Towards Functional Biohybrid Materials and Devices for Sensing and Biomedical Applications

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will explore functional biohybrid systems which integrate artificial and biological elements for applications in sensing and biomedical fields. It will examine functional biohybrid materials and devices containing biological and artificial components. Photonics, bioelectronics, and nanotechnology enable interactions with biological entities, while synthetic biology and functional material design and engineering allow for bidirectional communication at the biotic/abiotic interface. The focus will be on actuators and sensors that utilize cells, microorganisms, or tissues in actuation or signal transduction, such as soft robots or living electrodes. Plants offer many opportunities for technological integration due to their ability to sense and sample their environments, their sun-powered hierarchical structures, and their rich biocatalytic signatures, making them ideal for sensing applications. Additive manufacturing enables programmed cell and microbial patterning, resulting in sophisticated 3D structures that can regenerate, self-heal, and adapt to environmental stimuli. The in vivo environment’s biocatalytic activity can be utilized to incorporate functional entities into natural materials, which either remain within the biological environment or are harvested. Furthermore, the utilization of metal nanoparticles in cancer detection, therapy, and drug delivery will be a focus.

The Special Issue will showcase a wide spectrum of biohybrid systems, bringing together experts who are working to integrate biological components into technology. This cross-pollination of expertise and knowledge aims to create increasingly complicated biohybrid systems. The Special Issue will explore the fundamental processes controlling the coupling between technology and biology, as well as materials and device engineering for enhancing biotic–abiotic communication, addressing challenges like long-term operation and high performance. It is my pleasure to invite you to submit your work. Research papers, reviews, and communications are welcome.

Dr. Desmond K. Loke
Dr. Lunna Li
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. 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.

• cell culture
• microorganisms
• plant materials
• additive manufacturing materials
• metal nanoparticles
• synthesis and characterization
• in vitro and in vivo study
• sensing
• cancer detection and therapy
• drug delivery