Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C 10th Anniversary Community Spotlight: First time authors

This year we are pleased to celebrate 10 years since Journal of Materials Chemistry was split into three respective journals: Journal of Materials Chemistry AB and C, each focusing on a different aspect of materials chemistry. We are grateful to our fantastic community of authors, reviewers, Board members and readers and wanted to showcase just some of them in a series of ‘Community Spotlight’ blog articles.

In this final blog of the series, we spotlight some more of our first time authors in Journal of Materials Chemistry AJournal of Materials Chemistry B and Journal of Materials Chemistry C who have published with us as corresponding authors during the anniversary year, and have had their work appear in our #MyFirstJMCA#MyFirstJMCB or #MyFirstJMCC collections. We welcome our new community of authors and are pleased that they have chosen to publish with our journals. Find out about why they chose to publish with the Journal of Materials Chemistry family and read their first JMC publications below.

 

Dr Pallab Bhattacharya

Pallab Bhattacharya is a senior scientist in the Functional Material Group under Advanced Materials and Processes (AMP) Division in CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory and is an Assistant Professor at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) at CSIR, India. He received his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, India and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) and Chonbuk National University (CBNU) of South Korea.  His research interests include design and development of various energy materials includes nanomaterials, 2D materials, and composites with focus on energy storage by supercapacitors and batteries. He is a recipient of several prestigious fellowships like DST INSPIRE FACULTY award by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India and National Eligibility test (NET) fellowship from Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India. He is a member of the materials research society of India (MRSI).

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry C as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

Developing materials by tuning the chemistry to influence the property and application always remains fascinating to me. Journal of Materials Chemistry C is one such journal that publishes innovative and high-quality research articles in this field. Our work was on the development of an energy storage material by an innovative approach and being published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C defines the quality of the work. Journal of Materials Chemistry C also acts very fast on the publication process which is highly helpful. Thanks to all the referees for their constructive and valuable feedback and for helping us to shape the quality of our published article.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCC publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TC02074F)?

Development of affordable green energy storage solutions is the need of the hour, and therefore, our constant effort is in function to make highly performing and affordable supercapacitors. In my first Journal of Materials Chemistry C, we introduced a controlled microwave-plasma induced single-step process to produce a N and P co-doped sheet-like multilayer graphitic carbon coupled with an ultrasmall nickel phosphate nanosphere-based composite electrode with optimized compositions to produce a remarkable capacitance with ultralong cycle life. This affordable supercapacitor works well in two different practical applications where a pulse oximeter measures readings multiple times and an LED board containing 28 red LEDs glows for several minutes on a single charge. This type of approach has been reported for the first time and thanks to the Journal of Materials Chemistry C for publishing this work. This approach may be further extended for developing different composites from different bio-wastes and transition metal precursors for energy applications.

Read Pallab’s Journal of Materials Chemistry C article:

Microwave-plasma induced one-step synthesis of Ni(PO3)2 nanosphere-loaded bio-waste derived N, P co-doped carbon for an asymmetric supercapacitor with prolonged life
Nisha Gupta and Pallab Bhattacharya
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2023, 11, 13503-13517

 

Dr María J. Marín

Dr Marín graduated with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia (UEA, UK) in 2013 under the supervision of Prof Russell. From 2013 to 2017, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at UEA and John Innes Centre; and worked as a Development Scientist at Iceni-Glycoscience. She joined UEA as a Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry in October 2017 and her research focusses on the use of nanotechnology to address biological and biomedical problems. She has extensive experience in applying nanomaterials to biosensing, diagnostics, and drug delivery, and the effective use of modern spectroscopic techniques, both for materials characterisation and device tracking and readout. She was awarded the Roscoe Gold Medal for Chemistry and the Westminster Medal as the overall winner during the 2014 SET for Britain. She is passionate about Analytical Chemistry and its impact in the employability of the undergraduate students, and this is reflected in her contribution to the Analytical modules within the School of Chemistry at UEA. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the RSC journal Analyst, sits on the Advisory Committee of “Advanced Study Course on Optical Chemical Sensors (ASCOS)” European network, is a member of the RSC Analytical Division East Anglia Regional Committee, and is the Chemistry representative in the Executive Group of the Norwich Cancer Research Network.

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry B as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

When our paper that describes novel gold-based nanomaterials for applications in biology and medicine was ready for submission, Journal of Materials Chemistry B was our first choice. This is a prestigious and highly cited journal in the field of materials sciences, and we knew our paper would be fairly reviewed and, if accepted, highly cited by the scientific community. Publishing with this RSC journal has been an extremely pleasant experience. The communication was fluent, and the reviewing process was not lengthy. I was very impressed with the quality of the proofs sent by the editorial team of the journal and the overall publishing experience with Journal of Materials Chemistry B.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCB publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TB00103B)?

A major research direction in my group is the development of novel fluorescence-based molecular and nano-probes for the quantitative detection of intracellular analytes involved in disease states. Our #MyFirstJMCB publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TB00103B) reports the first example of a two-photon gold nanoprobe (DANPY-NO@AuNPs) for the versatile intracellular detection and quantification of NO, with potential for the spatiotemporal monitoring of in vitro and in vivo NO levels. The nanoprobe, which can be synthesised in a reproducible manner and exhibits great stability when stored at room temperature, is able to selectively detect NO in solution, with a dynamic range up to 150 µM, and at pH values of biological relevance. DANPY-NO@AuNPs, which showed negligible toxicity, were able to selectively detect endogenous NO in RAW264.7γ NO macrophages, THP-1 human leukemic cells; and endogenous and exogenous NO in endothelial cells; and showed potential to quantify intracellular NO concentrations in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Read María’s Journal of Materials Chemistry B article:

Gold nanoparticle-based two-photon fluorescent nanoprobe for monitoring intracellular nitric oxide levels
Carla Arnau del Valle, Paul Thomas, Francisco Galindo, María Paz Muñoz and María J. Marín
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 3387-3396

 

Dr Biplab Maji

Dr. Biplab Maji completed his undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, India, in 2007. He went on to earn his M.Sc. degree in Chemistry from IIT Kanpur, India, in 2009. In 2012, he successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis under the mentorship of Prof. Herbert Mayr at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany. Subsequently, in 2013, he embarked on a post-doctoral fellowship in the lab of Professor Hisashi Yamamoto in Japan. In 2015, he conducted research as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow, collaborating with Prof. Frank Glorious in Münster, Germany. In 2016, Dr. Maji joined the Department of Chemical Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER Kolkata), India, as an Assistant Professor and he was promoted to the position of Associate Professor in 2021. His group employs diverse catalytic strategies to tackle important chemical problems and develops new catalysts and reaction conditions with potential applications in biomass valorization, drug discovery, late-stage functionalizations, and biologically active compounds. His research team is actively involved in in-depth mechanistic studies, aimed at gaining a comprehensive understanding of how chemical reactions progress.

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry A as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

JMCA is one of the prestigious journals for high-quality research on materials and their application in energy and catalysis. The peer review process was fair, and its reviewers gave constructive and valuable feedback. Our investigation included both the novel material and its catalytic application in producing demanding organic compounds. This matched well with the scope of the journal for publication. Here, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the editors and reviewers for recognizing the suitability of our research for this journal. Overall, our experience was awesome.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCA publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TA03280A)?

We have synthesized a novel material named PKPOP. Its novelty comprised a fully conjugated porous organic polymeric framework containing olefin linkage and phosphorus as core ingredients. The PKPOP was leveraged on three binding sites (P, olefin, CN) to stabilize the palladium catalyst in different reaction stages. This helped it to be exploited in synthetically challenging and stereo-selective multicomponent dicarbofunctionalization reactions on unactivated alkynes to give trans-selective tetra-substituted alkenes. Its robustness and sustainability were shown in terms of producing a broad substrate scope with wide functionalities, maintaining high yields of the products without damaging the polymeric framework after multiple recyclabilities, and its turnover number and turnover frequency.

Read Biplab’s Journal of Materials Chemistry A article:

A phosphorus-based olefin linked fully conjugated polymeric ligand for palladium-catalyzed trans-selective dicarbofunctionalization of internal alkynes
Pramod Kumar and Biplab Maji
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 20752-20760

 

Dr Cristina Fornaguera

Dr Cristina Fornaguera defended her PhD in 2015, focusing on the development of polymeric NPs to cross the BBB. After, she worked as an industrial postdoc in the startup Sagetis Biotech, where she mastered her knowledge on synthesizing polymers for the controlled delivery of drugs and nucleic acids to efficiently cross the BBB, focusing her studies on the encapsulation of therapeutic RNAs. There, she had her first contact with industrial environment, acquiring expertise on the technology transfer. She then started her own research lines, focusing on the encapsulation of RNAs in pBAE polymers. Her wide experience of pBAE NPs has been recognized, not only by the numerous publications reporting pBAEs use for different biomedical applications, but also for the funding of national and international projects; as well as private projects with international biotech, pharma, cosmetic and veterinary companies. Currently, she leads a research group focusing on the design of novel nucleic acid based nanotherapies to tackle cancer, metabolic and brain diseases.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCB publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TB00607G)?

My first Journal of Materials Chemistry B publication details the design of a novel family of poly(beta amino-ester) polymers functionalized with mannoses to achieve selective targeting. Given antigen presenting cells, namely macrophages, present a number of mannose receptors on their surface, our strategy looked for and demonstrated the selective targeting of nanoparticles to antigen presenting cells as well as their functionality, studied by the expression of the encoded mRNA. This is a proof-of-concept study demonstrating the potential of our polymers for immune modulatory applications.

What did you like most about the publication process with Journal of Materials Chemistry B?

Publishing with JMCB has been very easy and also fast, which is an important point to take into account. We received recommended revisions by reviewers that clearly demonstrated the integrity of experts in the field. Although they gave us more work, revisions helped a lot to improve our manuscript, thus contributing to the publication of a high standard of work by the journal. The process is rigorous and professional, not only from the scientific point of view, but also for the editing of the manuscript for publication.

Read Cristina’s Journal of Materials Chemistry B article:

Novel α-mannose-functionalized poly(β-amino ester) nanoparticles as mRNA vaccines with increased antigen presenting cell selectivity in the spleen
Nil González-Ríos, Margalida Artigues, Marta Guerra-Rebollo, Antoni Planas, Salvador Borrós, Magda Faijes and Cristina Fornaguera
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 6412-6427

 

Dr Daniel G. Araiza

Dr. Daniel G. Araiza works as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Applied Science and Technology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (ICAT-UNAM) and belongs to the National System of Researchers (SNI). In 2021, he received his PhD degree in Materials Science from the Institute of Physics of UNAM. His research has focused on the synthesis of new catalytic materials to produce clean energy sources (hydrogen) through renewable resources (alcohols), as well as in the reduction of greenhouse gases (methane and carbon dioxide). His scientific work consists of 23 published articles (9 as first and 6 as corresponding author), with more than 350 cites. He is an active member of various scientific associations such as the North American Catalan Society (NACS) and the Materials Research Society (MRS). He received the LAAAMP scholarship to perform experiments at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), provided by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr).

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCA publication (DOI: 10.1039/D2TA09059G)?

The publication consists of a detailed investigation of different structural, electronic, and optical properties of doped sodium ferrites (NaFeO2), an affordable material with several applications; in this case, focusing on its CO2 capture properties. The novelty lies in the fact that, for the first time, these doped-ferrites were studied with a combined experimental and theoretical approach.

What did you like most about the publication process with the journal?

The reviewing process helped considerably to further improve the quality of the work. Besides, the editorial’s follow-up throughout the process helped the work to be published as soon as possible.

Read Daniel’s Journal of Materials Chemistry A article:

Unveiling the different physicochemical properties of M-doped β-NaFeO2 (where M = Ni or Cu) materials evaluated as CO2 sorbents: a combined experimental and theoretical analysis
Nayeli Gómez-Garduño, Daniel G. Araiza, Christian A. Celaya, Jesús Muñiz and Heriberto Pfeiffer
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 10938-10954

 

Thank you to our first time authors for choosing to publish with us!

We hope you enjoyed finding out about some of new community of authors in this final 10th Anniversary Community Spotlight blog of the series.

If you missed any of our previous ‘Community Spotlight’ blog posts, check them all out here.

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Open Calls for papers: Structure-property relationships in Alloys

We are delighted to invite papers for a new themed collection on Structure-property relationships in Alloys, to be published in Materials Advances, a gold open access journal from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

 

Guest Editors: Professor Xiaoxiang Wu (Soochow University, China), Professor Seok Su Sohn, (Korea University, South Korea), Dr Zhongji Sun (A STAR, Singapore), Professor Qingqing Ding (Zhejiang University, China)

We welcome submissions that focus on the structure-property relationships that paves the way for further alloy development. Special focus is placed on (but not limited to) the following fields:

  • Alloy design theory and methods
  • Alloy fabrication and processing (casting, additive manufacturing, etc.)
  • Properties and Deformation mechanisms of alloys, especially in the harsh conditions
  • Advanced characterization and simulation of metallic materials

Submit before 31st May 2024!

All submitted papers will go through the standard peer review process of Materials Advances and should meet the journal’s standard requirements as well as fit into the general scope of materials science.

Manuscripts can be submitted here https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ma

Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for this themed collection. The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Materials Advances.

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Congratulations to the Prize Winners at Electroceramics for End Users XII

Congratulations to the Prize Winners at Electroceramics for End Users XII

Best poster

Lindsey Lynch, Queen’s University Belfast

Sponsored by: Nanoscale Horizons, Nanoscale and Nanoscale Advances

Best industry related project (poster)

Alicia Gardiner, University of Glasgow

Sponsored by: Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C

Best oral presentation

Zois Michail Tsikriteas, University of Bath

Sponsored by: Materials Horizons

 

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Open Call for papers: Advances in nanoporous metal films

We are delighted to invite papers for a new themed collection on Advances in nanoporous metal films: production methods and applications, to be published in Materials Advances, a gold open access journal from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

 

Guest Editors: Prof. Eva Maria Pellicer, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & Prof. Maria Eugenia Toimil-Molares, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH

We are delighted to announce a new themed collection on Advances in nanoporous metal films: production methods and applications, to be published in Materials Advances, a gold open access journal from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

We welcome submissions that focus on the latest advances in nanoporous metal and semiconductor films including but not limited to:
• synthesis methods (electrodeposition, chemical and electrochemical dealloying, use of sacrificial templates, etc.)
• their characterization, and
• applications in diverse fields, e.g.(electro)catalysis, photocatalysis, spectroscopy, sensing, and drug delivery.

Submit before 31st May 2024!

All submitted papers will go through the standard peer review process of Materials Advances and should meet the journal’s standard requirements as well as fit into the general scope of materials science.

Manuscripts can be submitted here https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ma

Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for this themed collection. The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Materials Advances.

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Themed Collection in Materials Advances: Early Stage Investigator Honorees of the ACS Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering Division

Early Stage Investigator Honorees of the ACS Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering Division

Guest edited by Emily Pentzer and Luis Campos

We are delighted to present to you this special collection, a collaboration between the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the American Chemical Society (ACS), aiming to highlight the outstanding work of those who were honoured recently by the ACS Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering (PMSE) division as Early Career Investigators.

Read the collection

Promotional slide for themed collection, including photos of guest editors and QR code for collection.

This collection in Materials Advances features diverse work from these rising stars, aiming to provide an inclusive, open access and interdisciplinary home for quality polymeric materials research. Both the ACS and RSC are dedicated to supporting this community through publishing, awards, and events.

We hope that readers will enjoy learning about the breadth of research occurring in polymeric materials from reading these papers, with topics ranging from battery applications to biosensing, and develop new ideas for utilizing these transformative materials.

Read some of the featured articles below!

Fiber-reinforced quasi-solid polymer electrolytes enabling stable Li-metal batteries
Shilun Gao, Youjia Zhang, Mengxiang Ma, Zhenxi Li, Zongxue Sun, Ming Tian, Huabin Yang and Peng-Fei Cao
Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 3452-3460 DOI: 10.1039/D3MA00078H

Interfacial stabilization of aqueous two-phase systems: a review
Caitlyn Fick, Zara Khanb and Samanvaya Srivastava
Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 4665-4678 DOI: 10.1039/D3MA00307H

Bio-based non-isocyanate poly(hydroxy urethane)s (PHU) derived from vanillin and CO2
Noé Fanjul-Mosteirín, Lucas Polo Fonseca, Andrew P. Dove and Haritz Sardon
Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 2437-2448 DOI: 10.1039/D3MA00111C

We’d also like to congratulate the 2023 winners of the PMSE Early Stage Investigator Awards. We are looking forward to seeing more great work from these emerging leaders in the field of polymer science and engineering!

We hope you enjoy reading the special collection.

Materials Advances is always interested in considering high-quality articles on polymeric materials and we would be delighted if you would consider our journal for your next submission, which can be made via the Materials Advances online submission service. All submissions will be subject to initial assessment and peer review as appropriate according to the journals’ guidelines.

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Open call for papers: Flexible electrode materials

Journal of Materials Chemistry A, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is pleased to announce an open call for papers for our upcoming themed collection on:

Design and characterization of flexible electrode materials

This collection will be Guest Edited by:

Professor Xiu Song (George) Zhao, Qingdao University

Professor Hui Ying Yang, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore

Professor Li Qiang, Qingdao University, China 

 

Scope of the collection

The design and characterization of flexible electrode materials, situated at the confluence of materials chemistry and engineering, holds pivotal significance for society. Through tailoring composition, structure, and mechanical properties, these materials optimize performance and adaptability in flexible electronics. This bears remarkable implications: from wearable health monitors to sustainable energy solutions. The historical trajectory highlights an evolution from rigid electrodes to innovative materials like conductive polymers, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. This progression, propelled by a nuanced understanding of materials chemistry, enables precise manipulation of materials properties.

The field’s connection with materials chemistry lies in its ability to engineer molecular structures, surface attributes, and interfacial interactions to fine-tune conductivity, electrochemical performance, and mechanical resilience. This harmony between chemistry and engineering ensures materials not only exhibit exceptional traits but also endure real-world demands. This dynamic interplay of science and engineering catalyzes wearable tech, energy storage, and beyond, showcasing the transformative potential of materials chemistry in reshaping technology and enhancing human life.

How to contribute

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

  • Communications
  • Full papers

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly through the journal’s online submission service at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmchema. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when uploading your files to say that this is a contribution to the themed collection in response to the open call.

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

We look forward to considering your submission and featuring your latest research in this themed collection!

 

 

 

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Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C 10th Anniversary Community Spotlight: First time authors

This year we are pleased to celebrate 10 years since Journal of Materials Chemistry was split into three respective journals: Journal of Materials Chemistry AB and C, each focusing on a different aspect of materials chemistry. We are grateful to our fantastic community of authors, reviewers, Board members and readers and wanted to showcase just some of them in a series of ‘Community Spotlight’ blog articles.

In this blog, we spotlight some of our first time authors in Journal of Materials Chemistry AJournal of Materials Chemistry B and Journal of Materials Chemistry C who have published with us as corresponding authors during the anniversary year, and have had their work appear in our #MyFirstJMCA, #MyFirstJMCB or #MyFirstJMCC collections. We welcome our new community of authors and are pleased that they have chosen to publish with our journals. Find out about what some of them had to say about their experience publishing with the journals for the first time and read their featured work below.

 

Dr Mohammad Taha

 

 

Dr Taha is a multidisciplinary researcher exploring the frontiers of materials science, sustainability, and electronic engineering. With a passion for unravelling the mysteries of phase-changing materials, they strive to apply their findings in exciting fields like photonics, sensors, flexible electronics, and sustainable systems. Driven by the belief that a profound understanding of phenomena can unlock untapped potential, they are dedicated to delivering ground-breaking outcomes in their diverse areas of expertise.

 

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry A as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

I opted to submit my article to the Journal of Materials Chemistry A for several pertinent reasons. Primarily, I have a penchant for submitting to journals that have consistently served as dependable references during my research endeavours. Being a materials scientist and engineer, I have consistently found the articles in JMCA to be methodologically sound and intellectually stimulating, making it a journal I frequently consult. Furthermore, the journal’s thematic focus on innovative materials in the realms of energy and sustainability aligns seamlessly with both my current work and my envisioned future trajectory in the field.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCA publication (DOI: 10.1039/D2TA09753B)?

My recent publication delves into the insulator-to-metal phase transition (IMT) observed in vanadium oxide polymorphs and how various structural strains influence it. Notably, the standard IMT behaviour manifests at 68 °C. In our research, we pioneer a dopant-free method to reduce the IMT temperature to approximately 40 °C, facilitating near-room temperature infrared modulation. This is achieved through a twofold approach: by precisely regulating the stoichiometry of the metal oxide to induce intrinsic strains, and by encasing the VOx particles in a SiO2 shell. The disparity in the thermal expansion coefficient between SiO2 and VOx exerts sufficient strain on the VOx, leading to a significant decrease in the IMT temperature.

Read Mohammad’s Journal of Materials Chemistry A article:

Infrared modulation via near-room-temperature phase transitions of vanadium oxides & core–shell composites
Mohammad Taha, Sivacarendran Balendhran, Peter C. Sherrell, Nick Kirkwood, Dingchen Wen, Shifan Wang, Jiajun Meng, James Bullock, Kenneth B. Crozierabe and Len Sciacca
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 7629-7638

 

Dr Biswanath Das

Dr. Biswanath Das is a permanent (senior) researcher and group leader at the Department of Organic Chemistry, at Stockholm University. He is an electrochemist with experience in organic-inorganic synthesis, investigation of reaction mechanisms, and electrode fabrication. His major research interest centers around finding efficient and sustainable resources for renewable energy, utilization of carbon dioxide as a C1 feedstock, and PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) remediation. Biswanath earned his bachelor’s (2007, Burdwan University) and master’s (2009, IIT Kanpur) degree in India and moved to Sweden as an Erasmus Mundus Ph.D. student and conducted Ph.D. studies (2009-2013) in Lund University under the supervision of Prof. E. Nordlander on bioinorganic chemistry. Thereafter, he joined Uppsala University as a postdoctoral fellow (2014-2016) and worked on water splitting in the group of Prof. S. Ott and A/Prof. A Thapper. In 2016, he was selected for a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship (ARC affiliated) from the School of Chemistry, UNSW, Australia. During 2016-2020, he worked on carbon dioxide electroreduction and PFAS degradation in the groups of A/Prof. S B Colbran, A/Prof. G E Ball and Prof. N Kumar before joining Stockholm University as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Em. Björn Åkermark in June 2020.

 

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry A as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

JMCA has a good reputation for publishing research works that are novel and highly important in the field of material chemistry. The articles published in JMCA usually attract a wide audience, which is important for the visibility of the research. We (myself, Assoc. Prof. O. Verho, and Prof. B. Åkermark) did not have any second thoughts while selecting JMCA as a suitable journal for our interesting results.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCA publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TA00071K)?

Sustainable production of green hydrogen (through water electrolysis) is one of the most important research areas of this century. This article represents the first example of a bifunctional and electrochemically regenerable molecular electrode that can be used for the unperturbed production of H2 from water at neutral pH. The special structural design of the electrode and the anchored molecular catalyst result in exciting stability and low overpotential for the electrochemical processes.

Read Biswanath’s Journal of Materials Chemistry A article:

Bifunctional and regenerable molecular electrode for water electrolysis at neutral pH
Biswanath Das, Esteban A. Toledo-Carrillo, Guoqi Li, Jonas Ståhle, Thomas Thersleff, Jianhong Chen, Lin Li, Fei Ye, Adam Slabon, Mats Göthelid, Tsu-Chien Weng, Jodie A. Yuwono, Priyank V. Kumar,   Oscar Verho, Markus D. Kärkäs, Joydeep Dutta and Björn Åkermar
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 13331-13340

 

Dr Johanna Meyer

 

 

Dr. Johanna Meyer is a polymer scientist and a technical and applied chemist specialising in the development of materials for biomedical and technical approaches. After synthesizing and characterizing hydrogels, she continues to design them for various applications ranging from drug delivery and scaffold development to 3D printing of reactors. She received her PhD in 2021 from the Technical Chemistry group led by Prof. Udo Kragl at the University of Rostock (Germany) and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Technical Chemistry at the Leibniz Universität Hannover (Germany).

 

 

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry B as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

The RSC journals are run with significant influence of the chemistry community, upholding high editorial standards, refined reviews, and a commitment to promote diversity. The Journal of Material Science B was particularly convincing with its very good selection of publications and its general scope, making it an optimal choice for our work on 3D‑printed drug delivery systems.

What did you like most about the publication process with the journal?

The quality and constructive approach of referees has provided very valuable feedback on the manuscript and has greatly helped to improve the final published paper. I am sincerely grateful to the referees for their expert input and constructive advice.

Read Johanna’s Journal of Materials Chemistry B article:

3D printed and stimulus responsive drug delivery systems based on synthetic polyelectrolyte hydrogels manufactured via digital light processing
Sonja Vaupel, Robert Mau, Selin Kara, Hermann Seitz, Udo Kraglbc and Johanna Meyer
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 6547-6559

 

Dr Shwetharani R.

Dr. Shwetharani R is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Centre for Nano and Material Sciences at Jain Deemed to be University. Dr. Shwetha holds a PhD Degree in Chemistry (Material Sciences) from Jain Deemed to be University. Her research interests includes preparation and property tuning of semiconductor based nanomaterials, 2D materials MoS2, MoSe2, perovskite oxynitride/oxysulfide, MPX3 materials for H2/O2 evolution and also perovskite QDs property modification (CsPbX3), with a focus on renewable hydrogen generation and high PLQY perovskite QDs for sensing. She completed her postdoctoral stint at Shinshu University at Japan with the supervision of Prof. Kazunari Domen (2019-2020), as well as at Centre for Nano and Material Sciences at Jain Deemed to be University with the supervision of Prof. R Geetha Balakrishna (2016-2018) and has 7 years of experience in academia. She is passionate about development of new and efficient nanostructured materials for photo/electrochemical hydrogen/oxygen production. She believes in the power of collaboration and knowledge exchange to understand the problem in large scale production of hydrogen through economically viable process such as photocatalysis. She is a recipient of JAUW international fellowship from Japan and also received SERB-TARE project to conduct research with the supervision of Prof. S. Sampath at IISc, Bangalore (2020-2023).

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry C as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

Publishing in an international high standard journal is important in the academic field, JMCC is one such journal. The quality of the research papers are excellent and this inspired me to publish in JMCC

What did you like most about the publication process with the journal?

The publication process is fast and genuine. The reviewers are well versed in their field and suggest important comments, which drastically improves the quality of the papers. The reviewers won’t compromise on the quality of the paper and will provide comments if the paper is not up to the standards of the journal (I have received such comments before). 

Read Shwetharani’s Journal of Materials Chemistry C review:

Recent advances in ecofriendly 2D monoelemental bismuthene as an emerging material for energy, catalysis and biomedical applications
Shwetharani R., Itika Kainthla, Sumanth Dongre S., Laveena D’Souzac and R. Geetha Balakrishna
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2023, 11, 6777-6799

 

Dr Dillip Panda

Dr. Dillip K. Panda is a Research Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Clemson University focussing on high-temperature solid-state lithium batteries and the development of various anode, cathode, and electrolyte materials for solid and liquid-based lithium-ion batteries.  He obtained his Ph.D. under the tutelage of Prof. Gordon G Wallace, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.  Dr. Panda then joined Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Florida as a Postdoctoral Fellow where he worked on supramolecular dyad based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), MOFs, nanomaterials (both organic and Inorganic) and chemical sensors.  Then he was a UMEI PISET fellow at the University of Michigan (UMich), where he worked on synthesis, modeling and fabrication and characterization of hybrid organic- inorganic perovskite materials for high efficiency solar-to-electrical energy conversion under Prof. Bartlet and Prof. Maldonado.  More than 32 peer-reviewed publications have been published over the course of his career and three separate book chapters. Aside from serving as president of the Clemson University Postdoctoral Association from 2020 to 2022, Dr Panda received the Clemson University Distinguished Postdoctoral Award in 2022. Over the course of his diverse research career, he has developed a passion for establishing and implementing collaborative and interdisciplinary research, which is a challenging task for society’s energy needs.

What made you choose Journal of Materials Chemistry A as a place to publish your latest materials chemistry research?

Considering my field of research (materials and energy), I am very selective about which journals I submit my papers to. Journal of Materials Chemistry A is one of my favorite journals since it always publishes cutting-edge and innovative research related to energy. Journal of Materials Chemistry A reaches a large audience with a diverse background in engineering and science. The reviewers are also critical of the work and ensure it is of high quality with novelty and significant impact on the field during the revision process. We met the scope of the journal and had our work published.

Could you tell us a bit about your #MyFirstJMCA publication (DOI: 10.1039/D3TA01366A)?

I was delighted to see my article published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A, since this article highlights Silicon oxyycarbide’s electrochemical performance as an anode material. Those interested in lithium-ion batteries and other electrochemical applications will find this paper titled ” A review of silicon oxycarbide ceramics as next generation anode materials for lithium-ion batteries and other electrochemical applications” useful for their research. In lithium-ion batteries, silicon oxycarbide ceramics with specific capacities ranging from 200 to 1300 mAh/g are promising anodes and this type of amorphous material can accommodate considerable volumetric strains, unlike crystalline silicon. In this article, we also discuss how SiOC’s electrochemical performance is affected by various factors, and how to overcome these factors. Having my first corresponding author publication in Journal of Materials Chemistry A makes me extremely happy. As such, I am incredibly proud of this work, and it is extremely special to me.

Read Dillip’s Journal of Materials Chemistry A review:

A review of silicon oxycarbide ceramics as next generation anode materials for lithium-ion batteries and other electrochemical applications
Ravindran Sujith, Jella Gangadhar, Michelle Greenough, Rajendra K. Bordiac and Dillip K. Panda
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 20324-20348

 

Thank you to our first time authors for choosing to publish with us!

We hope you enjoyed finding out about some of new community of authors. Keep an eye out for our final Community Spotlight in the series.

If you missed any of our previous ‘Community Spotlight’ blog posts, check them all out here.

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Bioceramics 33 RSC Poster Prize winners

Bioceramics 33

RSC Poster Prize Winners

Sponsored by Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Biomaterials Science.

Congratulations to our RSC poster prize winners from the Bioceramics 33 conference in Switzerland!

 

 

Winner of the RSC Journal of Materials Chemistry B poster prize:

 

Selase Torkornoo

Poster Title: “Optimizing Parameters for Atom Probe Tomography Analysis of β-Tricalcium Phosphates.”

 

Selase Torkornoo is a PhD candidate at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung & RWTH University, advised by Prof. Baptiste Gault, a professor of atomic scale characterization at Imperial College London. She received her B.S. (2015) in Engineering Science with Nanomedicine concentration from University of Virginia in the USA, and M.S. (2018) in materials science & engineering from University of Leeds in the UK. Prior to her PhD, she worked in industry at multiple semiconductor and display equipment companies, developing surface treatments and thin film coatings. Currently, her PhD research focuses on studying the effect of microstructure and chemical impurities on physio-chemical properties of bioactive materials as part of a collaboration with Dr. Marc Bohner from the RMS Foundation. She is undertaking nanoscale analysis using atom probe tomography (APT), a burgeoning nanoscale composition mapping technique.

 

Winner of the RSC Biomaterials Science poster prize:
 

Johannes Konrad

Poster Title: “Modification of mineral bone substitutes with bisphosphonates.“

 

Johannes Konrad is currently a PhD student at the Department for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Würzburg, supervised by Prof. Dr. Uwe Gbureck. He completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Functional Materials at the University of Würzburg. At that time, focusing on the long-term deformation behavior of technical plastics. During his PhD, he has primarily researched the interaction mechanisms of pharmaceutical agents with mineral bone cements for their application as pharmacologically active bone substitutes.

We are delighted to celebrate the successes of early careers researchers and would like to also congratulate all the participants for the Bioceramics 33 poster sessions. It is amazing to see so many diverse and enthusiastic early career researchers all gathered in one place, sharing their passion and desire to play their part in making the world a better place.

We look forward to reading all your future research in materials (bio)chemistry.

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Cryogenic Characterisation of Calcium Phosphate Cement/Hydrolgel Biomaterials

Probing the microporosity and 3D spatial distribution of calcium phosphate cement/hydrogel biomaterials using FIB/SEM at cryogenic temperatures

Mouad Essani, Baptiste Charbonnier, Nicolas Stephant, Hilel Moussi, Pierre Weiss, Jean Le Bideau and Patricia Abellan

Mater. Adv., 2023,4, 2474-2486 DOI: D2MA00966H

 

 

Meet the authors

 

Mouad Essani received his Ph.D. in physics and analytical chemistry from Sorbonne University in Paris in 2020, where he worked on the characterization of uranium microparticles in the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. His thesis work was mainly focused on the combined use of electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy and Monte-Carlo simulation to investigate both the microstructure and elementary composition of powder used in nuclear fuels. In 2021, he was a postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of materials Jean Rouxel in Nantes under the supervision of Dr. Patricia Abellan. During his postdoc, he investigated the behaviour of synthetic bone substitutes using cryo-electron microscopy. He is currently a research engineer in the University of Paris-Est-Creteil where he applies electron microscopy to study atmospheric particles, aerosols and their impact on the environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patricia Abellan joined the Institute of Materials of Nantes (IMN at Nantes University) with a Junior Talent chair of excellence in 2019 and got tenured as a CNRS research scientist in 2020. She received her BSc in Physics from the Aalborg University (Denmark) and her Ph.D. in Materials Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Spain, in 2011. She has held postdoctoral positions at the University of California – Davis and at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, before taking a staff research scientist position at the SuperSTEM Laboratory (Daresbury, UK) in 2015. Her research focuses on the study of solid-liquid interfaces on hybrid and biomaterials using electron microscopy as well as on the elucidation of the radiation chemistry and radiation physics driving the processes at liquid-solid interfaces induced by the electron beam in an electron microscope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An interview with the authors

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I believe that I am particularly excited about the application of electron microscopy and spectroscopy tools to investigate atmospheric particles. I find topics related to this field both very challenging and interesting. Studying the impact of such particles on the environment constitutes an important aspect for our ecosystem.

 

How do you feel about Materials Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?

I believe that environment friendly processes request the development of materials that have lower impact on the environment. These materials should be investigated in terms of their chemistry, microstructure, etc. I think that research in that field fits perfectly within the scope of Materials Advances.

 

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other, early career scientists?

I consider myself as an early career scientist so I don’t think I can provide much wisdom. The only advice I can give is to never abandon ideas (in research of in life in general) that we believe in.

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2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship winner: Jovana Milić

Congratulations to Dr Jovana Milić, University of Fribourg, Switzerland for being selected as the recipient of the 2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship

The Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship is an annual award, established in 2010, which honours early-career scientists who have made a significant contribution to the fields of materials chemistry. This year we received numerous high-quality nominations from across the world. With help from our Advisory and Editorial Boards, each nomination was assessed and considered for the award. Dr Jovana Milić was selected for the 2023 Lectureship based on her impressive publication record, her establishment as an early-career researcher and her strong engagement in a variety of outreach opportunities to support the chemistry community.

“I am honoured by this recognition and stimulated to further contribute to the materials chemistry community!”

Dr. Jovana V. Milić is Assistant Professor and Smart Energy Materials Group Leader at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland since January 2021. She obtained her Ph.D. in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences of ETH Zurich in 2017. She then worked as a postdoctoral scientist in the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at EPFL until taking on a Group Leader position at the Adolphe Merkle Institute in September 2020 as the Swiss National Science Foundation PRIMA Fellow. Her research is centered around developing (supra)molecular materials for energy conversion, with a particular focus on hybrid photovoltaics. This involves a multidisciplinary approach at the interface of chemistry, material science, and engineering. Her research activities have been recognized by numerous honors and awards, including the CAS Future Leader 2019, Green Talents Award in 2020, and Zeno Karl Schindler Prize in 2021 for research contributions to sustainable development. She has also been awarded ERC Starting Grant in 2023 for the development of smart and sustainable hybrid materials for opto(electro)ionics. In addition to research and international collaborations, she has been invested in science outreach, policy, and diplomacy as a member of the Global Young Academy, Swiss Young Academy, the European Young Chemists’ Network, and International Younger Chemists Network, connecting and supporting young scientists globally.

You can keep up to date with Jovana’s research:

Website: jovanamilic.com

LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/jovanavmilic

Twitter/X: @jovana_v_milic

Discover Jovana’s RSC publications in this web collection to find out more about her research

Check out our interview with Jovana below:

How did you feel when you were announced as the winner of the 2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship?

I was surprised and honoured by the nomination and selection for the 2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship, which further strengthens my motivation to contribute to the community of materials chemistry.

Which of your JMC publications are you most proud of and why?

I am proud of my recent J. Mat. Chem. C 2021 (doi.org/10.1039/D1TC01533H) and our Nanoscale 2022 (doi.org/10.1039/D1NR08311B) publications, as well as Photochemistry 2022 book chapter (doi.org/10.1039/9781839167676-00346), highlighting our research and educational efforts to rely on supramolecular engineering in advancing hybrid materials toward multifunctional materials for energy conversion and smart nanotechnologies. In addition, I am proud of our J. Mat. Chem. A 2021 contribution (doi.org/10.1039/D1TA90183D) with my colleagues at the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN), supporting the community of young chemists. I am also grateful for these articles to be highlighted in the Emerging Investigators Issues of the journals.

At which upcoming conferences may our community meet you?

The community can meet me at several upcoming conferences in hybrid and organic electronics, photovoltaics, and supramolecular chemistry, including the Global Conference for Decarbonization of Energy and Materials (GCDM), Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite and Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP), Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS), International Conference on Science and Technology of Synthetic Electronic Materials (ICSM), and International Conference on Noncovalent Interactions (ICNI-III), as well as International Conference in Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV), which I will be chairing next year, among others.

Please join us in congratulating Jovana!

Related posts:

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship runners-up, Kwabena Bedianko and Laure Biniek

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship shortlisted candidates

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