Microbial-Nanomaterial Interfaces: Emerging Strategies for Environmental Remediation

Microbes are quite ubiquitous and influence almost every aspect of human life - from health and agriculture to environmental remediation. As nature’s miniature biocatalysts, their role is paramount in this era of biotechnology. While some microbes cause disease, many others quietly support agriculture systems, clean up environmental pollution, and drive nutrient recycling. At the same time, nanotechnology has yielded nanomaterials with enormous potential, owing to their remarkable physicochemical properties suited for catalysis, adsorption, and sensing. Despite the wide-ranging applications encountered across medicine, agriculture, and environmental remediation, the complex mechanisms governing microbial-nanomaterial interactions remain insufficiently understood.Current research seeks a clearer picture of how these entities influence one another and how these nanomaterial-based technologies can be made safe for the environment and human life, and scaled up responsibly. Emerging innovations, including bioinspired nanomaterials, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-driven optimization, and multi-functional nanodevices are enabling the field to advance. Continuous research in this area is critical to unlocking the full potential of this powerful combination and closing knowledge gaps in nanomaterial design, stability, and environmental safety.This Research Topic aims to explore and understand the synergetic interactions between microorganisms and nanomaterials, with a focus on how nanomaterial design and engineering can be leveraged for environmental remediation. The foremost objectives include highlighting the fundamental mechanisms behind the microbial-nanomaterial interfaces and harnessing their collective capabilities to enhance the degradation and transformation of pollutants. Moreover, this Research Topic will spotlight studies evaluating functional nanomaterials that can enhance microbial activity, stability, and catalytic efficiency in the treatment of contaminated water, soil, and industrial effluents. Furthermore, it will compile studies assessing the environmental safety and long-term stability of microbial-nanomaterial systems to facilitate their practical application. Ultimately, this Research Topic will provide scientific insights and nanotechnology-driven innovations that address pressing environmental challenges related to pollution and resource depletion.To collect further insights into the fundamental principles and emerging nanomaterial-based innovations in microbial-nanomaterial interfacing for environmental applications, we welcome original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Fundamental principles and mechanisms of microbial-nanomaterial interactions for environmental applications• Biogenic and bioinspired synthesis of nanomaterials for environmental applications• Design of functional nanomaterials to enhance microbial activity, stability, and catalytic efficiency in pollutant removal and degradation• Characterization techniques for probing microbial-nanomaterial interfaces• Risk assessment, toxicology, and regulation for environmental nanobiotechnology• AI-driven design of microbial-nanomaterial interfaces for environmental sustainability Topic editors: Ramesh Namdeo Pudake, Malik Maaza Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82628/microbial-nanomaterial-interfaces-emerging-strategies-for-environmental-remediation