably among the most promising sources for the production of nanoparticles [1-18].
