Review of Antimicrobial Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials

Sizov, Lev R.; Serov, Dmitriy A.; Kozlov, Valeriy A.; Karpov, Valery A.; Yanbaev, Fatikh M.; Gudkov, Sergey V.

doi:10.3390/ijms27104529

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Open AccessReview

Review of Antimicrobial Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials

by

Lev R. Sizov

¹,

Dmitriy A. Serov

¹

,

Valeriy A. Kozlov

¹

,

Valery A. Karpov

²,

Fatikh M. Yanbaev

³ and

Sergey V. Gudkov

^1,4,*

¹

Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Str. 38, 119991 Moscow, Russia

²

Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospekt 33, 119071 Moscow, Russia

³

Federal Research Center ”Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, ul. Lobachevskogo 2/31, 420088 Kazan, Russia

⁴

Department of Fundamental Sciences, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 5 2nd Baumanskaya St., 105005 Moscow, Russia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(10), 4529; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104529

Submission received: 21 April 2026 / Revised: 13 May 2026 / Accepted: 14 May 2026 / Published: 18 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Antimicrobial Nanomaterials)

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Abstract

In various areas of human activity, there is a need for new antimicrobial agents that are minimally hazardous to humans and the environment while remaining effective against multidrug-resistant microorganisms. The use of nanomaterials, particularly carbon-based ones, for this purpose is attracting growing interest. This review presents a quantitative analysis, based on published data, of the antibacterial and antifungal activity of various carbon nanomaterials, focusing on fullerenes, nanodiamonds, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, and carbon dots. Their antimicrobial activity is compared both among themselves and with other antimicrobial agents; the effects of their physicochemical properties, functionalization, and photodynamic activity on this activity are also examined.

Keywords: carbon nanomaterials; fullerenes; nanodiamonds; graphene oxide; carbon nanotubes; carbon dots; antimicrobial activity; antibacterial activity; antifungal activity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sizov, L.R.; Serov, D.A.; Kozlov, V.A.; Karpov, V.A.; Yanbaev, F.M.; Gudkov, S.V. Review of Antimicrobial Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 4529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104529

AMA Style

Sizov LR, Serov DA, Kozlov VA, Karpov VA, Yanbaev FM, Gudkov SV. Review of Antimicrobial Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026; 27(10):4529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104529

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sizov, Lev R., Dmitriy A. Serov, Valeriy A. Kozlov, Valery A. Karpov, Fatikh M. Yanbaev, and Sergey V. Gudkov. 2026. "Review of Antimicrobial Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 27, no. 10: 4529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104529

APA Style

Sizov, L. R., Serov, D. A., Kozlov, V. A., Karpov, V. A., Yanbaev, F. M., & Gudkov, S. V. (2026). Review of Antimicrobial Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(10), 4529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104529

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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