Last year, as you may know, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B, and C celebrated their 10th anniversary! To join in the celebrations, we asked authors to find creative ways to add a ’10’ to the cover artwork and are excited to show you the latest results in our December monthly cover showcase.
To look back at all the celebrational activities, you can view the #JMCs10Years hashtag on Twitter.
Here are this month’s covers
Open call for papers to contribute to themed collection for Journal of Materials Chemistry C: Photon Upconversion Materials
The field of photon upconversion materials has been booming in recent years. There are several reasons why researchers explore these systems for potential applications in fields as diverse as solar energy conversion, photochemistry, and biomedicine.
The two main classes of materials are organic compounds undergoing triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion and inorganic upconverting (nano)materials based on rare earth elements. Both fields have much in common, but have rarely been connected. To overcome this separation of similar research fields, this special collection embraces the similarities and differences of the two upconversion fields.
Guest Editors:
Dr. Eva Hemmer is an Associate Professor of Materials Chemistry at the University of Ottawa. She received her PhD (2008) in materials science from Saarland University (Germany) under the mentorship of Prof. Sanjay Mathur. During her graduate studies she focused on single-source-precursors and their application in the bottom-up synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials. This experience was further deepened during her postdoctoral studies when she worked on rare-earth-based nanoparticles for near-infrared bioimaging with Prof. Kohei Soga (Tokyo University of Science, Japan, 2009-2012). In 2013 she was awarded a Feodor Lynen Research Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to work in the groups of Profs. Fiorenzo Vetrone and Francois Légaré at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-EMT, Université du Québec, Canada, 2012-2015) to develop rare-earth-based optical nanothermometers. In winter 2016 Dr. Hemmer came to Ottawa; since then, her research focuses on new designs of rare-earth-based nanoparticles for bioimaging, optoelectronic and optomagnetic applications, accompanied by chemically controlled synthesis, surface chemistry, and understanding of structure-property relationships. She received the 2021 Jubilee Global Diversity Award of the ACerS (American Ceramic Society; Engineering Ceramics Division), as well as the 2021 Early-career Achievement Award in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology by NanoOntario. Her commitment to higher-level education and to the broader materials community – for instance as active member of the American Ceramic Society or as Chair of the Student Engagement Sub-Committee of the Materials Research Society – was recognized with the AcerS‘ Du-Co Ceramics Young Professional Award.
Nobuo Kimizuka received his Ph.D. in 1990 under the supervision of Prof. Toyoki Kunitake at Kyushu University.
After working as a postdoc with Prof. Helmut Ringsdorf at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, he was promoted to associate professor in 1992 and full professor in 2000.
In 2020, he was appointed as a Research Supervisor, JST CREST, “Precise arrangement toward the functionality of molecular systems” (2020-2027).
His work encompasses the synthesis, structure, properties, and functions of molecular self-assemblies and coordination nanomaterials.
In recent years, he has focused on developing supramolecular photon energy conversion systems based on designed molecular systems: photon upconversion, molecular solar thermal fuels, and singlet fission.
Lukasz Marciniak is a professor in physics at the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland. His current research focuses on the synthesis and the characterization of the luminescent properties of advanced multifunctional materials in a form of nanocrystals, colloidal solutions, microcrystalline powders, glasses, and single-crystals with the special emphasis on their application in remote sensing and imaging of physical and chemical parameters i.e. temperature (luminescent thermometer), pressure (luminescent manometry) and pH. He conducts interdisciplinary scientific research on a border of physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, material engineering, and biology.
Dr. Lea Nienhaus earned her B.Sc. from the Universität Ulm, Germany in 2010 and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015. She then moved to MIT to work with Professor Bawendi as a postdoctoral associate. She began her independent career at Florida State University in the Fall of 2018. The Nienhaus group is interested in unraveling the complex photophysical processes occurring in hybrid upconversion systems by a combination of optical spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy.
Professor Timothy Schmidt was educated at The University of Sydney, winning the University Medal for Theoretical Chemistry in 1997. He undertook his PhD at The University of Cambridge in the field of femtosecond spectroscopy under the supervision of the late Dr Gareth Roberts. He was a postdoctoral research associate of Prof. Dr John Paul Maier, FRS in Basel, Switzerland, where he researched highly unsaturated hydrocarbon molecules of astrophysical relevance. Tim returned to Australia in 2003 to take up a position at CSIRO researching artificial photosynthesis. He was appointed as a lecturer in the School of Chemistry at The University of Sydney in 2004 and there rose to Associate Professor before moving to UNSW in 2014 as Professor and ARC Future Fellow. At UNSW he is Research Director of the School of Chemistry and Chief Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science. Professor Schmidt has been the recipient of a number of awards for his research including the Coblentz Award (2010) for contributions to the science of molecular spectroscopy.
About this call
Submissions to the journal should contain chemistry in a materials context and should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry C. Please see the journal’s website for more information on the journal’s scope, standards, article types and author guidelines.
For this open call, we welcome full Papers and Communications.
If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, please submit your article directly through the Journal of Materials Chemistry C submission service. Please mention that your submission is a contribution to the ‘Photon Upconversion 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. Please do not mention the collection in your cover letter.
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.
Materials Advances publishes review articles on topics across materials science, which are open access and free to read. To celebrate our excellent review articles, we asked the authors of some of our most well-received review articles to discuss their work in more detail.
In this post, we share insights from our interview with Krishanu Ghosal and learn more about the authors of recently published paper Recent advances in chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate waste into value added products for sustainable coating solutions – hope vs. hype.
What aspect of your research are you most excited about at the moment?
“In this polymer age, the unprecedented escalation in the production, consumption, and disposal of post-consumer polymeric waste materials has become a critical environmental concern of paramount importance. According to a World Bank report, in 2016, the global production of plastic waste reached a staggering 242 million tonnes, constituting approximately 12% of the total solid waste generated worldwide. Historically, a significant portion of this plastic waste has been managed through methods such as landfills or incineration.
To address this escalating issue, researchers are now concentrating on the 3R (reduce, recycle, and reuse) concept of plastic products. Currently, I am specifically working on the recycling of plastic waste into value-added chemicals, which can serve as raw materials or intermediates for the creation of new materials, including novel biodegradable polymers. More precisely, my work involves developing new classes of biodegradable polymers derived from recycled polymeric materials waste focusing on biomedical and coatings applications.”
What do you find most challenging about your research?
“I feel that, the most challenging part about my research is translation of technology from lab to commercial scale. It’s common for reactions, processes, or technologies that prove effective in a lab setting to encounter significant drawbacks when implemented on an industrial scale. This challenge is particularly pronounced in the field of polymer recycling, where there has been a surge in research articles. Unfortunately, only a handful of these innovations make it to commercialization while maintaining socio-economic viability.
A noteworthy observation is the disparity between the promising laboratory results and the practical hurdles faced during industrial implementation. A recurring issue is the elevated cost of recycled raw materials compared to readily available fresh raw materials in the market, which diminishes the feasibility of recycling initiatives. Additionally, it’s imperative to consider the environmental impact of the recycling process. An ideal recycling method should not only be economically viable but also environmentally sustainable, ensuring a carbon-neutral or even negative footprint, while avoiding the generation of harmful chemicals throughout the entire process.”
What does it mean to you to have a highly cited review article?
“Receiving acknowledgment from peers in the same field is a truly gratifying experience for any researcher. It not only validates the dedication and effort invested in one’s work but also fosters a sense of professional camaraderie and shared appreciation within the research community.”
How do you feel about Materials Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?
“All of the journals of Royal Society of Chemistry’s Materials family are highly reputed among materials researchers. The Materials Advances platform offers a unique opportunity for researchers to showcase their latest findings in the dynamic field of materials science. Publishing in Materials Advances experience is really amazing. Additionally, because Materials Advances is an OA journal, the reach of the journal is broader, which attracts many researchers working in different fields of materials to read and publish in Materials Advances.”
What is one piece of career-related advice or wisdom that you would like to share with early career scientists?
“I feel that, early career researchers should choose problem statements wisely. To address these challenges, early career scientists should take the initiative and independently formulate solutions for their chosen problem statements. Engaging in discussions with fellow researchers and colleagues regarding the problem statement and potential solutions serves as a valuable process for refining and sharpening the proposed solution. This collaborative process not only hones their problem-solving skills but also cultivates critical thinking, fostering the development of well-rounded and innovative researchers.
Furthermore, I would recommend that early career scientists actively explore opportunities to translate their research into commercial applications. This initiative not only maximizes the societal impact of their work but also exposes them to the complexities and practicalities of taking scientific innovations from the lab to the market. By bridging the gap between research and commercialization, these scientists can bring out the true potential of their findings to the broader public, making a meaningful difference in the real world.”
Dr Krishanu Ghosal is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Before joining Technion he worked as an Assistant Technical Manager in Shalimar Paints Ltd. He did his Ph.D at the Department of Polymer Science and Technology, University of Calcutta, with a thesis titled “Synthesis of biopolymers from recycled plastic waste and natural resources for tissue engineering applications”. He obtained his B.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry and M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Howrah, India. During his B.Sc. and M.Sc., he was actively involved in various research activities as well as industrial training. During an M.Sc. summer internship, he worked under Professor T P Radhakrishnan, School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad. There he worked on a project titled “Synthesis of ultrathin film based on poly-N-octadecylaniline based gold and silver nanoparticles using the air-solution interface”. He also worked under the guidance of Dr Atanu Bhattacharya at IISc Bangalore, completing his master’s thesis titled “Ground state decomposition mechanism of metal contained nitramine molecule”. His research interests include several diverse fields including synthesis of novel polymers, recycling of polymeric materials into value-added products, synthesis of nanomaterials and their biomedical applications, green chemistry etc. |
Mr Chinmaya Nayak is currently serving as the Head of Industrial R&D in Shalimar Paints Limited. Previously he worked as a Senior Development Manager in R&D at Berger Paints India Ltd, Kolkata. He received his M.Sc. degree in Chemistry from Delhi University and his M.Tech. (Corrosion Science & Technology) from NIT-Durgapur. He has 24 years of experience in the paint industry. As a seasoned R&D professional in the paint industry, he has designed and commercialized more than 2000 formulations. Additionally, he has trained more than 100 professionals in the field of paint technology. He has been a part of numerous technical events and conferences. In addition to that, he has been actively involved in the presentation and publication of technical papers. |
We congratulate the authors on their impactful work and wish them success in their future academic research!
To celebrate some of the excellent work that has been published in Materials Advances this year, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail. In this post, we hear from Dr Shazid Md. Sharker about their recently published article entitled “NIR-light-triggered delivery of doxorubicin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles for synergistic cancer therapy on DMBA/TPA induced tumor-bearing mice“.
Dr Shazid Md. Sharker obtained his PhD in 2016 from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea. Dr Sharker got a research training experience from the School of Medicine, Stanford University, California, USA. Currently, he is working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at North South University (NSU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr Sharker plans to continue exploring nanotechnology at NSU to expand his understanding of nanoscale biological interactions. He aims to develop polymer and liposome-based nanocarriers and discover new nanoparticles (NPs) having both therapeutic and diagnosing (theragnostic) applications.
What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?
Drug delivery technology is heavily reliant on technology; like others, I find excitement in developing or leveraging new tools, methods, or technologies that can enhance nanotechnology in drug delivery and its outcomes. Securing funding for research projects is a common challenge. Finding a balance between teaching responsibilities and research pursuits can be challenging for academics. Heavy teaching loads may limit the time available for focused research.
How do you feel about Materials Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?
The prospect of publishing in reputable journals and receiving recognition for one’s work can be a source of great satisfaction and motivation. It made me decide on an open-access journal like Materials Advances and a well-known publisher like RSC as a place to publish research on this topic.
Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with early career scientists?
The research career is like a journey, just like moving from one place to another. In both research and study, obstacles can be overcome, and new discoveries can be made, and a sense of progress and growth. A successful research career is not solely defined by the number of papers published but also by the ability to adapt, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully to their field and beyond. Cultivating a diverse skill set early in their career can position them for long-term success and make them more adaptable to the evolving landscape of scientific research. While becoming an expert in their chosen area is crucial, having a range of complementary skills can enhance scientists’ versatility and make them more resilient in a rapidly changing research landscape.
Bioinspired functional supramolecular systems
We are pleased to invite submissions to a themed collection on Bioinspired functional supramolecular systems to be published in Journal of Materials Chemistry B.
The submissions deadline has been extended to 31 July 2024
Guest Editors: Dr. João Borges (University of Aveiro, Portugal), Prof. Patricia Y. W. Dankers (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands), Prof. João F. Mano (University of Aveiro, Portugal), Prof. Sébastien Lecommandoux (University of Bordeaux, France)
Nature provides us with an unparalleled variety of supramolecular systems that are formed via dynamic non-covalent interactions. Those include the molecular motor proteins, the cell membrane, the DNA double-helix structure, or the native extracellular matrices of tissues and organs, to name just a few. Such complex and dynamic supramolecular biological landscapes have inspired the design and development of bioinspired supramolecular materials and systems that could recreate their structural composition and complexity, dynamic and adaptive nature, functional features, and properties to address a myriad of applications in the biological and biomedical fields.
This themed collection in Journal of Materials Chemistry B, Guest Edited by Dr. João Borges (University of Aveiro, Portugal), Prof. Patricia Y. W. Dankers (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands), Prof. João F. Mano (University of Aveiro, Portugal) and Prof. Sébastien Lecommandoux (University of Bordeaux, France), aims to provide an up-to-date platform for sharing latest developments in the field of bioinspired functional supramolecular systems. From the fundamental concepts on the supramolecular design and synthesis to the application of the bioinspired supramolecular (bio)materials in drug/gene/protein/therapeutics/cell delivery, biosensing, diagnostics, theranostics, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, among others. This collection also aims to encourage more interdisciplinary research and collaborative efforts at the intersection of supramolecular chemistry, (bio)materials science, and biology to inspire breakthrough research in the fascinating field of bioinspired supramolecular systems aimed at more closely emulating the complexity and dynamics of natural biological systems and creating life-like material systems.
Deadline Extended: Submit your latest work by 31 July 2024
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 full primary research in the way of Full Papers or Communications.
If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, please submit your article directly through the Journal of Materials Chemistry B submission service. Please mention that your submission is a contribution to the Bioinspired functional supramolecular systems 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.
We look forward to receiving your latest work and considering it for this collection!
This year, as you may know, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B, and C are celebrating their 10th anniversary! To join in the celebrations, we’ve asked authors to find creative ways to add a ’10’ to the cover artwork and are excited to show you the results in our monthly cover showcase.
To join in the celebration, you can view the #JMCs10Years hashtag on Twitter and follow the posts for the year so far.
Here are this month’s covers
Journal of Materials Chemistry A is pleased to announce an open call for papers, for the upcoming themed collection:
‘Frontiers in electrocatalysis for clean energy’
Guest Edited by:
Huang Yizhong, (NTU, Singapore),
Anders Hagfeldt, (Uppsala University, Sweden),
Kelsey Stoerzinger, (University of Minnesota, USA),
Lead Guest Editor: Ahsan Ul Haq Qurashi, (Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi),
In this themed collection, the major focus will be on materials interplay in the electrochemical microenvironment, long term stability of earth abundant electrocatalysts, frontiers in theoretical understanding of nano-interfaces, role of Operando techniques, Benchmarking C2 products from CO2 reduction and outperforming electrocatalytic materials for other electrochemical reactions.
Submission deadline extended to 26 April 2024!
Ready to submit your manuscript? Visit our online submissions platform: manuscriptcentral.com/jmchema. Please don’t forget to add that, this submission will be for the themed collection for electrocatalysts, so that we may correctly allocate your paper.
All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer review process, including an initial Editorial assessment as to suitability for the journal before potential peer review.
Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C 10th Anniversary Community Spotlight Series
Celebrating our wonderful community in a series of spotlights
To celebrate the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C 10th anniversary, we have highlighted just some of the members of our community who have supported the journals over the past decade. We are pleased to have published 10 blogs showcasing different groups of our community, including Advisory and Editorial Board members, dedicated and first-time authors and outstanding reviewers.
Find all of our blogs here or check out each of our Community Spotlights individually below:
Thank you to our wonderful community for their support over the past decade! We hope that you enjoy reading our Community Spotlight series.
To celebrate some of the excellent work that has recently been published in Materials Advances, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail. In this post, we hear from Setia Budi and his co-authors about their recently published article entitled “Enhanced photocatalytic activity of CoNi-decorated Zn-doped Cu2O synthesized by electrodeposition technique“.
Setia Budi received his Ph.D. in materials Science from Universitas Indonesia in 2017. While pursuing his Ph.D., he conducted research at the School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) through a sandwich-like program. Currently, he serves as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Universitas Negeri Jakarta, where he leads a research group specializing in the synthesis of nanostructured films for electrocatalyst, photocatalysts, and bio-applications. His research is dedicated to uncovering strategies for enhancing the performance and durability of these films.
Mega Gladiani Sutrisno graduated in chemistry from the Universitas Negeri Jakarta in Indonesia. In 2021 she began her independent career as an Assistant Researcher at The Centre of Innovation, where she worked on the synthesis and catalytic activity characterization of cuprous oxide doped semiconductor nanomaterials. Currently she is working to elucidate the improved photocatalytic activity and stability and semiconductor materials for photodegradation of synthetic dyes.
What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?
I am currently most excited about the remarkable advancements in nanostructured films for photocatalysts, electrocatalysts, and bio-applications. However, my research’s primary challenge is to boost the catalytic activity and longevity of these films.
How do you feel about Materials Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?
I view Materials Advances as an excellent platform for publishing our research on this topic due to its focus on materials science and its potential to reach a broad audience of researchers and professionals in the field.
Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom for early career scientists?
As an earlier scientist, I may not have profound wisdom to offer. Nevertheless, I’d like to share a valuable piece of advice: stay curious, persistent, and open to collaboration.
This year we are pleased to celebrate 10 years since Journal of Materials Chemistry was split into three respective journals: Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B 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 A, Journal 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.
