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Bio‐inspired and biodegradable quantum optics scenarios constitute a pathway toward environmentally friendly front‐end technologies. Such an inspiring perspective necessitates the replacement of classic gain materials with a biological counterpart like photoluminescent bacteria. It is easy to imagine that, in this case, a planar and cell‐viable substitute of classic bulk solid‐states resonators can be highly beneficial. In this paper a micro‐ and nano‐photonic structuration of both a standard and a functionalized version of a typical bacterial growth medium (Luria‐Bertani Agar – LBA) is successfully realized. Three structures belonging to the categories of photonic crystals are replicated, such as quasi‐crystals and meta‐surfaces, demonstrating how the proposed media can be used as templates for high‐end photonic applications. The optical quality of the replicated structures is confirmed by far‐field diffraction measurements. The structured growth media allow for a broad control of the surface wettability by accessing a so‐called Wenzel state, in which the original hydrophilicity of a material is increased due to the photonic structuration. Finally, the suitability of the nano‐structured LBA as a plasmonic platform is evidenced. The proposed micro‐and nano‐structured photonic growth media constitute the first, fundamental step toward quantum optical frameworks from biological media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this context, the works published in this Special Issue have addressed such a topic from different perspectives, including bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based polymers [[3], [8], [12]], bioplastics for packaging [[2], [4], [10]] and other industrial uses [[6]], and sustainable food waste management and biorefinery [[1], [5], [11]]. 31963296 10 Correa-Pacheco Z.N., Black-Solís J.D., Ortega-Gudiño P., Sabino-Gutiérrez M.A., Benítez-Jiménez J.J., Barajas-Cervantes A., Bautista-Baños S., Hurtado-Colmenares L.B. Preparation and Characterization of Bio-Based PLA/PBAT and Cinnamon Essential Oil Polymer Fibers and Life-Cycle Assessment from Hydrolytic Degradation. The valorization of biomass from different renewable resources (i.e., agriculture, food, forestry, fishery, etc.) by green processes to produce multifunctional polymers with potential industrial applications is a smart strategy to substitute non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastics [[1], [3], [5], [7], [9], [11]]. Correa-Pacheco et al. prepared bio-based cinnamon essential oil-containing PLA/PBAT fibers by melt mixing of both polymers and subsequent extrusion where the essential oil was incorporated [[10]]. [Extracted from the article]