Chitosan is a biopolymer that is found in nature and is produced from chitin deacetylation. Chitosan has been studied thoroughly for multiple applications with an interdisciplinary approach. Antifungal antibacterial activities, mucoadhesion, non-toxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility are some of the unique characteristics of chitosan-based biomaterials. Moreover, chitosan is the only widely-used natural polysaccharide, and it is possible to chemically modify it for different applications and functions. In various fields, chitosan composite and compound manufacturing has acquired much interest in developing several promising products. Chitosan and its derivatives have gained attention universally in biomedical and pharmaceutical industries as a result of their desired characteristics. In the present mini-review, novel methods for preparing chitosan-containing materials for dental and implant engineering applications along with challenges and future perspectives are discussed.

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Owing to its good mechanical properties, enhanced wear resistance, good biological properties, biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and great corrosion behavior, Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr (TZNT) alloy, as new β titanium alloy, has attracted considerable attention for surgical implant applications. The need for the improvement of the implant properties in the physiological environment can be fulfilled by using the β titanium alloy with low elastic modulus. Additionally, this alloy can inhibit the surgical implant fracture, infection, inflammation, and the reaction of soft tissue with particulate debris. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review the properties and applications of TZNT alloy as a promising choice for surgical implant applications.

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Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) exhibit numerous characteristics such as biocompatibility, UV protection, antibacterial activity, high thermal conductivity, binding energy, and high refractive index that make them ideal candidates to be applied in a variety of products like solar cells, rubber, cosmetics, as well as medical and pharmaceutical products. Different strategies for ZnO nanoparticles’ preparation have been applied: sol-gel method, co-precipitation method, etc. The sol-gel method is an economic and efficient chemical technique for nanoparticle (NPs) generation that has the ability to adjust the structural and optical features of the NPs. Nanostructures are generated from an aqueous solution including metallic precursors, chemicals for modifying pH using either a gel or a sol as a yield. Among the various approaches, the sol-gel technique was revealed to be one of the desirable techniques for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. In this review, we explain some novel investigations about the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles via sol-gel technique and applications of sol-gel zinc oxide nanoparticles. Furthermore, we study recent sol-gel ZnO nanoparticles, their significant characteristics, and their applications in biomedical applications, antimicrobial packaging, drug delivery, semiconductors, biosensors, catalysts, photoelectron devices, and textiles.