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Advances in Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition
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Advances in Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 6113

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xueen Jia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Interests: nanofabrication; metasurfaces; plasmon enhanced fluorescence; carbon dots; biomaterials and biosensor; microfluidics; wearable sensor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ce Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Photonics & Photon-Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China
Interests: biophysics; soft matter; microfluidics; biomedicine; laser processing; optical at the nanoscale
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

After the great success of this Special Issue‘s first edition, we are pleased to inform you that Molecules will launch the second edition of “Advances in Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications”.

Emerging biomedical tools have become extremely attractive following the COVID-19 pandemic; advances in nanomaterials for biomedical applications have shown great promise in improving disease diagnosis, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing due to their unique properties. In recent years, numerous novel nanomaterials and nanostructures has been developed, including low-dimensional materials (MXenes, carbon dots, and other nanoparticles), nanopores, nanochannels, metasurfaces, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and nanocomposites. There is huge potential to revolutionize healthcare through the development of innovative nanomaterials.

This Special Issue is devoted to the latest techniques in advanced nanomaterials as well as nanodevices and their biomedical applications, including broad topics such as the following:

The synthesis, characterization, and processing of organic, inorganic, biological, and hybrid nanomaterials by various methods, including 3D printing and laser processing;

  • Nanomaterials for targeted and controlled drug delivery systems;
  • Therapeutic applications of nanomaterials;
  • Flexible and wearable biosensing using nanomaterials;
  • Nanomaterials as essential bioimaging agents;
  • Novel nanostructure and nanocomposites for point-of-care testing devices (lab on a chip).

Dr. Xueen Jia
Prof. Dr. Ce Zhang
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules 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 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

  • 2D nanomaterials
  • metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)
  • metasurfaces
  • biosensor
  • drug delivery

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

37 pages, 2866 KB  
Review
Silk Fibroin for Biomedical Applications with Emphasis on Bioimaging, Biosensing and Regenerative Systems: A Review
by Snjezana Tomljenovic-Hanic and Asma Khalid
Molecules 2026, 31(7), 1142; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31071142 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 509
Abstract
Biomaterials are engineered to interact with biological systems for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Among them, natural biomaterials offer important advantages over many synthetic polymers, including intrinsic biocompatibility, non-toxicity and biodegradability. Silk fibroin, a fibrous protein derived mainly from Bombyx mori cocoons, has re-emerged [...] Read more.
Biomaterials are engineered to interact with biological systems for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Among them, natural biomaterials offer important advantages over many synthetic polymers, including intrinsic biocompatibility, non-toxicity and biodegradability. Silk fibroin, a fibrous protein derived mainly from Bombyx mori cocoons, has re-emerged as a particularly versatile platform because it combines favourable mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical properties with aqueous processing and tuneable degradation. In this review, we first summarise the key structural, physicochemical and functional properties of regenerated silk fibroin, including its mechanical behaviour, thermal stability, dielectric and piezoelectric response, optical transparency and low autofluorescence. We then describe how extraction and regeneration protocols are used to produce defined material formats—fibres and nanofibrous mats, porous 3D scaffolds and hydrogels, sub-micron particles, thin films and microstructured devices—and outline major functionalisation strategies, ranging from physical blending and encapsulation to covalent chemistry, genetic engineering of recombinant silk variants, and enzyme-mediated conjugation approaches. Building on this foundation, we critically examine biomedical applications of silk fibroin with a particular emphasis on (i) hybrid silk–fluorophore systems for bioimaging and biosensing (nanodiamonds, quantum dots and organic dyes), (ii) optical fibre, wearable and edible sensors for health and food monitoring, (iii) wound dressings and wound-sensing platforms, and (iv) tissue engineering scaffolds and drug-delivery depots. Finally, we discuss current limitations, including process variability, the trade-offs introduced by blending and cross-linking, and the challenges posed by non-degradable inorganic fillers and clinical translation. Together, these perspectives highlight silk fibroin’s potential and constraints as a multifunctional biomaterial for next-generation biomedical devices and theranostic systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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42 pages, 3025 KB  
Review
Polyphenol-Based Nanomedicine: Versatile Platforms for Immune Modulation and Therapeutic Delivery
by Quoc-Viet Le, Trinh K. T. Nguyen, Ngoc-Nhi Phuong, Dai-Phuc Phan Tran, Van-An Duong, Hien V. Nguyen, Phuoc-Quyen Le, Huy Truong Nguyen and Minh-Quan Le
Molecules 2026, 31(6), 1051; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31061051 - 22 Mar 2026
Viewed by 793
Abstract
Polyphenols, abundant compounds found in natural sources, exhibit various biological activities, including immunomodulatory properties that can either stimulate or suppress immune responses, making them promising for therapeutic applications. However, their poor solubility, low bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and non-specific distribution require advanced drug delivery [...] Read more.
Polyphenols, abundant compounds found in natural sources, exhibit various biological activities, including immunomodulatory properties that can either stimulate or suppress immune responses, making them promising for therapeutic applications. However, their poor solubility, low bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and non-specific distribution require advanced drug delivery strategies to overcome limitations in clinical translations. Therefore, nano-drug delivery systems have been intensively studied to explore the full therapeutic potential of polyphenols. Distinct from conventional paradigms where polyphenols serve solely as active compounds, this review advances the concept of polyphenol-based nanomedicine as dual-functional platforms: bioactive structural components and intrinsic immune modulators. Recent strategies to improve the loading efficacy of polyphenols, enhance their cellular uptake, prolong circulation, and enhance specific delivery based on those nanocarriers are emphasized. In addition, polyphenol-based nanoparticles, in which polyphenols serve as structural components, were also studied as self-therapeutics or multifunctional nanocarriers for drug delivery. We intensively focus on their immunomodulatory applications and highlight their potential in preclinical as well as clinical settings for the treatment of various diseases and therapeutic purposes, including autoimmune diseases, cancer immunotherapy, vaccination, inflammation, and infectious diseases. Although polyphenol nanoparticle development has made significant advances, there remain challenges in formulation stability, unclear in vivo toxicity profiles, and clinical translation. Further studies on optimizing nanoparticle design and assessing long-term toxicity are necessary to materialize their application. A combination of polyphenol nanoparticles with other immunotherapies may promise a pronounced efficacy and safety profile. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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Graphical abstract

14 pages, 271 KB  
Review
Surface Functionalization of Nanoparticles for Enhanced Electrostatic Adsorption of Biomolecules
by Marks Gorohovs and Yuri Dekhtyar
Molecules 2025, 30(15), 3206; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30153206 - 30 Jul 2025
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4257
Abstract
Electrostatic adsorption plays a crucial role in nanoparticle-based drug delivery, enabling the targeted and reversible loading of biomolecules onto nanoparticles. This review explores the fundamental mechanisms governing nanoparticle–biomolecule interactions, with a focus on electrostatics, van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding, and protein corona [...] Read more.
Electrostatic adsorption plays a crucial role in nanoparticle-based drug delivery, enabling the targeted and reversible loading of biomolecules onto nanoparticles. This review explores the fundamental mechanisms governing nanoparticle–biomolecule interactions, with a focus on electrostatics, van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding, and protein corona formation. Various functionalization strategies—including covalent modification, polymer coatings, and layer-by-layer assembly—have been employed to enhance electrostatic binding; however, each presents trade-offs in terms of stability, complexity, and specificity. Emerging irradiation-based techniques offer potential for direct modulation of surface charge without the addition of chemical groups, yet they remain underexplored. Accurate characterization of biomolecule adsorption is equally critical; however, the limitations of individual techniques also pose challenges to this endeavor. Spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrokinetic methods each contribute unique insights but require integration for a comprehensive understanding. Overall, a multimodal approach to both functionalization and characterization is essential for advancing nanoparticle systems toward clinical drug delivery applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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