Abstract
Nanomembranes are the principal building block of basically all living organisms, and without them life as we know it would not be possible. Yet in spite of their ubiquity, for a long time their artificial counterparts have mostly been overlooked in mainstream microsystem and nanosystem technologies, being a niche topic at best, instead of holding their rightful position as one of the basic structures in such systems. Synthetic biomimetic nanomembranes are essential in a vast number of seemingly disparate fields, including separation science and technology, sensing technology, environmental protection, renewable energy, process industry, life sciences and biomedicine. In this study, we review the possibilities for the synthesis of inorganic, organic and hybrid nanomembranes mimicking and in some way surpassing living structures, consider their main properties of interest, give a short overview of possible pathways for their enhancement through multifunctionalization, and summarize some of their numerous applications reported to date, with a focus on recent findings. It is our aim to stress the role of functionalized synthetic biomimetic nanomembranes within the context of modern nanoscience and nanotechnologies. We hope to highlight the importance of the topic, as well as to stress its great applicability potentials in many facets of human life.
Highlights
Biological nanomembranes are ubiquitous and fundamental, and no life as we know it would be possible without them
Examples include self-supported perforated polymer nanomembranes intended for protein separation [83] and UV-polymerized nanomembranes of phospholipid and copolymer fabricated by Langmuir-Blodgett method at the air–water interface [115]
A majority of therapeutic drugs target either receptors within membranes or organelles and their parts like chromosomes/DNA within cells, i.e., they interact with biological membranes either by acting upon their built-in blocks or passing through them using some of their existing pathways for matter exchange to proceed to targets inside the cell or even inside organelles
Summary
Biological nanomembranes are ubiquitous and fundamental, and no life as we know it would be possible without them They ensure the structural integrity of cells and, in eukaryotic cells, of their organelles (including the most complex one, the nucleus) by defining their boundaries and shapes and by shielding their interior, while at the same time providing their defouling. The development of freestanding nanomembranes, including their fabrication, functionalization and, in recent times, application, proceeded in the direction of larger and more durable membranes, in spreading the toolbox of the available materials and the number of types of the freestanding structures and in introducing them to various field of human life. Today there is a vast number of different types of synthetic nanomembranes and mechanisms of their biomimetic functionalization This development is continually expanding to encompass more and more fields, and the focus is gradually shifting to targeted structures that are fit for specific applications. Among the key points is the comprehensive review of synthetic structures for biomimetic functionalization
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