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Polymers
Special Issues
State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in the UK (2021,2022)
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State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in the UK (2021,2022)

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4098

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pooya Davoodi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
Interests: advanced biomaterials; especially hydrogel; drug delivery; additive manufacturing and 3D bioprinting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ying Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
Interests: biomaterials; biopolymers; tissue engineering; hydrogels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Paul Roach

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Reader in Biomaterials and Interface Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, Leicestershire, UK
Interests: micro-/nano-fabrication; biomaterial interface science; nano-bio-interactions; designer biomaterials; tissue engineering; neural engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers and their composites have recently received significant applications in energy, electronics, healthcare, and manufacturing technologies. However, the constant development of new polymer materials is essential to support and expand the growing interest in those advanced applications. Polymer chemistry and processing is one of the active, fast-growing, and multidisciplinary research areas in the United Kingdom. Academic scientists, funding agencies, and industries in the UK have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting the scientific and technological advancements of polymer materials through conducting world-class research and providing financial supports for research and developments.

This Special Issue aims to highlight and promote recent advances in polymer science and technology in the UK through publishing original research and review papers. Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Polymer synthesis and characterizations
  • Polymer processing
  • Biopolymers/biomaterials
  • Functional polymeric devices
  • Modeling and simulations of polymers and processes

Dr. Pooya Davoodi
Prof. Dr. Ying Yang
Dr. Paul Roach
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. Polymers 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

  • polymer synthesis
  • polymeric biomaterials
  • smart polymers
  • polymer nanocomposites
  • polymeric membranes
  • polymers in medical applications
  • functional polymers
  • elastomers and rubbers
  • polymer processing and engineering
  • polymers in 3D printing/3D bioprinting/additive manufacturing
  • polymers in electronics
  • polymers in energy
  • colloid and molecular assembly
  • modelling and simulations of polymers and processes

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4624 KiB  
Article
Development of Boron-Containing PVA-Based Cryogels with Controllable Boron Releasing Rate and Altered Influence on Osteoblasts
by Seda Ceylan, Ryan Dimmock and Ying Yang
Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1653; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071653 - 27 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1615
Abstract
Cryogel formation is an effective approach to produce porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, cryogelation was performed to produce boron-containing scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. A combination of the synthetic polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and the natural polymers, chitosan and starch, [...] Read more.
Cryogel formation is an effective approach to produce porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, cryogelation was performed to produce boron-containing scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. A combination of the synthetic polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and the natural polymers, chitosan and starch, was used to formulate the cryogels. Boron was used with a dual purpose: as an additive to alter gelation properties, and to exploit its bioactive effect since boron has been found to be involved in several metabolic pathways, including the promotion of bone growth. This project designs a fabrication protocol enabling the competition of both physical and chemical cross-linking reactions in the cryogels using different molecular weight PVA and borax content (boron source). Using a high ratio of high-molecular-weight PVA resulted in the cryogels exhibiting greater mechanical properties, a lower degradation rate (0.6–1.7% vs. 18–20%) and a higher borax content release (4.98 vs. 1.85, 1.08 nanomole) in contrast to their counterparts with low-molecular-weight PVA. The bioactive impacts of the released borax on cellular behaviour were investigated using MG63 cells seeded into the cryogel scaffolds. It was revealed that the borax-containing scaffolds and their extracts induced MG63 cell migration and the formation of nodule-like aggregates, whilst cryogel scaffolds without borax did not. Moreover, the degradation products of the scaffolds were analysed through the quantification of boron release by the curcumin assay. The impact on cellular response in a scratch assay confirmed that borax released by the scaffold into media (~0.4 mg/mL) induced bone cell migration, proliferation and aggregation. This study demonstrated that boron-containing three-dimensional PVA/starch–chitosan scaffolds can potentially be used within bone tissue engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in the UK (2021,2022))
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14 pages, 2605 KiB  
Article
Regulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Morphology Using Hydrogel Substrates with Tunable Topography and Photoswitchable Stiffness
by Samuel R. Moxon, David Richards, Oana Dobre, Lu Shin Wong, Joe Swift and Stephen M. Richardson
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5338; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245338 - 07 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1731
Abstract
Cell function can be directly influenced by the mechanical and structural properties of the extracellular environment. In particular, cell morphology and phenotype can be regulated via the modulation of both the stiffness and surface topography of cell culture substrates. Previous studies have highlighted [...] Read more.
Cell function can be directly influenced by the mechanical and structural properties of the extracellular environment. In particular, cell morphology and phenotype can be regulated via the modulation of both the stiffness and surface topography of cell culture substrates. Previous studies have highlighted the ability to design cell culture substrates to optimise cell function. Many such examples, however, employ photo-crosslinkable polymers with a terminal stiffness or surface profile. This study presents a system of polyacrylamide hydrogels, where the surface topography can be tailored and the matrix stiffness can be altered in situ with photoirradiation. The process allows for the temporal regulation of the extracellular environment. Specifically, the surface topography can be tailored via reticulation parameters to include creased features with control over the periodicity, length and branching. The matrix stiffness can also be dynamically tuned via exposure to an appropriate dosage and wavelength of light, thus, allowing for the temporal regulation of the extracellular environment. When cultured on the surface of the hydrogels, the morphology and alignment of immortalised human mesenchymal stem cells can be directly influenced through the tailoring of surface creases, while cell size can be altered via changes in matrix stiffness. This system offers a new platform to study cellular mechanosensing and the influence of extracellular cues on cell phenotype and function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in the UK (2021,2022))
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