Advances in Combustion, Plasma Chemistry and Clean Fuel Technologies—Experimental and Computational Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in combustion science, plasma chemistry, and clean fuel technologies are reshaping the future of energy conversion and fire-related processes. Increasing efficiency demands and global decarbonization goals require a deeper understanding of reaction kinetics, ignition behavior, pollutant formation, and flame dynamics. Advances in data-driven modeling and numerical simulation, when validated by rigorous experimental diagnostics, are now making this level of insight possible. Meanwhile, emerging clean fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, biofuels, and synthetic e-fuels introduce new combustion regimes, chemical pathways, and fire behaviors that must be understood to ensure safe and efficient deployment in modern energy systems. Plasma technologies have become particularly important in this landscape. Non-thermal plasma can activate chemical reactions at low temperatures, enhance ignition, stabilize ultra-lean flames, and enable sustainable fuel synthesis. These advances open a path toward electrified, distributed, and low-emission energy systems, while offering new strategies for controlling fire hazards, material flammability, and pollutant formation. Thus, the intersection of combustion, plasma chemistry, and clean fuels represents a rapidly evolving and scientifically rich research frontier.

The aim of this Special Issue, titled “Advances in Combustion, Plasma Chemistry and Clean Fuel Technologies—Experimental and Computational Approaches”, is to gather state-of-the-art research that advances fundamental understanding and practical applications relevant to the scope of Fire, which includes combustion processes, fire dynamics, ignition mechanisms, flame spread, fire safety, material flammability, and emerging technologies that influence fire behavior. By presenting new insights into reaction pathways, diagnostics, modeling tools, and fire-affected behaviors of advanced fuels and plasma-assisted systems, this Special Issue seeks to broaden the scientific foundation necessary for safer, cleaner, and more efficient combustion- and fire-related technologies. We invite a wide range of contributions, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) fundamental studies of laminar and turbulent flames, ignition chemistry, and high-temperature reaction kinetics; (2) plasma-assisted combustion and plasma-catalytic fuel conversion; (3) fire safety implications of hydrogen, ammonia, biofuels, and other alternative fuels; (4) soot, NOx, and particulate formation and mitigation strategies; (5) advanced diagnostics and optical measurement techniques; (6) computational and reduced-order models for reacting flows, fire propagation, or plasma–fuel interactions; and (7) experimental and modeling studies relevant to wildland fires, material flammability, and fire suppression technologies.

Submissions may include original research articles, comprehensive reviews, short communications, benchmark datasets, and methodological or diagnostic advancements. The contributions to this Special Issue will provide a unified, forward-looking perspective on combustion and fire science in an era of clean, low-emission, and plasma-enabled energy technologies.

Dr. Ziyu Wang
Dr. Xingqian Mao
Dr. Hongtao Zhong
Guest Editors

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. Fire 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 2400 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.