Light–nano matter interactions

By exploiting optical phenomena at the nanoscale, materials with tailored light-matter responses are enabling advances across photonics, optoelectronics, sensing, energy conversion, biomedicine, and quantum technologies. From plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures to luminescent, hybrid, and responsive materials, this rapidly evolving field connects fundamental discoveries with practical routes to manipulate, emit, guide, harvest, and detect light. With this collection, we aim to highlight recent advances, emerging trends, and innovative approaches that are shaping the future of materials with optical functionalities and their applications.

The collection aims to highlight the latest developments in nanophotonics, nanomaterials and light–matter interactions. Its scope includes materials that exploit nanoscale optical phenomena to enable advances in photonics, optoelectronics, sensing, energy conversion, biomedicine and quantum technologies. Relevant areas include plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures, luminescent, hybrid and responsive materials, and innovative approaches to manipulating, emitting, guiding, harvesting and detecting light.

We welcome submissions of primary research in any of the following journals included in the collection: Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B, C and Nanoscale. Please see the journal webpages for more information on the journals’ scopes, standards, article types and author guidelines.  

If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly to the online submission system for the selected journal on the submissions platform. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to the ‘Light-nano Matter’ collection in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and add a “Note to the Editor” that this is from the Open Call. 

Accepted articles will be published in regular journal issues as soon as possible, collated into the themed collection online and promoted in mid-2027. All submissions will undergo initial assessment and rigorous peer review in accordance with the usual standards of the participating journals, and acceptance is not guaranteed.