Silica and Silica-Based Materials for Biotechnology, Polymer Composites and Environmental Protection II

Dear Colleagues,

Although, in recent years, silica and silica-based materials have become one of the most frequently used materials in various branches of science and industry, their use in biotechnology is still a very intensively expanding field in materials chemistry. This is due to the extraordinary stability and mechanical resistance of silica, its neutral character for most molecules, as well as surface properties, such as well-defined surface area and the presence of numerous of hydroxyl moieties. These properties make silica extremely interesting for biotechnological applications including, among others, adsorption of hazardous pollutants, catalysis, enzyme immobilization, drug delivery systems, and the development of novel, eco-friendly solutions. The increasingly growing number of possibilities to design and develop novel synthesis approaches and to use advanced characterization techniques of silica and silica-based materials gives the opportunity to apply these materials, for instance, in sophisticated medical and catalytic solutions. Nevertheless, further scientific studies are still required as the development of novel silica-based materials acts as a driving force for a widespread application of the abovementioned systems in the field of biotechnology.

This Special Issue welcomes articles concerning the synthesis, characterization, and application of silica and silica-based materials in various areas of biotechnology. The goal of the 2nd part of this Special Issue is to present recent progress and highlight research gaps related to silica materials and their variable applications. We hope to attract both original research papers related to fundamental science and practical application of silica and silica-based materials in biotechnology as well as review articles describing the current state of the art.

Dr. Jakub Zdarta
Prof. Dr. Teofil Jesionowski
Guest Editors

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• silica
• biomaterials
• silica-based materials
• silica for biotechnology
• polymer composites
• environmental protection