Polymer-Based Nanomaterials for Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Environmental Applications—New Trends, Benefits and Future Opportunities

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 August 2025 | Viewed by 2630

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, Academy of Silesia, 40-555 Katowice, Poland
Interests: biomaterials; biocompatibility of polymer systems; (bio)degradable and synthetic polymers in medical applications; degradation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural or synthetic polymer-based nanomaterials offer a versatile platform with unique properties that make them promising candidates for various applications, especially in the fields of biomedicine and environmental science. The ability to tailor their properties, such as specific surface area, flexibility, high biological safety and, depending on the polymer, tailored (bio)degradation, allows for precise design and customization for specific functions, including drug delivery, imaging, and environmental remediation. These materials have opened up new possibilities for advanced technologies that can address complex challenges in healthcare and environmental sustainability.

This Special Issue focuses to present the wide field and the utilization of polymer-based nanomaterials for pharmaceutical, biomedical and environmental applications. We encourage authors to contribute original research articles and review articles covering the recent progress on polymer-based nanomaterials to present the potential of these materials in the above-mentioned fields.

Dr. Joanna Rydz
Dr. Marta Musioł
Dr. Barbara Zawidlak-Węgrzyńska
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • polymer-based nanomaterials
  • nanoparticles
  • biodegradation
  • pharmacy
  • biomedicine
  • environment
  • cyrcular economy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4442 KiB  
Article
Controllable Preparation of Low-Cost Coal Gangue-Based SAPO-5 Molecular Sieve and Its Adsorption Performance for Heavy Metal Ions
by Le Kang, Boyang Xu, Pengfei Li, Kai Wang, Jie Chen, Huiling Du, Qianqian Liu, Li Zhang and Xiaoqing Lian
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(5), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15050366 - 27 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 521
Abstract
With the advancement of industrial production and urban modernization, pollution from heavy metal ions and the accumulation of solid waste have become critical global environmental challenges. Establishing an effective recycling system for solid waste and removing heavy metals from wastewater is essential. Coal [...] Read more.
With the advancement of industrial production and urban modernization, pollution from heavy metal ions and the accumulation of solid waste have become critical global environmental challenges. Establishing an effective recycling system for solid waste and removing heavy metals from wastewater is essential. Coal gangue was used in this study as the primary material for the synthesis of a fully coal gangue-based phosphorus-silicon-aluminum (SAPO-5) molecular sieve through a hydrothermal process. The SAPO-5 molecular sieve was characterized through several methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET surface analysis, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to examine its mineral phases, microstructure, pore characteristics, and material structure. Adsorption performance towards wastewater with Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions was investigated. It was found that the adsorption processes of these ions are well described by both the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm. According to the Langmuir model, the coal gangue-based SAPO-5 molecular sieve exhibited maximum adsorption capacities of 93.63 mg·g−1 for Cd2+ and 157.73 mg·g−1 for Pb2+. After five cycles, the SAPO-5 molecular sieve retained strong stability in adsorbing Cd2+ and Pb2+, with residual adsorption capacities of 77.03 mg·g−1 for Cd2+ and 138.21 mg·g−1 for Pb2+. The excellent adsorption performance of the fully solid waste coal gangue-based SAPO-5 molecular sieve is mainly attributed to its mesoporous channel effects, the complexation of -OH functional groups, and electrostatic attraction. Full article
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12 pages, 2547 KiB  
Article
Novel Bis(4-aminophenoxy) Benzene-Based Aramid Copolymers with Enhanced Solution Processability
by Wonseong Song, Amol M. Jadhav, Yeonhae Ryu, Soojin Kim, Jaemin Im, Yujeong Jeong, Vanessa, Youngjin Kim, Yerin Sung, Yuri Kim and Hyun Ho Choi
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(20), 1632; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14201632 - 11 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1336
Abstract
Aramid copolymers have garnered significant interest due to their potential applications in extreme environments such as the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Recent developments in aramid copolymers have moved beyond their traditional use in high-strength, high-temperature resistant fibers. There is now a demand [...] Read more.
Aramid copolymers have garnered significant interest due to their potential applications in extreme environments such as the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Recent developments in aramid copolymers have moved beyond their traditional use in high-strength, high-temperature resistant fibers. There is now a demand for new polymers that can easily be processed into thin films for applications such as electrical insulation films and membranes, utilizing the inherent properties of aramid copolymers. In this work, we demonstrate two novel aramid copolymers that are capable of polymerizing in polar organic solvents with a high degree of polymerization, achieved by incorporating flexible bis(4-aminophenoxy) benzene moieties into the chain backbone. The synthesized MBAB-aramid and PBAB-aramid have enabled the fabrication of exceptionally thin, clear films, with an average molecular weight exceeding 150 kDa and a thickness ranging from 3 to 10 μm. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveal that the thin films of MBAB-aramid and PBAB-aramid exhibited glass transition temperatures of 270.1 °C and 292.7 °C, respectively, and thermal decomposition temperatures of 449.6 °C and 465.5 °C, respectively. The mechanical tensile analysis of the 5 μm thick films confirmed that the tensile strengths, with elongation at break, are 107.1 MPa (50.7%) for MBAB-aramid and 113.5 MPa (58.4%) for PBAB-aramid, respectively. The thermal and mechanical properties consistently differ between the two polymers, which is attributed to variations in the linearity of the polymer structures and the resulting differences in the density of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions. The resulting high-strength, ultra-thin aramid materials offer numerous potential applications in thin films, membranes, and functional coatings across various industries. Full article
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