Biomedical Applications of Biodegradable Composites
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 11055
Special Issue Editor
Interests: polymer; polymer processing; smart manufacturing; tissue engineering; bone regeneration; composites; controlled release; thermoplastic composites; additive manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The use of biodegradable composites is increasing in the biomedical space. Composites, by their nature, impart the beneficial properties of the individual components while overcoming their limitations through the synergistic combination of distinctly different materials. However, the potential of biodegradable composites can only be achieved if there is intimate, uninterrupted contact between the reinforcement and matrix phases of the composite and in the case of nanocomposites exfoliation of the nanoparticles. This can, in itself, be difficult to achieve while retaining the biocompatibility of the final construct, as the matrix and reinforcement agent are generally not compatible. Approaches for this can include the following:
- Surface treatment
- Reactive extrusion
- Process optimisation
Biodegradable composites can generally be processed using traditional manufacturing techniques but can also utilise emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing to produce final fabricated implants. These enable easy production scaling, which can expediate the uptake of these technologies.
Furthermore, while the biodegradable nature of these composites allows tissue to repair uninterred as the implant degrades, the biocompatibility of the degradation components must be given special consideration.
Nevertheless, these composites can be used to overcome shortfalls of traditional materials in a variety of applications such as:
- Tissue engineering
- Bone repair
- Cardiovascular, urinary, and other stents
- In-situ controlled release of active pharmaceutical ingredients
Dr. Declan Devine
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. Materials 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 2600 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
- Biodegradable composites
- surface treatment
- nanoreinforcement
- additive manufacturing
- cytocompatibility
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.