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Biopolymers for Potential Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2022) | Viewed by 6458

Special Issue Editor

School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Interests: biopolymers; biomimetics; metallic biomaterials; nanostructure; conductive biopolymers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The multimillion-year evolutionary pressure and the ever-changing environmental constraints have allowed different organisms on Earth to generate an immense variety of polymers of biological manufacture, i.e., biopolymers; these biopolymers are naturally arranged into composites by a range of covalent and electrostatic bonds. In addition to specific viscoelastic and mechanical properties that these biopolymers have, many biopolymers also have a more fascinating set of electromagnetic, photonic, and optical properties directly derived from the supramolecular and coordination chemistry and the electron delocalization of their conjugated systems; furthermore, due to the underlying presence of quantum phenomena (such as quantum tunneling), in addition to the abovementioned properties, some of these biopolymers can be useful in the creation of flexible devices where higher and potentially metal-like electrical conductivity is desired. The successful achievement of this relies on extremely careful modeling of the quantum phenomena; the processing of the biopolymers; the structural nanodesign of the biopolymers; the interconnection of triboelectric, ferroelectric, and thermoelectric properties of the composites; and ultimately the ingenious creativity of the researchers in merging interdisciplinary research lines for superior material performance. Nature has produced a variety of material properties, and it is constantly providing examples of biological nanomaterials that can add functionalities to human technology. Biomimetics is the effort of looking carefully at these biotechnological solutions and deriving interesting biomaterials for use in a variety of applications. Some of these biomaterials, given their origin, flexibility, and biocompatibility, have a natural outcome as biomaterials for regenerative medicine, biophotonics, and biosensing where the electrical field stimulation could be a key component. Moreover, some of these biopolymers, given their origin, supramolecular and coordination chemistry, and nanophotonic crystal design, could also have a potential outcome as conductive biopolymers for light-harvesting applications. This Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) on "Biopolymers for Potential Applications” aims to focus on the recent progress in the development and design of various biopolymers, including (but not limited to) biopolymers, conductive biopolymers, composite biopolymers, biomimetic materials, biopolymers for flexible devices, biopolymers for neuroprosthetics, biopolymers with optical properties, semiconducting biopolymers, biophotonics, and advanced biopolymers for spintronics applications. Original manuscripts that focus on the elastic properties and the nanodesign of these biopolymers for the abovementioned applications are particularly welcome.

We invite all colleagues to submit manuscripts (full papers, reviews, or short communications) in open access to this Special Issue. We encourage you to disseminate this invitation to any colleagues who may be interested.

Dr. Federico Cerrone
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short 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 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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.

Keywords

  • Biomimetics
  • Biopolymers
  • Conductive biopolymers
  • Optical biopolymers
  • Photonics of biopolymers
  • Ferroelectric polymers

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 51220 KiB  
Article
Morphological Study of Bio-Based Polymers in the Consolidation of Waterlogged Wooden Objects
by Zarah Walsh-Korb, Ingrid Stelzner, Juliana dos Santos Gabriel, Gerhard Eggert and Luc Avérous
Materials 2022, 15(2), 681; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15020681 - 17 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2194
Abstract
The removal of water from archaeological wooden objects for display or storage is of great importance to their long-term conservation. Any mechanical instability caused during drying can induce warping or cracking of the wood cells, leading to irreparable damage of the object. Drying [...] Read more.
The removal of water from archaeological wooden objects for display or storage is of great importance to their long-term conservation. Any mechanical instability caused during drying can induce warping or cracking of the wood cells, leading to irreparable damage of the object. Drying of an object is commonly carried out in one of three ways: (i) air-drying with controlled temperature and relative humidity, (ii) drying-out of a non-aqueous solvent or (iii) freeze-drying. Recently, there has been great interest in the replacement of the standard, but limited, polyethylene glycol with biopolymers for wood conservation; however, their behaviour and action within the wood is not completely understood. Three polysaccharides—low-molar-mass (Mw) chitosan (Mw ca. 60,000 g/mol), medium-molar-mass alginate (Mw ca. 100,000 g/mol) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs)-are investigated in relation to their drying behaviour. The method of drying reveals a significant difference in the morphology of these biopolymers both ex situ and within the wood cells. Here, the effect these differences in structuration have on the coating of the wood cells and the biological and thermal stability of the wood are examined, as well as the role of the environment in the formation of specific structures. The role these factors play in the selection of appropriate consolidants and drying methods for the conservation of waterlogged archaeological wooden objects is also investigated. The results show that both alginate and chitosan are promising wood consolidants from a structural perspective and both improve the thermal stability of the lignin component of archaeological wood. However, further modification would be necessary to improve the biocidal activity of alginate before it could be introduced into wooden objects. CNCs did not prove to be sufficiently suitable for wood conservation as a result of the analyses performed here. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Potential Applications)
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10 pages, 7663 KiB  
Article
Development of Gelatin/Misoprostol Compounds for Use in Pregnancy Failures
by Thiago Cajú Pedrosa, Rossanna Trócolli, Wladymyr Jefferson Bacalhau de Sousa, Glauber Rodrigues Cerqueira de Cerqueira, Henrique Nunes da Silva, Rossemberg Cardoso Barbosa, Matheus Ferreira de Souza, Taynah Pereira Galdino, Jackeline Nascimento Apolori Tissiani and Marcus Vinícius Lia Fook
Materials 2021, 14(23), 7250; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14237250 - 27 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1376
Abstract
Early abortion is one of the most common complications during pregnancy. However, the frequent handling of the genital region, more precisely the vagina, which causes discomfort to patients in this abortion process due to the frequency of drug insertion, as four pills are [...] Read more.
Early abortion is one of the most common complications during pregnancy. However, the frequent handling of the genital region, more precisely the vagina, which causes discomfort to patients in this abortion process due to the frequency of drug insertion, as four pills are inserted every six hours, has led to the search for alternatives to alleviate the suffering caused by this practice in patients who are already in a shaken emotional state. Hence, this work aimed to develop composites of gelatin and misoprostol, using a conventional single-dose drug delivery system. These composites were prepared by freeze/lyophilization technique, by dissolving the gelatin in distilled water, with a concentration of 2.5% (w/v), and misoprostol was incorporated into the gelatin solution at the therapeutic concentration (800 mcg). They were subsequently molded, frozen and lyophilized. The samples of the composites were then crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) 1% (v/v) with respect to the gelatin mass for 5 min. The characterization techniques used were: Optical Microscopy (OM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetry (TG), Swelling, Biodegradation and Cytotoxicity. In OM it was observed that the addition of the drug improved the cylindrical appearance of the compounds, in comparison with the sample that was composed of only gelatin. There was a reduction in the degree of swelling with the addition of the drug and crosslinking. The cytotoxicity test indicated the biocompatibility of the material. Based on the results obtained in these tests, the composites have therapeutic potential for uterine emptying in pregnancy failures, especially in the first trimester. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Potential Applications)
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13 pages, 2155 KiB  
Article
The Influence of pH on Complexation Process of Copper(II) Phosphoethanolamine to Pyrimidine Nucleosides
by Malwina Gabryel-Skrodzka, Martyna Nowak, Klaudia Stachowiak, Michal Zabiszak, Kazuma Ogawa and Renata Jastrzab
Materials 2021, 14(15), 4309; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14154309 - 01 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2040
Abstract
The influence of pH on the complex formation of phosphoethanolamine and pyrimidine nucleosides (uridine, cytidine and thymidine) with copper(II) ions was studied. All investigations were performed in aqueous solution. The overall stability constants of the complexes and non-covalent compounds were obtained using the [...] Read more.
The influence of pH on the complex formation of phosphoethanolamine and pyrimidine nucleosides (uridine, cytidine and thymidine) with copper(II) ions was studied. All investigations were performed in aqueous solution. The overall stability constants of the complexes and non-covalent compounds were obtained using the potentiometric method with computer calculation of the data. Moreover, equilibrium constants of the reaction were determined. The mode of coordination was obtained using spectroscopic methods. Analysis of the potentiometric and spectroscopic data confirmed the involvement and effectiveness of phosphate groups in species formation as well as the influence of pH on the mode of coordination of the investigated biomaterials. In the next step, studied complexes will be applied as potential biomaterials with biological applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Potential Applications)
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