Controlled Self-Assembly and Biofunctionalization in Polymer Science

Dear Colleagues,

The process of self-assembly―where building units of a system are organized into an ordered and/or functional structure via the internal arrangement of molecules―has attracted researchers from a broad range of disciplines, from chemistry and material science to engineering and technology. Advances in controlled self-assembly depend on expanding the ability to create biologically inspired complex materials with well-defined multidimensional structures. A constantly expanding library of available molecules is being produced, rendering them extremely attractive precursors for complex self-assembled structures. Particularly, this novel and inspiring methodological strategy of fabricating functional materials via controlled self-assembly provides more opportunities in acquiring and optimizing the desired morphological and physicochemical properties through the careful design and synthesis of molecular building blocks. Significant progress has been achieved in non-trivial synthetic routes to obtain these building blocks and in the understanding of novel hierarchical self-assembly phenomena, pushing forward the frontiers of the field. Thus, amalgamating the chemistry of controlled self-assembly along with biomaterials science will lead to efficiently producing innovative functional biomaterials with programmable functions via self-assembly.

Nature uses a hierarchy of self-assembly steps to construct functional hybrid structures from inorganic and organic building blocks. Many examples from nature have demonstrated the power of hierarchical self-assembly in designing structurally complex and functional architectures for various applications (DNA, proteins, etc.), in which multiple components are brought together through a stepwise process driven by multiple coordination interactions. Aiming to obtain a better understanding of such biological processes in nature, a great deal of effort has been devoted toward investigating artificial functional systems. The process is mainly governed by molecular interactions (van der Waals, hydrophobic, electrostatic, etc.), functional groups, and/or external stimuli, which can be used to control the morphology and dimensions of thus-obtained materials with one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) nanoscale, as well as make those materials programmable and reversible based on internal/external stimuli. Moreover, advanced self-assembled materials with programmable functions could balance morphologies and physiochemical properties and have wide prospective applications in biomaterials, biocompatible hydrogels, self-healing materials, and medical materials.

Advances in the areas of nano- and biotechnology demand the development of complex structures and biomaterials that would resemble living systems. Herein, we will focus on the design, synthesis, characterization, and manufacturing of controlled self-assembly behavior of organic and polymeric biomaterials, which present unique characteristics enabling access to a wealth of superstructures and advanced materials with tunable properties (shape, size, surface characteristics, etc.). We will embrace related but diverse research disciplines and areas such as organic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and self-assembly, polymer chemistry, coordination chemistry, colloid and surface chemistry, biomaterials, environmental science, nanotechnology, nanoscience, as well as functional biomaterials science. This Research Topic aims to highlight recent advances in the development of novel building blocks, the hierarchical and reversible assembly and disassembly properties of the generated systems, together with advanced characterization methods to investigate the structure and dynamics of the assemblies for giving a current overview of their practical bioapplications in nanomedicine and regenerative medicine, high-throughput screening, drug delivery, and organ-on-chip development.

Prof. Dr. Xing Wang
Guest Editor

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• Molecular self-assembly
• Controllable materials with programmable functions
• Hybrid nanostructures
• Advanced functional biomaterials
• Environmental (pH, enzyme, light, ultrasound, etc.) responsive nanostructures
• Supramolecular/noncovalent interactions
• Self-assembly-based hydrogels
• Drug delivery
• Biofunctionalization
• Regenerative medicine