In order to recognize some of the outstanding work published in the journal, as well as the authors behind those articles, we annually award a Materials Horizons Outstanding Paper Award. The prizes recognise the contributions of all authors and celebrate these exceptional publications.
Each year, we look back at the exceptionally high quality and innovative materials science published during the previous calendar year and put together a shortlist of articles based on a variety of metrics including article downloads, Altmetric score, citations and reviewer comments. The shortlist is reviewed by the journal's Editorial and Advisory Board members based on the science presented and its potential future impact.
Our 2022 winners
Outstanding Article winner
Semi-paracrystallinity in semi-conducting polymers
Sara Marina, Edgar Gutierrez-Fernandez, Junkal Gutierrez, Marco Gobbi, Nicolás Ramos, Eduardo Solano, Jeromy Rech, Wei You, Luis Hueso, Agnieszka Tercjak, Harald Ade and Jaime Martin
In this outstanding article (DOI: 10.1039/D1MH01349A), the authors introduced a new structural model for polymer materials, i.e. the semi-paracrystalline organization, which is based on the coexistence of small paracrystalline regions and disordered regions.
Outstanding Article runner-up
Ultra-stable self-standing Au nanowires/TiO2 nanoporous membrane system for high-performance photoelectrochemical water splitting cells
Ewa Wierzbicka, Thorsten Schultz, Karolina Syrek, Grzegorz Dariusz Sulka, Norbert Koch and Nicola Pinna
In this outstanding article (DOI: 10.1039/D2MH00718E) the authors developed a novel synthesis method of a core-shell structure composed of nanostructured self-standing titania nanotubes (light absorber) filled with Au nanowires (electrons collector).
Outstanding Review winner
Organic building blocks at inorganic nanomaterial interfaces
Yunping Huang,Theodore A. Cohen, Breena M. Sperry, Helen Larson, Hao A. Nguyen, Micaela K. Homer, Florence Y. Dou, Laura M. Jacoby, Brandi M. Cossairt, Daniel R. Gamelin and Christine K. Luscombe
In this outstanding review (DOI: 10.1039/D1MH01294K), the authors summarized guidelines for using organic molecules to modulate the properties of inorganic nanomaterials via interface engineering, as an alternative to conventional methods of composition engineering and/or morphology engineering, exploiting a unique opportunity in nanomaterials – their large surface area.
See all our previous winners
Guidelines for nominators and candidates
Find out who is eligible for this award, about the assessment process and selection panel.
To be eligible to receive a Materials Horizons Outstanding Paper Award you must have published an article in the journal in the previous calendar year. All submissions will be subject to initial assessment and peer review as appropriate according to the journal’s guidelines.
The editorial team draw up a shortlist of papers based on a variety of metrics including article downloads, Altmetric score, and citations.
Winner(s) are selected by the Materials Horizons Editorial and Advisory Boards.
Selection panel
Previous winners
Materials Horizons Outstanding Articles
2021 winner: Biohybrid plants with electronic roots via in vivo polymerization of conjugated oligomers
2021 runner-up: van der Waals solid solution crystals for highly efficient in-air photon upconversion under subsolar irradiance
2020 winner: An ambient-stable and stretchable ionic skin with multimodal sensation
2020 runner-up: Stretchable, self-healing and tissue-adhesive zwitterionic hydrogels as strain sensors for wireless monitoring of organ motions
2019 winner: 4D printing reconfigurable, deployable and mechanically tunable metamaterials
2018 winner: Bioinspired hierarchical composite design using machine learning: simulation, additive manufacturing, and experiment
2018 runner-up: Unidirectional water delivery on a superhydrophilic surface with two-dimensional asymmetrical wettability barriers
Materials Horizons Outstanding Reviews
2021 winner: Catalytic methods for chemical recycling or upcycling of commercial polymers
2020 winner: Evolution of self-healing elastomers, from extrinsic to combined intrinsic mechanisms: a review
2019 winner: Stimuli-responsive polymers for sensing and actuation
2018 winner: Photocatalytic fixation of nitrogen to ammonia: state-of-the-art advancement and future prospects