Starch: Hierarchy, Types, General Features, and Applications

The use of starch as a natural polymer has generated a great deal of attention and is presently prevalent in many industrial applications. This is because of its remarkable properties, which include cohesive film-forming abilities, abundance, renewability, low carbon footprint (in comparison to conventional resins), reliance on fossil fuels (NREU), cohesiveness, and, most importantly, cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the hydroxyl (single bond-OH) groups that are connected to the anhydroglucose units provide it an array of modification alternatives. In addition to the traditional consumer plastic uses, these properties have generated significant interest in its usage in a number of sophisticated functional material applications, including drug delivery, excipient in the pharmaceutical industry, capping agent in catalysis, etc. The objective of this review is to provide information on current developments made in the use of starch and its derivatives for advanced functional materials applications. The review primarily focuses on applications including medication delivery, catalysis, pharmaceuticals, antimicrobial materials, and structural materials.