ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the synthesis and application of noble metal nanomaterials reinforced in the biopolymer matrix, the polymer matrix nanocomposites (PMNC). Nanoparticles of noble metals such as silver, gold, and platinum, when conjugated with biopolymers, have showed higher efficiency for their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities. Biopolymers are produced from plants, animals, and microorganisms, which include a long chain of amino acids or monosaccharides or nucleotides. Biopolymers and bionanocomposites are an exceptional group of materials with outstanding physical, chemical, and mechanical properties and are recognized as promising candidates for diverse field applications. Biopolymers are macromolecules synthesized from living organisms. Metal nanoparticles with more distinguishing properties fabricated with biopolymers will definitely have enhanced properties that have multiple applications in various fields such as biomedicine, catalysis, sensors, environment, and energy resources. Nanoparticles decorated/fabricated with biopolymers have attracted the drug-/gene-delivery systems. Bionanocomposites provide a paradigm in developing an ecofriendly biosynthesis strategy with improved intrinsic properties of biopolymers and noble nanoparticles.
