Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Interactions with Carbon-Based Materials
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Nanoscience".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 138
Editors
Interests: toxicology; adsorption; catalysis; carbon materials; microcontaminants; biomarkers; wastewater treatment
Interests: marine biology; ecotoxicology; climate change impacts; photophysiology; symbiotic microalgae; bivalve physiology; environmental remediation; nanomaterials; molecular biology; histology; microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Carbon-based materials have emerged as a cornerstone of modern materials science due to their remarkable structural diversity and multifunctional properties. From nanostructured materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and carbon dots to porous materials like activated carbon and biochar, carbon-based systems have found widespread applications in biomedical and environmental technologies. Their unique characteristics—including high surface area, chemical stability, and tunable surface chemistry—enable their use in areas such as drug delivery, biosensing, diagnostic platforms, tissue engineering, and environmental remediation. Despite these promising applications, the growing development and use of carbon materials raise important questions about their interactions with biological systems and potential safety implications. These materials can interact with key biological structures such as cell membranes, proteins, nucleic acids, and intracellular organelles, potentially triggering biological responses such as oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis. Understanding how carbon materials interact with biological components in both biomedical and environmental contexts is therefore essential not only for improving their performance but also for evaluating their long-term safety, environmental fate, and sustainability.
This Special Issue aims to advance current knowledge on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern interactions between carbon-based materials and biological systems. The Issue will cover interdisciplinary studies investigating both nanostructured carbon materials used in biotechnology and porous carbon materials used in environmental remediation, with particular attention to molecular mechanisms, surface chemistry, and biomaterial interfaces. The topic aligns with the scope of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences by focusing on molecular-level mechanisms in chemistry, biology, and materials science, contributing to a deeper understanding of biological and physicochemical processes involving carbon-based materials. We aim to assemble a collection of high-quality research articles and reviews that provide fundamental insights and innovative approaches in this rapidly evolving field.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Biomaterial molecular interactions;
- Carbon materials in biomedical applications;
- Environmental fate and ecotoxicological effects of carbon-based materials;
- Biosensing platforms based on carbon nanomaterials;
- Microbial interactions with carbon-based materials;
- Safe-by-design and sustainable carbon-based material;
- Surface functionalization and bio-interface engineering of carbon-based materials.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Ângela Almeida
Dr. Francesca Coppola
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- carbon (nano)materials
- (nano)toxicology
- biomaterial interactions
- biosensors
- remediation
- risk assessment
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