Developments in nanotechnology have fostered the widespread use of a diverse array of nanomaterials such as nanosilicas and carbon nanotubes. Nanomaterials are already being used in electronics, sunscreens, cosmetics, and medicines, because they have unique physicochemical properties, such as conductivity, strength, durability, and chemical reactivity. The advent of nanomaterials has also provi...

BACKGROUND It has been difficult to make reliable hazard assessments of manufactured nanomaterials, because the nanomaterials form large agglomerations in both in vitro and in vivo studies. OBJECTIVE In the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Project of Japan, the physicochemical properties of many manufactured nanomaterials are being measured, and in vitro an...

Recently, the number of applications of nanomaterials in medicine, cosmetics and food to which we are directly exposed has been expanding rapidly. The safety of such nanomaterials has not been well assessed, because nanomaterials have been considered as safe as common larger sized materials which are known not to be absorbed by the body. Therefore, WHO and OECD are collecting safety information...

The demand for green, affordable and environmentally sustainable materials has encouraged scientists in different fields to draw inspiration from nature in developing materials with unique properties such as miniaturization, hierarchical organization and adaptability. Together with the exceptional properties of nanomaterials, over the past century, the field of bioinspired nanomaterials has tak...

In the recent years, the use of nanomaterials has increased exponentially. In spite of the extensive research in this field, some areas are not completely understood, one of them being nanosafety. Because of their size and shapes, these nanomaterials have the ability to be easily absorbed in the biological and the ecological systems and interfere with them by hampering smooth functioning. In th...

Nanoengineered biomaterials have dramatically expanded the range of tools used for infection control and to accelerate wound healing. This review thoroughly describes the developments that are shaping this emerging field and evaluates the potential wound healing applications of recently developed engineered nanomaterials for both acute and chronic wounds. Specifically, we will assess the unique...

Engineered nanomaterials promise to transform medicine at the bio-nano interface. However, it is important to elucidate how synthetic nanomaterials interact with critical biological systems before such products can be safely utilized in humans. Past evidence suggests that polyethylene glycol-functionalized (PEGylated) nanomaterials are largely biocompatible and elicit less dramatic immune respo...

Contamination of surfaces by nanomaterials can happen due to accidental spillage and release or gradual accumulation during processing or handling. Considering the increasingly wide use of nanomaterials in industry and research labs and also taking into account the diversity of physical and chemical properties of different nanomaterials (such as solubility, aggregation/agglomeration, and surfac...

Because of recent research advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, there has been a growing interest in functional nanomaterials for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering scaffolds, biosensors, bioimaging agents and drug delivery carriers. Among a great number of promising candidates, graphene and its derivatives-including graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide-have particu...