Nanostructured Materials and Nanometric Coatings for Antimicrobial and Surface Functionalization

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanostructured materials and nanometric coatings aimed at improving the antimicrobial, mechanical, and physicochemical properties of surfaces and bulk materials.

Over the last decade, nanostructured coatings and nanocomposite materials have emerged as key solutions for enhancing material performance for biomedical applications, influencing microbial adhesion and biofilm formation, as well as promoting selective biological responses.

Nanostructures can exhibit passive or active antimicrobial mechanisms. Passive systems rely on topographical and physicochemical features that prevent bacterial attachment and biofilm formation, mimicking natural antimicrobial surfaces. Active systems, instead, involve the incorporation of antimicrobial nanophases—for instance, metal or metal oxide nanoparticles (Ag, Cu, ZnO, TiO₂, MgO)—able to inhibit bacterial growth and proliferation, or to exert a bactericidal effect. The synergistic combination of different strategies at the nanometric scale enables long-term, broad-spectrum antimicrobial performance while maintaining cytocompatibility, a crucial requirement for biomedical applications.

This Special Issue aims to present original research articles and reviews focused on the design, fabrication, and functionalization of materials with enhanced antimicrobial properties through nanostructuring or nanocoating approaches in the biomedical field.

Prof. Dr. Federica Paladini
Guest Editor

Dr. Rebecca Pellegrino
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.