Intelligent Polymers for Nanomedicine and Biotechnologies

Almost all synthetic materials over time induce some level of inflammation and fibrosis. Therefore, even though the successes of biomaterials science in producing acceptable solutions to the problem of biocompatibility have been remarkable, there remains enormous opportunity for improvement. The goal is the development of intelligent materials that replicate and mimic the ability of tissues and biological materials to adapt and renew. This book describes the synthesis and the analysis of new smart polymeric materials and their practical implications in nanomedicine and biotechnology. It offers a comprehensive overview, gathering recent and innovative research on multiple aspects within the field of smart polymeric materials that offer new perspectives in developing current advanced biotechnologies. The text contains both experimental and theoretical issues that reflect the impact of the materials characteristics in target applications. It deals with recent advances in the design of new polymeric materials for advanced applications but also on the study of their structure-properties relationship in order to move from completely inert, static structures to flexible ones capable to respond to environmental changes.

Opportunities and Challenges in Polymer-Noble Metal Nanocomposites. Advances in Polymer Nanofibers Containing Metal Oxide Nanoparticles. Recent Developments on ZnO-Polyurethanes Nanomaterials. Smart Materials with Phosphorus and Nitrogen Functionalities Suitable for Biomedical Engineering. Key Considerations in Designing Polymeric Micro- and Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Systems. Guided Bone Repair Using Synthetic Apatites – Biopolymer Composites. Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Biomaterials. Intelligent Amide- and Imide-Based Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications. Tailoring Protein-Based Materials for Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering. Inside of the Transport Processes in Biomedical Systems

Magdalena Aflori is a scientific researcher in the Department of Polymer Materials Physics at “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (Romania). She received her PhD in Physics in 2005 at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Faculty of Physics. She has remarkable scientific contributions in polymer chemistry, plasma physics, surface science, X-ray diffraction and small angle x-ray scattering. Her interdisciplinary research is published in more than 70 papers in peer- reviewed journals, 8 books or book chapters, and 1 patent. She is coordinator or member of many research projects with national and international funding and referee for a number of international journals with high impact factors.