Molecular Studies of Antibacterial Materials
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 174
Special Issue Editors
Interests: electrospinning; IR/RAMAN spectroscopy; silk proteins; textile structures for antibacterial purposes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: microbial antagonism; antimicrobial compounds; microbial adhesion, microbial biofilms; probiotics; postbiotics; cell-based in vitro models; cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assessment; bioactive natural extracts
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance represents one of the most urgent global health challenges of the 21st century. As conventional antibiotics lose efficacy against resistant pathogens, there is an increasing need for innovative antibacterial materials designed through a deep understanding of molecular mechanisms. This Special Issue on "Molecular Studies of Antibacterial Materials" aims to gather research that explores the molecular foundations, design strategies, and functional mechanisms of advanced antibacterial systems.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, and short communications focusing on the molecular design, characterization, and performance of antibacterial materials, including, but not limited to, nanomaterials, polymers, coatings, hydrogels, biomaterials, metal-based systems, and hybrid composites. Particular emphasis is placed on studies elucidating structure–activity relationships, surface–bacteria interactions, membrane disruption mechanisms, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, ion release dynamics, and biofilm inhibition at the molecular and nanoscale levels.
Contributions employing advanced analytical and computational approaches—such as molecular modeling, spectroscopy, and high-resolution imaging—to uncover antibacterial mechanisms are highly encouraged. Research integrating material science, microbiology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering perspectives is especially welcome.
In addition to synthetic and engineered materials, this Special Issue also welcomes studies on biologically derived antibacterial systems, including probiotics, postbiotics, microbial metabolites, and bioactive natural extracts. Particular attention will be given to research elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying microbial antagonism, bacterial adhesion inhibition, and biofilm disruption, as well as studies employing advanced cell-based in vitro models to assess cytotoxicity.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Molecular mechanisms of antibacterial activity;
- Structure–function relationships in antibacterial materials;
- Design and synthesis of novel antimicrobial nanostructures;
- Surface modification strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion;
- Anti-biofilm materials and molecular pathways of biofilm disruption;
- Stimuli-responsive and smart antibacterial systems;
- Synergistic effects between materials and conventional antibiotics;
- Biocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and molecular safety assessments.
By providing a platform for interdisciplinary research, this Special Issue seeks to advance the rational design of next-generation antibacterial materials and contribute to sustainable solutions against drug-resistant infections.
The aim of this Special Issue is to combine the papers reporting fundamental and applied research related to antibacterial materials. The topics summarized under the keywords should be considered only as examples. The volume is open for any advanced topics in the field of antibacterial materials.
Dr. Anna Baranowska-Korczyc
Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Adriana Nowak
Co-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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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.
Keywords
- antibacterial materials
- molecular mechanisms
- antimicrobial resistance
- antimicrobial nanomaterials
- antimicrobial polymers
- microbial adhesion
- microbial biofilms
- biofilm inhibition
- reactive oxygen species (ROS)
- antimicrobial coatings
- bacterial membrane disruption
- controlled ion release
- biocompatibility and cytotoxicity assessment
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