Functionalization and Medical Application of Polymer Materials: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the Special Issue “Functionalization and Medical Application of Polymer Materials”, a second edition of this Special Issue is being organized. The functionalization of polymers consists of attaching functional groups to their monomeric units. The modified macromolecule bears several functional groups that work in conjunction. The functionalities, linked to the same molecule, amplify their activities through enhanced cooperativity. Polymers are easy to functionalize with a large variety of chemical groups via the utilization of organic chemistry reactions. We can functionalize the preformed polymeric chain or the monomers whose polymerization constitutes the second step of the synthesis. Different requirements induce different functionalizations. Enhancing water solubility, altering the conformation in solution, facilitating the coordination capability toward ionic or neutral molecules, and inducing optical properties such as light absorption or fluorescence can serve the polymer applications. We can utilize functionalized polymers in different medical fields, e.g., drug delivery, tissue engineering, theranostic medicine, and bioimaging. Polymer functionalization for medical applications is a research field that mainly involves organic chemists interested in the synthesis of novel biomaterials for challenging targets.

Dr. Carmine Coluccini
Guest Editor

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• polymer functionalization
• medical applications
• drug delivery
• tissue engineering
• biophotonic
• theranostic medicine

• Functionalization and Medical Application of Polymer Materials in Polymers (9 articles)