Chapter 12 - Nanostructured Polymer Biocomposites: Pharmaceutical Applications

Abstract

The modern evolution in nanotechnology has brought about a revolutionary trend in developing novel biomaterials with superior properties and functionalities for targeted biomedical applications including pharmaceutical applications in biomedicine. There has been a steadily increasing interest in using nanoparticles in biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, hyperthermia, photoablation therapy, biosensors, bioimaging, cell labeling, and gene delivery over the past few years. Their exceptional properties such as chemical stability, nontoxicity, biocompatibility, high saturation magnetization, and high magnetic susceptibility, metallic nanoparticles like silver (Ag) and gold (Au), bimetallic nanoparticles like iron cobalt (Fe–Co) and iron platinum (Fe–Pt), and metal oxides including titanium dioxide (TiO2), silica (SiO2), cerium dioxide (CeO2), and zinc oxide (ZnO), and especially the less studied nanoparticles such as silver (Ag), iron platinum (Fe–Pt), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) have lent them for potential use in various biomedical applications. This review focuses on the current status and key research challenges in the development of metal-oxide polymeric nanomaterials for potential biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. In summary, metal-oxide polymeric nanocomposites have great potential for the development of new nanovaccines and nanodrugs in the future.