Advancing the Safety and Sustainability of Advanced Materials

This research topic seeks to address the potential impact of advanced materials on human health and the environment. Advanced materials are widely used in sectors such as healthcare, electronics and energy storage and their increasing use mandates close attention to potential adverse effects. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), advanced materials are materials that are rationally designed to have new or enhanced properties with the objective of achieving improved performance when compared to conventional materials. The term advanced materials may encompass nanomaterials and two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, but it is not limited to such materials. Safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) is a voluntary framework recently developed by the European Commission. The aim is to guide the innovation of chemicals, materials and products to minimize their impact on human health and the environment throughout their entire life cycle. We welcome contributions that address advanced materials in light of these SSbD principles.

Themes of interest include but are not limited to:

· Structure–activity relationships: Correlating physicochemical properties and bio-corona formation with cellular uptake, membrane interactions, and subsequent cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, etc.


· Characterization methodologies: Harmonized, fit-for-purpose protocols for characterizing advanced materials not only at synthesis but also in situ (in relevant biological matrices) along with reference materials.


· New approach methodologies: High-content analysis (HCA), high-throughput screening (HTS), microphysiological (organ-on-chip) systems, organoids, computational toxicology, AOP frameworks.


· Biotransformation and exposure: Transformation of advanced materials in the environment and/or in biological systems, predicted environmental concentrations, occupational/consumer exposure scenarios.


· Ecotoxicology, ecosystem health: Impacts of advanced materials (alone or in combination with other environmental pollutants) on aquatic and terrestrial organisms, trophic transfer, ecological effects.


· Safe-and-sustainable-by-design: Case studies showcasing the principles of safe-and sustainable-by-design (SSbD), green synthesis, life cycle assessment (LCA), socio-economic impact assessment.


· Regulation and standardization: Test guideline evaluation and development (alignment of test protocols with OECD framework for the testing of chemicals), decision frameworks, and risk governance.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: advanced materials, human health, environment, safe and sustainable by design

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.