Meet Xiangcheng Sun: New Principal Investigator

We are delighted to introduce the next contribution to our New Principal Investigators collection.

Read the paper

Fluorescent carbon dots with dual emissions and solvent-dependent properties for water detection in organic solvents
Koki Sekioka, Nazanin Mosleh, Dan Boice, Richard Hailstone and Xiangcheng Sun

Graphical abstract: Fluorescent carbon dots with dual emissions and solvent-dependent properties for water detection in organic solvents

For industrial applications and synthetic laboratories, it is critical to develop user-friendly and affordable methods for accurately detecting water in organic solvents. In this study, one novel fluorescent carbon dots with dual emissions and solvent-dependent properties were synthesized. The carbon dots serve as fluorescent probes for water detection in organic solvents through changes of single emissions and ratiometric signals from dual emissions. The carbon dots’ green emissions in organic solvents showed opposite responses upon addition of water just through varying excitation wavelengths.

Meet the Principal Investigator

 

Dr. Xiangcheng Sun obtained his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Connecticut in 2015. Later he conducted postdoctoral research at Cornell University and UC Santa Barbara. In the fall of 2021, Xiangcheng joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an Assistant Professor. Currently, he is also the program faculty in School of Chemistry and Materials Science, and Department of Microsystems Engineering at RIT.

 

You’ve recently started your own group, what are the big research question/s your group will be focussing on?

Our lab is focused on the development of nanomaterials and fluorescent probes for sensing, imaging and catalysis applications through investigating the spectroscopy properties in both ensemble and single-molecule level. We develop fluorescent materials and use for portable sensors in the environmental and biomedical areas. In addition, we are interested in identifying catalytic reaction mechanisms with the designed fluorogenic probes, single-molecule catalysis and super-resolution imaging techniques. Our goal is to explore new approaches for chemical and biomedical monitoring and chemical processing.

What inspired you to get into science?

One reason that I went to science is that I was good at mathematical and scientific courses when I was young. In addition, I enjoy doing experiments in the lab and conducting research, which could help resolve real-world challenges and satisfy my curiosities.

What advice would you give to those who are seeking their first group leader position?

There are always multi-tasks simultaneously such as teaching, mentoring, research, scholarship, service, family-related, etc. My advice is to make a to-do list, to plan everything well, and especially to know your priorities and urgencies. Here I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

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In Honor of Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert’s 50th Birthday: Celebrating 25 Years of Shaping Biomaterials in Neuroengineering

In Honor of Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert’s 50th Birthday: Celebrating 25 Years of Shaping Biomaterials in Neuroengineering

Journal of Materials Chemistry B themed collection

 

We are delighted to open submissions to this special collection honoring the contributions of Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert on the occasion of her 50th Birthday. We will celebrate 25 years of her impact shaping biomaterials in neuroengineering. We welcome articles on all aspects of biomaterials; in particular, those that touch closely on Dr. Sakiyama-Elbert’s scientific interests in spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury. Advances in biomaterials and neural engineering could greatly enhance repair and regeneration efforts. Approaches like biomaterial scaffolds for axonal guidance, supporting stem cell transplants and drug/growth factor delivery to reduce inflammation are promising. Furthermore, bioelectronic devices integrated with regenerating tissue could monitor repair and promote recovery through electrical or optical stimulation. By combining biomaterials, cell therapy, drug delivery, and bioelectronics, future therapies for neural repair and regeneration hold great potential. This special collection aims to highlight cutting-edge research in biomaterials, neural engineering, and regenerative medicine to address these challenges.

Topics that may be covered in the collection may include, but are not limited to:

  • Biomaterials for biomanufacturing neural stem cells or directing neural stem cell fate
  • Biomaterials strategies for improving neural organoid engineering
  • Biomaterials for neuroengineering interfaces (electrodes, BCI, etc.)
  • Biomaterials for innervating in vitro tissue model
  • Biomaterials for Nerve Regeneration
  • Engineering Solutions for Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Gene Therapy for Nerve Healing
  • Nerve Guidance Conduits
  • Materials for supporting cell-based therapies in PNS and CNS repair
  • Biomaterials for Drug and Growth Factor Delivery in Neuroengineering
  • Delivery systems for neurotrophic factors (e.g., NGF, BDNF) to promote healing
  • Electroactive Biomaterials for Nerve Repair
  • Nanomaterials for Neural Injury Repair
  • Functionalization of scaffolds with peptides, proteins, or other biomolecules to enhance neural regeneration
  • Topographical cues in materials to guide nerve regeneration
  • 3D Printed Biomaterials for Nerve Injury
  • In Vitro Models for Nerve Regeneration Using Biomaterials

 

Submissions deadline 24 October 2025


How to submit


Submissions to the journal should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry B – Please see the journal’s website for more information on the journal’s scope, standards, article types and author guidelines. All manuscripts will undergo the normal initial assessment and peer review processes, if appropriate, in line with the journal’s high standards, managed by the journal editors. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are published and they will be featured in a regular issue of the relevant journal. Please note that peer review or acceptance are not guaranteed.

For this collection, we strongly encourage primary research in the way of Full Papers or Communications. If you are wanting to submit a review-type article, please check with the Editorial Office first for pre-approval and to avoid topic overlap.

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, please submit your article directly through the journal submissions platform. Please mention that your submission is a contribution to the Biomaterials in Neuroengineering collection in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and is in response to the Open Call. The Editorial Office reserves the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of both the journal and the collection, and as such inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed collection is not guaranteed.

If you have any questions about the collection or the submissions process, please do contact the Editorial Office at materialsb-rsc@rsc.org and they will be able to assist.

Your institute may have a Read & Publish agreement in place with the Royal Society of Chemistry. This means that you may be able to publish gold open access for free in all the hybrid journals we publish – maximising the visibility and impact of your article to the broadest possible audience. Your institution’s agreement may already include the article processing charge for publishing as a corresponding author. Check here to find out more and to see if your institution has an R&P deal in place.

Did you know?

Our themed collections are built by collaboration between our Guest Editors and expert Associate Editors. Our Guest Editors guide the scope and curate the contributions in our collections but all submissions are handled through initial assessment and peer review by our team of in-house Editors and external Associate Editors. This means that as an author you receive a consistent experience, and as a reader you can trust the quality of the science being presented.

 

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Welcoming Dr Jun Wu to the Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Materials Advances Editorial Board

Dr Jun Wu joins Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Materials Advances as an Associate Editor

We are pleased to welcome Dr Jun Wu from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), China to the Editorial Boards of Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Materials Advances as an Associate Editor.

 

Dr Jun Wu earned his BS, MS, and PhD degrees from Nanjing University, SUNY Stony Brook, and Cornell University, respectively. From 2010 to 2015, he collaborated with Professors Robert Langer and Omid Farokhzad as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and MIT. In 2015, he was promoted to Instructor at HMS. Following this, Dr Wu held the position of Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Sun Yat-sen University from 2015 to 2022. Since 2022, he has been an Associate Professor in the Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), while also serving as an affiliated Associate Professor in the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Dr Wu’s research focuses on the development of functional and self-therapeutic biomaterials, including polymers and small molecules designed to serve as drug carriers and tissue engineering scaffolds. His work aims to address critical health challenges, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, bone generation and skin repair.

 

Check out some of Jun Wu’s recent publications in RSC journals

Bioactive electrospun polylactic acid/chlorogenic acid-modified chitosan bilayer sponge for acute infection wound healing and rapid coagulation

Huiling Zhong, Zhen Zhang, Mohong Wang,  Yifei Fang, Ke Liu, Junqiang Yin, Jun Wu and  Jianhang Du

Biomater. Sci., 2025,13, 697-710

 

Biomaterials as a new option for treating sensorineural hearing loss

Liwen Wang, Ruhe Zhang, Linlan Jiang,  Shuyi Gao, Jun Wu and Yuenong Jiao

Biomater. Sci., 2024,12, 4006-4023

 

 

Stimuli-responsive cyclodextrin-based supramolecular assemblies as drug carriers

Ying Yuan, Tianqi Nie, Yifen Fang, Xinru You, Hai Huang and Jun Wu

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022,10, 2077-2096

 

Advances and impact of arginine-based materials in wound healing

Yang Zhou, Guiting Liu, Hai Huang and Jun Wu

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021,9, 6738-6750

 

Send us your research!

Submit your best work to Dr Jun Wu and our team of expert Associate Editors on Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Materials Advances now! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

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Welcoming Dr Ji-Guang Li as an Associate Editor

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ji-Guang Li, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan, as a new Associate Editor working across Journal of Materials Chemistry C and Materials Advance!

 

 

Ji-Guang Li is currently a chief researcher at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan. He received his Bachelor’s degree in 1992, Master’s degree in 1995 and Ph. D. in materials science in 1998, all from the Northeastern University in China. After conducting research as an STA Fellow at the then National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials (NIRIM) in Japan during 1999-2001 and as a postdoctoral researcher at NIMS during 2001-2002, he was appointed as a staff scientist at NIMS in 2002. He was a visiting scholar at the Georgia Institute of Technology in USA during 2008-2009.

His research interest lies in the design, controlled fabrication and evaluation of optically functional inorganic materials, particularly luminescent materials and transparent ceramics, for potential application in various relevant fields.

 

With my enthusiasm and expertise and through team work, I hope to contribute to the quality and reputation of both the Journals” – Dr Ji-Guang Li.

 

We encourage you to submit your latest work on optically functional inorganic materials, luminescent materials or transparent ceramics to his editorial office for consideration.

Submit your article to Ji-Guang’s Journal of Materials Chemistry C Office today here

Submit your article to Ji-Guang’s Materials Advances Office today here

 

Below are Dr Li’s most recent Journal of Materials Chemistry C publications for you to read!

Broadband photoluminescence toward the NIR II region and stable green ceramic pigments based on a novel NaBaScSi2O7:xCr silicate phosphor

Xuejiao Wang, Sihan Yang, Feng Jiang, Jiantong Wang, Changshuai Gong and Ji-Guang Li

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2025, Advance Article

 

Fast and versatile electrodeposition of vertically aligned layered rare-earth hydroxide nanosheets for multicolour luminescence and oil/water separation

Xiaoli Wu, Yongping Guo, Ji-Guang Li and Yuanli Liu

Mater. Chem. C, 2024, 12, 3116-3123

 

Lattice-site engineering in ZnGa2O4:Cr3+ through Li+ doping for dynamic luminescence and advanced optical anti-counterfeiting

Junqing Xiahou, Qi Zhu, Lin Zhu, Sai Huang, Tao Zhang, Xudong Sun and Ji-Guang Li

Mater. Chem. C, 2022, 10, 7935-7948

 

 

Please join us in welcoming Dr Ji-Guang Li to the Journal of Materials Chemistry C and Materials Advances Editorial Boards.

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Exploring the progress in melanins

Read the new collection in Materials Advances

We are delighted to share with you our collection focusing on the progress in fundamental, functional material and health aspects of melanins and related materials!

Guest Edited by Pooi See Lee (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Bernard Mostert (Swansea University, UK), and Carlos F. O. Graeff (Universidade Estadual Paulista “Julio de Mesquita Filho”, Brazil)

A note from the Guest Editors:

“We extend our gratitude to our colleagues worldwide for their contributions to this versatile and eco-friendly class of materials and trust that you, the reader, will find this themed collection enjoyable and enlightening.”

 

A small selection of the papers are featured below (all free to read):

Enlisting electrochemistry to reveal melanin’s redox-related properties
Eunkyoung Kim, Zheng Wang, Jun Wei Phua, William E. Bentley, Ekaterina Dadachova, Alessandra Napolitano and Gregory F. Payne
A computational investigation of eumelanin–drug binding in aqueous solutions
Sepideh Soltani, Anupom Roy, Arto Urtti and Mikko Karttunen
Tuning melanin: theoretical analysis of functional group impact on electrochemical and optical properties
Florian Heppner, Noah Al-Shamery, Pooi See Lee and Thomas Bredow

 

We hope you enjoy reading the full themed collection here.

 

Did you know?

At Materials Advances, our themed collections are built by collaboration between our Guest Editors and expert Associate Editors. Our Guest Editors guide the scope and curate the contributions in our collections but all submissions are handled through peer review by our team of resident Associate Editors. This means that as an author you receive a consistent experience, and as a reader you can trust the quality of the science being presented.

If you have an idea for a topical collection in your research field, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch here.

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Congratulations to the poster prize winners at SupraLife Third School

Journal of Materials Chemistry BMaterials AdvancesChemComm and Biomaterials Science were delighted to sponsor the recent SupraLife Third School held at the University of Aveiro, Portugal from 9 – 14 March 2025. We were pleased to award the three best poster prizes and hope you will join us in congratulating our winners!

1st place poster prize

Hugo Brummer

Hugo Brummer is a PhD student at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, under the supervision of Prof. Marleen Kamperman. He obtained his BSc degree in Chemistry from Hanzehogeschool in Groningen in 2021, working on designing responsive Pickering emulsions using complex coacervate core micelles for his thesis. That same year, he participated in the NCCR undergraduate summer internship at the Adolphe Merkle Institute in Fribourg, Switzerland, working on the development of mechanopigments that combine structural color changes with a chemically responsive spiropyran-based crosslinking system for strain sensing. He then obtained his MSc degree in Chemistry from the University of Groningen in 2024, specializing in polymer and supramolecular chemistry. For his master’s thesis, he explored a completely different field, attempting to create a system of self-replicators capable of exhibiting Lamarckian evolution.
His current research focuses on bioinspired spider silk production using microfluidics. By mimicking the spiders’ ability to control the local environment inside its silk producing gland (i.e. pH, type and concentration of salt), he aims to develop a green processing approach to fiber production.

2nd place poster prize

Chloé Manseau

Chloé Manseau graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Matériaux, d’Agroalimentaire et de Chimie de Bordeaux in 2023, specializing in Formulation and Polymer Sciences. She then continued my studies with a PhD in Polymer Sciences at LCPO (Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques) under the supervision of Sébastien Lecommandoux. Her PhD project aims to design and develop self-propelled artificial cells for drug delivery based on the self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers into vesicles, called polymersomes.

3rd place poster prize

Andreia Malafaia

Andreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry (UA, 2021), where she built a strong foundation in laboratory techniques and focused her final project on epigenetic drug development for cancer therapy. Her passion for biomaterials and regenerative medicine led her to pursue a master’s in Molecular Biotechnology and Bioengineering (UA, 2023). During her dissertation at COMPASS RG (CICECO-UA), she developed photocrosslinkable inks with natural polymers, including human-derived proteins, for 3D printing applications. She later received a research grant within the H2020 InterLynk project, further advancing biomaterial-based inks for personalized therapies. Currently, she is a research fellow at COMPASS RG (CICECO-UA) and has been recently awarded a PhD studentship. Andreia has attended international conferences, published a review in Biomaterials Advances, and actively engages in scientific workshops. Her journey has reinforced her ambition to innovate in medical science, particularly in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

 

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Open call for submissions: Emerging Inorganic Materials for Solar Harvesting

Submit your research until 31 July 2025

We are delighted to announce this open call for papers to contribute to a themed collection for Journal of Materials Chemistry A on Emerging Inorganic Materials for Solar Harvesting in collaboration with ICMAT 2025 Symposium O in Singapore and guest edited by Lydia Helena Wong (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Robert Hoye (University of Oxford, UK), Yun Jeong Hwang (Seoul National University, South Korea), Yanwei Lum (National University of Singapore, Singapore) and Frank Osterloh (University of California, Davis, USA).

Scope

In this special themed collection of Journal of Materials Chemistry A, in collaboration with ICMAT 2025 Symposium O in Singapore, we invite submissions of recent emerging inorganic materials for solar energy harvesting devices such as solar cells, solar assisted water splitting and electrochemical CO2 reduction. Examples include but are not limited to: metal oxides (BiVO4, Fe2O3, FeZrO2, CuBiO, ZnFe2O4, etc, and their derivatives), sulfides (Sb2S3, Sb2Se3, CuSbS, Se, etc and their derivatives), novel kesterite (CuZnSnS4 and its novel compounds), metal nitrides (ZnSnN2, metal oxynitrides (TiON, ZrON, TaON and their derivatives) and other novel materials.

  1. Synthesis, characterizations of emerging inorganic photoabsorbers, charge transporting layers, transparent conductors
  2. Theoretical prediction of novel inorganic materials for solar harvesting.
  3. Nanostructuring strategies for novel inorganic materials
  4. New device structures for photovoltaics, solar water splitting, photocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, CO2 reduction and etc.
  5. Novel electrocatalyst design, synthesis, and characterization for solar water splitting, photocatalysis, CO2 reduction and etc.
  6. High throughput techniques, machine-learning assisted discovery of new materials and etc.
  7. Novel approaches for enhancing light absorption using inorganic materials such as up/down conversion, solar concentrator and etc.
  8. High efficiency solar cells, solar water splitting devices, and photocatalysts

Guest Editors

Lydia Helena Wong (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Lydia Wong is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research interest is in the structural and chemical modification of semiconductor materials for clean energy and electronic applications, particularly for conversion of solar energy to electricity and fuel. She has published more than 160 publications in international peer reviewed journals and cited more than 10,000 times. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, she serves on editorial boards for leading journals in energy and materials chemistry, including Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

Robert Hoye (University of Oxford, UK)

Robert Hoye is an Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford. Prof. Hoye obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2014, followed by a postdoc at MIT (2015-2016), and two College research fellowships in Cambridge (2016 – 2020). In 2020, he moved to Imperial College London as a Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer (Aug. 2022 -). In Oct. 2022, he moved to Oxford as Associate Professor. Prof. Hoye’s group focuses on developing inorganic semiconductors for energy applications, particularly focussing on lead-free perovskite-inspired materials.

Yun Jeong Hwang (Seoul National University, South Korea)

Yun Jeong Hwang has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, at Seoul National University since 2021. Her major research topics are electrochemical catalytic reactions for carbon/nitrogen/oxygen utilization such as CO2, H2O, N-containing small molecules, Lithium mediated nitrogen reduction reaction, and biomass derivatives upgrading. It also covers in-situ/operando electrochemical Raman and IR analysis to understand the reaction pathways and the catalyst surface. She received a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree from the Chemistry Department of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She continued her graduate study at the University of California, Berkeley studying charge separation within semiconductor nanowire arrays for photoelectrochemical water splitting. She started her independent research career in the Clean Energy Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) before she transferred to Seoul National University. She was one of the pioneer members who initiated the e-chemical (electrochemical CO2 conversion) project at KIST. She has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A and Materials Advances, the Royal Society of Chemistry since 2019. She is a recipient of the 2020 Top 10 Technology Award in Climate Change Response by the Korean Government Ministerial Commendation and the 2020 Top 100 National R&D Award (Project Investigator Yun Jeong Hwang), by the Korean Government. She was selected as a Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology (Y-KAST) member in 2022 and Women Scientists at the Forefront of Energy Research by ACS Energy Letters in 2023.

Yanwei Lum (National University of Singapore, Singapore)

Yanwei Lum obtained his BEng degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Imperial College London in 2012. He then received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 2018 under Prof. Joel W. Ager III. This was followed by a PostDoctoral stint at the University of Toronto with Prof. Edward H. Sargent. He joined the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore as an Assistant Professor in 2021. His research interests include electrocatalysis, CO2 conversion, electroorganic reactions and hydrogen storage. He has a H-index of 37 and his publications have been cited >9000 times. In his independent career, he has published in top international journals such as Nat. Chem., Nat. Commun., Sci. Adv. and J. Mater. Chem. A as the corresponding author.

Frank Osterloh (University of California, Davis, USA)

Frank Osterloh is a professor of Chemistry at the University of California at Davis, in the United States. His research interests are centered on the chemical and photophysical properties of inorganic materials and their use for solar energy conversion. This includes the development of photocatalysts for overall water splitting (artificial photosynthesis), inorganic photovoltaic cells, and the study of photochemical charge transfer reactions with surface photovoltage spectroscopy.

Submit to Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Please consider contributing to this open call for papers for our upcoming themed collection on Emerging Inorganic Materials for Solar Harvesting to be published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

Submissions to the journal should contain chemistry in a materials context and should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Please see the journal’s website for more information on the journal’s scope, standards, article types and author guidelines.

This call for papers is open for the following article types:

  • Communications
  • Full papers

Open for Submissions until 31 July 2025

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly to the online submission service for Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to the Emerging Inorganic Materials for Solar Harvesting collection in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and add a “Note to the Editor” that this is from the Open Call. The Editorial Office reserves the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of both the journal and the collection, and inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed issue is not guaranteed.

Please also note that all submissions will be subject to initial assessment and rigorous peer review to meet the usual high standards of Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

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Functional gel materials – open call for submissions

Submit your work before 21 May 2025

Journal of Materials Chemistry C is pleased to announce an open call for papers for our upcoming themed collection on functional gel materials.

This themed collection centers on the materials chemistry of functional gels, with a particular focus on their applications in optics and electronics. Highlighting advances in ionogels, hydrogels, and related soft materials, the collection explores the chemical design, synthesis, and characterization of these gel materials, and their potential in devices such as actuators, sensors, and stretchable electronics. Emphasis is placed on the molecular interactions and structural properties that enable these materials to exhibit unique optical and electronic functionalities.

JMCC Open Call for Papers - functional gel materials. Submit by 21 May 2025.

Guest Edited by Professors David Mecerreyes (POLYMAT – University of the Basque Country, Spain), Jeong-Yun Sun (Seoul National University, South Korea) and Xiaomin Xu (Tsinghua University, China), this Journal of Materials Chemistry C collection aims to drive forward the development of next-generation technologies that rely on the integration of advanced gel materials.

Submission deadline 21 May 2025

The Editorial Office reserves the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of both the journal and the collection, and as such inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed collection is not guaranteed.

How to submit

Submissions to the journal should contain chemistry in a materials context and should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry C. Please see the journal’s website for more information on the journal’s scope, standards, article types and author guidelines. This call for papers is open for Communications and Full papers.

When ready, please submit your article directly to the submissions platform for Journal of Materials Chemistry C where our editors will assess your submission. Please add a note in the ‘Comments to the Editor’ and ‘Themed collections’ sections of the submission mentioning this is a manuscript for the themed collection on ‘Functional gel materials’ and that it is in response to the ‘Open Call’.

All submissions will be subject to assessment against the journal’s usual scope and standards criteria and sent for peer review only if appropriate. Accepted articles will be published online as soon as they are ready and added to the web collection.

If you have any questions about the collection or the submissions process, please do contact the Editorial Office at materialsc-rsc@rsc.org and they will be able to assist.

Your institute may have a Read & Publish agreement in place with the Royal Society of Chemistry. This means that you may be able to publish gold open access for free in all the hybrid journals we publish – maximising the visibility and impact of your article to the broadest possible audience. Check here to find out more and to see if your institution has an R&P deal in place.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

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High-Performance Materials from Nature’s Building Blocks

Read the new collection in Materials Advances

We are delighted to share with you our collection focusing on the synthesis of high-performance materials from natural building blocks!

Guest Edited by Samantha L. Kristufek (Texas Tech University, USA) and Eleftheria Roumeli (University of Washington, USA)

 

A note from the Guest Editors:

“The collective efforts showcased in this themed collection underscore the multifaceted approaches being pursued to advance sustainable polymers.”

 

A small selection of the papers are featured below (all free to read):

Polyhydroxyalkanoates in emerging recycling technologies for a circular materials economy
Ryan W. Clarke, Gloria Rosetto, Taylor Uekert, Julia B. Curley, Hyunjin Moon, Brandon C. Knott, John E. McGeehan and Katrina M. Knauer
Conductive MXene nanosheets infused in protein fiber hydrogels for bioprinting and thin film electrodes
Mario Alfonso Arenas García, Slah Hidouri, Joshua M. Little, Daniel Modafferi, Xinxin Hao, Po-Yen Chen and Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne
Engineering lignin-derivable diacrylate networks with tunable architecture and mechanics
Yu-Tai Wong and LaShanda T. J. Korley

 

We hope you enjoy reading the full themed collection here.

 

Did you know?

At Materials Advances, our themed collections are built by collaboration between our Guest Editors and expert Associate Editors. Our Guest Editors guide the scope and curate the contributions in our collections but all submissions are handled through peer review by our team of resident Associate Editors. This means that as an author you receive a consistent experience, and as a reader you can trust the quality of the science being presented.

If you have an idea for a topical collection in your research field, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch here

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Congratulations to the poster prize winners at the 2025 Materials for Medical Devices workshop

Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Materials Horizons were delighted to sponsor the poster prize awards at the 2025 Materials for Medical Devices workshop which took place at the University of Nottingham from 21-22 January 2025. Congratulations to our poster prize winners Antonis Stylianou and Qiran Du! Find out more about them below:

Antonis Stylianou

Antonis Stylianou, a PhD student at the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy, is at the forefront of vaccine delivery innovation. Under the guidance of Dr. James E. Dixon, Dr. Maria Marlow, and Prof. Janet M. Daly, Antonis is developing mass-deployable, self-administered DNA vaccines using Microneedle Array Patches (MAPs).His research, supported by an EPSRC Industrial CASE studentship in collaboration with Nemaura Medical, aims to revolutionise global immunization strategies. The MAPs Antonis is developing consist of micro-projections under 1 mm in length, enabling painless self-administration of vaccines into the skin. This innovative approach has the potential to eliminate the need for cold-chain infrastructure and reduce dependence on healthcare professionals for vaccine administration. By addressing key challenges in MAP manufacturing and global vaccine accessibility, Antonis’s work represents a significant advancement in pandemic preparedness and vaccine technology. The impact of this research extends beyond technological innovation, with the potential to transform immunisation practices worldwide, particularly benefiting regions with limited healthcare infrastructure.

Antonis won a prize for his poster entitled, ‘Mass deployable self-administered DNA vaccines by Microneedle Arrays’

Qiran Du is currently a PhD student in Immunology since 2021 and a Research Associate at the University of Nottingham, UK. Qiran studied a BSc in Pharmacy at Ocean University of China from 2013-2017 before studying an MSc in Pharmaceuticals at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China from 2017 – 2020. Qiran is fascinated by materials and their ability to modulate immune responses and how material controlled applications can be used in areas of wound healing and tissue regeneration to improve lives. 

Qiran won a prize for the poster entitled, ‘Elucidating the in vitro immune response to surgical meshes coated with immune-instructive polymer’

 

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