Surface‐Coated Inorganic Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery: Chemical Design, Biomedical Applications, and Mechanistic Insights

Enhancing the efficiency of biomedical compounds while reducing development costs and timelines remains a critical priority in pharmaceutical science. Inorganic nanomaterials (INMs) play a pivotal role in drug delivery systems (DDSs), where their properties and performance are central to practical applications and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Surface coatings significantly enhance DDS efficacy, positioning coated INMs as a distinct and promising pharmaceutical class. This review outlines a framework that highlights coating strategies designed for simplicity, scalability, and alignment with green chemistry principles, distinguishing them from more complex traditional functionalization approaches. Diverse coating agents, including plant extracts, biomolecules, polymers, and inorganic compounds, are categorized according to their properties and performance characteristics. Advanced characterization techniques, integrated with biological and functional evaluations, provide a comprehensive perspective that underscores both current limitations and emerging innovations. By bridging laboratory performance with clinical translation, this review emphasizes the potential of noncovalent coating strategies for INMs in developing smart, stimuli‐responsive DDSs. Through optimized designs and innovative approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI), these systems offer pathways toward personalized therapies, enhanced targeting precision, and ultimately improved patient outcomes.