Anouar El Ghazal, Oluwatosin David Abodunrin, Nouhaila Zouine, Safae Er Raouan, Sena Su Torun, Lamyae Dani, Saad Ibnsouda Koraichi, Soumya Elabed
Functional Janus biomaterials, characterized by asymmetric architectures, have emerged as promising platforms for regenerative medicine because of their capacity to integrate distinct yet complementary functions within a single construct. By spatially compartmentalizing physicochemical, biological, and therapeutic functionalities, these systems can better address the heterogeneous and dynamic requirements of tissue repair while enabling precise control over interfacial properties, bioactive release, and localized cellular responses. Despite the progress, the field is still fragmented across material platforms, fabrication strategies, and tissue-specific applications, and a comprehensive understanding of how Janus asymmetry regulates spatiotemporally controlled therapeutic functions and regenerative outcomes has yet to be established. In addition, the lack of systematic comparisons across Janus configurations and integrated assessments of their reproducibility, stability, biosafety, scalability, and translational potential continues to hinder the development of rational design strategies for clinical applications. This review provides a critical and integrated overview of the design principles, structural characteristics, fabrication strategies, and functional mechanisms of Janus biomaterials for regenerative applications. It analyzes key engineering solutions such as electrospun Janus nanofibers, microfluidic and electrospray fabricated nanoparticles, self-assembled thin films, biphasic and core–shell hydrogels, and 3D/4D bioprinted constructs. Their ability to deliver drugs in a controlled and sequential manner, to act as a combination of barrier and bioactive molecules, to exert antimicrobial and anti-adhesive properties, to manage exudates, to guide cell behaviors, to respond remotely, and to modulate cellular metabolism associated with tissue regeneration. Their growing biomedical applications are also reviewed in the context of wound healing, bone and periodontal regeneration, tendon and ligament repair, postoperative reconstruction following bone tumor resection and stem cell-based tissue engineering. This review critically examines recent breakthroughs in the development of Janus asymmetric materials in relation to the current challenges and emerging opportunities, and outlines the research priorities for their development into clinically relevant, next-generation biomaterials for regenerative medicine.
The development of sustainable soft materials for food packaging has increased due to growing environmental concerns about traditional petroleum-based plastics. Viscoelasticity, molecular self-assembly, interfacial interactions, and tunable polymer dynamics are among the distinctive soft matter properties of bio-based polymers, edible films, biodegradable composites, and nanostructured materials that control their mechanical strength, barrier performance, thermal stability, and biodegradability. With a focus on structure–property correlations, molecular interactions, reinforcement processes, migratory behavior, and food-contact safety, this review critically assesses current developments in sustainable soft materials. To demonstrate their potential for improving packaging performance and prolonging food shelf life, the functions of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, microbial biopolymers, and nanocomposites reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals, nanoclays, graphene derivatives, and metal oxide nanoparticles are investigated. Key issues pertaining to nanomaterial safety, controlled release of bioactive substances, migration, industrial scalability, economic viability, regulatory compliance, life-cycle evaluation, and the adoption of the circular economy are also included in the review The trade-off between mechanical performance and biodegradability, feedstock variability, the absence of uniform testing procedures, and concerns about long-term environmental behavior are some of the current shortcomings that need critically addressed. To enable the commercial translation of high-performance, ecologically conscious food packaging systems, future research should concentrate on safe-by-design materials, predictive structure–property modeling, scalable green manufacturing, harmonized regulatory frameworks, and integrated sustainability assessment.
Cellulose-based water-remediation materials are increasingly engineered beyond conventional biosorbents, yet their practical significance cannot be judged from adsorption capacity or removal efficiency alone. This Review frames engineered cellulose as an interface-to-process platform, examining how chemical functionality, architecture, transport, mechanical behavior, wettability, and recoverability govern contaminant fate and treatment performance. Evidence spanning adsorption, membrane separation, oil–water treatment, catalytic transformation, disinfection, contaminant recovery, and water reuse is evaluated across major contaminant classes. Across these applications, cellulose functions not only as a sorbent but also as a transport matrix, structural scaffold, membrane-forming phase, support for reactive components, and recoverable process interface. The literature demonstrates substantial tunability, but high performance under optimized conditions does not necessarily translate to complex water matrices, continuous operation, repeated regeneration, or safe treated water. Mechanistic interpretation also requires distinguishing adsorption from separation, transformation, detoxification, and recovery using endpoint-appropriate evidence. Realistic-water validation, long-duration operation, regeneration durability, material stability, treated-water safety, and scalable fabrication therefore remain central requirements for translation. Engineered cellulose offers a versatile platform for water treatment, but its technological value ultimately depends on demonstrating durable, endpoint-specific advantages under process-relevant conditions.
Samson Oluwabamise Dada, Adegboyega Daniel Osifuwa, Ifeoluwa Deborah Boyede
Polymeric nanoparticles, particularly nanogels and other soft polymeric carriers, have emerged as promising platforms for precision nanomedicine because their physicochemical and mechanical properties can be engineered to regulate the transport of biological entities and the release of therapeutic agents. Despite significant advances in stimulus-responsive materials and surface engineering, clinical translation remains limited because the influence of soft-matter properties on transport across complex in vivo biological barriers is not yet fully understood. Current design strategies often emphasize particle size, surface charge, and loading efficiency, but they do not adequately account for the combined effects of polymer mechanics, hydration, deformation, and interfacial interactions on biological performance. This review examines polymeric nanoparticle drug delivery from a transport-oriented soft-matter perspective. Key soft-matter parameters, including elastic modulus, swelling ratio, crosslink density, mesh size, viscoelastic relaxation, and interfacial hydration, are considered alongside major transport mechanisms such as diffusion, convection, deformation-assisted transport, interfacial interactions, and transport-reaction coupling. Their roles in blood circulation, protein corona formation, endothelial translocation, extracellular matrix penetration, mucosal transport, cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and drug release are critically assessed. Emerging methodologies, including microfluidic tissue-mimetic systems, multiscale modelling, and artificial intelligence-assisted nanomedicine design, are also discussed as tools for predictive, transport-informed system engineering. To integrate these concepts, we propose the Transport–Soft Matter Coupling Framework (TSMCF), which defines soft polymeric nanoparticles as adaptive mechanical systems in which transport mechanisms evolve across sequential biological barriers. Rather than viewing nanocarriers in isolation, this framework considers changes in softness, hydration, deformability, and release behaviour during biological transport. The TSMCF offers a mechanistic basis for the design of clinically translatable soft nanomedicines by linking polymer-network mechanics, transport phenomena, and translational performance.
Rossana Altamirano-Fortoul, Emma Mani-López, Ricardo H. Hernández-Figueroa, Aurelio López-Malo, Nelly Ramírez-Corona
This study aimed to model the effects of physical pretreatments of soymilk and different coagulating agents on the physicochemical, textural, yield, microbial quality, and sensory properties of tofu. Soymilk was subjected to three pretreatments: untreated, thermal pasteurization, and thermal high-intensity ultrasound (thermo-ultrasound). Each soymilk treatment was coagulated using magnesium chloride (MgCl 2), calcium chloride (CaCl 2), or acetic acid (AA). The resulting tofu types were evaluated based on eight physicochemical and quality variables, together with sensory acceptance using a 9-point hedonic scale. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares (PLS) regression, and multiple linear regression. Thermo-ultrasound pretreatment improved tofu hardness, particularly externally, although the effect depended on the coagulant used. Coagulant type significantly affected tofu yield, protein content, and pH. CaCl 2 produced the highest yield (14.6%), followed by MgCl 2 (12.8%) and AA (11.8%), while protein content followed the same trend (10.2%, 8.5%, and 6.6%, respectively). Other compositional parameters remained relatively constant among coagulants. Tofu pH ranged from 6.4 to 7.1 with divalent salts and decreased to 4.7 with AA. Aerobic mesophilic counts ranged from 2.1 to 2.9 log CFU/g, whereas yeast and mold counts remained <2 log(CFU/g). Sensory analysis identified acidity as the most influential factor affecting acceptability (49.38%), followed by consistency and flavor. Thermo-ultrasound reduced soft-texture defects and off-flavors, and ultrasonicated soymilk coagulated with divalent salts achieved the highest acceptance scores (∼6.5, “moderately liked”). Acid-coagulated and untreated samples were least accepted (<3.4). PCA indicated that coagulant type primarily determined macroscopic differences, whereas pretreatment mainly modulated tofu structure. The PLS model with two components (R 2 pred 91%) indicated that hardness is mainly influenced by ultrasound cavitation and pH. Yield depends on moisture content, which is enhanced by pasteurization, with hardness as a key predictor. Achieving optimal tofu balance requires combining ultrasound pretreatment with divalent salt coagulation. The results show that tofu quality depends on the interaction between soymilk pretreatment and coagulant type. Combining thermo-ultrasound pretreatment with divalent salt coagulation improved textural properties, reduced sensory defects, and produced greater consumer acceptance. Achieving optimal tofu balance requires combining ultrasound pretreatment with divalent salt coagulation.
