Interactions Between Surfaces Coated with Carbohydrates, Glycolipids, and Glycoproteins

Carbohydrates are one of the main constituents in biological systems, where they have a multitude of functions. The polysaccharides act as major structural units in plants (e.g., cellulose) and insects and crabs (e.g., chitin), as energy storage in plants (e.g., starches) and animals (e.g., glycogen), as important units in glycolipid and glycoprotein receptors, and in protective coatings formed by, e.g., mucins.