Themed collection Emerging Investigators 2016: Novel design strategies for new functional materials

Journal of Materials Chemistry B profiles contributors to the Emerging Investigators issue.

Nano-engineering is exploited to address the slow drug release and low drug loading of electro-responsive drug delivery systems.

We introduce recent advances in the design of bioinspired micro/nanostructures and 2D/3D structures for the enhancement of energy harvesting and multifunctional sensing properties of flexible electronic skins.

The properties of redox active polydopamine melanin (PDM) films as a coating material for tissue stimulation electrodes were evaluated.

Dipicolinic acid (DPA) is a distinctive biomarker for bacterial spores. Here, we present the successful demonstration of dramatic Switch-OFF sensing of DPA using an easily synthesised Eu(III) phosphor applied primarily in light-emitting devices. The sensor shows excellent selectivites, and in the presence of water and phosphate is also demonstrated to be effective.

Labeling smart PEG–dendron hybrids with fluorine-containing groups transform their micelles into enzyme-responsive probes for ¹⁹F-magnetic resonance.

Heparin stabilisation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles engenders exceptional stability, enhanced relaxation due to interparticle interactions, and prevention of protein-adsorption triggered thrombosis.

Functional poly(dopamine) coatings promise to become an efficient strategy to endow biomaterials with enhanced bioactive properties.

Increasing bacterial resistance calls for the simultaneous delivery of multiple antibiotics.

Modifier ionic radius controls ion release from bioactive phospho-silicate glasses via silicate network compactness.

Multi-functional silicon nanowires (SiNWs) arrays: (I) nanostructure topography in the form of SiNWs, (II) covalent chemical modification with APTES and (III) incorporation of chlorhexidine digluconate.

We developed an upconverting nanoparticle capable of (up)converting near-infrared excitation light to UV to sensitize an organoiridium complex for the production of reactive oxygen species.

High-affinity carbohydrate receptors were developed by appending boronic acids to the surface of PAMAM dendrimers. These multivalent hosts were used to discriminate simple sugars in neat water using pattern recognition and optical spectroscopy techniques.

We demonstrate an approach to fabricate microgels from self-assembled peptide nanofibers via desolvation. Proteins can be co-desolvated with nanofibers to create protein-loaded microgels. Modifying nanofibers with a protein-binding ligand provides tunable affinity-controlled protein release.

Novel amphiphilic microgels with hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomer units on the polymer chains were fabricated with an on-chip polymerisation methodology using a novel chip design.

Corona and core molecular weights of p(DMAEMA)-b-p(DMAEMA-co-BMA-co-PAA) block copolymer micelles can be tuned to enhance drug release in response to acidic milieus consistent with oral biofilms.

Glycosylated nanoparticle libraries are developed to enable ‘barcode’ sensing of lectins and toxins.