Dear Colleagues,

Symmetry and asymmetry features are commonly observed in the biological systems. For example in dentistry, symetric oral structure, teeth etc define the overall shape, beauty and functionalities. Biomedical materials with symmetrical and asymmetrical properties have been developed to replace any damaged tissue or bone structure in order to restore the asthetics and functionalities. 

The aim of this special issue is to collate research articles on the current advancements in nanocomposites for biomedical applications with a focus on symmetrical and asyemmtrical charatceristics in biomaterial design, development and characterisation. We invite expert researchers and academics in this field to contribute original research articles and critical reviews.  

For the biomedical applications, polymer nanocomposites are fabricated by combining different types of nanofillers uniformly distributed in a polymer matrix. This special type of composites provide a unique opportunity to customise the material properties in different biomedical fileds such as replacing body parts, tissue engineering, antimicrobial resistance and drug delivery to address many challenges remaining in the healthcare sector. Nanomaterials come in different shapes such as nanoparticle, nanoflake, nanotube, nanosheet, nanorod, nanowhiskers etc. On the other hand the matrix materials could include mainly two types of polymers: natural biobased materials (e.g., chitosan) and synthetic polymer (e.g., PMMA). The nanofillers can play key role in improving physical, chemical, optical or biological propeties of the composite material. Biomimetic polymer composites for improved mechcanical properties and advances in 3D printing fabrication of nanocomposites are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Nikolaos Silikas
Dr. Julfikar Haider
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. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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.

• Dental biomaterials
• 3D printing
• nanocomposites
• polymer resin
• nanoparticles (ZrO2, TiO2, Al2O3, etc.)
• design and fabrication
• biodegradable
• biomimetic
• mechanical characterisation (flexural strength, hardness, fracture toughness, etc.)
• physical, biological and optical characterisations
• dentistry
• bone material
• drug delivery.