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In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in using nanotechnology in medicine to diagnose and cure various infectious diseases. Although the precise mechanism of action is frequently challenged, many nanosized materials have been extensively explored for this purpose, using their innately unique features. Their functionality has also been enhanced by the addition of various coatings, such as those that increase chemical stability and stealth properties or contain targeting agents that lessen off-target effects while producing effective'smart'nanoplatforms for the early detection, treatment, and possibly resolution of diseases. This book aims to compile research and review articles that concentrate on the synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles, with a focus on investigating novel ways to improve their properties and create new efficient diagnostic, therapeutic, or theranostic approaches with a clear understanding of how they work.

Billions of people globally live under conditions of water stress and water shortage, or with contaminated water sources. Anthropogenic contaminants pose an extra challenge as water purification technology must be constantly developed or upgraded to deal with newly fabricated pollutants. One of the UN sustainable development goals is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Therefore, it is vital to develop novel materials and technologies for producing clean drinking water in a human safe, economically reasonable and environmentally sustainable way. Novel Materials and Water Purification introduces recent approaches to the fabrication of novel materials for water purification and discusses several significant applications including removal of heavy metals and pharmaceuticals. This is a timely work of high interest to researchers and learners in the fields of water science, water management and materials science.

Hydrogels are highly hydrated three dimensional networks with the ability to mimic the extracellular matrix of bodily tissues and have thus found application in a wide range of biomedical applications. Unique physiochemical properties such as biocompatibility, water permeability, stimuli responsiveness and self-healing characteristics make them especially useful for use as scaffolds and matrices drug delivery, tissue engineering/regeneration and sensing. Their weak and brittle nature, however, often limits their widespread application where improved mechanical strength is required. To resolve this problem, there has been a significant amount of research into the improvement of their mechanical properties. Among these efforts, versatile multicomponent hydrogels have received much attention as their physiochemical properties can be structurally engineered to provide a wide range of desired properties. These multicomponent formulations also allow for the combination of natural and synthetic polymers, which offers the scope to exploit the advantages of each component, with the synergistic effects resulting from mutual interactions. This book critically discusses the fundamental chemistry, synthesis, characterisation, physiochemical and biological properties of various types of multicomponent hydrogels. It reviews the different strategies employed in designing and synthesizing cutting-edge multicomponent hydrogels and their key applications in biomedical fields. The work is suitable for researchers working in the specific area of multicomponent hydrogels, and also more generally for those working in materials science, biomedical engineering, biomaterials science and tissue engineering.

Current environmental and energy concerns have led to lignin gaining increased attention in the last decade as a renewable biomass. Due to its structural and functional properties, such as antimicrobial behaviour, biodegradability, biocompatibility and ease of surface modifications, lignin-based materials have gained popularity in the biomedical field with applications ranging from tissue engineering scaffolds and wound dressing materials to drug delivery carriers. Using this book, the reader will learn about the chemistry of lignin, and the characterization, fabrication and properties of lignin-based composites with different matrices (thermosets, thermoplastics, elastomers etc.). In addition, the book illustrates how these materials are used in medical applications, covering drug delivery, wound dressing, tissue engineering, imaging, etc. Providing a neat overview of the current research for the biomaterials science community, this book is a one-stop resource for researchers and practitioners working on lignin-based biomaterials. For those active in the broader fields of materials science and biomedical engineering, this will be a useful reference and study aid.

Research and new tools in biomaterials development by using peptides are currently growing, as more functional and versatile building blocks are used to design a host of functional biomaterials via chemical modifications for health care applications. It is a field that is attracting researchers from across soft matter science, molecular engineering and biomaterials science. Covering the fundamental concepts of self-assembly, design and synthesis of peptides, this book will provide a solid introduction to the field for those interested in developing functional biomaterials by using peptide derivatives. The bioactive nature of the peptides and their physical properties are discussed in various applications in biomedicine. This book will help researchers and students working in biomaterials and biomedicine fields and help their understanding of modulating biological processes for disease diagnosis and treatments.

Dynamic soft materials that have the ability to expand and contract, change stiffness, self-heal or dissolve in response to environmental changes, are of great interest in applications ranging from biosensing and drug delivery to soft robotics and tissue engineering. This book covers the state-of-the-art and current trends in the very active and exciting field of bioinspired soft matter, its fundamentals and comprehension from the structural-property point of view, as well as materials and cutting-edge technologies that enable their design, fabrication, advanced characterization and underpin their biomedical applications.The book contents are supported by illustrated examples, schemes, and figures, offering a comprehensive and thorough overview of key aspects of soft matter. The book will provide a trusted resource for undergraduate and graduate students and will extensively benefit researchers and professionals working across the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science and engineering, nanosciences, nanotechnologies, nanomedicine, biomedical engineering and medical sciences.

Carbon nanostructures, namely fullerenes, single and multiwall carbon nanotubes, graphene as well as the most recent graphene quantum dots and carbon nanodots, have experienced a tremendous progress along the last two decades in terms of the knowledge acquired on their chemical and physical properties. These insights have enabled their increasing use in biomedical applications, from scaffolds to devices.Edited by renowned experts in the subject, this book collects and delineates the most notable advances within the growing field surrounding carbon nanostructures for biomedical purposes. Exploration ranges from fundamentals around classifications to toxicity, biocompatibility and the immune response. Modified nanocarbon-based materials and emergent classes, such as carbon dots and nanohorns are discussed, with chapters devoted from carriers for drug delivery and inhibitors of emergent viruses infection, to applications across imaging, biosensors, tissue scaffolding and biotechnology. The book will provide a valuable reference resource and will extensively benefit researchers and professionals working across the fields of chemistry, materials science, and biomedical and chemical engineering.

With the need to combat emerging infectious diseases, research around antimicrobial biomaterials and their applications is booming. This book provides the field with a much-needed fundamental overview of the science, addressing the chemistry of a broad range of biomaterial types, and their applications in the biomedical industry. Materials covered include polymers, from those with inherent antimicrobial activity to those that release antimicrobial agents, antimicrobial ceramics and inorganic compounds, such as metal based antimicrobial additives, and the developing field of biomimetic materials, are discussed. Surfaces, coatings and adhesives are covered, whilst the applications of these antimicrobial materials in biomedical applications, from catheters to orthopaedics, dentistry to ophthalmology, are explored. Edited by international leaders and with contributions from the best in the field, this book is the go-to resource for graduates and researchers in biomaterials science, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials and polymer chemistry.

Nanogel-based systems have gained tremendous attention due to their diverse range of applications in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biosensors, orthopaedics, wound healing and drug delivery. Nanogels for Biomedical Applications provides a comprehensive overview of nanogels and their use in nanomedicine. The book starts with the synthesis, methods and characterization techniques for nanogel-based smart materials followed by individual chapters demonstrating the different uses of the materials. Applications covered include anticancer therapy, tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, tissue engineering, gene delivery and targeted drug delivery. The book will appeal to biologists, chemists, and nanotechnologists interested in translation research for personalized nanomedicine for health care.

The field of nanoceramics for biomedical applications has experienced important advances in the last five years. These advances are mainly focused in the field of new nanostructured bioceramics able to mimic almost the same biomineralization processes. In addition, there has also been significant advances in nanoceramics as vehicles for targeted drug delivery and gene therapy. Building on the success of Biomimetic Nanoceramics in Clinical Use, this second edition has been revised and updated to reflect the recent developments in the field. Nanoceramics in Clinical Use includes additional material on bone mineralization processes, new synthesis strategies and applications of nanostructured bioceramics to manufacture 3D macroporous scaffolds and as nanovehicles for targeted drug delivery and gene therapies, to provide the reader with a complete overview of the topic, from fundamental principles to the latest advances. Written by World leading experts in bioceramics, this title will appeal to a broad audience, from academic researchers to those working within the commercial industry. Materials and chemical engineers, chemists, biologists, physicists and those working in medicine, im particular with medical implants, will appreciate the comprehensive coverage of this fast-developing area.

Starch is one of the most widely available natural biomaterials and is commonly used in biodegradable packaging. This book provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in starch-based materials. The book focuses on the types of starch available from different sources, in particular the various aspects of preparation, structure, processing, morphology, properties and applications of starch materials and their polymer blends, composites and nanocomposites. It is ideal for students and researchers in chemistry, polymer science, materials science, biotechnology and life sciences working in bio-based and biodegradable polymers and composites, well as those interested in its applications.

In order to design and develop new biomaterials it is essential to understand the biointerface, the interconnection between a synthetic or natural material and tissue, microorganism, cell, virus or biomolecule. Biointerfaces: Where Material Meets Biology provides an up to date overview of the knowledge and methods used to control living organism responses to implantable devices. The book starts with an introduction to the biointerface – past, present and the future perspectives and covers the key areas of biomolecular interface for cell modulation, topographical biointerface, mechano structural biointerafce, chemo-structural biointerfaces and interface that control bacteria responses. By combining the cellular, antimicrobial, antibacterial and therapeutic aspects of the interface with the methodology of fabrication and testing of the synthetic biomaterials used in a variety of medical applications the text provides a handbook for researchers. Edited by leading researchers, the book integrates the understanding of cell, microorganism and biomolecule interactions with surfaces and the methods used for assessment which appeal to materials scientists, chemists, biotechnologists, (molecular-) biologists, biomedical engineers interested in the fundamentals and applications of biomaterials and biointerfaces.

The unique physico-chemical properties of cationic polymers and their ability to be easily modified make them attractive for many biological applications. As a result there is a vast amount of research focussed on designing novel natural or synthetic cationic polymers with specific biological functionality. Cationic Polymers in Regenerative Medicine brings together the expertise of leading experts in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in cationic polymer synthesis, modification and the design of biomaterials with different structures for therapeutic applications. Chapters cover recent developments in novel cationic polymer based systems including poly(L-lysine), Poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) and cationic triazine dendrimers as well as cationic polymer-coated micro- and nanoparticles and cationic cellulose and chitin nanocrystals. Applications discussed in the book include drug and gene delivery, therapeutics in thrombosis and inflammation as well as gene therapy. Suitable both for an educational perspective for those new to the field and those already active in the field, the book appeals to postgraduates and researchers. The broad aspects of the topics covered are suitable for polymer chemists interested in the fundamentals of the materials systems as well as pharmaceutical chemists, bioengineering and medical professionals interested in their applications.