Functional Inorganic Biomaterials for Molecular Sensing and Biomedical Applications
A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 845
Special Issue Editor
Interests: inorganic materials; molecular self-assembly; drug delivery; protein folding and dynamics; modeling of functional nanomaterials
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is my utmost pleasure to invite you to contribute a full article, short communication, opinion, or review article to this Special Issue, entitled "Functional Inorganic Biomaterials for Molecular Sensing and Biomedical Applications".
Science thrives on innovation and technological advancements that can further the quality of life via the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of various diseases and fostering environmental sustainability. Inorganic biomaterials encompass a diverse array of materials that include metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, and are shown to be pivotal in chemistry, materials science, biology, medicine, and biomedical engineering. The development of inorganic biomaterials with tunable intrinsic properties (i.e., shape, size, surface-to-volume ratio or aspect ratio, topography, and electrostatic interactions), engineerable surfaces, and functionality is much sought after in imaging and clinical therapy. The molecular sensing and biomedical applications of inorganic biomaterials are quite diverse and include regenerative medicine, tumor imaging, atherosclerosis imaging, tissue engineering, drug delivery, orthopedic implants, photothermal therapy, and the design of controllable medical devices. Inorganic biomaterials and their hybrid assemblies can also be applied as scaffolds to immobilize biological molecules in a defined manner and provide the means of producing advanced materials for tailored biological applications.
This Special Issue calls for studies on the structural characterization of inorganic biomaterials, the biophysical and biochemical properties of inorganic-based biomaterials, biocompatibility, and applications of inorganic biomaterials, including, but not limited to, imaging and clinical therapy, such as therapeutic drug delivery, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. The invitation is open to researchers who investigate the medical applications of inorganic biomaterials using computation and experiments. The objective of this Special Issue is to showcase the recent advances in inorganic biomaterials, which include all stages of the process, from design to application, as well as prospects for their use in clinical trials and modern medicine.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Nabanita Saikia
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. Inorganics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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
- structural characterization of inorganic biomaterials
- light-responsive inorganic biomaterials
- biocompatibility of inorganic biomaterials
- molecular imaging
- therapeutic applications of inorganic biomaterials
- inorganic biomaterial-based medical devices
- wound healing and regenerative medicine
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Advances in Application of Inorganic-Based Bionanomaterials as Biocompatible Scaffolds for Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering
Authors: Nabanita Saikia
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM 87701, United States
Abstract: Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary field that involves the principles of stem cell technology and tissue engineering to aid in the replacement or regeneration of human cells, tissues, or organs and restore normal functions. The term 'regenerative medicine' was coined by William Haseltine during a 1999 conference on Lake Como. Regenerative medicine has emerged as a novel frontier in research and since its inception in 1968, regenerative therapies have provided clinical benefits for bone, skin, cartilage, neural, and cardiac regeneration, repair and restoration of disease tissues, and scaffold fabrication. Inorganic biomaterials are pivotal in regenerative medicine and have gained precedence over contemporary synthetic and biomaterials due to their tunable intrinsic properties that are characterized by size, topography, charge, and chemical stability, display flexible cellular response in intracellular matric environments, act as a scaffold to provide structural support for cell adhesion, tissue regeneration, and development. Given the wide gamut of near-future applications that can be envisaged for inorganic biomaterials, this review focuses on the emergence of application in stem-cell regenerative research and tissue engineering, regeneration of artificial skin and cartilage, neural nerve injuries, bioprinting, and the design of new inorganic bio-scaffolds. The challenges associated with clinical applications of inorganic biomaterials and tissue compatibility will be discussed using current state-of-the-art techniques.
Title: Luminescence Efficiency and Spectral Compatibility of Cerium Fluoride (CeF3) Inorganic Scintillator with Various Optical Sensors in the Diagnostic Radiology X-Ray Energy Range
Authors: Vasileios Ntoupis; Christos Michail; Nektarios Kalyvas; Athanasios Bakas; Ioannis Kandarakis; George Fountos; Ioannis Valais
Affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Abstract: Background: The aim of this study was to experimentally assess the luminescence efficiency of a cerium fluoride (CeF3) inorganic scintillator in crystal form as a possible alternative to the high luminescence, but hygroscopic cerium bromide (CeBr3). Methods: The experiments were performed under typical diagnostic radiology X-rays (50-140 kVp). Parameters such as the crystal’s luminescence efficiency (AE) and the spectral matching with a series of optical detectors were examined. Results: The replacement of bromine with fluorine appeared to drastically reduce the AE of CeF3 compared to CeBr3 and other commercially available inorganic scintillators such as bismuth germanate (Bi4Ge3O12-BGO). CeF3 reaches a maximum AE value of only 0.8334 efficiency units (EU) at 140 kVp, whereas the corresponding values for CeBr3 and BGO were 29.49 and 3.41, respectively. Furthermore, the emission maximum moved towards the lower part of the visible spectrum, making CeF3 suitable for spectral coupling with various photocathodes and photomultipliers, applied in nuclear medicine detectors, but completely unsuitable for spectral matching with CCDs and CMOS. Conclusion: The obtained luminescence efficiency results denote that CeF3 cannot be applied in medical imaging modalities, covering the range 50-140 kVp, however examination of its luminescence output in the nuclear medicine energy range could reveal possible applicability in these modalities.
Title: Green Synthesized Gold Nanoparticles on Honey-Comb NiO Film for Detection of Trace Level of Toluene
Authors: Shyamal Mandal; Juwesh Binong; Nitin Sahai; Manob Jyoti Saikia
Affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, 793022, Meghalaya, India
Abstract: Toluene exerts effects on various physiological systems, including central nervous system, eyes, skin, lung, and liver. The inhalation of elevated concentrations (300 ppm) of toluene during pregnancy has been shown to result in children with birth congenital abnormalities. Selectivity is also an important parameter of any metal oxide resistive sensor. In this work, the authors have fabricated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) on honey-comb-shaped nanoporous NiO film based on an amperometric sensor for trace-level detection of toluene. The fabrication process is simple, cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and hence industrially viable. The sensor showed good selective sensing response towards toluene over 5 other comparable VOCs with a maximum response of 83% (for 352 ppm of toluene) with response and recovery times of 310 and 641 s, respectively. The optimum operating temperature of that sensor was 250OC. The selective sensing was achieved due to the formation of gold nanoparticles embedded nanoporous film surface which enhanced the defects and dangling bonds that increased the adsorption and oxidation reaction of the toluene gas with the adsorbed oxygen species. Toluene gas detection is possible due to the maximum utilization of the gas sensing layer. The work is focused on the detection of trace levels of toluene and the sensing was repeatable and reproducible.
