The Application of Nanomaterials in Drug Delivery

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the chemical foundations that enable the effective application of nanomaterials in drug delivery. As advances in nanotechnology continue to shape modern pharmaceutical science, chemical design plays a central role in determining the structure, reactivity, stability, and performance of nanoscale delivery systems. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress in the synthesis, surface engineering, and physicochemical tailoring of nanomaterials that enhance drug loading, control release kinetics, and improve selective targeting. Particular attention is given to how chemical functionalities, molecular interactions, and material composition govern the behavior of nanocarriers in biological environments.

Contributions will explore a broad range of nanomaterials—including polymeric, lipid-based, inorganic, and hybrid systems—with emphasis on their synthesis, structural characterization, and chemical modification strategies. Topics of interest include smart and stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, ligand–nanoparticle conjugation chemistry, supramolecular interactions guiding drug encapsulation, and computational modeling approaches that support rational nanocarrier design. Emerging concepts such as green synthetic routes and personalized molecular engineering of nanosystems are also welcomed.

By centering on chemical principles, this Special Issue offers a platform for interdisciplinary work that strengthens the molecular understanding of nanomaterials and promotes innovative solutions for advancing drug delivery technologies within the scope of Molecules.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Maria Antònia Busquets
Dr. Anna Karewicz
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.