Molecular Systems Design & Engineering Blog

Issue 1 of Molecular Systems Design & Engineering is now published online, read it here.

The front covers feature work by Darling et al. and Mansour et al. Take a look inside for articles on molecular engineering for carbon capture, gene delivery, organic photovoltaics and more!

All articles published in Molecular Systems Design & Engineering in 2016 and 2017 are free-to-access for all. Access is automatic through registered institutions, or individuals can fill in this simple online form to create a free publishing personal account and obtain access to Molecular Systems Design & Engineering and a host of other free content from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

We are delighted to announce publication of the first Advance Articles in Molecular Systems Design & Engineering. Some of the first articles in the journal include:

Capture and immobilisation of iodine (I₂) utilising polymer-based ZIF-8 nanocomposite membranes
E. M. Mahdi, Abhijeet K. Chaudhuri and Jin-Chong Tan
Paper

Polymer nanocomposites made up of nanoporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are fast becoming a staple of next generation hybrid composites, and are currently being intensely developed for gas capture and separation.

Microparticulate/nanoparticulate powders of a novel Nrf2 activator and an aerosol performance enhancer for pulmonary delivery targeting the lung Nrf2/Keap-1 pathway
Priya Muralidharan, Don Hayes, Stephen M. Black and Heidi M. Mansour
Paper

Solid-state respirable particle engineering design, physicochemical characterization, & in vitro aerosolization of advanced microparticulate/nanoparticulate dry powder inhalers targeting the lung Nrf2/Keap-1 pathway.

Charge generation in organic photovoltaics: a review of theory and computation
Kenley M. Pelzer and Seth B. Darling
Review

One of the most important factors in determining organic photovoltaic device performance is the efficiency of exciton dissociation and charge separation at donor/acceptor heterojunctions. This review discusses theoretical and computational approaches to modeling this crucial process of charge generation.

Molecular engineering of cyanine dyes to design a panchromatic response in co-sensitized dye-sensitized solar cells
Giulio Pepe, Jacqueline M. Cole, Paul G. Waddell and Scott McKechnie
Paper

Cyanines are optically tunable dyes with high molar extinction coefficients, suitable for applications in co-sensitized dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs); yet, barely thus applied.

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Chemistry World has spoken to Molecular Systems Design & Engineering‘s Editorial Board Chair Professor Juan de Pablo about the evolution and potential of molecular engineering. He argues that the field is about to explode due to newly gained knowledge and alternative modes of researcher organisation and collaboration.

Read the full article here.

The Molecular Systems Design & Engineering Email Alerts are a great way to find out about all the latest news and content from the journal.

We’ll let you know as soon as our first advanced articles are published, as well as other important developments, so be sure to sign up now.

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Issue 1 of Molecular Systems Design & Engineering is due to be published in 2016.

Make sure you have the chance to be included – submit now so that we can consider your work for the inaugral issue.

Molecular Systems Design & Engineering, the unique home for pioneering molecular engineering research, is now open for submissions.

A joint venture between the Royal Society of Chemistry and IChemE, the journal’s mission is to forge links between disciplines and accelerate advance in molecular engineering by publishing reports of outstanding significance from all those using and developing molecular-level design and control.

What is molecular engineering?

“I think our ability to manipulate, understand, simulate and control matter at molecular length scales has increased dramatically over the last several decades. Certainly nanotechnology is all about controlling matter at nanometre length scales, and I think what comes now with that ability – that newly gained ability – is the possibility of building devices, systems and functional materials that serve a purpose on the basis of molecular principles. That’s what I would call molecular engineering,“ says Editorial Board Chair Professor Juan de Pablo, from the University of Chicago’s Institute for Molecular Engineering. He identifies three elements that are characteristic of molecular engineering research:

• a design approach, which requires understanding and control;
• the goal of building or assembling a useful system such as a material or device;
• and, of course, doing both of these things at a very small length scales.

The work is often highly interdisciplinary because of the breadth of knowledge, expertise and equipment required to include each of these aspects.

“I don’t think there is a journal right now that really combines all of these elements, so I think that this journal will help us popularise this way of working, and the new field that we call molecular engineering” – Prof. Juan de Pablo.

Molecular engineering across the Royal Society of Chemistry

We’ve put together a collection of some key molecular engineering research from across the Royal Society of Chemistry, which we hope you enjoy reading. After you’re done, why not explore the scope of Molecular Systems Design & Engineering and send us your own best molecular engineering research now for the chance of being included in our very first issue?

Side chain engineering of n-type conjugated polymer enhances photocurrent and efficiency of all-polymer solar cells, Ye-Jin Hwang, Taeshik Earmme, Selvam Subramaniyan and Samson A. Jenekhe, Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 10801–10804.

Digital colloids: reconfigurable clusters as high information density elements, Carolyn L. Phillips, Eric Jankowski, Bhaskar Jyoti Krishnatreya, Kazem V. Edmond, Stefano Sacanna, David G. Grier, David J. Pine and Sharon C. Glotzer, Soft Matter, 2014, 10, 7468–7479.

Emulsion-templated silica nanocapsules formed using bio-inspired silicification, David Wibowo, Chun-Xia Zhao and Anton P. J. Middelberg, Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 11325–11328.

Biodegradable glycopolymer-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) block copolymer micelles: versatile construction, tailored lactose functionality, and hepatoma-targeted drug delivery, Wei Chen, Fenghua Meng, Ru Cheng, Chao Deng, Jan Feijen and Zhiyuan Zhong, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015, 3, 2308–2317.

Rational molecular designs for drastic acceleration of the color-fading speed of photochromic naphthopyrans, Katsutoshi Arai, Yoichi Kobayashi and Jiro Abe, Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 3057–3060.

Mechanical properties of self-assembled nanoparticle membranes: stretching and bending, Yifan Wang, Pongsakorn Kanjanaboos, Sean P. McBride, Edward Barry, Xiao-Min Lin and Heinrich M. Jaeger, Faraday Discuss., 2015, 181, 325–338.

A photoswitchable supramolecular complex with release-and-report capabilities, Jesper R. Nilsson, Melanie C. O’Sullivan, S. Li, Harry L. Anderson and Joakim Andréasson, Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 847–850.

Inhibition of atherosclerosis-promoting microRNAs via targeted polyelectrolyte complex micelles, Cheng-Hsiang Kuo, Lorraine Leon, Eun Ji Chung, Ru-Ting Huang, Timothy J. Sontag, Catherine A. Reardon, Godfrey S. Getz, Matthew Tirrell and Yun Fang, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014, 2, 8142–8153.

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Announcing Molecular Systems Design & Engineering

It’s not often that a new journal can claim to be unique in its field. So we are delighted to announce Molecular Systems Design & Engineering – a truly interdisciplinary, international and high-impact journal bringing together biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computational and materials science.

The journal will look at how understanding molecular properties, behaviour and interactions can be used to design better systems and processes for a desired effect or specific application to solve technological problems of global significance. Launched jointly by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), it combines the expertise and commitment of two influential organisations.

The journal will cover both experimental and theoretical research in:

• the design and characterisation of molecules and systems of molecules;
• modelling molecular system behaviours that inspire new molecular designs for engineering applications; and
• constraints that impact systems’ functionality.

Molecular Systems Design & Engineering will be led by our innovative Editorial Board Chair, Juan de Pablo (The Institute for Molecular Engineering, the University of Chicago), assisted by an expert team of active researchers in the field.

Why publish your research with us?

At the Royal Society of Chemistry, our proven record in launching new and ground-breaking titles speaks for itself. We aim high, and our impressive, high-impact journal portfolio is testament to our success.

And high-impact research demands high visibility. So all content published in Molecular Systems Design & Engineering in 2016 and 2017 will be free to access upon registration – offering you maximum exposure for your work.

Be first in the first

Molecular Systems Design & Engineering is now accepting submissions for its first issues in 2016. Submit your work now for your chance to be included.

We’ll be sharing more news soon – so make sure you stay up to date with our Email Alerts Service.