Polymer Hybrid Nanomaterials

Dear Colleagues,

Organic–inorganic hybrids, comprising polymeric and inorganic components, constitute a very interesting class of modern functional materials. Provided that nanostructured block copolymers together with inorganic nanoparticles are involved, the developed systems exhibit structuration at the nanoscale and afford unprecedented properties, as derived from the combination of the properties of the constituents, which are preserved in the hybrid nanomaterial. Nonetheless, synergistic effects might also emerge, rendering such systems even more interesting and effective. Inorganic nanoparticles exhibit unique optical, magnetic, and catalytic properties but can also substantially improve the conductivity and the mechanical properties of the hybrid. On the other hand, polymers and particularly block copolymers with high design flexibility, able to phase separately at the nanoscale, can endow the nanoparticles with specific properties, like spatial ordering, dispersibility in any media, including biological fluids, and responsiveness to various external stimuli (such as temperature, pH, light, etc.), rendering them “smart” functional hybrids, suitable for specific applications. Therefore, this topic has tremendously attracted the attention of the scientific community and of the industrial sector, as evidenced by the high number of scientific publications and patents, which concern the design, synthesis, properties, and applications of organic–inorganic hybrid polymeric nanomaterials and nanostructures in optics, sensor technology, electronics, catalysis, and biomedicine, for the development of targeting and controlled drug delivery systems, for diagnostics and theranostics.

Prof. Constantinos Tsitsilianis
Dr. Stergios Pispas
Guest Editors

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