Novel Functional Crystalline Materials for Energy Conversion and Sensing

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 2

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DiaTHEMA Lab, Sez. Montelibretti, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche—Istituto di Struttura Della Materia, CNR-ISM, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
Interests: thermionic energy converter; thin films; electronic properties; materials science; electronic engineering; materials engineering; nanomaterials; laser irradiation; laser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the pursuit of sustainable and cost-effective technologies, the development of next-generation crystalline materials represents a strategic and timely challenge. The Special Issue “Novel Functional Crystalline Materials for Energy Conversion and Sensing” aims to collect original contributions focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of advanced crystalline materials with innovative functional properties. Particular attention is given to materials that enhance the efficiency of energy conversion processes—including photovoltaics, photocatalysis, thermionics, thermoelectrics, and energy storage—as well as to crystalline systems responsive to physical or chemical stimuli for high-performance sensing applications. This Special Issue welcomes experimental, theoretical, and multidisciplinary studies that can advance the understanding and application of functional crystalline materials in these rapidly evolving fields.

Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel crystalline material design, growth techniques, and structural engineering;
  • Crystalline materials for solar energy conversion and photoelectrocatalysis;
  • Piezoelectric, thermionic, thermoelectric, and ferroelectric crystalline systems;
  • Crystalline-based gas chemical, optical, and physical sensors;
  • Computational modelling and theory of functional crystalline materials;
  • Hybrid and low-dimensional crystalline systems for energy and sensing applications.

Dr. Alessandro Bellucci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • functional crystalline materials
  • energy conversion
  • sensing materials
  • photovoltaic and photocatalysis systems
  • thermoelectric and thermionic materials
  • piezoelectric crystals
  • crystal growth and design
  • low-dimensional crystalline systems
  • hybrid crystalline materials
  • computational materials science

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop