Nanostructured, electroactive and bioapplicable materials

exhibit mesoporosity of the silica framework as well as the unique size dependent optical
properties of the second material phase, i.e., gold nanoparticles. The characteristics of the
materials such as composition, morphology, porosity, and optical properties are discussed.
An effort to fabricate organic-inorganic nanocomposite thin films with ordered
nanostructured domains is reported in Chapter 5. The nanocomposite thin films were
studied for their composition, morphology and layer ordering behavior. The studies
involved the use of both spectroscopic and microscopic methods, such as IR spectroscopy
and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The self-assembling of two-dimensional ordered
array of mesoporous nanospheres is also described.
Chapter 6 is devoted to the development of electroactive and biocompatible
materials. The background introduction of conductive polymers as well as a review of
applications of conducting polymers in biotechnology is provided. Using the preparation
of polyaniline-collagen complex as an example, the bio-templated synthetic route is
demonstrated, which aims at simultaneously improving both biocompatibility and water
solubility of conductive polymers. The properties of the complex material (e.g., solubility,
electroactivity, and morphology) are evaluated and reported based on comparison with
the component materials. The improved biocompatibility is demonstrated with cell
growth studies. With improved processability, biocompatibility and controlled
electroactivity, the materials will be used as a scaffold material for tissue engineering
applications.
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