What it is

Biohybrid materials are innovative materials that integrate living cells, biological molecules, or biomimetic properties with synthetic or engineered structures. These materials are designed to exhibit adaptive, responsive, and self-healing properties that traditional materials cannot provide. Biohybrid materials combine biological functionality (growth, repair, sensing, or actuation) with mechanical stability, durability, or programmability from synthetic scaffolds. This makes them ideal for applications where dynamic, environment-responsive, or intelligent materials are required. The field spans tissue engineering, soft robotics, wearable bioelectronics, environmental monitoring, and smart materials science.

Applications

• Soft robotics: Muscles, actuators, and locomotion systems using biohybrid tissue or responsive gels.
• Medical implants: Self-healing or regenerative scaffolds for tissue engineering and organ repair.
• Environmental sensors: Living sensors detecting pollutants, toxins, or chemical changes.
• Wearable electronics: Skin-like sensors incorporating living cells for health monitoring.
• Adaptive construction materials: Smart building components that respond to humidity, temperature, or stress.
• Drug delivery systems: Biohybrid hydrogels and microstructures for controlled therapeutic release.
• Biointerfaces: Organ-on-chip platforms for testing drug effects or disease modeling.

Future potential

1. Living machines: Integration of cells into mechanical systems for autonomous soft robotics.
2. Self-repairing infrastructure: Buildings, bridges, or coatings capable of healing micro-damage.
3. Biohybrid computation: Materials that combine sensing, actuation, and processing at the material level.
4. Personalized biomedical implants: Tailored implants and scaffolds grown from patient-specific cells.
5. Sustainable adaptive materials: Eco-friendly, biologically-based materials for packaging, textiles, and construction.
6. Integration with AI: Smart materials capable of learning or adapting through feedback mechanisms.

By 2035, biohybrid materials are expected to form the foundation of living machines and adaptive material systems, transforming medicine, robotics, and environmental monitoring.

Research Areas in Biohybrid Materials Technology

1. Cellular integration in synthetic scaffolds: Development of functional tissue-engineered constructs.
2. Actuation and motility: Biohybrid muscle cells and responsive polymers for soft robotics.
3. Self-healing mechanisms: Hydrogels, polymer-cell composites, and microbial-based repair systems.
4. Bioelectronics and sensing: Living sensors for chemical, environmental, or physiological monitoring.
5. 3D bioprinting and fabrication: Printing complex structures with living cells and functional polymers.
6. Biocompatible materials design: Optimizing synthetic materials for cellular growth, adhesion, and functionality.
7. Energy harvesting and bioactuation: Using metabolic activity or light-driven processes to power biohybrid devices.
8. Biohybrid interfaces: Integration of electronics and living tissue for human-machine interaction.
9. Environmental applications: Bioremediation, pollutant detection, and adaptive environmental coatings.
10. Computational biohybrid modeling: Simulating growth, actuation, and feedback in living-synthetic composites.

Key Journals Accepting Papers on Biohybrid Materials Technology

Journals are categorized as Open Access, Hybrid, and Subscription (Payment), all indexed in Scopus and recognized by CSI tools.

Open Access Journals

1. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
   Focus: Biohybrid materials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
   Fit: Cellular integration, biohybrid actuators, and responsive biomaterials.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-recognized.
2. ACS Omega (Open Access option)
   Focus: Material science, polymers, and biofunctional composites.
   Fit: Novel biohybrid scaffolds, hydrogels, and responsive materials.
   Indexing: Scopus Q2–Q1, CSI-approved.
3. Materials Today Bio
   Focus: Biofunctional materials, biomimetic composites, and living materials.
   Fit: Biohybrid actuators, soft robotics, and adaptive materials.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-recognized.

Hybrid Journals

1. Advanced Materials
   Focus: Cutting-edge materials science including biohybrid and smart materials.
   Fit: Responsive, self-healing, and living material systems.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-evaluated.
2. Biofabrication
   Focus: 3D bioprinting, scaffolds, and living material integration.
   Fit: Fabrication and characterization of biohybrid constructs.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-recognized.
3. Soft Robotics
   Focus: Biohybrid actuators, soft machines, and tissue-inspired robotics.
   Fit: Cell-integrated soft robotics and responsive materials research.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-approved.
4. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
   Focus: Biomaterials, tissue engineering, and biofunctional composites.
   Fit: Biohybrid scaffolds, implants, and responsive materials.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-recognized.

Subscription (Traditional) Journals

1. Nature Materials
   Focus: High-impact materials science, including biomimetic and hybrid materials.
   Fit: Conceptual breakthroughs in biohybrid and adaptive materials.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-top-tier journal.
2. Science Advances
   Focus: Interdisciplinary research in material science and bioengineering.
   Fit: Biohybrid devices, living materials, and functional composites.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-recognized.
3. Journal of Materials Chemistry B
   Focus: Biological and biofunctional materials.
   Fit: Biocompatible scaffolds, biohybrid sensors, and soft robotics materials.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-evaluated.
4. Advanced Functional Materials
   Focus: Functional, adaptive, and responsive materials science.
   Fit: Biohybrid materials for robotics, implants, and environmental applications.
   Indexing: Scopus Q1, CSI-recognized.

Summary Table — Biohybrid Materials Journals Overview

Type	Journal Name	Focus Area	Scopus Indexed	CSI Recognized
Open Access	Frontiers in Bioengineering & Biotechnology	Biohybrid & regenerative materials	✅	✅
Open Access	ACS Omega	Polymers & biofunctional composites	✅	✅
Open Access	Materials Today Bio	Living & responsive materials	✅	✅
Hybrid	Advanced Materials	Smart & adaptive materials	✅	✅
Hybrid	Biofabrication	3D bioprinting & scaffolds	✅	✅
Hybrid	Soft Robotics	Biohybrid actuators & robotics	✅	✅
Hybrid	ACS Biomaterials Sci. & Eng.	Biofunctional materials & implants	✅	✅
Subscription	Nature Materials	Conceptual & high-impact biohybrid	✅	✅
Subscription	Science Advances	Interdisciplinary living materials	✅	✅
Subscription	J. Materials Chemistry B	Biocompatible & functional materials	✅	✅
Subscription	Advanced Functional Materials	Adaptive & responsive biohybrid systems	✅	✅