In the last decade, new generations of biopolymer-based materials have attracted attention, aiming its application as scaffolds for tissue engineering. These engineered three-dimensional scaffolds are designed to improve or replace damaged, missing, or otherwise compromised tissues or organs. Despite the number of promising methods that can be used to generate 3D cell-instructive matrices, the innovative nature of the present work relies on the application of ionizing radiation technology to form and modify surfaces and matrices with advantage over more conventional technologies (room temperature reaction, absence of harmful initiators or solvents, high penetration through the bulk materials, etc.), and the possibility of preparation and sterilization in one single step. The current chapter summarizes the work done by the authors in the gamma radiation processing of biocompatible and biodegradable chitosan-based matrices for skin regeneration. Particular attention is given to the correlation between the different preparation conditions and the final polymeric matrices' properties. We therefore expect to demonstrate that instructive matrices produced and improved by radiation technology bring to the field of skin regenerative medicine a supplemental advantage over more conservative techniques.

Sol-gel production of hybrid materials has, to some extent, revolutionised materials’ engineering and the way science and technology perceive the creation of new materials. Despite that, the method presents some limitations that are circumvented by radiation processing. Electron beam irradiation was used to promote synthesis of hybrid structures while using silanol-terminated PDMS, TEOS and TPOZ as precursors. Evaluation of the method’s performance was executed by gel fraction determination, WDXRF and FTIR-ATR. Results showed that, although there is some pre-irradiation reactivity between precursors, radiolysis induces scission on multiple sites of precursor’s structures, which induces hybrid network formation to a greater extent. Characterisation allowed determining electron beam irradiation to be effective in the creation of Si–O–Zr bonds, resulting in the production of a Class II hybrid material.

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