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: jfb@plmsc.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. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 300 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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