Polyampholytes in Advanced Polymer Science and Emerging Technologies

Book excerpt: Polyampholytes are unique polymers containing acid/base and/or anionic/cationic groups in the main or side chains. Water-soluble and water-swelling polyampholytes exhibit properties that provide broad potential as structural biomaterials, drug delivery and chemo-mechanical systems, biosensors, energy storage devices, supercapacitors, and actuators, among others. This monograph reviews the innovative studies in this field over the past two decades, with the aim to analyze and systematize the literature in the context of emerging technologies. Offers a multidisciplinary perspective covering polyampholytes, polybetaines, and polyzwitterions in nanotechnology, biotechnology, medicine, catalysis, environment protection, and oil industry applications Demonstrates a wide range of applications for these materials with enough depth to provide critical fundamental knowledge for new researchers in the field Discusses polyampholyte-protected and gel-immobilized metal nanoparticles and enzymes that catalyze reactions of hydrolysis, decomposition, hydrogenation, and oxidation of various substrates in batch-type and continuous flow–type reactors Highlights the remaining persistent challenges in the development and application of these materials This book will appeal to readers who conduct materials research for biomedical, water treatment, and environmental remediation applications.