Freestanding Functionalized Nanofilms for Biomedical Applications

1. V. Pensabene, V. Mattoli, A. Menciassi, P. Dario, T. Fujie, S. Takeoka, Magnetic nanosheet adhesion to mucosal tissue, Proc. of IEEE Nano 2009, Genova, Italy, 489-493. 2. L. Ricotti, S. Taccola, V. Pensabene, V. Mattoli, T. Fujie, S. Takeoka, A. Menciassi, P. Dario, Adhesion and proliferation of skeletal muscle cells on single layer poly(lactic acid) ultra-thin films, Biomed. Microdev. 12, 809819 (2010). 3. S. Taccola, A. Desii, V. Pensabene, T. Fujie, A. Saito, S. Takeoka, P. Dario, A. Menciassi, V. Mattoli, Free-Standing poly(l-lactic acid) nanofilms loaded with superparamagnetic nanoparticles, Langmuir DOI: 10.1021/la2004134 (2011) 4. E. Sinibaldi, V. Pensabene, S. Taccola, S. Palagi, A. Menciassi, P. Dario, V. Mattoli, Magnetic nanofilms for biomedical applications, J. Nanotechnol. Eng. Med. 1, 021008-1 (2010). 5. F. Greco, V. Mattoli, P. Dario, A. Menciassi, A. Zucca, Italian Patent Applications FI2010A000230 and FI2010A000231 (2010). Free-standing conductive nanofilms Nanofilms are polymer-based films with very large area (up to tens of cm2) and with a thickness in the order of few tens hundreds of nanometers1. Due to their peculiar properties, amongst which biocompatibility, high compliance and the possibility of carrying drugs for controlled release, these structures were recently proposed for biomedical applications, such as nanoplasters for pharmaceutical and cosmetic use, as a new solution for closing incisions after open surgical procedures2 or as substrates for cell growth3. In this sense one of most challenging issues is the films control within the working environment: the possibility of including magnetic components, such as magnetic nanoparticles, will pave the way for the effective use of nanofilms in the human body, by allowing precise positioning by an external magnetic field. Moreover, the capability to obtain conductive nanofilms by using conjugated polymers is as well interesting for several applications. Introduction