Fibers spun from polysaccharides

Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates made of chains of monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds. Some polysaccharides, e.g. cellulose and chitin, are naturally occurring fibrous materials developed during cellular growth, while other polysaccharides are not capable of forming elongated structures in vivo because of their molecular structure or physicochemical environments. A variety of polysaccharides have been artificially spun into fibers, for instance, cellulose and its derivatives, chitin and chitosan, alginate, hyaluronic acid, pullulan, and dextran, as well as polysaccharide blends or blends with other materials. Ideal substitutes for synthetic fibers derived from fossil fuels, polysaccharides are renewable and exhibit biodegradability and biocompatibility, and often preferred to protein fibers (silks) in terms of their abundance and economics. This chapter reviews the literature on fibers spun from several polysaccharides and fiber spinning techniques, including both conventional fiber spinning methods and electrospinning. Resulting fiber properties and prospective applications are discussed.