Innovative Approaches to Antimicrobial and Antiviral Functionalization of Textile Materials
A Special Issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983) belonging to the section "Antibacterial Biomaterials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2347
Editors
Interests: synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials; surface functionalization with biopolymers; advanced nanocomposites; colloid chemistry; wastewater treatment; absorption; active biopolymers with antiviral and antimicrobial properties; encapsulated polymeric micro/nanoparticles; development of antiviral personal protective equipment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: polysaccharides coatings, fillers, biobased and biodegradable packaging materials; colloidal; surface chemistry; active packaging; interaction phenomena
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary platform for the latest advances in the design, development and application of antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiviral functionalized bioactive textile materials. The focus is on innovative approaches ranging from materials science and nanotechnology to surface and colloidal chemistry and bioengineering that enhance the protective, antimicrobial, antioxidative, antiviral and therapeutic performance of textiles in various fields such as healthcare, personal protective equipment (PPE), smart wearables and consumer products. The aim of this Special Issue is to (i) highlight the state of the art to impart bioactive properties to natural, synthetic and blended textile substrates; (ii) explore both passive (surface coatings, chemical agents) and active (stimuli-responsive, controlled release) strategies for microbial inhibition; (iii) promote the integration of sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions such as biopolymers, plant-based antimicrobial agents and green synthesis routes; (iv) stimulate contributions that provide mechanistic insights, scalability analysis or commercialization routes for novel textile treatments; (v) encourage contributions that deepen our understanding of interactions between functional agents and textile matrices, as well as their interactions with biological targets such as viruses, microbes and reactive oxygen species; and (vi) highlight novel analytical and visualization methods for studying bioactive textiles, including surface and nanoscale characterization techniques.
While the existing literature has addressed specific aspects of bioactive textiles, often in fragmented or application-specific contexts, this Special Issue seeks to fill gaps in materials, methods and applications. It provides a consolidated view that (1) goes beyond traditional biocide-based treatments to explore cutting-edge nanotechnologies, bioactive compounds and hybrid multifunctional systems; (2) emphasizes the multidisciplinary integration of microbiology, materials science, textile engineering and environmental science; (3) showcases emerging innovations such as smart textiles with on-demand antimicrobial activity, self-disinfecting surfaces and virus-inactivating coatings that are particularly relevant in the context of global health issues such as COVID-19 and hospital-acquired infections; (4) addresses applications, where multifunctional protection (e.g., antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidative) is essential, including future-use scenarios in defense; and (5) critically evaluates current limitations in functional durability, toxicity, user safety and regulatory compliance, thus fostering dialog on next-generation solutions.
By synthesizing state-of-the-art knowledge with novel forward-thinking strategies, this Special Issue aims to serve as both a technical reference and a visionary roadmap for academic researchers, developers and industry stakeholders involved in the creation of bioactive textile materials for advanced protective applications.
Dr. Olivija Plohl
Prof. Dr. Lidija Fras Zemljič
Guest Editors
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials 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.
Keywords
- textile materials
- antiviral and antimicrobial surfaces
- bioactivity
- personal protective equipment
- hybrid multifunctional systems
- smart textile
- self-disinfecting surfaces
- functionalization
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