Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

This cross-journal themed collection on Sustainable Composites will bring together articles tackling the sustainability of the entire composite lifecycle, including new composite feedstocks, low-energy manufacturing, design for end-of-life, in-use benefits, extended composite lifetime and repair, material recovery and recycling. Contributions should clearly address the sustainability aspects associated with the chosen approach.

The Guest Editors for this themed collection, Professor Ian Hamerton (University of Bristol), Dr Lois Hobson (Centre for Process Innovation) and Dr Jonathan Wagner (Loughborough University)

Find out more about our Guest Editors below:

Professor Ian Hamerton

University of Bristol

Ian Hamerton is currently a Professor of Polymers and Composite Materials with the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Bristol Composites Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K., with over 30 years of research experience in the development of materials for advanced composites and nanocomposites. He is recognized internationally for work on high-performance polymers. He is the Deputy Director/Research Coordinator of the ACCIS and CoSEM Centres for doctoral training.

Ian’s research is concerned with developing polymeric materials with improved performance suitable for use in demanding environments and technologically relevant applications (e.g. satellites, military and civil aerospace, high performance automotive applications, micro-/opto-electrionics and polymer filters).

Dr Lois Hobson

Centre for Process Innovation

Lois Hobson is a Senior Manager at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), a Research Technology Organisation and part of the UK High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

Lois completed her PhD in organometallic (University of Wales, 1991-94) before undertaking postdoctoral positions with Professor Jim Feast (IRC in Polymer Science and Technology, Durham University, ROPA 1995-98) and Professor Shiro Kobayashi (JSPS Fellowship, Kyoto University, Japan, 1998-99) focussing the synthesis and characterisation of hyperbranched polymer systems and artificial cellulosic structures respectively.  Continuing her interests in structure-property-performance relationships, she was the first female to hold the Toshiba Fellowship, joining Toshiba Japan’s fuel cell research group (Kawasaki, Japan) in 1999 and establishing patented technology for direct methanol systems.

Joining ICI Group in 2001, Lois worked with National Starch & Chemical Company (Vinamul Polymers BV, 2001) and ICI Group companies (Ablestik Laboratories, Emerson & Cumming, ICI Paints, Quest International) in the UK, Europe, Asia and North America, in research, product development, programme management and techno-commercial roles.  Latterly establishing large-scale, cross-business collaborative programmes to create underpinning patented research, technology translation and future product innovation.

In 2008, she moved to the UK public sector as Programme Manager for an £11M Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funded regeneration programme, before joining the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in 2009.  Over the past 14 years Lois has held various roles across the CPI business, focusing on enabling more effective translation of fundamental science and technology to market, including a 15month secondment to PPX Medical as their European Operations Manager.   She has established a portfolio of large collaborative programmes and supporting infrastructure on behalf of CPI, accessing regional, national, and European programmes to build its’ translational capabilities.  She currently holds the title of Senior Strategic Opportunities Manager and leads development of CPI’s new Sustainable Materials Strategy.

Dr Jonathan Wagner

Loughborough University

Jon Wagner joined Loughborough in 2018 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2022. He is the Programme Director for the Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Programme and Co-Director for the Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Chemical Economy (CircularChem).

He completed his PhD in 2016 on the hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae under supervision of Profs. Valeska Ting and Chris Chuck within the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies at University Bath. Until his appointment at Loughborough, he joined the Horizon 2020 Photofuel project as research associate at Imperial College London, focusing on algae system scale-up and system analysis. Before his PhD, he worked in industry, completing the BP upstream process engineering graduate scheme, with placements in Aberdeen (Schiehallion FPSO) and the CATS terminal in Teeside.

Since 2012, Jon Wagner has secured more than £6m in research funding as PI or Co-I from UKRI and Royal Society. He currently leads a £483k IDRIC-Wave 2 funded project on ‘Algae-based carbon capture and utilisation for UK cluster decarbonisation’ with collaborators at Heriot Watt and University of Manchester, following a successful £125k proof of concept study on algae-based biomethane fuel purification. He is co-founder of Loughborough’s Mini-CDT in low-dimensional catalysis.

Submit your work to the collection by 29 September 2023

For more information on the collection, participating journals and how to submit, see our open call blog post

If you have any queries, please contact materials-rsc@rsc.org. We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Call for papers: Injectable Hydrogels

Guest Edited by Dr Khoon Lim and Dr Julieta Paez

We are delighted to announce a special themed collection on Injectable Hydrogels to be published across Biomaterials Science  and Journal of Materials Chemistry B. This collection is Guest Edited by:

Dr Khoon Lim (University of Sydney, Australia)

Dr Julieta I Paez (University of Twente, The Netherlands)

Injectable hydrogels have emerged as intelligent and versatile materials that have been proven to possess huge potential for many biomedical applications including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Hydrogels are a class of polymers with highly hydrated 3D networks that have microenvironmental properties such as oxygen/nutrient permeability that are similar to the native extracellular matrix. In addition to possessing the typical advantages of conventional hydrogels, injectable hydrogels offer an extra unique feature, which enables minimally invasive injectability and durability for irregularly shaped sites. As such, there has been a growing interest of using injectable hydrogels as scaffolds/carriers for therapeutic agents, including but not limited to drugs, cells, proteins, and bioactive molecules, targeted to treat chronic diseases including cancer, but also to facilitate the repair and regeneration of damaged organs/tissues.

In this context, it is pertinent to compile this themed collection focusing on recent rapid development in the field of injectable hydrogels. To this end, this themed collection in Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Biomaterials Science aims at providing a platform for recent developments in this rapidly evolving field of injectable hydrogels including, but not limited to:

• Emerging chemistries
• Synthesis pathways
• Fabrication methods
• Cell-material interactions
• In vitro and in vivo performances
• Targeted applications (drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine)

Submissions to the journal should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry B or Biomaterials Science – Please see the journal’s website for more information on the journal’s scope, 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.

Submission Deadline: 10 September 2023

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, please submit your article directly through the Biomaterials Science submission service or the Journal of Materials Chemistry B submission service. Please mention that your submission is a contribution to the Injectable Hydrogels 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 as such inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed collection is not guaranteed. All submissions will be subject to initial assessment and sent for peer review, if appropriate. We cannot guarantee peer review or acceptance of your submission in the journal.

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.

We look forward to receiving your latest work and considering it for this collection!

Contribute to a new themed collection in Materials Advances

We are delighted to announce an open call for papers to our new themed collection focussing on advanced materials for sensing and biomedical applications.

This collection will focus on developments that work towards 1) next generation sensing technology capable of point-of-care applications and 2) biomedical technology with high efficacy and tuneable properties for targeted delivery and minimal adverse effects. Specific topics that are welcome cover functional materials and hybrid systems for:

• Supporting circulation
• Advanced sensing applications
• Biomedical applications
• Green chemistry development
• Sustainable materials
• Materials at the bio interface
• Artificial intelligence-supported materials development
• Materials development for technological applications for the internet-of-things

If you are interested in contributing to this collection please get in touch with the Editorial Office at materialsadvances-rsc@rsc.org

Submit before 01 September 2023, here.

Please note that article processing charges apply to all articles submitted to Materials Advances if, following peer-review, they are accepted for publication. Details of the APC and discounted rates can be found here.

Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C are proud to announce an open call for three themed collections on the topic of Functional Framework Materials.

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Guest Edited by:

Paolo Falcaro (TU Graz, Austria)

Patricia Horcajada (IMDEA Energy, Spain)

Dan Li (Jinan University, China)

Scope:

Porous materials, particularly those with ordered structures, present interesting physicochemical properties that make them ideal platforms to be explored in the field of fluid storage/separation, catalysis, energy storage, and chemical sensing. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent–organic frameworks (COFs) are among the most promising nano-scaled porous crystalline materials presenting continuous breakthroughs in various relevant applications in recent years. Their exceptional features attracted the great interest of scientists (e.g. chemists, physicists, engineers) who have taken advantage of their unique structures and properties to solve complex problems. This collection focuses on the synthesis, and understanding, of MOFs and COFs as well as their composite materials and provides an overview of their recent development toward practical applications. The selected articles will identify the challenges and address key issues in MOFs/COFs science and engineering. We would like to receive original manuscripts in, but not limited to, the following areas: Design and synthesis of MOFs/COFs, smart materials and advanced characterization, adsorption and separation, catalysis and sensing, device fabrication and application, theoretical calculation and machine learning, energy conversion and storage, environment and green-sustainable materials, biotechnology, as well as scaled-up and industrialization. Papers on MOFs for energy-related applications are most welcome.

Journal of Materials Chemistry B

Guest Edited by:

Ross Forgan (University of Glasgow, UK)

Ruxandra Gref (Université Paris Saclay, France)

Jianqiang Liu (Guangdong Medical University, China)

Scope:

Synthetic porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) exhibit unique properties, for example, size-controlled synthesis, geometrically and chemically tuneable pore spaces, very high internal molecular storage capacities, and addressable particle surfaces. For these reasons, MOFs and COFs have extensively investigated for a wide range of applications. Furthermore, the ability to judiciously select structural components with both biocompatibility and functionality has led to the study of these materials across all aspects of nanomedicine, from drug delivery to radiotherapies, imaging, theranostics, and beyond. Notable breakthroughs are typically underpinned by fundamental advances in materials synthesis, functionalisation, and characterisation, as well as interdisciplinary approaches examining biocompatibility, imaging methodologies, and biological mechanisms of therapeutic action, ensuring a broad scientific interest.

With this in mind, we are compiling a themed collection for Journal of Materials Chemistry B covering all aspects of MOF and COF chemistry related to biological applications. The collection will provide a platform to highlight state-of-the-art developments in a rapidly moving field, including but not limited to, drug delivery (from small molecules through peptides and oligonucleotides to large proteins), all aspects of imaging, theranostics, biological sensing, biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo, hybridisation with other nanomaterials, encapsulation of biological entities (from enzymes to viruses and cells), and other emerging technologies. We hope that this themed collection will bring together the state-of-the-art in the field in one place, acting as a valuable resource for those entering the field while highlighting the huge potential of MOFs and COFs in nanomedicine.

Journal of Materials Chemistry C

Guest Edited by:

Artur Ciesielski (Université de Strasbourg, France)

Christopher Hendon (University of Oregon, USA)

Katherine Mirica (Dartmouth University, USA)

Scope:

In this themed collection, “Fundamentals and Applications of Functional Framework Materials”, Journal of Materials Chemistry C brings together original research articles in the field of framework chemistry, i.e., metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks COFs, porous coordination polymers (PCPs), and so forth. The issue intends to span multiple length scales and disciplines, on topics ranging from their synthesis, characterization, structure-function relationships, insights gleaned from simulation, and application in devices.

If you would like to contribute to this themed issue, you can submit your article directly to the online submission service for Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Journal of Materials Chemistry B or Journal of Materials Chemistry C. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to the Functional Framework Materials 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.

Journal of Materials Chemistry B and companion journal Nanoscale have recently announced an open call to submit to a cross-journal themed collection on ‘Nanozymes’

This cross-journal themed collection aims to highlight recent progress in the field of nanozymes research with applications ranging from biosensing and therapeutics to environmental protection and national security and beyond. This collection will serve as a platform to not only accelerate the development of the nanozyme field but also attract more researchers to explore the hidden characteristics of nanomaterials for broad applications.

The Guest Editors for this themed collection are Prof. Shaoqin Liu (Harbin Institute of Technology, China), Prof. Vincent Rotello (University of Massachusetts, USA), Prof. Asier Unciti-Broceta (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Prof. Hui Wei (Nanjing University, China)

Find out more about our Guest Editors below:

Prof. Shaoqin Liu Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Professor Shaoqin Liu is an Associate Editor for Journal of Materials Chemistry B. She received her Bachelor degree and Ph. D degree from Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electric Engineering in 1994 and from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (Chinese Academy of Science) in 1999, respectively. She started her chemistry research career under Professor Shaojun Dong group at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry to develop polyoxometalates-based thin film. After her Ph. D degree, she moved to Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interface as Humboldt Fellow. She developed polyoxometalates-based functional materials. In 2004, she joined National Research Council of Canada as NESRC fellow to study direct methanol fuel cells. In 2007, she started her academic career as a Full Professor in Harbin Institute of Technology. Her current research interests include preparation of nanostructured materials and their applications in energy, biosensing and cancer therapy.

Vincent Rotello is the Charles A. Goessmann Professor of Chemistry and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He received his B.S. in Chemistry in 1985 from Illinois Institute of Technology, and his Ph. D. in 1990 in Chemistry from Yale University. He was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1990-1993, and joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts in 1993. He has been the recipient of the NSF CAREER and Cottrell Scholar awards, as well as the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, the Sloan Fellowships. He has received the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2023), the Transformational Research and Excellence in Education Award presented by Research Corporation, the Bioorganic Lectureship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), the Australian Nanotechnology Network Traveling Fellowship, the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship for Distinguished Researchers. (2016) and the Langmuir Lectureship (2010), and He is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and of the Royal Society of Chemistry (U.K.). He is also recognized in 2014, 2015, 2018-2022 by Thomson Reuters/Clarivate as “Highly Cited Researcher” His research program focuses on using synthetic organic chemistry to engineer the interface between the synthetic and biological worlds, and spans the areas of devices, polymers, and nanotechnology/bionanotechnology, with over 625 peer-reviewed papers published to date. He is actively involved in the area of bionanotechnology, and his research includes programs in delivery, imaging, diagnostics and nanotoxicology.

Asier Unciti-Broceta is Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He received his PhD from the Universidad of Granada, Spain, in 2004. After postdoctoral training in the fields of cell delivery and chemical biology at the School of Chemistry of the University of Edinburgh, he took a group leader position in 2010 at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer to create the first chemistry lab of the Institute. He was promoted to Reader in 2015 and to Full Professor in 2018. His lab is interested in the exploration of novel chemical strategies to improve the efficacy and safety of cancer treatments, including the development of catalytic nano- and microdevices for the controlled activation of anticancer drug precursors.

Hui Wei is a Professor at Nanjing University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He received his B.S. degree from Nanjing University (advisor: Professor Xinghua Xia) and Ph.D. degree from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (advisor: Professor Erkang Wang). He then joined Professors Yi Lu’s and Shuming Nie’s groups for two Postdoctoral trainings before he started his independent career at Nanjing University. His research interests are focused on the design and synthesis of functional nanomaterials (such as nanozymes) and the development of new methodologies for analytical and biomedical applications.

Submit your work to the collection by 1 May 2023

For more information on how to submit, see our open call blog post

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Journal of Materials Chemistry B and companion journal Nanoscale are delighted to announce an open call for submissions to a themed collection on ‘Nanozymes’ to be published in Summer 2023.

Guest Edited by:

Professor Shaoqin Liu (Harbin Institute of Technology, China), Professor Vincent Rotello (University of Massachusetts, USA), Professor Asier Unciti-Broceta (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Professor Hui Wei (Nanjing University, China)

Deadline to submit: 1 May 2023

Nanozymes are nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics. They have been developed to address the limitations of natural enzymes and conventional artificial enzymes. Along with the significant advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, catalysis science, and computational design, great progress has been achieved in the field of nanozymes since the discovery of peroxidase-like iron oxide nanozyme in 2007. Nanozymes have been explored for a variety of applications, ranging from biosensing and therapeutics to environmental protection and national security. To our knowledge, more than 400 laboratories from 35 countries are working on nanozymes. Notably, both the publications and citations on nanozymes have been growing rapidly, showing the enormous research interest from the field.

To further advance the field of nanozymes and highlight recent progress, we are delighted to invite you to contribute to this themed collection. We believe such a special collection will not only accelerate the development of the nanozyme field, but also attract more researchers to explore the hidden characteristics of nanomaterials for broad applications.

We welcome submissions from now until the deadline, with articles being published in the next available issue on acceptance and collated into an online collection. This allows greater flexibility for you to publish your research when it is ready, while ensuring your article is published quickly. The collection will be promoted in the second half of 2023 and beyond, ensuring maximum visibility of your article within the materials chemistry community.

Submissions to the collection should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry B or Nanoscale. Please see the journal websites for more information about the scope, standards, article types and author guidelines. We would suggest that any manuscript focusing on the materials chemistry and bio-application of the nanozyme material would be better suited to Journal of Materials Chemistry B, whereas work more focused on the nanoscience, properties and insights of nanozymes with application in the biosciences, environmental sciences and beyond would be better suited to Nanoscale.

For this collection, we welcome full Papers and Communications. Review article submissions are by invite-only and as such we generally will not consider review proposals as a result of the open call.

All submissions will undergo a rigorous initial Editorial assessment as to suitability for the journal before potential peer review. Please note that peer review and acceptance of your submission will not be guaranteed.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to featuring your latest nanozymes work in the collection.

Read the Editor’s Choice Collection

Current Li ion batteries are relying on critical materials that have a high risk linked to their supply, while their demand is constantly rising. Moving towards a circular battery economy is one solution, but this alone will not be able to address the issue of critical materials. The other solution is developing alternative battery chemistries based on abundant materials to complement Li-ion batteries in the future and diversify the battery market to match requirements for different applications. This collection, selected by Associate Editor Professor Magdalena Titirici, Imperial College London, UK, highlights some progress made in this direction based on recent papers published in Materials Advances and Journal of Materials Chemistry A.