About this Research Topic

Background

Nanobiophotonics is an emergent multidisciplinary field embracing nanotechnology, photonics, materials and biomedicine. In this context, soft- and bio-nanomaterials offer a high level of diversity and tunability in their structures to be employed in nanobiophotonics. As a matter of fact, nanostructures such as two-dimensional nanosheets and other nanoscale building blocks, exhibit exciting functions such as an enormous surface-to-volume ratio and unique optical, chemical, and electronic properties. These functions enhance the ability of metallic or semiconducting nanomaterials to absorb, reflect and interact with light, which is of primary importance of developing nanophotonics, where photonics merge with nanoscience and nanotechnology. Moreover, these materials can easily be engineered and functionalized, thus modifying their organization at the nanoscale, and consequently their physico-chemical properties. The tumultuous advances in understanding the behavior of soft matter and biomaterials at a molecular level, with the help of photonics techniques, are being actively translated into functional materials systems and devices, which take advantage of newly discovered and specifically created morphologies with desired properties. In such a scenario, photonics and nano-biosciences are correlated. On the one hand, photonics provide a powerful set of tools to investigate nanobioscience and related novel materials. On the other hand, the investigation of optical linear and nonlinear properties of these materials certainly widens the frontier of the most recent photonics achievements.

In this Research Topic, we aim to address, on a broad scale, the most recent advances in functionalized soft matter and novel biomaterials aimed at applications in biosciences and biomedicine in particular. Among the functionalization techniques and innovative methods for material development we put emphasis on nanophotonics that can be viewed either way: either as a powerful set of tools to investigate nanobioscience, nanobiomaterials, and related applications, or as the frontier of knowledge to push forward by studying the linear and nonlinear photonic properties of these very innovative and non-conventional materials.

Areas of research which are in scope for this Research Topic are:

• Nanomedicine: nanoscale photonic materials in nano/biomedicine
• Nanomedicine: photonic nano/2D materials/hetero- hybrid-structures and viruses, bacteria, cells, tissues (in-vitro and in-vivo applications)
• Nanomedicine: photonic nano/2D materials/hetero- hybrid-structures as anti-cancer: Tissue engineering, biosensing, theranostics and drug delivery applications
• Nanomedicine: photonic nano/2D materials/hetero- hybrid-structures to omics sciences (genetics, epigenetics, prote-omics)
• Nanomedicine: nanoscale materials/ biocompatibility, biodegradability and phototoxicity of novel nanobiomaterials in-cluding 2D materials
• Photonic application of nano and 2D materials: novel laser active media and photonic devices (e.g. saturable absorber)
• Nonlinear optics of novel nano/2D materials and nanobiocomposites and related applications to nanobioscience, includ-ing (bio)sensing, (bio)imaging and therapy.
• Light manipulation: nano/2D materials, hetero- and hybrid-structures aimed at the exploration of new frontiers in optical signal processing, data communication, imaging, sensing and spectroscopy. (e.g. birefringence in anisotropic 2D materials and its use for accurate manipulation of light polarization)
• Biofunctionalized nano/2D materials for understanding the interactions of bio nanomaterials for nanophotonic applications
• Bioderived materials with photonic properties/applications: biosystems naturally produced or its chemical or genetic engineering.
• Biotemplated photonic materials, including self-assembly of optically active nanostructures on a biologically derived template.
• Synthesis of optically active materials via microorganisms.
• Optically active biofunctionalized 2D/nano materials - Interactions of bionanomaterials with light in view of their structural, electronic, optical and nanophotonic properties.
• Bio-inspired 2D/nano materials for diagnostic (bioimaging), detection (biosensing) and treatment (in-vitro, in-vivo and drug delivery) applications.
• Biocompatibility, biodegradability and phototoxicity of novel nanobiomaterials includes 2D/nano materials
• Soft matter under geometrical confinement in bioderived/biotemplated photonic materials aimed at applications such as wearables using bio-nanocomposites or bio-nanophotonics to trap/store light/energy.

Original Research, Reviews and Perspectives articles will be considered as contributions for the collection.

Important Note: All submissions/contributions to this Research Topic must be in line with the scope of the journal/section they are submitted to. While authors are encouraged to draw from other disciplines to enrich their papers where relevant, they must ensure papers fall within the scope of the journal/section, as expressed in its mission statement.

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Jasneet Kaur as the Co-ordinator for this Research Topic.

Prof. Altucci holds a patent on biomaterials. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.

Cover image credits: wacomka and pikepicture/Shutterstock.com

Keywords: 2D Nanobiomaterials, Biophotonics, Optically Active Materials, Biofunctionalisation, Nanomedicine

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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