Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

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.

Open call for papers – Materials developments in cancer therapeutics

Submit your work to this Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Biomaterials Science themed collection

Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Biomaterials Science are pleased to welcome submissions to a themed collection on materials developments of cancer therapeutics to be promoted in Autumn 2025.

Submissions deadline 29 April 2025

Given the widespread occurrence of cancer across the world, many researchers are focusing attention on ways in which we can prevent, treat and control cancer. Developments in using more targeted approaches such as gene therapy and nanomedicines, as well as general approaches such as chemotherapy, photothermal therapy and immunotherapy are all being reported to improve therapeutic response to cancer and to cause minimal side effects to unaffected regions of the body. The use of materials in developing and improving treatments is integral and as such this collection aims to collate some of the latest research developments using materials in cancer therapeutics. The broad scope of this collection across Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Biomaterials Science hopes to capture a range of timely research from the fundamentals of materials chemistry to the applications of biomaterials in diagnosing, controlling and treating cancer.

This collection is being guest edited by:

Prof. Jong Seung Kim (Korea University)

Prof. Tao Sun (Fudan University)

Prof. Qingbing Wang (Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine)

Prof. Jennifer Cha (University of Colorado, Boulder)

The collection will largely involve research related to the design, construction and application of engineered materials for cancer therapy. The collection will be structured around three main themes:

1. Research focusing on new materials and methods for materials design
2. Fundamental materials chemistry research
3. Innovative applications of materials

Topics include, but are not limited to;

• Development of cancer drug delivery materials
• New materials and applications in PDT/PTT/CDT
• Targeted drug delivery (nanomedicine, gene therapy)
• Photosensitizers
• Fluorescence biosensors
• Biomaterials in immunotherapy
• Tumour models for developing new cancer therapies

Submissions to the journal should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry B or Biomaterials Science – Please see the journals’ webpages for more information on the journals’ scopes, standards, article types and author guidelines. We encourage you to submit your work to the journal you feel is most appropriate.

For this collection, we strongly encourage full 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.

When ready, please submit your article directly to the submissions platform for Journal of Materials Chemistry B or Biomaterials Science 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 ‘Cancer therapeutics’ 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.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025

Feature your work in our materials or nanoscience collections

Last year, we celebrated some of the amazing women in materials science and nanoscience with two collections highlighting recent work led by women around the world, published in our materials and nanoscience journal portfolios. These collections showcased the impact these leading individuals have on their fields. We were delighted to feature so much exciting research in the collections and look forward to celebrating again in 2025.

 If you have published in any of the journals below in 2024 or so far in 2025, and either the first and/or corresponding author of the article is a woman, we would be pleased to feature your work in our 2025 collections!

• Materials Horizons
• Journal of Materials Chemistry A
• Journal of Materials Chemistry B
• Journal of Materials Chemistry C
• Materials Advances
• Nanoscale Horizons
• Nanoscale
• Nanoscale Advances

If you are interested, please email materials-rsc@rsc.org with the title of your article, DOI, journal in which your article is featured and a headshot photo of the eligible author by 17 February 2025. The collection will be promoted this International Women’s Day, 8 March 2024. At the Royal Society of Chemistry, we foster a culture of inclusion of women from all walks of life and look forward to continuing to celebrate all of the wonderful women in materials and nanoscience.

Engineering of soft materials for healthcare, energy and environment

Themed collection open call for papers

As we navigate the challenges of the 21st century, the engineering of soft materials will undoubtedly continue to play a crucial role in shaping a healthier, more sustainable, and resilient world. The rapid advancement of science and technology has brought unprecedented opportunities and challenges in various sectors, particularly in healthcare, energy, and the environment. Among the myriad of innovations, the engineering of soft materials stands out as a field of immense potential and transformative impact.

In the realm of healthcare, soft materials have revolutionized drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, and medical devices. Their biocompatibility, flexibility, and tunable properties enable the creation of innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Energy sustainability is another critical area where soft materials play a pivotal role. From flexible solar cells and energy storage systems to smart grids and energy-efficient devices, the applications are vast and varied. This is the time to explore how the unique characteristics of soft materials contribute to the development of sustainable and renewable energy technologies, paving the way for a greener future. Environmental challenges, such as pollution and resource depletion, require innovative approaches for mitigation and management. Soft materials offer promising solutions for water purification, air filtration, and waste management. 

This collection, spanning the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Journal of Materials Chemistry B, Biomaterials Science, and Molecular Systems Design & Engineering, focuses on the engineering of soft materials for advanced science and technology in healthcare, energy, and the environment, aiming to create a better world for future generations. The scope of this collection also aligns with 6^th International Conference on Soft Materials to be held at Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain during November 17-20, 2024.

This themed collection is guest edited by Kamlendra Awasthi (MNIT Jaipur, India), Eduard Llobet Valero (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain), Anjali Awasthi (University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India) and Fatima Ezahra (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain)

Submissions open until 30 April 2025

How to submit

Submissions to the journal should fit within the scope of either Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Journal of Materials Chemistry B, Biomaterials Science or Molecular Systems Design & Engineering and we encourage authors to select the journal they feel is best suited to their work– 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 Engineering of soft materials for healthcare, energy and environment  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.

Potential topics/themes for the collection include but are not limited to:

SOFT MATTER: Active Matter; Biological Matter; Dynamics of Complex Fluids; Living Matter; Liquid Crystals; Self Assembly

COLLOIDS AND INTERFACE: Gels and Hydrogel; Nano and Microfluidics; Surfactants & Lipids

POLYMERIC MATERIALS: Biodegradable Polymers; Elastomers; Membranes; Polymer Interfaces; Polymer Separation and Filtration

POLYMER PHYSICS: Amorphous and Structured Polymers; Physical Properties of Soft Materials; Rheological Aspects in Polymers; Theory and Simulation of Polymers

POLYMER FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS: Bio-Inspired Materials; Bioimaging; Biosensors and BioMEMS; Drug Design and Delivery; Tissue Engineering

SOFT MATERIALS FOR ELECTRONICS APPLICATIONS: Flexible Electronics and Storage; Organic Electronics; Patterned Nanostructures; Flexible Sensors

FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS: Block Copolymers Nanolithography; Functional Polymers; Nanocomposites and Hybrid Materials; Polymer Nanocomposites; Soft Nanofabrication

MATERIALS FOR ENERGY APPLICATION: Battery and Fuel Cells; Biofuels and Bioenergy; Hydrogen Generation and Storage; Gas Sensors; Solar Cells (Organic and Hybrid); Thermoelectric Materials; 2D, COF, MOF materials for Energy Conversion and Storage

We look forward to receiving your submissions!