Nanomaterials 2026: Innovations and Future Perspectives
Nanomaterials 2026: Innovations and Future Perspectives
16 November 2025
12 December 2025
23 January 2026
6 February 2026
6 March 2026
Nanomedicine, Bionanotechnology, Nanomaterials, Nanoelectronics, Nanosensors, Computational Nanoscience, Catalysis, Environmental Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials
Welcome from the Chairs
Dear Colleagues,
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Eugenia Valsami-Jones
Dr. Socorro Vázquez-Campos
Event Chairs
Prof. Dr. Eugenia (Éva) Valsami-Jones (PhD) is a Professor of Environmental Nanoscience at the University of Birmingham. She holds a degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Athens and a PhD in Geochemistry from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Her research focuses on nanoscale processes in the environment and within biota. She has pioneered the development of traceable stable-isotope labelled nanomaterials and has studied the development of analytical solutions for the improvement in speed and quality of identification of nanoscale objects in complex matrices. She is currently working on understanding the effects of ageing on nanoplastics, developing nanoscale fertilisers and applying safe and sustainable by design approaches to the development of novel advanced materials. She was the Mineralogical Society’s Distinguished Lecturer for 2015 and the Distinguished Guest Lecturer and Medalist of the Royal Society of Chemistry for 2015. She is currently a Royal Society Wolfson Fellow. She is a member of the coordination team of the European Commission’s Nanosafety Cluster and has participated in several EU-funded projects and coordinated projects ACEnano, NanoMILE, ModNanoTox and NanoReTox. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of "Nanomaterials".
Dr Socorro Vázquez-Campos, the current Area Manager of the Human & Environmental Health & Safety (HEHS) group in the Circular Economy Department at LEITAT Technological Centre in Barcelona, Spain, holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), even though her PhD work was carried out at Carlsberg Laboratories (Denmark) under the supervision of the recent Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2022) Prof. Morten Meldal, broadening her expertise (from chemicals to materials and its implications in medicine/biology) with Postdoctoral positions in several international and multidisciplinary research groups (University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain); University of Twente (The Netherlands); Institut Català de Nanotecnologia (Spain)). Since 2009, she has held a permanent position at the LEITAT Technological Center to build and lead a research team in the area of materials (nano)safety. For the past 15 years, her research activity has focused on assessing the potential impacts of chemicals/(nano)materials/products/processes on human and environmental health, along the material/product life cycle. She has coordinated and participated in numerous European and national projects in (nano)materials safety, safe by design (SbD), and safe and sustainable by design (SSbD), leading to numerous papers, contributions to several book chapters, conference proceedings, and presentations in international conferences and workshops (ORCID: 0000-0003-0835-1158).
Event Committee
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy
Elisabetta Esposito (h-index 43; ORCID: 0000-0002-8416-3629.) is Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Ferrara, sector “Technology, socioeconomics and regulations of medicines and products for health and wellbeing”. Elisabetta Esposito is a Member of the “Italian Society of Pharmaceutical Technology”, “Cosmetology Centre” of the University of Ferrara and of the PhD board for the “Doctorate in Chemical Sciences” at the University of Ferrara. Her research activity in general concerns nanosystems for the controlled release of molecules with biological activity. Her main research topics are the production and characterization of ethosomes for the topical delivery of natural drugs, the production of nano- and microspheres based on completely biocompatible materials, and the production and characterization of semisolid smart dosage form. Elisabetta Esposito has published 164 articles in peer-reviewed international scientific journals indexed on Scopus (ID: 7102536463), 80 congress contributions, and 12 publications in books. She is the lecturer of the “Pharmaceutical Technology" course, Degrees in Pharmacy, Medical Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of “Antioxidants”, “Life”, “Cosmetics”, “Nanomaterials”, and “Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology”. She is a Reviewer for many indexed journals.
LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal
Dr. Sónia Carabineiro is an Assistant Professor at LAQV-REQUIMTE, NOVA University of Lisbon. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (2001) from NOVA University and her Habilitation in Chemistry (2019) from the University of Lisbon. She conducted postdoctoral research at Leiden University and the University of Lisbon, and later worked as a researcher at the University of Porto (2007–2018). In 2019, she was a Visiting Professor in China. She serves on the Editorial Boards of "ChemCatChem", "Scientific Reports", "Catalysis Today", "Nanomaterials", and "Catalysts". Recognized among the world’s top female reviewers (Publons), she also evaluates international research projects, including ERC grants. Since 2017, she has been listed among the top 2% most cited chemists globally (Stanford University). Her research focuses on catalysis using gold, nanostructured materials, carbon-based catalysts, and environmental pollutant removal through oxidation reactions. She was featured in the 2023 Mulheres na Ciência book by Ciência Viva.
Lou Kondic is a Distinguished Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He received his BSc in Physics from the University of Zagreb (1989) and his PhD from City College of CUNY (1995). After postdoctoral work at NYU and Duke University, he joined NJIT in 1999. His research focuses on complex fluid flows, granular matter, thin-film instabilities, and the application of computational topology to soft matter systems. He is especially known for his work on sonoluminescence and the dynamics of thin liquid films and granular flows. Kondic has published extensively, with over 4,500 citations and an h-index of 37. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a former Fulbright Scholar, and a recipient of NJIT’s Excellence in Research Award. In addition to his research, he is active in student mentoring and serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals.
Keynote Speakers
Nanomedicine Lab, Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), Barcelona, Spain,
Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, UK
Prof. Kostas Kostarelos is an ICREA Professor and Severo Ochoa Distinguished Professor leading the Nanomedicine Lab (www.nanomedicinelab.com) at ICN2 in Barcelona (Spain) and Professor of Nanomedicine at the Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine at the Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health at the University of Manchester (UK). He has contributed to the discovery, development and clinical translation of nanomaterials and engineered nanoscale particle systems in medicine and biology. Prof. Kostas Kostarelos (PhD in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, 1996) was the first named Chair of Nanomedicine in the UK in 2007 at the University College London (UCL) School of Pharmacy. He has spent all of his career developing clinically translated nanotechnologies within medical research institutions in the USA (UCSF; Memorial Sloan Kettering; Cornel Weill Medical College) and the UK (Imperial College Genetic Therapies Centre; Centre for Drug Delivery, UCL School of Pharmacy; Manchester Cancer Research Centre). He was invited to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM), and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), all in the United Kingdom, and was awarded (with Professor Jose A. Garrido) the 2024 Barcelona City Award in the area of Experimental Science and Technology.
Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), ICREA, BIST, CERCA, CSIC Barcelona, Spain
Prof. Arben Merkoçi is an ICREA Research Professor and Head of the Nanobioelectronics & Biosensors Group at ICN2 (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia). He obtained his PhD at the University of Tirana, working on ion selective electrodes. Since 1992, he has been conducting research as a postdoctoral fellow and research professor at the Polytechnic Univ. of Budapest, Univ. of Ioanina, Univ. degli Studi di Padua, Univ. Politècnica de Catalunya, Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona, and New Mexico State Univ. His research is focused on the integration of biological molecules and other species with micro- and nanostructures of interest for the design of novel (bio)sensors. He has published more than 370 articles and supervised 45 PhD theses. He is the co-founder of two spin-off companies, PaperDrop dedicated to nanodiagnostics and GraphenicaLab to electronic printing.
Registration
In-Person Registration
The conference will be held fully in person; it is not possible to participate online. The registration fee includes attendance at all conference sessions, morning/afternoon coffee breaks, lunches, a conference bag, and a program book. You need to register to the Conference dinner if you plan to attend. Participation in the conference is considered final only once the registration fees have been paid. The number of participants is limited: once the number of paid registrations reaches the maximum number of participants, unpaid registrations will be canceled.
When registering, please provide us with your institutional email address. This will accelerate the registration process.
Important Information
Please note that abstract submission and conference registration are two separate processes. During registration, please provide us with the same email address you used to submit your abstract(s). Otherwise, leave us a comment in the registration form, providing the email address used during the submission process. In addition, please use your institutional email address for both processes.
In order to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by any of the authors, denoted as the Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract. The Covering Author registration deadline is 6 February 2026. Your abstract will be withdrawn if your registration is not complete by this date.
Participants of the event will be able to download an electronic Certificate of Attendance by accessing their dashboards on Sciforum.net once the event is concluded. The certificates will be found under the "My Certificates" category.
Group Registration: Groups of five or more attendees are offered a 10% discount on the registration fees. To enjoy this discount, you need to complete one multiple registration by selecting the number of people attending in each category (type of registration) during the first step of the registration process. Please note that no other discounts will be applicable.
Certificate of Attendance: Participants of the event will be able to download an electronic Certificate of Attendance by accessing their dashboards on Sciforum.net once the event is concluded. The certificates will be found under the "My Certificates" category.
Reduced fees
If you are affiliated with a university in a low- or middle-income country, you are automatically eligible for a price reduction. However, please note that the reduced price will only be added to your registration when it is processed. This means that you do not have to pay the stated price immediately upon registration, and you will receive an invoice with the price adjustment after you have registered. Below, you can find the list of low- and middle-income countries.
Registration Fees
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Early Bird Until 23 January 2026 |
Regular Until 6 March 2026 |
Supported documents | |
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| Academic | 550.00 EUR | 650.00 EUR | |
| Undergraduate Student | 200.00 EUR | 300.00 EUR |
Scanned copy or photograph of your current student ID is required. |
| Graduate Student | 250.00 EUR | 350.00 EUR |
Scanned copy or photograph of your current student ID is required. |
| Editorial Board Member of Nanomaterials | 400.00 EUR | 500.00 EUR | |
| Author/Reviewer of Nanomaterials | 500.00 EUR | 600.00 EUR | |
| Non-Academic | 700.00 EUR | 800.00 EUR | |
| Chairs, Invited Speakers, MDPI Guests | Free | Free |
| Chairs, Invited Speakers, MDPI Guests |
Active discounts
Group of 5: 10% discount
Note: Group size refers to the number of registered attendees in the same registration order.
Cancellation policy
| Cancellation of paid registration is possible under the terms listed below: | |
| > 2 months before the conference | Full refund but 60 EUR is retained for administration |
| > 1 month before the conference | Refund 50% of the applying fees |
| > 2 weeks before the conference | Refund 25% of the applying fees |
| < 2 weeks before the conference | No refund |
Disclaimer
In the unlikely event that MDPI deems it necessary to cancel the conference, all pre-paid registration fees will be reimbursed. MDPI shall not be liable for reimbursing the cost of travel or accommodation arrangements made by individual delegates.
Beware of unauthorized registration and hotel solicitations
Note that Sciforum is the only official registration platform to register to Nanomaterials 2026 and that we are not associated with any hotel agency. While other hotel resellers and travel agencies may contact you with offers for your trip, they are not endorsed by or affiliated with Nanomaterials 2026 or Sciforum. Beware that entering into financial agreements with non-endorsed companies can have costly consequences.
Insurance
The organizers do not accept liability for personal accident, loss, or damage to private property incurred as a result of participation in Nanomaterials 2026. Delegates are advised to arrange appropriate insurance to cover travel, cancellation, or medical costs, and theft or damage of belongings.
MDPI Conference Admissions Policy
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All registered conference delegates are asked to always wear their badges throughout the conference.
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Conference sessions, the catering area, and the poster area are solely restricted to badge holders. Any person attending these areas without a badge will be asked to leave the premises.
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Badge holders must not allow their badges to be worn by anyone else. Any failure to do so is likely to lead to the badge holder and the person wearing the badge being removed from the premises.
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Press badges are restricted to publishers, editors, journalists, broadcasters, and web bloggers associated with the conference subject area. Members of the press may be asked to produce accreditation in the form of a photocopy of a recognized press or media card, a business card, a letter from the editor, or an official web address linking to a press release in order to verify their position.
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Photographs and videos may be taken during the conference. Anyone attending the conference consents to such photography and filming without compensation and confirms that the organizers shall be entitled to use such photographs and videos, which may include photographs and videos of visitors, for the purpose of marketing the conference in the future and for exploitation in any and all media, without liability.
Payment methods
Wire transfer, Credit card
Currencies accepted by this event
Swiss francs (CHF) , Euros (EUR) , US dollars (USD) , Pounds sterling (GBP) , Japanese yen (JPY) , Canadian dollars (CAD) and Singapore dollars (SGD)
Instructions for Authors
Nanomaterials 2026 will accept abstracts only. The accepted abstracts will be available online on Sciforum.net during and after the conference. Moreover, participants will have the opportunity to contribute with a full manuscript to a Special Issue related to the conference in the open-access journal Nanomaterials, with a 20% discount on the publication fees.
The conference will be held fully in person; it is not possible to participate online.
Please note that abstract submission and conference registration are two separate processes. Please use your institutional email address for both processes.
To present your research at the event
- Create an account on Sciforum if you do not have one and then click on ‘New Submission’ in the upper-right corner of the window; or, click on ‘Submit Abstract’ at the top of this webpage.
- Choose a session that is best suited for your research.
- Submit an abstract in English—the word limits are a minimum of 150 words and a maximum of 300 words.
- The deadline to submit your abstract is 16 November 2025.
- Upon submission, you can select if you wish to be considered for oral or poster presentation (or both). Following assessment by the Chairs and Scientific Committee, you will be notified by 12 December 2025 whether your contribution has been accepted for oral or poster presentation.
- Please note that, in order to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by any of the authors, denoted as the Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract. The Covering Author registration deadline is 6 February 2026. Your abstract will be withdrawn if your registration is not complete by this date.
Oral Presentations
Keynote talks will be 45 minutes long, including questions (40-minute oral presentation + 5-minute Q&A). Invited talks will be 30 minutes long, including questions (25-minute oral presentation + 5-minute Q&A). Short talks will be 15 minutes long, including questions (10-minute oral presentation + 5-minute Q&A). Please ensure that your slides are formatted in a widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio.
Poster Presentations
Each presenter will be provided with a vertical poster board. Maximum poster size is limited to A0: 84 x 120 cm / 33 x 47 in (width x height) in the vertical orientation (portrait). Please print your poster prior to the conference. A plan for the poster session will be circulated later. For suggestions on poster design, click the button below.
Relevant Special Issue
Participants of Nanomaterials 2026 are cordially invited to submit full manuscripts for a dedicated Special Issue in the journal Nanomaterials, with a 20% discount on the publication fees. Please note that no other discounts will be applicable.
This Special Issue, titled "Nanomaterials 2026: Innovations and Future Perspectives" will showcase cutting-edge research presented at the conference. It is an excellent platform to share your findings with a broad readership in the nanomaterials community.
Event Awards
To recognize the outstanding works presented during our conference, we are excited to announce two awards for our participants. Sponsored by the journal Nanomaterials, we will offer Best Oral Presentation Award and Best Poster Award.
The award winners will be selected by the Selection Committee after evaluation of all selected talks and posters presented at the conference.
The Awards
Number of Awards Available: 1
Prize: EUR 400
Number of Awards Available: 1
Prize: EUR 300
Location and Venue
UPF - BSM
Address: C/ de Balmes, 132, 134, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
Plan Your Trip
Barcelona
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and Spain's second-largest city, with a population of over one and a half million people.
Located on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain, this city has a rich and diverse history, with its roots dating back to Roman times. The fruitful medieval period established Barcelona's position as the economic and political center of the Western Mediterranean. The city's Gothic Quarter bears witness to the splendor enjoyed by the city from the 13th to the 15th century.
The 20th century ushered in widespread urban renewal throughout Barcelona, culminating in its landmark Eixample district, which showcases some of the city's most distinctive Catalan art-nouveau, or modernista, buildings, including La Pedrera, Casa Batlló, and the Sagrada Família church, designed by Antoni Gaudí, one of the world's most eminent architects.
In 1992, Barcelona gained international recognition by hosting the Olympic games, which brought about a massive upturn in its tourism industry. For visitors, this has translated into the very modern yet incredibly old city you see now in the 21st century, where new elements work to both preserve and celebrate the city’s heritage and origins.
Barcelona has plenty of outdoor markets, restaurants, shops, museums, and churches. The city is also very walkable, with an extensive and reliable Metro system for more far-flung destinations.
Travel
Barcelona is a vibrant and accessible city with excellent transportation links. Whether you are arriving by plane, train, or other means, there are convenient options to reach your destination. Below, you will find detailed guidance to ensure a smooth journey to the conference venue.
By plane:
The international airport of Barcelona, Barcelona-El Prat, is located 10 km from the city center. It is well connected to major airport hubs in Europe and various locations worldwide. For more information about the airport and flights, please visit the official website: https://www.aena.es. Once you arrive at the airport, you have several options to reach the venue:
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By train: Take the TRAIN R2 NORD (https://rodalies.gencat.cat). Disembark at Barcelona Sants station. From there, you can either take METRO L5 (get off at Diagonal) or a taxi, available just outside the station. The train from the airport costs EUR 4.60, and the metro costs EUR 2.65. Tickets can be purchased at train stations and metro stops, respectively. A taxi from the station to the conference venue costs approximately EUR 10.
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By metro: Take LINE L9 (https://www.tmb.cat), which connects Barcelona Airport (both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) to the city. Disembark at Collblanc station, and from there, transfer to METRO L5 (get off at Diagonal). The metro from the airport costs EUR 5.70, and the city metro costs EUR 2.65. Among the various ticket options offered by TBM is the Hola Barcelona Travel Card (from EUR 18.10, with a 10% online discount), covering unlimited public transport travel between the airport and the city centre at any time of day over a set time period (48, 72, 96, or 120 hours). For more information, please visit the official website: https://www.tmb.cat/en/barcelona-fares-metro-bus/tickets-visit-barcelona/barcelona-travel-card-hola-bcn.
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By taxi: Taxis are readily available just outside the arrivals area. A taxi from the airport to the conference venue costs approximately EUR 30–35. Alternatively, VTC apps like Bolt and Cabify also operate in Barcelona and might offer more competitive rates.
By train:
Barcelona Sants is the city's largest train station, providing rail services for Barcelona, the rest of Spain, and international destinations. For more information about the station and train services, please visit the official website: https://www.renfe.com. Once you arrive at the station, you have the following options to reach the venue:
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By metro: Take LINE L5 (https://www.tmb.cat) and get off at Diagonal.
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By taxi: Taxis are available just outside the station. A taxi from the station to the conference venue costs approximately EUR 10.
Accommodation
We want your stay in Barcelona during the conference to be as comfortable as possible. With that in mind, we have agreed on a discount with several hotels to make your choice of accommodations easier. Please book your accommodation online and contact the hotels directly with any issues or requests related to accommodation bookings.
We are delighted to announce that the following hotels will offer a discounted price for all Nanomaterials 2026 attendees:
Hotel |
Description |
How to book |
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A 3-star boutique hotel located next to the emblematic Avenida Diagonal and Paseo de Gracia, the city's most chic shopping area and just 5 minutes on foot from the conference venue. The hotel has a terrace with an outdoor swimming pool and gym, parking, a restaurant, and a museum room dedicated to the Catalan illustrator Ricard Opisso. |
Click below to complete your booking and add the 5% discount code ‘MDPI2026’, valid for stays between the 13 and 18 March 2026, booked through the official website starting September 2025.
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A 4-star hotel located at the center of the Eixample district of Barcelona, the city's most exclusive shopping area, and only steps away from Barcelona's most famous monuments and tourist attractions. It is a great starting point to discover architectural jewels of Catalan modernism such as La Pedrera, Casa Batlló or the Sagrada Familia, and just 5 minutes on foot from the conference venue. The excellent range of services at the Balmes Hotel also includes its large, tree-covered interior garden with pool, gym, meeting rooms, bar and parking. |
Click below to complete your booking and add the 5% discount code ‘MDPI2026’, valid for stays between the 13 and 18 March 2026, booked through the official website starting September 2025.
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These accommodations have been carefully chosen to provide comfort and convenience for our guests while ensuring affordability through negotiated rates. Prepare to make the most of your conference experience with our exclusive lodging options designed to enhance your stay.
Beware of Unauthorized Registration and Hotel Solicitations
Note that Sciforum is the only official registration platform to register to Nanomaterials 2026 and that we are not associated with any hotel agency (other than those listed above). While other hotel resellers and travel agencies may contact you with offers for your trip, they are not endorsed by or affiliated with Nanomaterials 2026 or Sciforum. Beware that entering into financial agreements with non-endorsed companies can have costly consequences.
Visa Information
Please note that you must apply for your own visa application. MDPI is not responsible for any visa application. However, MDPI can provide a Visa Support Letter. To be eligible for such a document, the criteria below must be fulfilled.
Visa Support Letter
- Applicants must have paid for registration and submitted an abstract in order to get a letter of support.
- Applicants must provide us with a scan of their valid, in-date passport that contains a photo of them.
- Applicants must provide us with an academic CV, two references from their institution (contact information including institutional email and phone), and a letter of support from their institution to confirm that they support the delegate attending the meeting.
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This must be carried out in good time before the meeting; “last minute” requests will not be processed.
More useful information on visa application
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
Media Partners
