Novel Nanomaterials with Antimicrobial Activity

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring “Novel Nanomaterials with Antimicrobial Activity”, an area of growing importance in the field of materials science and antimicrobial research. As the global challenge of combating resistant pathogens intensifies, novel antimicrobial strategies offer promising solutions for localized detection of disease-causing bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and platforms for focal delivery of bactericidal nanomaterials to resolve infections.

The aim of this Special Issue is to describe advances in nanomaterials for antimicrobial applications. Nanomaterials, due to their high surface area-to-volume ratio and cargo-carrying capacity, offer enhanced interactions with microbial cells compared to conventional materials. This issue will delve into various types of nanomaterials, including nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanostructured topography, and nanocomposites to demonstrate their effectiveness in inhibiting bacterial growth. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the mechanisms through which these materials exert their antimicrobial effects, such as disrupting cell membranes, generating reactive oxygen species, interfering with the microbial metabolism, or surface structuring that can inhibit bacterial attachment, leading to the inhibition of biofilm development.

The scope of this Special Issue encompasses all avenues of antimicrobial research using nanoparticles, with key emphasis on the development of novel technologies and understanding of their antimicrobial mechanisms. This Special Issue will feature contributions that explore the synthesis, characterization, and application of these nanomaterials, including their effectiveness against a broad spectrum of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Examples include coatings to inhibit biofilms in medical, industrial, and extraterrestrial arenas. The issue also strongly supports exploration of nanoparticles for improved drug carrying and localized release in addition to nanoparticles composed of metals, semi-metals, magnetic particles, liposomes, polymers, or their complexes, which exhibit inherent antimicrobial capacity. Selective combination of antimicrobial technologies using machine learning or computational modeling combinatorics to help develop a better appreciation for the judicious choice of novel materials are also encouraged. Furthermore, this issue aims to address the challenges and limitations associated with the use of nanomaterials, such as potential toxicity, environmental impact, and regulatory considerations. It will provide a comprehensive overview of current research trends and future directions in the field.

The field of nanomaterials engineering is constantly evolving, leading to rapidly developing opportunities for antimicrobial designs. We hope that readers of this Special Issue on novel nanomaterials with antimicrobial activity will relish the advances made and marvel at the progress of the field. As Guest Editors, we invite researchers to submit original research articles, review papers, and short communications that provide insights into the antimicrobial properties of nanomaterials. Your contributions will help advance our understanding of how these innovative materials can be harnessed to address pressing issues in microbial resistance and public health.

Best,

Dr. Nicole Levi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• nanoparticles
• nanostructured materials
• wound healing
• biofilms
• antimicrobial
• intracellular pathogens