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Advances in Biosensing Materials for the Design of Smart Interfaces

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 12826

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
Interests: design; synthesis; functionalization of materials; bioinspired materials; electrically conductive polymers; hydrogels; nanocomposite systems; polymer electrolyte membranes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Tissue Electronics, Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Healthcare, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
Interests: Bioelectronics, biointerfaces, electroactive materials, conductive polymers, micro- and nanopatterning, cell-material interfaces, neuronal interfaces, cell-instructive platforms, electron microscopy

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Guest Editor
Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: biomaterials design and processing; electrospinning and electrofluidodynamic processes; morphological characterization; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biosensing materials, with their peculiar abilities to feel and react to external stimuli by changing their properties, are rapidly diffusing in different application areas including healthcare, early diagnosis, and environmental monitoring. In particular, several efforts are currently focused on the development of new materials, able to change their structure, shape, color, or temperature through the application of external driving forces (acoustic, electrical, magnetic, luminous, mechanical, and/or thermal).

In the last few decades, an enormous amount of research has been carried out for the realization of biosensing devices, through the synthesis of materials and an accurate engineering of the interfaces, leading to the development of micro- and nano-structured interfaces based on bottom-up approaches, suitable to confer to biosensing materials peculiar features in terms of reversibility, reactivity to external stimuli, and self-healing.

In this context, the design of biosensing materials is a relevant issue that requires a multidisciplinary approach at the cutting edge of the chemistry, physics, biology and materials science.

This Special Issue aims to describe the recent progress in the synthesis and processing of biosensing materials for the design of smart interfaces to be applied in, but not limited to, biomedical applications, bioengineering, and bioelectronics. Both original articles and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Anna Borriello
Dr. Francesca Santoro
Dr. Vincenzo Guarino
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. Molecules 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 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

  • biomaterials
  • biosensors
  • nanostructures
  • bioengineering
  • bioelectronics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 4438 KiB  
Article
Stab-Resistant Performance of the Well-Engineered Soft Body Armor Materials Using Shear Thickening Fluid
by Rubin Wei, Bin Dong, Wen Zhai and Hui Li
Molecules 2022, 27(20), 6799; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27206799 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1623
Abstract
Stab-resistant body armor can effectively prevent sharp instruments from attacking the protected parts and reduce the threat to human bodies. Shear thickening fluid (STF) is a kind of smart material with variable viscosity and its viscosity can change significantly with external stimuli. The [...] Read more.
Stab-resistant body armor can effectively prevent sharp instruments from attacking the protected parts and reduce the threat to human bodies. Shear thickening fluid (STF) is a kind of smart material with variable viscosity and its viscosity can change significantly with external stimuli. The soft and adaptive characteristics of STF provide a new idea for improving the performance of stab-proof materials. In this work, three kinds of soft anti-stabbing materials were designed and prepared with aramid, poly–p–phenylene benzodioxazole (PBO), and carbon fiber fabrics impregnated with STF. Quasi-static puncture tests and dynamic impact tests were conducted to compare the performance of different anti-stabbing structures. The results showed that the peak piercing force of the STF-treated fabrics in the puncture testing was greatly increased than that of neat samples. Against the D2 knife, the maximum impact load of STF/PBO fiber fabric was increased from 55.8 N to 72.9 N, increasing by 30.6%. Against the D3 spike, the maximum impact load of STF/aramid fabric was increased from 128.9 N to 254.7 N, increasing by 197.6%. The mechanical properties of fibers were important factors for the resistance to knives, and the fabric structure was the key point to bear the spike. Optical photographs of fabric fractures and scanning electron microscope analysis indicated that the STF effectively limited the slip of the fiber bundle when the tool penetrated the fabric, which played a positive role in maintaining the tightness and integrity of the fabric structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biosensing Materials for the Design of Smart Interfaces)
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14 pages, 5307 KiB  
Article
Polydopamine-Coated Poly-Lactic Acid Aerogels as Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications
by Ramona Orlacchio, Simona Zuppolini, Iriczalli Cruz-Maya, Stefania Pragliola, Anna Borriello, Vincenzo Guarino, Rosalba Fittipaldi, Mariateresa Lettieri and Vincenzo Venditto
Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2137; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072137 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2185
Abstract
Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) aerogel-based scaffolds were obtained from physical PLLA gels containing cyclopentanone (CPO) or methyl benzoate (BzOMe) molecules. An innovative single step method of solvent extraction, using supercritical CO2, was used to achieve cylindrical monolithic aerogels. The pore distribution and [...] Read more.
Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) aerogel-based scaffolds were obtained from physical PLLA gels containing cyclopentanone (CPO) or methyl benzoate (BzOMe) molecules. An innovative single step method of solvent extraction, using supercritical CO2, was used to achieve cylindrical monolithic aerogels. The pore distribution and size, analyzed by SEM microscopy, were found to be related to the crystalline forms present in the physical nodes that hold the gels together, the stable α’-form and the metastable co-crystalline ε-form, detected in the PLLA/BzOMe and PLLA/CPO aerogels, respectively. A higher mechanical compressive strength was found for the PLLA/CPO aerogels, which exhibit a more homogenous porosity. In vitro biocompatibility tests also indicated that monolithic PLLA/CPO aerogels exhibited greater cell viability than PLLA/BzOMe aerogels. An improved biocompatibility of PLLA/CPO monolithic aerogels was finally observed by coating the surface of the aerogels with polydopamine (PDA) obtained by the in situ polymerization of dopamine (DA). The synergistic effect of biodegradable polyester (PLLA) and the biomimetic interface (PDA) makes this new 3D porous scaffold, with porosity and mechanical properties that are tunable based on the solvent used in the preparation process, attractive for tissue engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biosensing Materials for the Design of Smart Interfaces)
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14 pages, 2619 KiB  
Article
DNA Electrochemical Biosensor Based on Iron Oxide/Nanocellulose Crystalline Composite Modified Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
by Mohd Hazani Mat Zaid, Che Engku Noramalina Che-Engku-Chik, Nor Azah Yusof, Jaafar Abdullah, Siti Sarah Othman, Rahizan Issa, Mohd Fairulnizal Md Noh and Helmi Wasoh
Molecules 2020, 25(15), 3373; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153373 - 24 Jul 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3285
Abstract
Death from tuberculosis has resulted in an increased need for early detection to prevent a tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, especially in closed and crowded populations. Herein, a sensitive electrochemical DNA biosensor based on functionalized iron oxide with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA-Fe3O4) [...] Read more.
Death from tuberculosis has resulted in an increased need for early detection to prevent a tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, especially in closed and crowded populations. Herein, a sensitive electrochemical DNA biosensor based on functionalized iron oxide with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA-Fe3O4) nanoparticle and nanocellulose crystalline functionalized cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (NCC/CTAB) has been fabricated for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). In this study, a simple drop cast method was applied to deposit solution of MPA-Fe3O4/NCC/CTAB onto the surface of the screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). Then, a specific sequence of MTB DNA probe was immobilized onto a modified SPCE surface by using the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling mechanism. For better signal amplification and electrochemical response, ruthenium bipyridyl Ru(bpy)32+ was assigned as labels of hybridization followed by the characteristic test using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results of this biosensor enable the detection of target DNA until a concentration as low as 7.96 × 10−13 M with a wide detection range from 1.0 × 10−6 to 1.0 × 10−12 M. In addition, the developed biosensor has shown a differentiation between positive and negative MTB samples in real sampel analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biosensing Materials for the Design of Smart Interfaces)
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Review

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29 pages, 4347 KiB  
Review
Advances in Medical Wearable Biosensors: Design, Fabrication and Materials Strategies in Healthcare Monitoring
by Sangeeth Pillai, Akshaya Upadhyay, Darren Sayson, Bich Hong Nguyen and Simon D. Tran
Molecules 2022, 27(1), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27010165 - 28 Dec 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4836
Abstract
In the past decade, wearable biosensors have radically changed our outlook on contemporary medical healthcare monitoring systems. These smart, multiplexed devices allow us to quantify dynamic biological signals in real time through highly sensitive, miniaturized sensing platforms, thereby decentralizing the concept of regular [...] Read more.
In the past decade, wearable biosensors have radically changed our outlook on contemporary medical healthcare monitoring systems. These smart, multiplexed devices allow us to quantify dynamic biological signals in real time through highly sensitive, miniaturized sensing platforms, thereby decentralizing the concept of regular clinical check-ups and diagnosis towards more versatile, remote, and personalized healthcare monitoring. This paradigm shift in healthcare delivery can be attributed to the development of nanomaterials and improvements made to non-invasive biosignal detection systems alongside integrated approaches for multifaceted data acquisition and interpretation. The discovery of new biomarkers and the use of bioaffinity recognition elements like aptamers and peptide arrays combined with the use of newly developed, flexible, and conductive materials that interact with skin surfaces has led to the widespread application of biosensors in the biomedical field. This review focuses on the recent advances made in wearable technology for remote healthcare monitoring. It classifies their development and application in terms of electrochemical, mechanical, and optical modes of transduction and type of material used and discusses the shortcomings accompanying their large-scale fabrication and commercialization. A brief note on the most widely used materials and their improvements in wearable sensor development is outlined along with instructions for the future of medical wearables. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biosensing Materials for the Design of Smart Interfaces)
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