Announcements

Catalysts (ISSN: 2073-4344) has launched the Section “Catalytic Reaction Engineering”. The Section is dedicated to publishing original and high-impact contributions that report new reaction mechanisms, kinetics, and reaction engineering with emphasis on the recent progress in sustainable catalysts and catalytic processes.

You are welcome to read the Highly Cited Special Issues. As Catalysts is an open access publication, you have free and unlimited access to the full text of all of the articles published in our journal.

1. Special Issue “Current Advanced Technologies in Catalysts/Catalyzed Reactions”
Edited by Sagadevan Suresh and Is Fatimah
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/catalysts_catalyzed_reactions
Viewed by 15616 | Cited by 32

2. Special Issue “Photocatalytic Reaction Engineering for Energy Conversion, Water and Air Purification”
Edited by Hugo de Lasa and Salvador Escobedo
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/pre
Viewed by 10764 | Cited by 19

3. Special Issue “10th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Catalytic Reaction Engineering”
Edited by Hugo de Lasa and Mohammad Mozahar Hossain
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/FP_Catalytic_Reaction_Engineering
Viewed by 9240 | Cited by 6

4. Special Issue “Catalytic CO₂ Methanation Reactors and Processes”
Edited by Son Ich Ngo and Enrique García-Bordejé
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/metha_react
Viewed by 8136 | Cited by 12

5. Special Issue “Catalytic Reaction Engineering for the Sustainability of the Environment”
Edited by Michael Nigra
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/cataly_reac_engin_sustain_environ
Viewed by 3597 | Cited by 6

6. Special Issue “Multicomponent Catalytic Reactions under Green Conditions”
Edited by Giovanna Bosica
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/MRUGCS
Viewed by 1941 | Cited by 5

If you are an active researcher in the field and are passionate about participating in editorial work, please do not hesitate to contact the Catalysts Editorial Office (catalysts@mdpi.com).

Catalysts (ISSN: 2073-4344) has launched the Section “Catalysis for Sustainable Energy”, dedicated to publishing original and high-quality research communications, articles, and reviews on the topics of catalytic reactions that enable the sustainable production and transformation of energy.

“Catalysis for Sustainable Energy” aims to cover recent promising research in the field of the development of innovative catalytic materials, from their syntheses (powdered or structured catalysts) to their application in reactions including water splitting (electrochemical/ photochemical), CO₂ reduction, transformation to value-added chemicals (CH₃OH, C₂₊), environmental catalysis, biomass pyrolysis/gasification, reforming of hydrocarbons/bio-oil/glycerol, methane oxidative coupling, dehydrogenation, etc. Special attention is given to the durability and reusability of applied catalysts.

We welcome you to read the highly cited and highly accessed Special Issues. As Open Access publications, you have free and unlimited access to the full text of all of the articles published in our journal.

1. “Catalysis for Energy Production”
Edited by Maria A. Goula and Kyriaki Polychronopoulou
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/catalysis_energy
Viewed by 65010 | Cited by 321

2. “Heterogeneous Catalysis for Energy Conversion”
Edited by Gang Feng, Supawadee Namuangruk and Yan Jiao
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/hetero_energy
Viewed by 36481 | Cited by 133

3. “Catalysts for Sustainable Hydrogen Production: Preparation, Applications and Process Integration”
Edited by Marco Martino and Concetta Ruocco
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/cshp
Viewed by 33200 | Cited by 202

4. “Advanced Functional Materials for Photo/Electro-Catalysts for Environmental and Energy Applications”
Edited by Sekar Karthikeyan and Boopathy Ramasamy
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/AFM_SF
Viewed by 6895 | Cited by 10

5. “Advanced Catalysts for Achieving Hydrogen Economy from Liquids”
Edited by Bing Zhang and Chuntian Qiu
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/catalysts_hydrogen
Viewed by 6050 | Cited by 13

6. “Advanced Catalysts for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion”
Edited by Peng Gao, Di Bao, Liangxin Ding and Xianbiao Fu
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/Catalysts_Electrochemical_Energy
Viewed by 3012 | Cited by 8

7. “Catalytic Reforming of Light Hydrocarbons”
Edited by Ahmed Sadeq A. Al-Fatesh
Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/reform_hydrocarbon
Viewed by 2484 | Cited by 8

If you are an active researcher in the field and are passionate about participating in editorial work, please do not hesitate to contact the Catalysts Editorial Office (catalysts@mdpi.com).

Catalysts (ISSN: 2073-4344) has launched the Section “Photocatalysis”. This Section is dedicated to publishing the original, novel, and high-impact contributions related to the cross-disciplinary fields of photochemistry, photoelectrochemistry, and catalysis, and will attract the interest of chemists, physicists, biochemists, surface and materials scientists, and engineers. Photocatalysts are of great importance as they can be utilized in a large array of research fields, including solar energy conversion, photosensible sensors, wastewater and air treatment, organic as well as inorganic synthesis, and surface science and storage devices.

As open access publications, you have free and unlimited access to the full text of all of the articles published in our journal. We welcome you to read our highly cited and highly accessed Special Issues for 2021 below:

1. Special Issue “Photocatalysis and Environment”
   edited by Sami Rtimi, Daria Camilla Boffito and Aymen Amine Assadi
   Viewed by 33,331 | Cited by 306
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/photocatalysis_environment
2. Special Issue "Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Wastes in Water"
   edited by María Victoria López Ramón, José Rivera-Utrilla and Manuel Sánchez-Polo
   Viewed by 24,780 | Cited by 132
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/photocata_degradation
3. Special Issue "Nanomaterials for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants and Inactivation of Microorganisms"
   edited by Anna Zielińska-Jurek
   Viewed by 39,434 | Cited by 133
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/nano-photocatal
4. Special Issue "Innovative and Practical Trends in Photocatalytic Degradation of Environmental Pollutants"
   edited by Mohamed Ateia, Matthew Johnson and Bożena Czech
   Viewed by 19,338 | Cited by 64
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/Photocatalytic_Degradation_Pollutants
5. Special Issue "Photocatalysis in the Wastewater Treatment"
   edited by Gassan Hodaifa and Rafael Borja
   Viewed by 21,322 | Cited by 69
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/photocatal_wastewater
6. Special Issue "Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy"
   edited by Abel Santos
   Viewed by 22,100 | Cited by 60
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/porous_photocatal_energy
7. Special Issue "Photocatalytic Reduction of CO₂"
   edited by Martin Reli
   Viewed by 11,572 | Cited by 50
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/CO2_Photocatalytic_Reduction
8. Special Issue "Novel Photocatalysts for Environmental and Energy Applications"
   edited by Dionysios (Dion) Demetriou Dionysiou, Sami Rtimi, Ewa Kowalska, Changseok Han and Marcin Janczarek
   Viewed by 12,451 | Cited by 38
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/Photocatalysts_Environmental_Energy
9. Special Issue "Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Photocatalysis"
   edited by Maria Luisa Marin and Francisco Boscá
   Viewed by 10,586 | Cited by 33
   Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/mech_photocat
10. Special Issue "Advances in Water-Splitting Activity of Highly Efficient Cocatalyst/Photocatalyst Composites"
    edited by Tzu-Hsuan Chiang
    Viewed by 13,914 | Cited by 33
    Webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/photocataly_composites

If you are an active researcher in the field and are passionate about participating in editorial work, please do not hesitate to contact the Catalysts Editorial Office (catalysts@mdpi.com).

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the MDPI Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in MDPI journals, under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and awards:
After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Editorial Office of a journal you choose, and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail. The full list of MDPI journals is as follows: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, we will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!

We are pleased to announce that the website of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation has been revamped! For the past couple of months, our UX UI team and front-end developers have been working hard to launch the website in time for the opening of the Sustainability Awards nominations.

The website is not the only thing that has had a remodeling. Indeed, the format of the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) has been updated. ESLA is now a competition open to individual researchers or start-ups founded by researchers under the age of 35. Nominee applications will go through 2 rounds of selection until the final 3 are decided. The finalists will then be invited to give pitch presentations during the Award Ceremony to win either first place (10,000 USD) or runner-up (2 x 5000 USD).

The World Sustainability Award, on the other hand, remains the same: a total prize money of 100,000 USD is up for grabs by senior individual researchers or groups of researchers from the international research community.

Nominations for both the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader award are now open! Check out our new website for more information on how to nominate.

Catalysts (ISSN: 2073-4344) has launched the Section “Computational Catalysis”, which is dedicated to publishing original computational-based investigations within the broad field of catalysis. These include the development of new computational techniques and screening methods, as well as the rigorous application of current computational tools for discovering new catalysts, reaction mechanisms, or catalytic processes.

We welcome you to read the highly Cited and highly accessed Special Issues. As Open Access publications, you have free and unlimited access to the full text of all of the articles published in our journal.

1. "Computational Methods and Their Application in Catalysis"
Edited by José R. B. Gomes
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/computational_methods
Viewed by 42,482 | Cited by 91

2. "DFT and Catalysis"
Edited by Yong-Kul Lee
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/DFT_Cataly
Viewed by 18,646 | Cited by 51

3. "Feature Papers to Celebrate "Computational Catalysis"—Trends and Outlook"
Edited by C. Heath Turner
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/celebrate_computcata
Viewed by 18,419 | Cited by 67

4. "Computational Chemistry and Catalysis: Prediction and Design"
Edited by Salah-Eddine Stiriba, Mar Ríos-Gutiérrez, Roberto Schimmenti, Saurabh Bhandari and Lahoucine Bahsis
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/comput_catalysis_prediction_design
Viewed by 16,602 | Cited by 35

5. "The Role of Catalysts in Functionalization of C-H and C-C Bonds"
Edited by Mohamed Mokhtar M. Mostafa, Tamer S. Saleh and Nesreen S. Ahmed
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/Functionalization_Bonds
Viewed by 8,567 | Cited by 3

6. "Mechanism/Kinetic Modeling Study of Catalytic Reactions"
Edited by Maria Jaworska and Piotr Lodowski
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/Mechanism_Kinetic_Catalytic_Reactions
Viewed by 6,444

7. "Catalysts: Reactor Modeling Using Computational Fluid Dynamics"
Edited by Gregor Dionys Wehinger and Thomas Eppinger
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/catalysts/special_issues/reactor_modeling_cfd
Viewed by 3,739 | Cited by 5

If you are an active researcher in the field and are passionate about participating in editorial work, please do not hesitate to contact the Catalysts Editorial Office (catalysts@mdpi.com).

Peer Review Week began 19 September 2022 under the theme of “Research Integrity: Creating and Supporting Trust in Research”. Through various blog articles, podcast, and webinar, we discussed this crucial subject throughout the week, celebrating the essential role peer review plays in maintaining research quality.

To begin, we held a Webinar on the topic. Professor Peter W. Choate and Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi joined Dr. Ioana Craciun, one of MDPI’s scientific officers, for an in-depth discussion.

We invite you to view the event recording:

During the week, the MDPI Blog in a series articles highlighted how good Peer Review safeguards research integrity. The following topics were covered:

• Peer Review Week 2022
• Research Integrity
• What We’ve Learned About Peer Review Reports
• 4 Steps to the Perfect Peer Review Report
• How to Write the Perfect Peer Review Report: An Interview
• Inviting Great Peer Reviewers

In a new edition of Insight Faster, an MDPI podcast, we were delighted to talk to the co-chairs of the Peer Review Week committee, Jayashree Rajagopalan (Senior Manager of Global Community Engagement for CACTUS) and Danielle Padula (Head of Marketing and Community Development at Scholastica) to get their take on this year’s event and its related topics.

You can find the Podcast here.

We hope you enjoy the contents!

Symmetry (ISSN: 2073-8994) will be attending the 12th National Organic Chemistry Conference of the Chinese Chemical Society, held in Hefei, China, from 25 to 29 September 2022. This conference aims to achieve an in-depth exchange of the latest research results in organic chemistry and related disciplines and to discuss the frontier trends and future development trends of organic chemistry. During this conference, MDPI (at booth #26) will welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest inspirations with us.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Symmetry (leading journal);
• IJMS;
• Molecules;
• Catalysts;
• Sustainability;
• Pharmaceuticals;
• Molbank;
• Organics;
• Chemistry.

If you plan on attending this conference, feel free to stop by our booth: #26. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions you may have.

For more information about the conference, please see the following link: http://12noc.ustc.edu.cn/.

Catalysts (ISSN: 2073-4344) has launched the Section “Environmental Catalysis”, which aims to cover promising recent research in the field of the development of innovative catalytic materials from their syntheses (powdered or structured catalysts) to their application in model pollutants and in real mixtures of pollutants’ removal from (outdoor and indoor) air, water, and wastewater. Special attention is given to their durability and reusability and to by-products’ formation in the catalytic process.

As Catalysts is an open-access publication, you have free and unlimited access to the full text of all the articles published in our journal. We invite you to read the most highly cited papers published in 2021 listed below:

1. “Recovery/Reuse of Heterogeneous Supported Spent Catalysts”
by Mariachiara Miceli et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(5), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11050591
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/11/5/591

2. “Facet-Dependent Reactivity of Ceria Nanoparticles Exemplified by CeO₂-Based Transition Metal Catalysts: A Critical Review”
by Michalis Konsolakis et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(4), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11040452
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/11/4/452

3. “Towards the Large-Scale Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide”
by Subin Park et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(2), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020253
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020253

4. “Tungsten-Based Catalysts for Environmental Applications”
by Fabien Can et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(6), 703; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11060703
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11060703

5. “Waste Animal Bones as Catalysts for Biodiesel Production; A Mini Review”
by Fayaz Hussain et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(5), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11050630
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11050630 

6. “A Review on the Treatment of Petroleum Refinery Wastewater Using Advanced Oxidation Processes”
by Wamda Faisal Elmobarak et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(7), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11070782
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11070782

7. “Sonochemical and Sonoelectrochemical Production of Energy Materials”
by Faranak Foroughi et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(2), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020284
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020284 

8. “Metal-Organic Frameworks in Oxidation Catalysis with Hydrogen Peroxide”
by Oxana Kholdeeva et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(2), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020283
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020283

9. “Green Synthesis of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles via Sargassum serratifolium Extract for Catalytic Reduction of Organic Dyes”
by Beomjin Kim et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(3), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11030347
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11030347

10. “Particle Number Emissions of a Euro 6d-Temp Gasoline Vehicle under Extreme Temperatures and Driving Conditions”
by Barouch Giechaskiel et al.
Catalysts 2021, 11(5), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11050607
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11050607

If you are an active researcher in this field and are passionate about participating in cutting-edge research publications, please do not hesitate to contact the Section Managing Editor, Ms. Bella Zhang (bella.zhang@mdpi.com).