Microwave energy has been in use for many applications for more than 50 years, from communication, food processing, and wood drying to chemical reactions and medical therapy. The areas, where microwave technology is applied, include drying, calcination, decomposition, powder synthesis, sintering, and chemical process control. Before the year 2000, microwaves were used to produce ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and inorganic materials; in next years, some new attempts were made as well. Nowadays, it has been found that microwave sintering can also be applied to sintered powder and ceramics and is more effective than conventional sintering. Particularly interesting is its use for the synthesis of nanomaterials. This review identifies the main sources of microwave generation, the delivery mechanisms of microwave energy, and the typical designs and configurations of microwave devices, as well as the measurement and construction material problems related to microwave technology. We focus our attention on the configurations, materials, optimized geometries, and solvents used for microwave devices, providing examples of products, especially nanoparticles and other nanomaterials. The identified microwave devices are divided into four groups, depending on the scale, the maximum pressure developed, the highest temperature for sintering, or other special multi-functions. The challenges of using microwave energy for the synthesis of nanopowders have been identified as well. The desirable characteristics of microwave reactors in the synthesis of nanostructures, as well as their superiority over conventional synthetic methods, have been presented. We have also provided a review of the commercial and self-designed microwave reactors, digestors, and sintering furnaces for technology for synthesis of nanomaterials and other industries.

Guided tissue regeneration and guided bone regeneration membranes are some of the most common products used for bone regeneration in periodontal dentistry. The main disadvantage of commercially available membranes is their lack of bone cell stimulation and easy bacterial colonization. The aim of this work was to design and fabricate a new membrane construct composed of electrospun poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) fibers sonocoated with layers of nanoparticles with specific properties, i.e., hydroxyapatite and bimetallic nanocomposite of zinc oxide–silver. Thus, within this study, four different variants of biomaterials were evaluated, namely: poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) biomaterial, poly(D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano hydroxyapatite biomaterial, poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano zinc oxide–silver biomaterial, and poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano hydroxyapatite/nano zinc oxide–silver biomaterial. First, it was demonstrated that the wettability of biomaterials—a prerequisite property important for ensuring desired biological response—was highly increased after the sonocoating process. Moreover, it was indicated that biomaterials composed of poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) with or without a nano hydroxyapatite layer allowed proper osteoblast growth and proliferation, but did not have antibacterial properties. Addition of a nano zinc oxide–silver layer to the biomaterial inhibited growth of bacterial cells around the membrane, but at the same time induced very high cytotoxicity towards osteoblasts. Most importantly, enrichment of this biomaterial with a supplementary underlayer of nano hydroxyapatite allowed for the preservation of antibacterial properties and also a decrease in the cytotoxicity towards bone cells, associated with the presence of a nano zinc oxide–silver layer. Thus, the final structure of the composite poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano hydroxyapatite/nano zinc oxide–silver seems to be a promising construct for tissue engineering products, especially guided tissue regeneration/guided bone regeneration membranes. Nevertheless, additional research is needed in order to improve the developed construct, which will simultaneously protect the biomaterial from bacterial colonization and enhance the bone regeneration properties.