A current challenge in materials science and biotechnology is to express a specific and controlled functionality on the large interfacial area of a nanostructured material to create smart biohybrid systems for targeted applications. Here, we report on a biohybrid system featuring poly(vinyl alcohol) as the supporting synthetic polymer and bovine serum albumin as the biofunctional element. The optimal processing conditions to produce these self-standing composite membranes are determined, and the composition and distribution of the bioactive agent within the polymeric matrices are analyzed. A post-processing cross-linking using glutaraldehyde enables this functional membrane to be used as a chemical filter in aqueous environments. By demonstrating that our mats can remove large amounts of ketoprofen from water, we show that the combination of a BSA-induced biofunctionality with a nanostructured fibrous material allows for the development of an efficient biohybrid filtering device for the large and widely used family of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The crystal structure of the complex between BSA and ketoprofen is determined for the first time and confirms the interaction between the two species.

Photochromic polyurethanes (PPUs) are synthesised by reaction between a diarylethene end-capped with hydroxyl groups and an aliphatic diisocyanate. In situpolymerisation provides amorphous films with remarkable optical properties. The possibility to vary the amount and the chemical structure of the photochromic monomer without affecting the reactivity of the polymerization allows one to tune in a wide range the optical properties of these films. In addition, different diarylethenes can be mixed together to give copolymers which may find application as photochromic layers for multistate optical memories. A setup for a non-destructive readout based on Raman signal is proposed.