Special Issue "Functionalization of Polymers with Natural Bioactive Compounds"

Abstract

Natural bioactive compounds, including constituents of plant extracts, essential oils, natural inorganic particles, etc., have been studied for different biological activities, such as antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antioxidant. However, these compounds show poor stability and sensitivity towards temperature, oxygen, moisture, etc.; thus, their incorporation into a polymeric carrier is proposed to overcome these shortcomings. At the same time, the processing of polymers to introduce bioactive compounds allows the tailoring of their properties and production of novel materials with improved biological activity and mechanical and barrier properties, which have a wide range of applications in food, pharmacy, cosmetics, medicine, etc. This Special Issue aims to present developments in the field of polymer functionalization with natural bioactive compounds using different processing methods, such as impregnation, deposition, electrospinning, solvent casting, extrusion, etc., as well as unique properties of obtained materials. We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue with original research articles and reviews. Topics include, but are not limited to: innovative and conventional methods for the incorporation of natural bioactive compounds into polymeric matrices; the characterization of obtained materials; bioactivity (antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, etc.); and their versatile applications such as food packaging, biomedical devices, wound dressings, controlled release systems, water treatment, tissue engineering, etc.