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Polymers
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Advances in Polymer Processing and Printing for Biomedical Applications
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Advances in Polymer Processing and Printing for Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2022) | Viewed by 12568

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo La Carrubba

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymer processing; polymer characterization; polymer solutions, phase separation-based methods; scaffolds technologies for tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesco Lopresti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: scaffolds for regenerative medicine; electrospinning; thermally induced phase separation; hydrogels; bioprinting; organ-on-chip; bionanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is devoted to “Advances in Polymer Processing and Printing for Biomedical Applications”, including polymer blends and nanocomposites.

In recent years, polymers and their blends and/or nanocomposites are widely explored for the fabrication of devices for biomedical applications such as scaffolds for tissue engineering, biosensors, disposable point-of-care devices, implants and controlled drug release systems. Both synthetic and natural polymers or their combination are widely explored in these emerging fields. Each kind of polymer presents its inherent processing-related advantages and disadvantages. Based on the final applications of the material, several processing strategies were recently developed and customized to address challenging requirements of biomedical devices, including post-processing bulk or surface chemical/structural modification. Among them, three-dimensional (3D) printing is gaining more and more interest by allowing the fabrication of complex 3D structures consisting of one or more polymers.

Therefore, this Special Issue will highlight recent progress in polymer processing and printing approaches for biomedical applications either providing new insights about the interaction between processing, structure and properties of polymer or investigating hybrid technologies leading to advanced performances towards tissue engineering, drug release and biosensing applications. The latest research dealing with special biomedical application fields and/or proposing novel characterization protocols are also of great interest.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • Processing–structure–property relationships of scaffold for biomedical applications
  • Polymer processing for drug loading and release from polymeric matrices
  • Polymer processing for point-of-care devices
  • Polymer processing for biosensing applications
  • Bulk and surface of polymers for biomedical applications

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo La Carrubba
Dr. Francesco Lopresti
Guest Editors

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. Polymers 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 2700 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.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Lopresti
Prof. Dr. Vincenzo La Carrubba
Guest Editors

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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • Biopolymers
  • Processing-structure-properties relationships
  • Scaffolds
  • 3D Printing
  • Controlled drug release
  • Point-of-care devices
  • Biosensors
  • Mechanical properties
  • Thermal properties

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 5327 KiB  
Article
Effect of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Concentration on Polymeric Scaffolds Based on Blends of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) and PHA Prepared via Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS)
by Francesco Lopresti, Antonio Liga, Elisa Capuana, Davide Gulfi, Claudio Zanca, Rosalinda Inguanta, Valerio Brucato, Vincenzo La Carrubba and Francesco Carfì Pavia
Polymers 2022, 14(12), 2494; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14122494 - 19 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2193
Abstract
Hybrid porous scaffolds composed of both natural and synthetic biopolymers have demonstrated significant improvements in the tissue engineering field. This study investigates for the first time the fabrication route and characterization of poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate up to 30 wt%. The [...] Read more.
Hybrid porous scaffolds composed of both natural and synthetic biopolymers have demonstrated significant improvements in the tissue engineering field. This study investigates for the first time the fabrication route and characterization of poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate up to 30 wt%. The hybrid scaffolds were prepared by a thermally induced phase separation method starting from ternary solutions. The microstructure of the hybrid porous structures was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and related to the blend composition. The porosity and the wettability of the scaffolds were evaluated through gravimetric and water contact angle measurements, respectively. The scaffolds were also characterized in terms of the surface chemical properties via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance. The mechanical properties were analyzed through tensile tests, while the crystallinity of the PLLA/PHA scaffolds was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Processing and Printing for Biomedical Applications)
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10 pages, 3352 KiB  
Article
Visible Light-Curable Chitosan Ink for Extrusion-Based and Vat Polymerization-Based 3D Bioprintings
by Mitsuyuki Hidaka, Masaru Kojima, Masaki Nakahata and Shinji Sakai
Polymers 2021, 13(9), 1382; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13091382 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3170
Abstract
Three-dimensional bioprinting has attracted much attention for biomedical applications, including wound dressing and tissue regeneration. The development of functional and easy-to-handle inks is expected to expand the applications of this technology. In this study, aqueous solutions of chitosan derivatives containing sodium persulfate (SPS) [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional bioprinting has attracted much attention for biomedical applications, including wound dressing and tissue regeneration. The development of functional and easy-to-handle inks is expected to expand the applications of this technology. In this study, aqueous solutions of chitosan derivatives containing sodium persulfate (SPS) and Tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) chloride (Ru(bpy)3) were applied as inks for both extrusion-based and vat polymerization-based bioprinting. In both the printing systems, the curation of ink was caused by visible light irradiation. The gelation time of the solution and the mechanical properties of the resultant hydrogels could be altered by changing the concentrations of SPS and Ru(bpy)3. The 3D hydrogel constructs with a good shape fidelity were obtained from the chitosan inks with a composition that formed gel within 10 s. In addition, we confirmed that the chitosan hydrogels have biodegradability and antimicrobial activity. These results demonstrate the significant potential of using the visible light-curable inks containing a chitosan derivative for extrusion and vat polymerization-based bioprinting toward biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Processing and Printing for Biomedical Applications)
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Review

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20 pages, 6952 KiB  
Review
Solution-Based Processing for Scaffold Fabrication in Tissue Engineering Applications: A Brief Review
by Elisa Capuana, Francesco Lopresti, Francesco Carfì Pavia, Valerio Brucato and Vincenzo La Carrubba
Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2041; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13132041 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 6433
Abstract
The fabrication of 3D scaffolds is under wide investigation in tissue engineering (TE) because of its incessant development of new advanced technologies and the improvement of traditional processes. Currently, scientific and clinical research focuses on scaffold characterization to restore the function of missing [...] Read more.
The fabrication of 3D scaffolds is under wide investigation in tissue engineering (TE) because of its incessant development of new advanced technologies and the improvement of traditional processes. Currently, scientific and clinical research focuses on scaffold characterization to restore the function of missing or damaged tissues. A key for suitable scaffold production is the guarantee of an interconnected porous structure that allows the cells to grow as in native tissue. The fabrication techniques should meet the appropriate requirements, including feasible reproducibility and time- and cost-effective assets. This is necessary for easy processability, which is associated with the large range of biomaterials supporting the use of fabrication technologies. This paper presents a review of scaffold fabrication methods starting from polymer solutions that provide highly porous structures under controlled process parameters. In this review, general information of solution-based technologies, including freeze-drying, thermally or diffusion induced phase separation (TIPS or DIPS), and electrospinning, are presented, along with an overview of their technological strategies and applications. Furthermore, the differences in the fabricated constructs in terms of pore size and distribution, porosity, morphology, and mechanical and biological properties, are clarified and critically reviewed. Then, the combination of these techniques for obtaining scaffolds is described, offering the advantages of mimicking the unique architecture of tissues and organs that are intrinsically difficult to design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Processing and Printing for Biomedical Applications)
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