Short summary: Nanostructured surfaces have a wide range of applications, as they can influence cellular behaviour, modify surface properties and improve material performance. For biomedical applications, we are developing a biocompatible and corrosion-protective hybrid sol-gel coating based on PLA-methacrylate for magnesium-based vascular stents. The incorporation of magnetic anisotropic particles will enable magnetic structuring of the coating surface, creating oriented nanostructures that will promote endothelial cell attachment and proliferation after implantation. Such surface guidance is especially important for vascular stents, where rapid endothelialisation can reduce the risk of complications. In addition to biomedical applications, nanostructured coatings are also highly relevant for technical surfaces. For applications such as anti-icing and self-cleaning coatings, superhydrophobic surfaces with a rough morphology and low surface energy are required. To achieve this, we functionalised silica nanoparticles with Fmoc-pentafluorophenylalanine or pentafluorophenylalanine and incorporated them into a PMMA–siloxane–silica gel coating. These modified nanoparticles were used to increase surface roughness and hydrophobicity on aluminium substrates, with the aim of improving the water-repellent properties of the coating.