Sustainable chitosan-based biomaterials for the future: a review

The requirements for biobased materials for various applications have grown over the past decade in view of various performance and environmental aspects. Chitosan is one of the versatile biopolymers that has gained significant attention owing to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. Tunable optical properties, inherent bioactivity and film-forming capability with good adhesion strength demonstrate its significant potential for a wide array of industrial and biomedical applications. To modulate and enhance the physicochemical properties of chitosan, strategies such as blending with other polymers and incorporating nanofillers are widely adopted. This article presents a comprehensive updated review of the fundamental structure, functional modification, characterization, processing and applications of chitosan. Additionally, the latest efforts in enhancing the performance of chitosan and the mechanistic action behind the improvements in properties are discussed. Future directions for innovative and sustainable chitosan-based biomaterials are outlined in this review.