Titanium dioxide-based nanomaterials: Application of their smart properties in biomedicine

Largely utilized in photocatalysis and photovoltaics, titanium dioxide (also termed “titania”) nanostructures are increasingly finding applications in different fields of biomedical research. Their versatile physicochemical characteristics and their high compatibility with biological systems have indeed motivated their introduction—among the many areas of investigation—also in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and cancer therapy. Here, the most recent findings in these fields will be presented with a special focus on properties tunable by exposure to a contactless source of stimulation, which make titanium dioxide nanostructures actual “smart” materials. Current challenges and prospective opportunities will also be discussed by taking into consideration composite titanium dioxide-based nanostructures enriched in surface and bulk features.