As I look back at the past year of ACS Nanoscience Au, I am struck by the growing scope, visibility, and impact of the journal and the research it features. I also realize that the previous Editorials I have written and cowritten all highlight the diversity of research and researchers that the field encompasses. This diversity was especially evident in 2023. During 2023, ACS Nanoscience Au published papers from an exciting cross section of the field, based on the demographics and geographical locations of the researchers as well as the topics covered. I have been especially thrilled to see many early career researchers engaged with the journal, both behind the scenes as active reviewers and Editorial Advisory Board members and front-and-center by publishing cutting-edge research articles, reviews, and perspectives.
During 2023, the pages of ACS Nanoscience Au featured research spanning both fundamental and applied topics that included experimental and computational contributions. Several papers described biological and medical applications of nanoscale systems, including interactions of over-the-counter drugs with red blood cells, particle-induced cytotoxicity, drug encapsulation, antibiofilm coatings for medical devices, pathogen-skin adhesion, mRNA delivery, monitoring and detecting neurotransmitters, photothermal therapy, and biomineralization, as well as studies of the interactions of nanoparticles with biological systems that focus on the protein corona and cellular responses to metal nanoparticles. New and emerging nanomaterials featured prominently in the journal, including the synthesis, reactivity, and properties of 2D materials, compositionally complex (high entropy) materials, quantum dots, perovskite nanoparticles and films, nanodiamond surfaces and aggregates, covalent organic frameworks, and metal organic framework development, properties, and applications. Various classes of materials were also featured, including ferroelectric, catalytic, and polymorphic oxides, phosphides, chalcogenides, intermetallics, carbon nanomaterials, and soft/polymeric materials such as collagen nanofibers and organic nanofilaments. Broad application areas that were highlighted involved batteries, wastewater treatment, catalysis, acoustically powered and magnetically responsive active matter, nanopore-based peptide transport and single-molecule detection, sensors, plasmonic materials, electronics, and analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Several contributions emphasized advanced super-resolution and electron microscopy techniques, including reports of the in situ reactivity and stability of nanostructures, as well as automated image analysis. Computational advances involving machine learning, deep learning, density functional theory, and molecular dynamics simulations were also reported. This nonexhaustive list reinforces both the diversity of the field and the broad scope of ACS Nanoscience Au.
Gazing ahead into 2024, we are excited about the upcoming Virtual Special Issue (VSI) on Advances in Energy Conversion and Storage at the Nanoscale. I am honored to be joined by three Guest Editors for this VSI: Kwabena Bediako (University of California, Berkeley), Raffaella Buonsanti (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), and Nanfeng Zheng (Xiamen University). Together, we are looking to highlight and celebrate cutting-edge advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology that focus on energy-related applications. As announced in the recent Call for Papers, we invite contributions on all topics relating to nano energy, including (but not limited to) nanomaterials for energy harvesting, conversion, and storage; thermoelectric nanomaterials; nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for thermal energy management; nanogenerators; nanomaterials for energy-efficient (opto)electronic and spintronic systems, and nanostructured catalytic materials for energy-relevant transformations. Submissions for this VSI are welcome through May 3, 2024.
I am thankful for this excellent team of Guest Editors, as well as our Editorial team at ACS Nanoscience Au that includes Associate Editors Chun Ning (Jeanie) Lau and Wolfgang Parak, Senior Managing Editor Amelia Newman, Development Editor Aditi Jain, and Shelley Minteer, who oversees the entire portfolio of ACS Au journals (including ACS Nanoscience Au) as Editor-in-Chief. I am indebted to the members of our Editorial Advisory Board, who consistently offer excellent suggestions and feedback. I am also grateful for our authors who choose to feature their work in ACS Nanoscience Au, our reviewers who diligently provide constructive feedback in a timely manner, and our readers for their enthusiasm about, and support for, the work we publish. I look forward to all that lies ahead in 2024, including new advances in current and emerging research areas and new discoveries that push the field in exciting and unexpected directions!
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.