We would like to invite you to contribute a short communication, full article or review to this Special Issue, entitled “Advances in Biomaterials: Design, Synthesis, Characterisation and Biomedical Application”. Biomaterials that interface with biological systems are used to prevent, detect and treat disease; to deliver drugs safely and efficiently; to support the body as it heals; and to engineer functional tissues outside of the body for organ replacement. In recent years, the research topic has progressed beyond simply selecting materials that were initially designed for other engineering applications with a primary focus on properties that enabled restoration of function and mitigation of acute pathology. Biomaterials are now realistically designed with controlled architecture and dynamic functionality to enable integration with biological complexity and achieve tailored, high-level functions in the body. The changeover has been from the use of biomaterials that are merely tolerated by the body to promoting biomaterials that are no longer bioinert but bioactive and bioresponsive. This viewpoint takes into account recent developments in the field of hard and soft biomaterials, with a specific emphasis on advances in multiscale control, static to dynamic functionality, hierarchical biocomplex materials (e.g., cellular and composite architectures, adaptive growth, and as well as remodelling) and innovative manufacture techniques to enable patient-specific device performance. The focus of this Special Issue will provide the community with the opportunity to present the latest fundamental and applied biomaterials research to the broader materials community. Materials publishes manuscripts which advance the in-depth understanding of the relationship between the structure, properties and functions of all kinds of materials and covers all aspects of biomaterials research across the pipeline of design, synthesis, characterisation and application. This Special Issue will also facilitate the important interactions between the biomaterials community and the broader materials communities.
Keywords: Biomaterials; Polymers; Metals; Ceramics; Composites; Design; Synthesis; Characterisation and testing; Manufacturing processes; Additive manufacturing; Biomedical application; Structure-property relationships; Surface modification; Cell-material interaction; Host response; Medical devices; Drug delivery systems; Tissue engineering; Regenerative medicine.