CHAPTER 8: Hybrid Glycopolymer Materials and Their Expansive Applications Check Access

The wide use of glycopolymer-immobilized substrates and nanoparticles in biomedical research is related to their unique properties, principally associated with their biorecognition ability, enhanced dispersability and biocompatibility. This chapter is mainly focused on the immobilization of glycopolymers on the surface of materials of current importance in biotechnology and nanotechnology, such as gold substrates, magnetic nanoparticles, silica particles and carbon-based nanomaterials. The different approaches that are generally employed to attach glycopolymer chains in an effective manner and how important parameters such as layer thickness, molecular weight and grafting density affect the biorecognition functions and toxicological properties are discussed. Some of the most exciting applications of these hybrid glycomaterials are also reviewed.