Nanoscience journals: open calls for papers

Miniaturisation, automation, and integration have a profound impact across diverse fields, including biology, medicine, materials science, analytical chemistry, environmental monitoring, energy, and more, from laboratory research to industrial applications and clinical settings. Lab on a Chip is the premiere journal that publishes cutting-edge research in the field of miniaturisation. By their very nature, microfluidic/nanofluidic/miniaturized systems are at the intersection of disciplines, spanning fundamental research to high-end application, which is reflected by the broad readership of the journal. With this new Emerging Investigator Series, we want to celebrate the major up-and-coming players across this field.

This is an on-going collection - with articles being published once they are accepted and collated online, meaning that there are no strict submission deadlines. Articles published in the Series will receive extensive promotion, including a featured interview on our blog and social media platforms. Your published article will be free to access for a limited period after publication and as part of the wider Emerging Investigator collection.

This collection is led by recognised Thought Leaders in the field - David Issadore (University of Pennsylvania) and Sindy Tang (Stanford) - both of whom were featured in a previous Emerging Investigator Series.

To be eligible for the series, authors should be approximately within 10 years of completing their PhD (or equivalent), have an independent research career and be the corresponding author on their submitted manuscript. We are inclusive of any career breaks you may have had extending over this period.

The journal is led by Editor-in-Chief Aaron Wheeler (University of Toronto, Canada) and supported by a team of Associate Editors (Jean-Christophe Baret, Yoon-Kyoung Cho, Amy Herr, Xingyu Jiang, Séverine Le Gac, Hang Lu, Manabu Tokeshi, Hongkai Wu). More details about the Journal, its scope and author guidelines are available on Lab on a Chip page here.

Please note that all submitted manuscripts will be subject to initial assessment and peer review in accordance with the journal’s normal standards.

Lab on a Chip is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

Organ-on-a-chip technology has rapidly gained prominence and relevance at the interface between biology and engineering due to its burgeoning potential to revolutionise biomedical research and clinical applications. These micro-engineered devices mimic the physiological functions of human organs, providing powerful microfluidic platforms for disease modelling, drug testing and therapeutics, and personalised medicine.

Submissions of interest for this Thematic Collection will significantly build upon existing models and open new avenues of research and applications by providing cutting-edge solutions to pressing problems. In recognising the multidisciplinary nature and impact of organ-on-chips, we are emphasising the collaboration between academia, industry, and clinical partners and welcome contributions that demonstrate the translation of pioneering research into practical and clinical applications for human health and disease.

Topics of next-generation interest include, but are not limited to:

• Emerging therapies beyond small drugs
• New model designs
• Digital twins and artificial intelligence (AI) integration and analysis
• Advanced sensing and measurement technologies (integrated sensors, RNA Seq, proteomics, spatial omics, multi-omics, real-time measurements, etc.)
• Bioprinting techniques
• Standardisation
• Diverse cell types (cell lines, primary cells, iPSCs, ex vivo tissues)
• Multi-organ-on-chip and body-on-chip systems

This seminal collection will showcase select next-generation papers and their investigators that look towards the future - highlighting the most forward-thinking developments in the field of organ-on-a-chip technology. Please get in touch with the Editorial Office (LOC-RSC@RSC.org) to discuss your potential contribution.

Lab on a Chip is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

Achieving a sustainable future is one of the greatest challenges facing our society today which requires to be imperatively addressed. To ensure this for current and future generations, with minimal or zero net carbon emissions in matching a higher-than-ever energy demand, we must undertake a comprehensive overhaul of our energy systems.

Lab-on-a-chip systems hold opportunities in addressing this challenge through their potential to provide deep and unique understanding of the essential physical and geochemical mechanisms underlying innovative technologies that are crucial for this societal transition. Additionally, they can facilitate the development of relevant and necessary new processes and materials.

Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to, innovations that emphasise the role of microfluidic/nanofluidic/miniaturised systems and their applications in:

• hydrogen/energy storage
• geothermal energy extraction
• bioenergy
• engineered nanoporous materials
• carbon sequestration
• critical material/mineral recovery
• water filtration and remediation

We invite research and review papers in these and related topics. Accepted articles will be published in an online collection as soon as they are accepted and will be promoted extensively.

The deadline for submission to this collection is February 1st, 2025. If you are interested in submitting a contribution, please do get in touch with the Editorial Office (LOC-RSC@RSC.org)  and we would be pleased to work together to establish an appropriate timeline.

Lab on a Chip is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

Submissions to the collection should fit within the scope of Journal of Materials Chemistry A or Nanoscale. Please see the individual journal pages for more information on the scope, standards, article types and author guidelines.

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 to the online submission system for Journal of Materials Chemistry A, or Nanoscale. Please quote the code XXNanGen24 in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and add a “Note to the Editor” that this is from the open call.

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.

Nanoscale is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

Nanotechnologies have opened very promising opportunities to treat diseases with the design of nanomaterials able to cross the different biological barriers encountered and to interact specifically with diseased tissues. Whatever the administration route, numerous biological, physical and chemical barriers have to be overcome: endothelium, macrophages, endosome, mucus, surfactants, pH, enzymes etc. In nanomedicine, the goal is to develop multimodal nanoplatforms to speed up targeted diagnosis, to increase its sensitivity, reliability and specificity for a better management of diseases (patient’s care) and to treat them in a targeted and personalized manner.

In the SFNano 2024 workshop, new approaches for nanomedicine in the imaging, diagnosis and theranostic fields are presented, with a special focus on the nanomaterial chemistry (e.g., polymers, DNA, RNA, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates lipids, gels), in the context of infectious, cardiovascular and immune diseases, vaccination, and cancers. A special light was placed on translational studies from scale up to clinical applications. Indeed, for further translation in clinics of such nanoplatforms, a key step is the scaling-up of these nanoplatforms by taking into account environmental considerations and GMP conditions and regulatory constrains. Therefore, a key challenge today is the development of scaled-up synthesis methods such a continuous flow synthesis of water-based synthesis and also the analysis/control of by-products at each synthesis steps.

This collection will be aligned with the SFNano 2024 workshop and will cover several crucial aspects of nanomedicine:

• Design, synthesis, formulation & characterization of nanomaterials: inorganic or organic nanoparticles, gel
• In vitro and in vivo validation of nanomedicine
• Multimodal Imaging (e.g. MRI, MPI, SPECT, PET, ultrasound)
• Multimodal therapy (e.g, hyperthermia, chemo therapy)
• Translation studies for infectious, cardiovascular and immune diseases, vaccination and cancers
• Scaling-up strategies for clinical applications.
   

When ready, please submit your article directly to the submission system for Nanoscale. Please mention that your submission is a contribution to the  “Nanomedicines for Crossing Biological Barriers” collection in the “Themed Issues” section of the submission form and is in response to the Open Call.

Please note that all submissions will be subject to initial assessment and rigorous peer review to meet the usual high standards of Nanoscale. All articles featured in the collection must be in scope and as such final inclusion is not guaranteed and will be up to the discretion of the guest editors.

If accepted, your article would be published in a usual issue of the journal and added to the online collection for extra visibility.

Nanoscale is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

This special issue in Nanoscale aims to publish papers focusing on the fundamental understanding and practical applications of superwetting nanoelectrodes, covering broad topics such as:

• Construction of superwetting electrodes
• Understanding and controlling three-phase boundaries
• Mass transfer dynamics during electrocatalysis
• Bubble/droplet movement on solid surfaces
• Electrochemical reactions between different phases

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

• Communications
• Full papers

Open for submissions until 8 December 2024

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly through the Nanoscale online submission service. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to the Superwetting nanoelectrodes for renewable energy 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 the inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed issue is not guaranteed.

Please also note that all submissions will undergo our normal rigorous peer review processes including an initial assessment prior to peer review, and that peer review and acceptance are not guaranteed.

Nanoscale is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

To achieve high selectivity and sensitivity in detecting and quantifying analytes, biosensors with a high signal-to-noise ratio are essential. Optical biosensors have gained significant attention over the past decade. Fluorescent and plasmonic nanomaterials are two key types of optical nanomaterials used in various biomedical and environmental applications. Advances in this field are driven by the discovery of new nanomaterials and techniques. These ultrasensitive optical probes are employed for monitoring and detecting pollutants, as well as for in-vitro and in-vivo diagnosis, visualization, and treatment of severe diseases. They are utilized in both colloidal and planar systems, contributing to improved quality of life and a promising future for research.

The current special issue aims to highlight the significance of optical nanomaterials in detecting, quantifying, visualizing, and analyzing biomedical and environmental topics. It will cover a range of materials and techniques, including:

• Fluorescent nanomaterials (e.g., organic molecules, metal nanoclusters, carbon dots, quantum dots)
• Plasmonic nanostructures (e.g., metal nanoparticles, planar metal structures)
• Various biosensing technologies (e.g., fluorescent and colorimetric biosensors, SERS-based probes, SRS microscopy, microfluidic devices, lateral flow assays)
• Drug delivery
• Cancer treatment 

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

• Full papers
• Review Articles

Open for submissions until 27 February 2025

Articles can be submitted at any time before the deadline via the journal’s online submission system for Nanoscale or Nanoscale Advances. Accepted articles will be published in a citeable format in regular journal issues as soon as possible and collated into the themed collection online. We are looking forward to receiving your submission, which is welcomed any time before 27 February 2025 so that this collection can become available to you and the community as soon as possible.

Please note that Nanoscale is a hybrid (transformative) journal, and articles can be published either via the usual subscription model or open access (article processing charges are required). Nanoscale Advances is gold open access and requires article processing charges. Your institution may have a read & publish deal in place with the RSC which means you may be able to publish open access in our hybrid journals with fees covered by the institution. Check our journal finder to see if you are eligible.

When ready, please submit your article directly to the submission system for Nanoscale or Nanoscale Advances. Please mention that your submission is a contribution to the "Optical Nanomaterials for Biomedical and Environmental Applications" collection in the “Themed Issues” section of the submission form and is in response to the Open Call.

Nanoscale is a Transformative Journal and Plan S compliant

Next-generation soft wearable sensors hold significant promise for revolutionizing healthcare and human-computer interaction by providing seamless integration between the human body and electronic devices. These advanced systems, characterized by their flexibility, stretchability, and biocompatibility, enable continuous monitoring of physical parameters such as body motion, physiological parameters like heart rate, and biochemical markers like electrolytes and cortisol levels in sweat in real-time. This real-time data collection can lead to more personalized and timely medical interventions, enabling a shift from hospital-centred healthcare to patient-centred healthcare.

Beyond healthcare, next-generation soft wearable sensors have applications in fitness, sports, and augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR), paving the way for innovative approaches to human performance enhancement and interactive technologies. They offer significant advancements in human-machine interaction, enhancing experiences in the metaverse and beyond. This special issue aims to highlight the latest research, developments, and innovative applications in soft wearable sensors from a materials and nanotechnology perspective, and we believe your work would make a valuable contribution to this discussion.

This special-themed collection aims to provide a platform to showcase the recent progress and challenges in the field of soft wearable sensors addressing the exciting current challenges in biosensors, bioelectronics, medicine, healthcare, AR/VR and soft robotics. The scope of the collection is broad, including but are not limited to:

• Soft wearable materials and design
• Innovative fabrication methods of soft wearable sensors
• Materials and technologies for enhanced sensor performance
• Integration of sensors with wearable systems
• Significance of machine learning and artificial intelligence for remote diagnostics and automatic decision making
• Applications in health monitoring, rehabilitation, AR/VR and sports
• Challenges and future directions in the development of soft wearable sensors
   

Submissions should fit within the scope of either Nanoscale Horizons or Materials Horizons. Please visit the journal webpages for more information on their scope, standards, article types and author guidelines. We invite authors to select the journal that best suits their submission. Please note that primary research is accepted in the form of Communications for both journals and require a ‘New Concepts statement’ to help ascertain the significance of the research. General guidance and examples can be found here.

For Nanoscale Horizons, we welcome exceptionally high-quality studies across all fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology in the form of Communications and Review-type articles (Reviews and Focus articles).

For Materials Horizons, we welcome exceptionally high-quality materials science in the form of Communications and Review-type articles (Reviews, Opinions and Focus articles).

We strongly encourage you to submit an original research article. If you are interested in submitting a review-type article, please contact the Editorial Office at materialshorizons-rsc@rsc.org in the first instance with a proposed title and abstract, as initial approval is required before submission to avoid topic overlap and ensure that we cover topics in need to review.

When ready please submit your manuscript directly to the submissions platform for Nanoscale Horizons or Materials Horizons where our Editors will assess as per the scope and standards of the journal. Please add a note in the ‘Comments to the Editor’ and ‘Themed issues’ sections of the submission that this is a submission to the ‘Soft wearable sensors’ themed collection in response to the Open Call. Please note that all submissions will be subject to our standard rigorous peer review process, including initial editorial assessment as to suitability for the journal and maintain before peer review, if found appropriate. If accepted, your article would be published in a usual issue of the journal and added to the online collection for extra visibility.

Nanoscale Horizons is a Transformative Journal, and Plan S compliant

The scope of this collection encompasses, but is not limited to, the following key areas:

• Development of recycling processes for various types of polymeric nanocomposites
• Life cycle assessment and environmental impact
• Comparative analyses of recycling methods in terms of environmental sustainability
• Circular Economy approaches
• Strategies for closing the loop in polymer nanocomposite material life cycles
• Market trends and opportunities in the recycled nanocomposite materials industry
• Real-world applications and success stories of recycled nanocomposite materials
• Challenges and future perspectives

The journal welcomes contributions from researchers, scientists, engineers, policymakers, and industry professionals working on various aspects of polymer-based nanocomposite recycling, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

Topics include but are not limited to,

• Optical nanoantennas
• Light-matter interaction
• Quantum optics
• Near-field optics
• Nonlinear optics
• Anomalies in light scattering
• Spectroscopy and microscopy of materials
• Optical sensors
• Nanofabrication techniques
• New techniques and methods of analysis
• Advanced imaging
• Nano-optical trapping
• Optics and transport in nanomaterials
• Functional nanophotonics
• Optical response of advanced nanostructured materials
• Nanofunctional photonic composites and self-organised nanostructures
• Ultrafast opto-induced magnetism

You are invited to submit any time before 31 March 2025.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

We invite submissions of original research articles and review articles that delve into both the fundamental principles and practical applications, encompassing, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Advanced synthesis
• Nanocomposites
• Surface modification for selected applications
• Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) detection
• Nanocatalysts
• Photocalysts
• Electroanalysis
• Adsorption

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

We invite submissions of original research articles & review articles that delve into fundamental principles and practical applications, including but not limited to:

• Chemical synthesis and evaluation of catalytic materials to support clean liquid fuels production, environmental catalysis and remediation
• Bulk and nanoscale catalytic materials for hydrogen production in fuel cells by electrocatalytic processes, conversion of biomass, energy storage and organic electrosynthesis (Photocatalytic materials, Electro-catalytic materials and Single-Atom Catalysts)
• Controlled synthesis and scaling of MOFs, metal nanoparticles, etallocenes, ionic liquids, transition metal carbides, phosphides, nitrides and sulfides catalytic materials.
• In situ studies of synthesis and/or activation of catalytic materials during pretreatment.
• Application of advanced characterization techniques including in situ/operando methodologies by atomic force, scanning tunneling electron microscopy (SEM, STEM, TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Synchrotron Radiation, Raman, and Mössbauer spectroscopies.
• Computational modelling and AI/machine-learning approaches for catalytic materials, reactions and mechanisms.

Articles can be submitted at any time before the deadline via the relevant journal online submission system. Please see the journals’ webpages linked above for more information on their scope, standards, article types and author guidelines.

Please 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. 

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

This themed collection broadly focuses on carbon nanoarchitectonics, including (but not limited to):

• Biomass carbon for advanced functions
• Nanocarbons for battery applications
• Nanocarbons for supercapacitors and energy storage
• Nanocarbons for energy production (e.g., fuel cells, solar cells)
• Nanocarbons for sensing
• Nanocarbons for environmental remediation
• Nanocarbons for biomedicine
• New synthesis strategies for nanoarchitectured functional carbons
• New characterization strategies for nanoarchitectured functional carbons
• Theoretical and physical research of nanoarchitectured carbons

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

A prime objective is to explore the overlap between groups working on scanning probe methods for advancing atom-based technologies and researchers from the photonics community working on quantum information, ultrafast molecular and quantum dynamics, light-matter interfaces, and nanometric functional materials.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the 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. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal's usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that accepted manuscripts will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) unless your institute has an existing agreement with the RSC that covers publications in our gold open access journals. More information about charges, discounts, and waivers are available here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

This collection will be hosted by the Advances family of journals at the Royal Society of Chemistry, which publish interdisciplinary, robust science:

• RSC Advances – At the heart of open access for the global chemistry community
• Energy Advances – Cutting-edge science at the forefront of energy technology with particular focus on emerging materials and methods
• Environmental Science: Advances – Research from any discipline that will contribute to the understanding of the environment, and to the advancement of UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Materials Advances – New understanding, applications, properties and synthesis of materials
• Nanoscale Advances – Publishing across the breadth of nanoscience and nanotechnology

As Gold Open Access journals, the Advances family means maximum visibility for your work, to both subject specialists and a general audience.

Submit any time during the eligible period. Articles will be promoted and added to the collection as soon as they are accepted.

Choose one of our Advances journals above** and quote “New Principal Investigator Collection” in the submission form when it asks you if you are contributing to a themed collection.