Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.0
4.7
Journals
Polymers
Special Issues
Applications of Polymers and Their Composites in Biotechnology
share announcement

Applications of Polymers and Their Composites in Biotechnology

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 3 July 2025 | Viewed by 6613

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. José Cleiton Sousa dos Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Redenção 62790-970, Brazil
Interests: enzyme-related processes; biocatalysis; chemistry; biology; materials; energy; environment; food; pharmaceuticals; manufacturing, and related engineering fields
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The versatility and variety of polymers and their composites have sparked the growing interest in industrial biotechnology applications. Polymeric materials have controlled properties at different scales, for example in the nanometer range. The customization of polymers in hybrid materials with biomolecules allows various biotechnological applications. Polymeric materials can have their properties controlled and adapted with new functionalities, for example, semiconductors and biotechnological nanostructures to increase solubility, image recognition, application as biosensors, or even biocompatible materials. The preparation of polymeric nanofibers in tissue engineering, and their use as nanocomposites for dental applications, controlled drug delivery, wound treatments such as dressings, enzyme immobilization, enzyme biocatalyst preparation, and molecule separation are promising applications of polymers and their composites. In this context, the possibility of improving and designing new applications with polymers and their composites in biotechnology arises.

Prof. Dr. José Cleiton Sousa dos Santos
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

  • biotechnology
  • nanostructures
  • polymer
  • innovative drug delivery systems
  • tissue engineering
  • smart polymers
  • soluble immobilized enzymes
  • polymeric composites
  • sensors
  • cellulose nanocrystals
  • fullerenes
  • graphene
  • carbon nanotubes

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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 3484 KiB  
Article
Immobilization of Naringinase onto Polydopamine-Coated Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Juice Debittering Applications
by Scott D. Kimmins, Antonella Henríquez, Celia Torres, Lorena Wilson, Marcos Flores, Edgar Pio, Domingo Jullian, Bruno Urbano, Stephanie Braun-Galleani, Carminna Ottone, Lisa Muñoz, Martha Claros and Paulina Urrutia
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3279; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233279 - 25 Nov 2024
Viewed by 235
Abstract
Chemical amination of the enzyme was demonstrated to favor immobilization onto polydopamine (PDA)-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the first time, to the best of the author’s knowledge. MNPs prepared via hydrothermal synthesis were coated with PDA for the immobilization of naringinase. X-ray diffraction, [...] Read more.
Chemical amination of the enzyme was demonstrated to favor immobilization onto polydopamine (PDA)-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the first time, to the best of the author’s knowledge. MNPs prepared via hydrothermal synthesis were coated with PDA for the immobilization of naringinase. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the MNPs were composed mainly of Fe3O4 with an average size of 38.9 nm, and coated with a 15.1 nm PDA layer. Although the specific activities of α-L-rhamnosidase (RAM) and β-D-glucosidase (GLU) of free naringinase decreased with amination, the immobilization yields of the aminated enzyme increased by more than 40% for RAM and more than 10-fold for GLU. The immobilization improved the enzyme’s thermal stability (at 50 °C), reaching a half-life of 40.7 and 23.1 h for RAM and GLU activities, respectively. The biocatalyst was successfully used for the debittering of grapefruit juice, detecting a reduction in naringin of 56% after 24 h. These results demonstrate that the enzyme amination is an effective strategy to enhance the immobilization on a PDA coating and could be applied to other enzymes in order to obtain an easily recoverable biocatalyst using a simple immobilization methodology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Polymers and Their Composites in Biotechnology)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

31 pages, 10579 KiB  
Review
Research Progress and Trends on Utilization of Lignocellulosic Residues as Supports for Enzyme Immobilization via Advanced Bibliometric Analysis
by Francisco Simão Neto, Maria Marliete Fernandes de Melo Neta, Misael Bessa Sales, Francisco Arisson Silva de Oliveira, Viviane de Castro Bizerra, Ada Amélia Sanders Lopes, Maria Alexsandra de Sousa Rios and José Cleiton Sousa dos Santos
Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2057; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15092057 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2638
Abstract
Lignocellulosic biomasses are used in several applications, such as energy production, materials, and biofuels. These applications result in increased consumption and waste generation of these materials. However, alternative uses are being developed to solve the problem of waste generated in the industry. Thus, [...] Read more.
Lignocellulosic biomasses are used in several applications, such as energy production, materials, and biofuels. These applications result in increased consumption and waste generation of these materials. However, alternative uses are being developed to solve the problem of waste generated in the industry. Thus, research is carried out to ensure the use of these biomasses as enzymatic support. These surveys can be accompanied using the advanced bibliometric analysis tool that can help determine the biomasses used and other perspectives on the subject. With this, the present work aims to carry out an advanced bibliometric analysis approaching the main studies related to the use of lignocellulosic biomass as an enzymatic support. This study will be carried out by highlighting the main countries/regions that carry out productions, research areas that involve the theme, and future trends in these areas. It was observed that there is a cooperation between China, USA, and India, where China holds 28.07% of publications in this area, being the country with the greatest impact in the area. Finally, it is possible to define that the use of these new supports is a trend in the field of biotechnology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Polymers and Their Composites in Biotechnology)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 1990 KiB  
Review
Immobilization of Lipases Using Poly(vinyl) Alcohol
by Nadia Guajardo
Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2021; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15092021 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2486
Abstract
Lipases are very versatile enzymes because they catalyze various hydrolysis and synthesis reactions in a chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective manner. From a practical point of view, immobilization allows the recovery and stabilization of the biocatalyst for its application in different types of bioreactors. [...] Read more.
Lipases are very versatile enzymes because they catalyze various hydrolysis and synthesis reactions in a chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective manner. From a practical point of view, immobilization allows the recovery and stabilization of the biocatalyst for its application in different types of bioreactors. Among the various support options for immobilizing lipases is polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which, when functionalized or combined with other materials, provides different characteristics and properties to the biocatalyst. This review analyzes the multiple possibilities that PVA offers as a material to immobilize lipases when combined with alginate, chitosan, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), incorporating magnetic properties together with the formation of fibers and microspheres. The articles analyzed in this review were selected using the Scopus database in a range of years from 1999 to 2023, finding a total of 42 articles. The need to expand knowledge in this area is due to the great versatility and scaling possibilities that PVA has as a support for lipase immobilization and its application in different bioreactor configurations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Polymers and Their Composites in Biotechnology)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop