Explore the vast range of titles available.

The challenge for treatment of severe cutaneous wound poses an urgent clinical need for the development of biomaterials to promote skin regeneration. In the past few decades, introduction of inorganic components into material system has become a promising strategy for improving performances of biomaterials in the process of tissue repair. In this review, we provide a current overview of the development of bioactive inorganic particles‐based biomaterials used for skin tissue engineering. We highlight the three stages in the evolution of the bioactive inorganic biomaterials applied to wound management, including single inorganic materials, inorganic/organic composite materials, and inorganic particles‐based cell‐encapsulated living systems. At every stage, the primary types of bioactive inorganic biomaterials are described, followed by citation of the related representative studies completed in recent years. Then we offer a brief exposition of typical approaches to construct the composite material systems with incorporation of inorganic components for wound healing. Finally, the conclusions and future directions are suggested for the development of novel bioactive inorganic particles‐based biomaterials in the field of skin regeneration. The inorganic biomaterials for wound healing have aroused widespread concern in the field of tissue engineering. The three main forms of application of inorganic particles for skin repair are summarized based on the complexity of material system. The representative types of inorganic biomaterials and fabrication technology of wound dressings are presented.

Advances in nanotechnology have made it possible to observe and evaluate structures down to the atomic and molecular level. The next step in the development of functional materials is to apply the knowledge of nanotechnology to materials sciences. This is the role of nanoarchitectonics, which is a concept of post-nanotechnology. Nanoarchitectonics is defined as a methodology to create functional materials using nanounits such as atoms, molecules, and nanomaterials as building blocks. Nanoarchitectonics is very general and is not limited to materials or applications, and thus nanoarchitecture is applied in many fields. In particular, in the evolution from nanotechnology to nanoarchitecture, it is useful to consider the contribution of nanoarchitecture in device applications. There may be a solution to the widely recognized problem of integrating top-down and bottom-up approaches in the design of functional systems. With this in mind, this review discusses examples of nanoarchitectonics in developments of advanced devices. Some recent examples are introduced through broadly dividing them into organic molecular nanoarchitectonics and inorganic materials nanoarchitectonics. Examples of organic molecular nanoarchitecture include a variety of control structural elements, such as π-conjugated structures, chemical structures of complex ligands, steric hindrance effects, molecular stacking, isomerization and color changes due to external stimuli, selective control of redox reactions, and doping control of organic semiconductors by electron transfer reactions. Supramolecular chemical processes such as association and intercalation of organic molecules are also important in controlling device properties. The nanoarchitectonics of inorganic materials often allows for control of size, dimension, and shape, and their associated physical properties can also be controlled. In addition, there are specific groups of materials that are suitable for practical use, such as nanoparticles and graphene. Therefore, nanoarchitecture of inorganic materials also has a more practical aspect. Based on these aspects, this review finally considers the future of materials nanoarchitectonics for further advanced devices.

Chiral inorganic materials have attracted great attention owning to their unique physical and chemical properties attributed to the symmetry-breaking of their nanostructures. Chiral inorganic materials can be endowed with chiral geometric configurations from achiral space group crystals through lattice twisting, screw dislocations or hierarchical self-assembled spiral morphologies, showing various characteristic chiral anisotropy. However, the multilevel chirality in chiral nickel molybdate films (CNMFs) remains to be elaborately excavated. In this paper, we report three hierarchical levels of chirality in CNMFs, spanning from the atomic to the micron scale, including primary helically coiled nanoflakes with twisted atomic crystal lattices, secondary helical stacking of layered nanoflakes, and tertiary asymmetric morphology between adjacent nanoparticles. Our findings may enrich the chiral self-assembly structural types and provide valuable insights for the comprehensive analysis path of hierarchical chiral crystals.

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge (SS) is one of the effective ways to reduce the waste generated from human life activities. To date, there are many reports to improve or repress methane production during the anaerobic digestion of SS. In the anaerobic digestion process, many microorganisms work positively or negatively, and as a result of their microbe-to-microbe interaction and regulation, methane production increases or decreases. In other words, understanding the complex control mechanism among the microorganisms and identifying the strains that are key to increase or decrease methane production are important for promoting the advanced production of bioenergy and beneficial compounds. In this mini-review, the literature on methane production in anaerobic digestion has been summarized based on the results of antibiotic addition, quorum sensing control, and inorganic substance addition. By optimizing the activity of microbial groups in SS, methane or acetate can be highly produced.Key points• Bactericidal agents such as an antibiotic alter microbial community for enhanced CH4production.• Bacterial interaction via quorum sensing is one of the key points for biofilm and methane production.• Anaerobic digestion can be altered in the presence of several inorganic materials.

Photodetectors that are intimately interfaced with human skin and measure real‐time optical irradiance are appealing in the medical profiling of photosensitive diseases. Developing compliant devices for this purpose requires the fabrication of photodetectors with ultraviolet (UV)‐enhanced broadband photoresponse and high mechanical flexibility, to ensure precise irradiance measurements across the spectral band critical to dermatological health when directly applied onto curved skin surfaces. Here, a fully 3D printed flexible UV‐visible photodetector array is reported that incorporates a hybrid organic‐inorganic material system and is integrated with a custom‐built portable console to continuously monitor broadband irradiance in‐situ. The active materials are formulated by doping polymeric photoactive materials with zinc oxide nanoparticles in order to improve the UV photoresponse and trigger a photomultiplication (PM) effect. The ability of a stand‐alone skin‐interfaced light intensity monitoring system to detect natural irradiance within the wavelength range of 310–650 nm for nearly 24 h is demonstrated. A flexible UV‐vis photodetector array that incorporates a hybrid organic‐inorganic material system is fully 3D printed. The hybrid active material enables a photoresponse in the UV region and triggers a photomultiplication (PM) effect. The printed device is integrated with a console and functions as a stand‐alone skin‐interfaced light intensity monitoring system, which has potential for the medical profiling of photosensitive cutaneous diseases.

Study of materials science is an important aspect of curricula at universities worldwide. This text is designed to serve students at a fundamental level, positioning materials design as an essential aspect of the study of electronics, medicine, and energy storage. Now in its 3rd Edition of this book is an introduction to relevant topics including inorganic materials structure/property relations and material behaviors. The new edition now includes chapters on computational materials science, intermetallic compounds, and covalent compounds. The text is meant to aid students in their studies by providing additional tools to study the key concepts and understand recent developments in materials research. In addition to the many topics covered, the textbook includes: Accessible learning tools to help students better understand key concepts; Updated content including case studies and new information on computational materials science; Practical end-of-chapter exercises to assist students with the learning of the material; Short biographies introducing pioneers in the field of inorganic materials science.

Epoxy resin (EP) has been widely used in many fields due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. However, its inherent flammability limits its application in some fields, and the development of efficient and environmentally friendly new flame retardants has become a research hotspot. In recent years, researchers have been committed to developing new flame retardants to improve the flame retardant properties of EP. The development of synergistic flame retardant systems, combined with the advantages of various flame retardants, has become a research trend. In this paper, the application progress of three kinds of new flame retardants in EP, including nano-materials, organic materials, and inorganic materials, is summarized. Their synthesis methods, structural design, and application prospects are compared, and a summary and prospect are given.

A biofilm is a microbial community formed by bacteria that adsorb on the surface of tissues or materials and is wrapped in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) such as polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids. As a protective barrier, the EPS can not only prevent the penetration of antibiotics and other antibacterial agents into the biofilm, but also protect the bacteria in the biofilm from the attacks of the human immune system, making it difficult to eradicate biofilm-related infections and posing a serious threat to public health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new and efficient antibiofilm drugs. Although natural enzymes (lysozyme, peroxidase, etc.) and antimicrobial peptides have excellent bactericidal activity, their low stability in the physiological environment and poor permeability in biofilms limit their application in antibiofilms. With the development of materials science, more and more nanomaterials are being designed to be utilized for antimicrobial and antibiofilm applications. Nanomaterials have great application prospects in antibiofilm because of their good biocompati-bility, unique physical and chemical properties, adjustable nanostructure, high permeability and non-proneness to induce bacterial resistance. In this review, with the application of composite nanomaterials in antibiofilms as the theme, we summarize the research progress of three types of composite nanomaterials, including organic composite materials, inorganic materials and organic–inorganic hybrid materials, used as antibiofilms with non-phototherapy and phototherapy modes of action. At the same time, the challenges and development directions of these composite nanomaterials in antibiofilm therapy are also discussed. It is expected we will provide new ideas for the design of safe and efficient antibiofilm materials.

An increasing number of innovative therapies have emerged in the field of wound healing. Nanostructured systems have been used to improve wound healing at different stages. The drug itself may be formulated at a nanoscale such that it can function as its own “carrier” or nanomaterials may be used as drug delivery vehicles. The present work covers the latest advancements on innovative nano‐based organic and inorganic materials. These novel drug delivery systems possess high stability, large surface area and tunable compositions and have demonstrated their wound‐healing properties using in vitro and in vivo models. Key areas in the development of new systems for wound care are the assessment of biological compatibility, the evaluation of anti‐microbial activity and the in vivo efficacy assessment using full‐thickness skin models. Due to the multifactorial nature of chronic wound occurrence robust models should support the investigation of new materials in order to elucidate mechanisms involved in the sequence of physiologic processes that take place at wound healing. Although several nanoparticles have been successfully tested both in vitro and in vivo, researchers are still investigating the approaches to implementing large scale production of nanotechnological platforms to wound healing treatments. Several nanomaterials have been employed in wound healing in each type of healing phase (Hemostasis, Inflammation, Proliferation, Remodeling). The rationale for using each material strongly depends on the phase but also the duration of the therapeutic effect, dose, deepness and mechanism of action. NPs, nanoparticles.

Very recently (2011, Advanced Materials, 23, 4248), an elegant exfoliation approach was proposed to prepare a new family of two-dimensional (2D)-like transition metal carbides and nitrides from layered MAX phases. This discovery has provided the next stage in the design of new graphene-like inorganic materials with intriguing functionalities and applications. This overview is intended as an introduction to this newest family of graphene-like quasi-2D nanocarbides and nanonitrides of d metals, which are known today also as MXenes. Here the authors discuss the available results achieved for MXenes (2011–2012), when a group of various MXenes (2D-Ta4C3, Ti3(C0.5N0.5)2, TiNbC and some others) have been successfully synthesised, a set of their properties (conductivity, mechanical behaviour etc.) were measured and systematical theoretical studies of structural, electronic properties, chemical bonding and the stability of MXenes were initiated. Besides, possible applications of MXenes as promising materials for Li ion batteries, sensors or 2D electronics etc. are noted.