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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites
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Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanocomposite Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 7186

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pierfrancesco Cerruti

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Guest Editor
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: sustainable polymers; blends and composites; stimuli-responsive micro and nanostructured polymer materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anna Calarco

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Guest Editor
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)—CNR, Via Pietro Castellino, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: nanotechnology; biomaterials; analytical methodologies applied to the chemical composition evaluation and nutritional property determination of natural substances; HPLC and UHPLC; GC; photodiode array detection (PDA); mass spectrometry (MS)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Veronica Ambrogi

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples Piazzale Tecchio, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: functional polymers and composites; bio-based resins; stimuli-responsive nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on the most recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of polymer-based responsive nanomaterials and nanocomposites, whose properties and functions can be controlled, even remotely, by external stimuli. The trigger signal can be induced by physical (temperature, mechanical forces, and electromagnetic radiation), chemical (pH, ionic strength, and solvent), or biological (enzymes and receptors) changes in the external environment. Progress in this field is rapidly expanding, and nanostructured systems based on responsive materials hold great promise for a breakthrough in materials science, for environmental, health, and biomedical applications.

A large number of smart polymer-based nanomaterials elicit a transition in solubility or conformation when they are in a liquid environment, resulting in the formation or disruption of nanosized supramolecular assemblies. Among them, smart nanocarriers developed to deliver drugs to specific cell types or tissues, with improved therapeutic activity and reduced side effects, have a key role. However, responsivity in solvent media can be also exploited for water purification, adaptive catalysis, sensing, and advanced coating applications.

Nonetheless, in this Thematic Issue, we also invite contributions dealing with responsive polymer-based nanostructured materials designed for advanced structural applications, including self-healing and shape memory materials.

We are grateful to the authors who will participate in this issue of Nanomaterials, and we hope that all articles herein will contribute to the development of this fascinating research and innovation field.

Dr. Pierfrancesco Cerruti
Dr. Anna Calarco
Prof. Dr. Veronica Ambrogi
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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

  • nanostructured materials
  • nanoparticles and nanocomposites
  • smart materials
  • stimuli-responsive polymers
  • self-healing materials
  • shape memory polymers
  • smart coatings
  • sensors and actuators
  • drug delivery
  • tissue engineering

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2941 KiB  
Article
Detection of Single Molecules Using Stochastic Resonance of Bistable Oligomers
by Anastasia Markina, Alexander Muratov, Vladislav Petrovskyy and Vladik Avetisov
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2519; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122519 - 15 Dec 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1693
Abstract
Ultra-sensitive elements for nanoscale devices capable of detecting single molecules are in demand for many important applications. It is generally accepted that the inevitable stochastic disturbance of a sensing element by its surroundings will limit detection at the molecular level. However, a phenomenon [...] Read more.
Ultra-sensitive elements for nanoscale devices capable of detecting single molecules are in demand for many important applications. It is generally accepted that the inevitable stochastic disturbance of a sensing element by its surroundings will limit detection at the molecular level. However, a phenomenon exists (stochastic resonance) in which the environmental noise acts abnormally: it amplifies, rather than distorts, a weak signal. Stochastic resonance is inherent in non-linear bistable systems with criticality at which the bistability emerges. Our computer simulations have shown that the large-scale conformational dynamics of a short oligomeric fragment of thermosrespective polymer, poly-N-isopropylmethacrylamid, resemble the mechanical movement of nonlinear bistable systems. The oligomers we have studied demonstrate spontaneous vibrations and stochastic resonance activated by conventional thermal noise. We have observed reasonable shifts of the spontaneous vibrations and stochastic resonance modes when attaching an analyte molecule to the oligomer. Our simulations have shown that spontaneous vibrations and stochastic resonance of the bistable thermoresponsive oligomers are sensitive to both the analyte molecular mass and the binding affinity. All these effects indicate that the oligomers with mechanic-like bistability may be utilized as ultrasensitive operational units capable of detecting single molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites)
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16 pages, 2423 KiB  
Article
Well-Defined Thermo-Responsive Copolymers Based on Oligo(Ethylene Glycol) Methacrylate and Pentafluorostyrene for the Removal of Organic Dyes from Water
by Federica Zuppardi, Mario Malinconico, Franck D’Agosto, Giovanna Gomez D’Ayala and Pierfrancesco Cerruti
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(9), 1779; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10091779 - 08 Sep 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2432
Abstract
Thermo-responsive copolymers based on oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA, Mn = 300 g/mol) and pentafluorostyrene (PFS), coded PFG, were synthesized by RAFT polymerization, using a trithiocarbonate (CTTPC) as controlling agent. Different molar masses were targeted and dispersities lower than 1.51 were obtained. The [...] Read more.
Thermo-responsive copolymers based on oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA, Mn = 300 g/mol) and pentafluorostyrene (PFS), coded PFG, were synthesized by RAFT polymerization, using a trithiocarbonate (CTTPC) as controlling agent. Different molar masses were targeted and dispersities lower than 1.51 were obtained. The thermally triggered self-assembly of the resulting PFG copolymers in water was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) slightly increased with the molecular weight in the 26–30 °C temperature range, whereas the sizes of the intermicellar aggregates formed upon self-assembly tended to decrease with increasing molecular weights (ranging from 1415 to 572 nm). The resulting thermally-induced polymer aggregates were then used to encapsulate and remove organic contaminants from water. Nile Red (NR) and Thiazole yellow G (TYG) were employed as hydrophobic and hydrophilic model contaminants, respectively. Experimental results evidenced that higher molecular weight copolymers removed up to 90% of NR from aqueous solution, corresponding to about 10 mg of dye per g of copolymer, regardless of NR concentration. The removal of TYG was lower with respect to NR, decreasing from about 40% to around 20% with TYG concentration. Finally, the copolymers were shown to be potentially recycled and reused in the treatment of contaminated water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites)
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18 pages, 4637 KiB  
Article
pH-Responsive Resveratrol-Loaded Electrospun Membranes for the Prevention of Implant-Associated Infections
by Irene Bonadies, Francesca Di Cristo, Anna Valentino, Gianfranco Peluso, Anna Calarco and Anna Di Salle
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1175; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061175 - 16 Jun 2020
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 2429
Abstract
To date, the implant-associated infections represent a worldwide challenge for the recently reported bacterial drug resistance that can lead to the inefficacy or low efficacy of conventional antibiotic therapies. Plant polyphenolic compounds, including resveratrol (RSV), are increasingly gaining consensus as valid and effective [...] Read more.
To date, the implant-associated infections represent a worldwide challenge for the recently reported bacterial drug resistance that can lead to the inefficacy or low efficacy of conventional antibiotic therapies. Plant polyphenolic compounds, including resveratrol (RSV), are increasingly gaining consensus as valid and effective alternatives to antibiotics limiting antibiotic resistance. In this study, electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) membranes loaded with different concentrations of RSV are synthesized and characterized in their chemical, morphological, and release features. The obtained data show that the RSV release rate from the PLA-membranes is remarkably higher in acidic conditions than at neutral pH. In addition, a change in pH from neutral to slightly acidic triggers a significant increase in the RSV release. This behavior indicates that the PLA-RSV membranes can act as drug reservoir when the environmental pH is neutral, starting to release the bioactive molecules when the pH decreases, as in presence of oral bacterial infection. Indeed, our results demonstrate that PLA-RSV2 displays a significant antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against two bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, and Streptococcus mutans, responsible for both acute and chronic infections in humans, thus representing a promising solution for the prevention of the implant-associated infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites)
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