Advances in Biomaterials, Biocomposites and Biopolymers 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Natural or synthetic biomaterials are used in medical applications to support, enhance or replace damaged tissue or a biological function. The first historical use of biomaterials dates to antiquity, when ancient Egyptians used sutures made from animal sinew.

A biomaterial is now defined as a substance engineered to take a form that, alone or as part of a complex system, is used to direct the course of any therapeutic or diagnostic procedure via the control of interactions with components of living systems. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a peer-reviewed forum for the publication of original papers and authoritative review and opinion papers discussing the most important issues facing the use of biomaterials in clinical practice. The scope of this Special Issue covers a wide range of physical, biological and chemical sciences that underpin the design of biomaterials and the clinical disciplines in which they are used. These sciences include polymer synthesis and characterization, drug and gene vector design, the biology of the host response, immunology and toxicology, and self-assembly at the nanoscale. Clinical applications include medical technology and regenerative medicine therapies in all clinical disciplines, as well as diagnostic systems that rely on innovative contrast and sensing agents.

A biocomposite is a composite material formed by a matrix (resin) and a reinforcement of natural fibers. Environmental concerns and the cost of synthetic fibers have led to the foundation of using natural fiber as a reinforcement in polymeric composites. The matrix phase is formed by polymers derived from renewable and nonrenewable resources. The matrix is important as it protects the fibers from environmental degradation and mechanical damage, holds the fibers together and transfers the loads on them. In addition, fibers are the principal components of biocomposites, which are derived from biological origins, for example, fibers from crops (cotton, flax, or hemp), recycled wood, wastepaper, crop processing byproducts or regenerated cellulose fiber (viscose/rayon). The interest in biocomposites is rapidly growing in terms of industrial applications (automobiles, railway coaches, aerospace, military applications, construction and packaging) and fundamental research due to its great benefits (renewable, cheap, recyclable, and biodegradable). Biocomposites can be used alone or as a complement to standard materials, such as carbon fiber. Advocates of biocomposites state that the use of these materials improves health and safety in their production, as they are lighter in weight, have a visual appeal similar to that of wood and are environmentally superior.

Biopolymers are organic substances present in natural sources. The term biopolymer originates from the Greek words bio and polymer, representing nature and living organisms, respectively. Large macromolecules made up of numerous repeating units are known as biopolymers.

Dr. Florian Ion Tiberiu Petrescu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biomaterials
• biocomposites
• biopolymers
• macromolecules
• medical applications
• self-assembly
• synthetic fibers
• industrial applications