This review article provides an overview of hybrid and nanocomposite materials used as biomaterials in nanomedicine, focusing on applications in controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering, biosensors and theranostic systems. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of tuning the properties of nanocomposites, which can be achieved by choosing appropriate synthetic methods and seeking synergy among different types of materials, particularly exploiting their nanoscale nature. The challenges in fabrication for the nanocomposites are highlighted by classifying them as those comprising solely inorganic phases (inorganic/inorganic hybrids), organic phases (organic/organic hybrids) and both types of phases (organic/inorganic hybrids). A variety of examples are given for applications from the recent literature, from which one may infer that significant developments for effective use of hybrid materials require a delicate balance among structure, biocompatibility, and stability.

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Cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) from cotton, was prepared by acid hydrolysis and purified using a size selection process to obtain homogeneous samples with average particle size of 270 nm and 85.5% crystallinity. Purified CNW was used as precursor to carbon nanoneedles (CNN) synthesis. The synthesis of CNN loaded with different metals dopants were carried out by a nanoreactor method and the obtained CNNs applied as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the carbon nanoneedles synthesis, Ni, Cu, or Fe worked as graphitization catalyst and the metal were found present as dopants in the final material. The used metal appeared to have direct influence on the degree of organization of the particles and also in the surface density of polar groups. It was evaluated the influence of the graphitic organization on the general properties and nickel was found as the more appropriate metal since it leads to a more organized material and also to a high activity toward HER.