Hybrid metal oxide@biopolymer materials precursors of metal oxides and metal oxide-carbon composites

Metal oxide can be prepared by mineralization process of biopolymers like cellulose, starch, alginate, chitosan, chitin, carrageenan, dextran, DNA, pectin, collagen, gelatin, silk, lignin and white-egg. The formation of corresponding hybrid composite [metal oxide@biopolymer] allows mastering the morphology, porosity, composition and structure of metal oxide and also gives access to [metal oxide@carbon] composite upon carbonization of the biopolymer We briefly review the recent advances in this fields in order to show the diversity of the approaches and their adaptations to produce material with potential applications in catalysis, energy and environment. (C) 2015 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved.