Today growing science and technological needs explored various biopolymers to procure novel utilities in its modern developments. Consequently, polysaccharides embraced huge prospective and vastly caters such desired growing needs. Amid, chitin the second most ubiquitous after cellulose comprise of β-[1,4]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose flexible skeleton undergo alteration for requisite physico-chemical features and its highly sophisticated utility superseded counterpart cellulose. Chitosan have unique parameters namely bio-compatibility, non-toxicity, hemeostaticity, anti-microbials which offer competent solutions of many challenging problems. Thus, many products namely biomarkers, biosensors, quantum dots are fabricated via adoptable productive chitosan matrixes. Advancement in chitosan chemistry proffers unambiguous industrial utility in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, nanobiotechnology, water purifications etc. Chitosan composites own enhanced muco-adhesivity that aids pharmacological safe and successful DNA/SiRNA/ tissue releases with bioavailability at target specific carriers. ZnO, ZnS, TiO2 filled/ imposed in chitosan and resultant hybrids, quantum dots, surface active microcapsules and nanoparticles are used as biosensors, bio-markers, adsorbents that proffers revolutionary medical usage. Nanointegrated chitosan own complementary strengths and possess assorted utility namely nano-electronic high-resolution devices, for in-vivo imaging, diseases diagnosis, generating new therapeutic and smart tissue engineering scaffolds. Novel modalities with innovative formulations are skillfully designed via chitosan matrix for myriad benefit in biology, chemistry, polymer, and pharmaceutics are displayed in this chapter.

Iodate doped chitosan (I-CS) composite was synthesized, characterized and used as an adsorbent for adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution. The I-CS sorbent was extensively characterized by nitrogen adsorption/desorption to determine the BET surface areas and BJH pore size distribution, elemental analysis, TGA/DSC, FTIR, XRD and SEM. The influences of various chemical parameters viz. pH, contact time, dose of adsorbent and initial metal ion concentration on adsorption performance of Pb(II) ions were analyzed. Equilibrium adsorption isotherm and kinetics of adsorption has also been studied.The BET results exhibited decreased porosity and specific surface area of I-CS composite due to the blockage of internal porous cavities by incorporated iodate. The maximum removal of the Pb(II) ions using I-CS adsorbent was observed at optimum pH 6. The dose of adsorbent on the percentage removal of Pb(II) ions also has a prominent effect and maximum Pb(II) ions mitigation found at 0.5 g L À1 adsorbent dose with 99% efficiency achieved in 4 h. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions shown applicability of the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm suggests the existence of both heterogeneous surface and monolayer coverage of adsorbed molecules. The adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. This doped composite adsorbent proved to be an effective for adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution.

About 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with seawater and 90% biosphere wraps maximum biodiversity that offers resourceful novel bio-molecules. Marine species are enriched with organic compounds viz. terpenoids, polyethers/ketides, lipo-glycoproteins, peptides and polysaccharides that act as cell surface receptors and involve in cell development/differentiation, besides being antimicrobial agents. Algae, sponge and fish have various defense mechanisms developed via specific/potent natural molecules to survive under hostile, extreme conditions such as various degrees of salinity, pressure, temperature, darkness, besides microbial and viral attacks. Marine seaweeds and algae enriched with polysaccharides such as glycosaminoglycans, agar, alginate and chitin/ chitosan owing to their diversified significance have received growing attention among researchers. Currently, marine-derived biomolecules cater 20% market drug load while other natural products bear 30% share. Chitins exhibit various biological and physicochemical properties that can be exploited in biotechnology and medicine/drug, cosmetic, food and textile industries. This chapter focuses on chitin/chitosan production, its physicochemical characterization and biological activities and relationship between its chemical structure and bio-activity, including chemical modification reactions such as acylation, substitution, sulfonation and other cross-linking strategies applied to skeletal modification with the recently updated literature.

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