Multidisciplinary journals: open calls for papers

ChemComm is the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal for urgent communications of outstanding significance from across the chemical sciences. We have been one of the most trusted venues for rapid publication of short communications for more than 50 years. You can rely on us to handle your submission fairly and efficiently, and to give you and your research global reach.

Papers accepted for publication in this collection will be published in the earliest available issue and collated together in a dedicated page on the journal website. All submissions will be subject to the journal’s high standards in peer review.

ChemComm is a Transformative Journal, and Plan S compliant

This special cross-journal collection in Nanoscale and ChemComm aims to look at new phenomena in optical nanomaterials, without the need for applications to be fully realized. We hope to feature research reporting new processes, phenomena and observations, and applications are welcomed but we are also excited to see reports of new and interesting fundamental science. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Luminescent materials
• Scattering materials
• Metamaterials
• Plasmonics
• Nanophotonics
• Fundamental processes in optical materials (although applications can be included)
• New techniques or methods of analysis
• Spectroscopy of materials
• Single-particle imaging
• Light interaction with nanomaterials in tissues
   

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

• Communications
• Full papers
   

Open for submissions until 31 July 2023

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly through the Nanoscale online submission service or the ChemComm online submission service. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to the Fundamental processes in optical nanomaterials collection in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and add a “Note to the Editor” that this is from the Open Call. The Editorial Office reserves the right to check the suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of both the journal and the collection, and inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed issue is not guaranteed.

Please also note that all submissions will be subject to initial assessment and rigorous peer review to meet the usual high standards of the journals and acceptance is not guaranteed.

ChemComm is a Transformative Journal, and Plan S compliant

In the present era, conventional wastewater treatment is facing the challenge of low pre and post treatment efficiency and hence it can be controlled with electrochemical based reactors. This themed collection aims to emphasise understanding the basics of electrochemistry and the way forward towards its application in environmental science and environmental bioremediation technology. It will include basics of environmental electrochemistry, redox reactions for contaminant removal and success stories of various electrochemistry-based techniques with microbial approach in the direction of practical wastewater degradation. With this collection we aim to stimulate new directions for environmental scientists and policymakers to work on advanced electrochemistry-based treatment systems and electrochemical sensor applications by overcoming the existing limitations. This collection will offer the way forward for electrochemically controlled bioreactors for refractory pollutant removal and monitoring purposes. Several successive technologies are key indicators for addressing the various aspects of environmental electrochemistry may be covered.

Topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Advancement in bio electrochemical system for wastewater treatment and resource recovery
• Role of electrochemistry and electrochemical techniques for environmental bioremediation 
• Electrochemical redox reactions for contaminant removal and valuable resource recovery from wastewater
• Advances in microbial electrochemical technology
• Advances of pilot scale electrochemical system for industrial wastewater treatment
• Decomposition and transformation of refractory pollutants in bio electrochemical systems
• The reaction mechanisms at the electrode-electrolyte interface
• Developing and applying electrochemical sensors in treating industrial wastewater

Please make sure that your submission provides an insight that advances the chemistry field or is of interest to the chemistry community.

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

Topics include:

• Sustainable composite materials: These might include, but are not limited to bio-derived and low-carbon pathways to carbon fibre and composite resins (both drop-in and new resins); natural fibres (e.g., hemp, bamboo, and flax); new chemistries or new ways to existing chemistries; modelling for material prediction;
• Low-energy manufacturing: Efficient manufacturing processes, covering both resource and energy efficiency, e.g., UV radiation, fast curing resins, additives for low temperature curing, additive manufacturing (3D printing composites);
• Design for end-of-life: recyclable materials e.g., triggered degradation of thermosets, reversible adhesives, vitrimers; application of reactive modelling and machine learning.
• Enhanced composite lifetime: Self-healing technologies for composite repair e.g., vitrimers; underpinning tools e.g., accelerated testing of polymers and composites, detecting material degradation e.g., microscopy, FTIR; secondary composite applications; repair strategies; and the potential for adoption of imbedded sensor technology.
• Composite recovery and recycling: Strategies for the potential combination of chemical, biochemical and physical recycling technologies for key resin types to deliver both recycled input materials and structural building blocks as second-life materials, analytical techniques to identify composites from waste streams e.g., FTIR and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, digital labels such as QR codes and RFID tags;
• Composite additives: e.g., adhesives, conductors, core, curing agents (including hardeners and catalysts), sizing, toughening agents, flame retardants and UV stabilisers; nanocomposites as an additive in FRP providing thermal, electrical and/or mechanical properties; additives for enhancing performance e.g., toughening agents, UV absorbers/stabilisers, sizing (coating applied to surface of fibres);
• Sustainable composite applications: These might include, but are not limited to e.g., wind turbine blades, ship hulls, hydrogen storage tanks, airplanes, and automotive parts;
• Whole system evaluation: LCA, LCE, TEA, social-economic analysis across whole composite cycle; opportunities to explore the concept of ‘sustainability in use’
• Regulatory and Policy: REACH, material passporting, approval for new materials, verification, testing, adoption of standards to cover the use of second-life materials

Please make sure that your submission provides an insight that advances the chemistry field or is of interest to the chemistry community.

During the last decade, 2D materials have gained tremendous attention in the scientific community due to their structural and physiochemical properties, which make them applicable in various fields of fundamental and applied research. Inspired and boosted by the performance of graphene and its derivates as well as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), with their most prominent members being MoS2 and WS2, significant progress has been made towards the development of new 2D nanomaterials.

In this regard, advanced synthesis routes, as well as an in-depth understanding of the structure-property-performance relationship, are currently being explored for silicenes, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), 2D black phosphorus, halide structures, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), MXenes and MBenes. Their high surface-to-volume ratios coupled with controllable electrical and thermal conductivity, and excellent mechanical properties have made 2D nanomaterials particularly interesting for energy storage/harvesting and supercapacitors, (photo)-catalysis, water purification/desalination, wearable electronics, biomedicine, tribology, and much more. 

This multidisciplinary-themed collection provides the opportunity to share the latest findings related to applied research involving 2D materials with the research community.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• New synthesis approaches for 2D materials,
• Chemical functionalization of 2D materials,
• Fabrication of nanocomposites and their functionalization,
• Advanced, high-resolution materials characterization (chemical and structural),
• Unique physical and chemical properties of 2D materials,
• Experimental and computational studies related to the use of 2D materials in energy storage/harvesting, (photo)-catalysis, water purification/desalination, wearable electronics, and tribology, among others,
• Biomedical applications of 2D materials such as drug delivery, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, oncology, and
• Innovative biosensors based on the 2D materials physical/chemical features.

We welcome your submission to the series.

How to submit:

Both papers and review articles will be considered for this themed collection. All submissions will be subject to an initial assessment by Associate Editors and, if suitable for the journal, they will be subject to rigorous peer review to meet the usual high standards of RSC Advances.

We are proud to be an affordable gold open access journal. Submissions to RSC Advances will be published open access and the appropriate article processing charge (APC) will apply. RSC Advances’ article processing charge (APC) is among the lowest in chemistry and waivers are also available for authors who meet the eligibility criteria outlined here.

If you would like to submit to this themed collection the manuscript should be prepared according to our article guidelines and submitted via our online system any time before the submission deadline of 31 October 2023. During submission, authors will be asked if they are submitting for a themed collection and should include the name of the themed collection. If you would like to submit but require additional time to prepare your article, please do let us know by contacting the journal.

In the past three decades, the intense research activity on carbon nanotubes has unveiled fundamental phenomena and enabled novel applications in nanoelectronics, gas sensing, photodetection, telecommunication, quantum information, material engineering, nanomechanics, nanofluidics, nanomedicine, pharmacology, food industry, catalysis, energy science, etc.

The great success of carbon nanotubes has stimulated research towards the fabrication of nanotubes from other materials. Along this line, the family of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has offered new opportunities. Indeed, nanotubes of MoS2, WS2, etc. have been already synthesized and studied. Other nanotubes, such as black phosphorus ones, have been theoretically predicted but not experimentally established.

New approaches to the synthesis and characterization of nanotubes are continuously developed and new applications are also proposed.

This collection will feature original research articles and reviews on the development and utilization of eco-friendly biomaterials for sustainable solutions. The collection encourages researchers, scientists, engineers, and professionals working in the field of biomaterials, environmental science, energy, biomedical, agriculture, and related disciplines to present their latest research results on below specific topics (but not limited to):

• Green biomaterials for wide array of uses in sustainable environmental
• Eco-friendly biomaterials for environmental remediation and pollution control
• Green biomaterials for water purification and resource conservation
• Harnessing green biomaterials for renewable energy generation and storage
• Green biomaterials for bioenergy production
• Green biomaterials for biological applications: From agriculture to biotechnology
• Sustainable solutions with green biomaterials for agriculture and food industry
• Biodegradable green biomaterials for sustainable packaging
• Bio-based composites, nanomaterials, and electrochemical devices
• Bioinspired green biomaterials for advanced therapeutics, diagnostics, and biosensors
• Advances in green biomaterials for biomedical implants and tissue engineering
• Sustainable nanocomposites with green biomaterials: synthesis, properties, and applications
• Biodegradable polymers for wide-ranging uses

We welcome your submission to the series.

Papers should provide an insight that advances the chemistry field. Papers that contain little or no chemistry and are not considered to be of interest or relevance to the chemistry community are not within the scope of the journal. The criteria for publication are that the work must be high quality, well conducted and advance the development of the field. Articles submitted to the journal are evaluated by our international team of associate editors and reviewers for the overall quality and accuracy of the science presented.

To be eligible researchers should be roughly within 7 years of starting their first independent research position. Career breaks will be taken into consideration (for example, parental or medical leave).

How to submit

Both Papers and Review articles will be considered for this issue. All submissions will be subject to an initial assessment by Associate Editors and, if suitable for the journal, they will be subject to rigorous peer review to meet the usual high standards of RSC Advances.

Our APC is among the lowest in the industry and there are no submission charges. Discounts and waivers are offered to authors from developing countries.

If you would like to submit to this issue please notify the Editorial Office. The manuscript should be prepared according to our article guidelines and submitted via our online system anytime.

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

Topics include:

• Sustainable composite materials: These might include, but are not limited to bio-derived and low-carbon pathways to carbon fibre and composite resins (both drop-in and new resins); natural fibres (e.g., hemp, bamboo, and flax); new chemistries or new ways to existing chemistries; modelling for material prediction;
• Low-energy manufacturing: Efficient manufacturing processes, covering both resource and energy efficiency, e.g., UV radiation, fast curing resins, additives for low temperature curing, additive manufacturing (3D printing composites);
• Design for end-of-life: recyclable materials e.g., triggered degradation of thermosets, reversible adhesives, vitrimers; application of reactive modelling and machine learning.
• Enhanced composite lifetime: Self-healing technologies for composite repair e.g., vitrimers; underpinning tools e.g., accelerated testing of polymers and composites, detecting material degradation e.g., microscopy, FTIR; secondary composite applications; repair strategies; and the potential for adoption of imbedded sensor technology.
• Composite recovery and recycling: Strategies for the potential combination of chemical, biochemical and physical recycling technologies for key resin types to deliver both recycled input materials and structural building blocks as second-life materials, analytical techniques to identify composites from waste streams e.g., FTIR and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, digital labels such as QR codes and RFID tags;
• Composite additives: e.g., adhesives, conductors, core, curing agents (including hardeners and catalysts), sizing, toughening agents, flame retardants and UV stabilisers; nanocomposites as an additive in FRP providing thermal, electrical and/or mechanical properties; additives for enhancing performance e.g., toughening agents, UV absorbers/stabilisers, sizing (coating applied to surface of fibres);
• Sustainable composite applications: These might include, but are not limited to e.g., wind turbine blades, ship hulls, hydrogen storage tanks, airplanes, and automotive parts;
• Whole system evaluation: LCA, LCE, TEA, social-economic analysis across whole composite cycle; opportunities to explore the concept of ‘sustainability in use’
• Regulatory and Policy: REACH, material passporting, approval for new materials, verification, testing, adoption of standards to cover the use of second-life materials

Please make sure that your submission provides an insight that advances the chemistry field or is of interest to the chemistry community.