Special Issue "Stimuli Responsive Biomaterials"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Evangelos Manias
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
Website: http://zeus.plmsc.psu.edu/
E-Mail: manias@psu.edu
Interests: polymer and organic materials; soft materials; nanostructures; nanocomposites

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Maria M. Jimenez-Gasco
Department of Plant Pathology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
Website: http://www.ppath.cas.psu.edu/FACULTY/Jimenez.htm
E-Mail: jimenez@plmsc.psu.edu
Interests: Materials-organisms interactions; Antimicrobial materials; Prevention of biofilm formation; Microbial population biology

Dear Colleagues,

Living organisms control many of their functions through structures and materials that respond to stimuli, including environmental changes. From muscle-control to sensing to membrane separations, and from digestion to antibody activity, nature thrives on functions of membranes, cells, organs, or whole organisms responding to and being controlled by external stimuli.

Synthetic materials and designed structures that capitalize on stimuli response are also being increasingly investigated: Materials functions are designed by “property switching” as a response to external stimuli (for example, by structural reconstruction, chemical reactions, or geometry changes, triggered by stimuli such as temperature, chemical environment / pH, light, electric signals, and mechanical deformations). These type of materials find applications in hydrogels, water-soluble polymers, intelligent surfaces, organic and inorganic membranes with triggered functions, shape-memory composites, drug encapsulation and release, sensors, actuators, and so on.

This special issue of the Journal of Functional Biomaterials is envisioned to bring together examples dealing with these latter, synthetic, materials and explore the widest possible range of stimuli. Of particular interest are articles which deal with synthetic materials designed to have specific interactions with biological systems, bioinspired and biomimetic materials/structures, materials designed to prevent biofilm formation, and systems that exhibit response to multiple stimuli. Review articles are also welcome to showcase the broader range of scientific advances around a coherent theme.

Prof. Dr. Evangelos Manias
Prof. Dr. Maria M. Jimenez-Gasco
Guest Editors

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed Open Access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. For the first couple of issues the Article Processing Charge (APC) will be waived for well-prepared manuscripts. English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.

• stimuli responsive and stimuli sensing materials
• smart materials and structures (stimuli controlled or triggered function)
• stimuli, such as, temperature, chemical (incl. pH, antigens, chemical compounds), light or electrical signals, mechanical stimuli (stress, force, pressure)
• intelligent hydrogels and surfaces
• biocompatible or bioderived materials
• bioinspired structures and materials

Title: Biocompatible Polymer/Quantum Dots Hybrid Materials
Author: Lei Shen
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA; E-Mail: shenl@mail.utexas.edu
Abstract: Quantum dots (QDs) are nanometer-sized semiconductor particles with tunable flueorescent optical property that can be adjusted by their chemical composition, size, or shape. Thus, they have become a powerful tool for biological and biomedical applications, such as diagnostics, bio-sensing and labeling. However, their metallic toxicity, non-dissolubility and unstable photoluminescence in water prevent their direct usability in biological systems. Polymers are widely used to cover and coat QDs for generating biocompatible materials. These hybrid materials provide solubility and robust colloidal stability in water. Polymers can also carry ionic or reactive functional groups for incorporation into QDs’ end-use application. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent development of methods to generate hybrid polymer/QDs material with desirable properties. Different polymeric systems have been used to combine QDs, such as homo- and co-polymer, polymeric microgel, and polymer thin film. The applications of these hybrid biocompatible materials in the fields of bioanalysis and biodiagnostics are included. Finally, we conclude by pointing out the societal needs and challenges for polymer/QDs hybrids in the future.

Title: Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Brushes for Flow Control through Nanopores
Authors: Shashishekar. P. Adiga ¹ and Donald. W. Brenner ²
Affiliations: ¹ Kodak Research Laboratories, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY 14620, USA; E-Mail: s.p.adiga@kodak.com
² Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7907, USA; E-Mail: brenner@ncsu.edu
Abstract: Responsive polymers attached to the inside of nano/micro-pores have attracted great interest owing to the prospect of designing flow-control devices and signal responsive delivery systems. An intriguing possibility involves functionalizing nanoporous materials with smart polymers to modulate biomolecular transport in response to pH, temperature, ionic concentration, light or electric field. These efforts open up avenues to develop smart medical devices that respond to specific physiological conditions. In this work, an overview of nanoporous materials functionalized with responsive polymers is given. Various examples of pH, temperature and solvent responsive polymers are discussed. A theoretical treatment that accounts for polymer conformational change in response to a stimulus and the associated flow-control effect is presented. We will present case studies of a few polymer-stimulus systems using the theoretical method.