Announcements

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as the scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation of the papers published in the journal last year.

We are honored to present the winners in the “Chemistry & Materials Sciences” category, who were selected amongst the extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

C — Journal of Carbon Research：

• “Activated Carbons Derived from High-Temperature Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass”
  by Cristian I. Contescu, Shiba P. Adhikari, Nidia C. Gallego, Neal D. Evans and Bryan E. Biss
  C 2018, 4(3), 51; doi:10.3390/c4030051

Catalysts:

• “Hydrogen Oxidation on Ni-Based Electrocatalysts: The Effect of Metal Doping”
  by Elena S. Davydova, Jérémie Zaffran, Kapil Dhaka, Maytal Caspary Toroker and Dario R. Dekel
  Catalysts 2018, 8(10), 454; doi:10.3390/catal8100454
• “Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: Role of Sacrificial Reagents on the Activity of Oxide, Carbon, and Sulfide Catalysts”
  by Vignesh Kumaravel, Muhammad Danyal Imam, Ahmed Badreldin, Rama Krishna Chava, Jeong Yeon Do, Misook Kang and Ahmed Abdel-Wahab
  Catalysts 2019, 9(3), 276; doi:10.3390/catal9030276
• “A General Overview of Support Materials for Enzyme Immobilization: Characteristics, Properties, Practical Utility”
  by Jakub Zdarta, Anne S. Meyer, Teofil Jesionowski and Manuel Pinelo
  Catalysts 2018, 8(2), 92; doi:10.3390/catal8020092
• “Mechanistic Insights into Photodegradation of Organic Dyes Using Heterostructure Photocatalysts”
  by Yi-Hsuan Chiu, Tso-Fu Mark Chang, Chun-Yi Chen, Masato Sone and Yung-Jung Hsu
  Catalysts 2019, 9(5), 430; doi:10.3390/catal9050430

Ceramics:

• “Chemical Preparation Routes and Lowering the Sintering Temperature of Ceramics”
  by Philippe Colomban
  Ceramics 2020, 3(3), 312–339; doi:10.3390/ceramics3030029

Coatings:

• “State of the Art in Directed Energy Deposition: From Additive Manufacturing to Materials Design”
  by Adrita Dass and Atieh Moridi
  Coatings 2019, 9(7), 418; doi:10.3390/coatings9070418
• “Encapsulation of Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells: A Review”
  by Ashraf Uddin, Mushfika Baishakhi Upama, Haimang Yi and Leiping Duan
  Coatings 2019, 9(2), 65; doi:10.3390/coatings9020065
• “Poly (Lactic Acid)/Thermoplastic Starch Films: Effect of Cardoon Seed Epoxidized Oil on Their Chemicophysical, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties”
  by Rosa Turco, Rodrigo Ortega-Toro, Riccardo Tesser, Salvatore Mallardo, Sofia Collazo-Bigliardi, Amparo Chiralt Boix, Mario Malinconico, Massimo Rippa, Martino Di Serio and Gabriella Santagata
  Coatings 2019, 9(9), 574; doi:10.3390/coatings9090574
• “Physical and Morphological Characterization of Chitosan/Montmorillonite Films Incorporated with Ginger Essential Oil”
  by Victor Gomes Lauriano Souza, João Ricardo Afonso Pires, Carolina Rodrigues, Patricia Freitas Rodrigues, Andréia Lopes, Rui Jorge Silva, Jorge Caldeira, Maria Paula Duarte, Francisco Braz Fernandes, Isabel Maria Coelhoso and Ana Luisa Fernando
  Coatings 2019, 9(11), 700; doi:10.3390/coatings9110700
• “Application and Evaluation of a Pectin-Based Edible Coating Process for Quality Change Kinetics and Shelf-Life Extension of Lime Fruit (Citrus aurantifolium)”
  by Neda Maftoonazad and Hosahalli S. Ramaswamy
  Coatings 2019, 9(5), 285; doi:10.3390/coatings9050285

Crystals:

• “Crystal and Magnetic Structures in Layered, Transition Metal Dihalides and Trihalides”
  by Michael A. McGuire
  Crystals 2017, 7(5), 121; doi:10.3390/cryst7050121
• “σ-Hole Interactions: Perspectives and Misconceptions”
  by Peter Politzer and Jane S. Murray
  Crystals 2017, 7(7), 212; doi:10.3390/cryst7070212
• “σ-Hole Interactions of Covalently-Bonded Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Arsenic: A Survey of Crystal Structures”
  by Peter Politzer, Jane S. Murray, Goran V. Janjić and Snežana D. Zarić 
  Crystals 2014, 4(1), 12-31; doi:10.3390/cryst4010012
• “Epitaxial Graphene on SiC: A Review of Growth and Characterization”
  by Gholam Reza Yazdi, Tihomir Iakimov and Rositsa Yakimova
  Crystals 2016, 6(5), 53; doi:10.3390/cryst6050053

Magnetochemistry:

• “A Clock Transition in the Cr₇Mn Molecular Nanomagnet”
  by Charles A. Collett, Kai-Isaak Ellers, Nicholas Russo, Kevin R. Kittilstved, Grigore A. Timco, Richard E. P. Winpenny and Jonathan R. Friedman
  Magnetochemistry 2019, 5(1), 4; doi:10.3390/magnetochemistry5010004
• “A Series of Field-Induced Single-Ion Magnets Based on the Seven-Coordinate Co(II) Complexes with the Pentadentate (N₃O₂) H₂dapsc Ligand”
  by Vyacheslav A. Kopotkov, Denis V. Korchagin, Valentina D. Sasnovskaya, Ildar F. Gilmutdinov and Eduard B. Yagubskii
  Magnetochemistry 2019, 5(4), 58; doi:10.3390/magnetochemistry5040058
• “Magnetic Janus Particles for Static and Dynamic (Bio)Sensing”
  by Susana Campuzano, Maria Gamella, Verónica Serafín, María Pedrero, Paloma Yáñez-Sedeño and José Manuel Pingarrón
  Magnetochemistry 2019, 5(3), 47; doi:10.3390/magnetochemistry5030047

Membranes:

• “Composite Membranes for High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells and Electrolysers: A Critical Review”
  by Xinwei Sun, Stian Christopher Simonsen, Truls Norby and Athanasios Chatzitakis
  Membranes 2019, 9(7), 83; doi:10.3390/membranes9070083

• “Transport Characteristics of Fujifilm Ion-Exchange Membranes as Compared to Homogeneous Membranes AMX and CMX and to Heterogeneous Membranes MK-40 and MA-41”
  by Veronika Sarapulova, Inna Shkorkina, Semyon Mareev, Natalia Pismenskaya, Natalia Kononenko, Christian Larchet, Lasaad Dammak and Victor Nikonenko
  Membranes 2019, 9(7), 84; doi:10.3390/membranes9070084

Nanomaterials:

• “Nanomaterials for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Wastewater”
  by Jinyue Yang, Baohong Hou, Jingkang Wang, Beiqian Tian, Jingtao Bi, Na Wang, Xin Li and Xin Huang
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(3), 424; doi:10.3390/nano9030424
• “Injectable Alginate-Peptide Composite Hydrogel as a Scaffold for Bone Tissue Regeneration”
  Moumita Ghosh, Michal Halperin-Sternfeld, Itzhak Grinberg and Lihi Adler-Abramovich
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 497; doi:10.3390/nano9040497
• “Carbon Dots and Graphene Quantum Dots in Electrochemical Biosensing”
  by Susana Campuzano, Paloma Yáñez-Sedeño and José M. Pingarrón
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 634; doi:10.3390/nano9040634
• “A Smart Nanovector for Cancer Targeted Drug Delivery Based on Graphene Quantum Dots”
  by Daniela Iannazzo, Alessandro Pistone, Consuelo Celesti, Claudia Triolo, Salvatore Patané, Salvatore V. Giofré, Roberto Romeo, Ida Ziccarelli, Raffaella Mancuso, Bartolo Gabriele, Giuseppa Visalli, Alessio Facciolà and Angela Di Pietro
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(2), 282; doi:10.3390/nano9020282
• “Evolution of Wearable Devices with Real-Time Disease Monitoring for Personalized Healthcare”
  by Kyeonghye Guk, Gaon Han, Jaewoo Lim, Keunwon Jeong, Taejoon Kang, Eun-Kyung Lim and Juyeon Jung
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(6), 813; doi:10.3390/nano9060813
• “An Ultra-High-Energy Density Supercapacitor; Fabrication Based on Thiolfunctionalized Graphene”
  by Janardhanan. R. Rani, Ranjith Thangavel, Se-I Oh, Yun Sung Lee and Jae-Hyung Jang
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(2), 148; doi:10.3390/nano9020148

Polymers:

• “The Relationships between the Working Fluids, Process Characteristics and Products from the Modified Coaxial Electrospinning of Zein”
  by Menglong Wang, Tao Hai, Zhangbin Feng, Deng-Guang Yu, Yaoyao Yang and SW Annie Bligh 
  Polymers 2019, 11(8), 1287; doi:10.3390/polym11081287
• “Design of Controlled Release System for Paracetamol Based on Modified Lignin”
  by Mahboubeh Pishnamazi, Hamid Hafizi, Saeed Shirazian, Mario Culebras, Gavin M. Walker and Maurice N. Collins 
  Polymers 2019, 11(6), 1059; doi:10.3390/polym11061059
• “Additive Manufacturing of PLA-Based Composites Using Fused Filament Fabrication: Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelet Reinforcement on Mechanical Properties, Dimensional Accuracy and Texture”
  by Miguel Ángel Caminero, Jesús Miguel Chacón, Eustaquio García-Plaza, Pedro José Núñez, José María Reverte and Jean Paul Becar
  Polymers 2019, 11(5), 799; doi:10.3390/polym11050799
• “Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Manufacturing, Properties, and Applications”
  by Miguel Ángel Caminero, Jesús Miguel Chacón, ,Eustaquio García-Plaza, Pedro José Núñez, José María Reverte and Jean Paul Becar
  Polymers 2019, 11(10), 1667; doi:10.3390/polym11101667 

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2021 Travel Awards in the “Chemistry & Materials Sciences” category for their outstanding presentations.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage talented junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of Travel Awards for the year 2021 and wish them the greatest success with their future research endeavors.

MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Crystals:

• Gaojun Mao, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
• Lidia Bofill Herrera, University of Barcelona, Spain

Gels:

• Demetra Giuri, University of Bologna, Italy
• Martina Genta, Imperial College London, UK

Journal of Functional Biomaterials:

• Anushree Seth, Washington University, USA

Magnetochemistry:

• Fabio Ferreira, University of Coimbra, Portugal
• Giulia Serrano, University of Florence, Italy

Materials：

• Giulia Fredi, University of Trento, Italy
• Mattia Biesuz, Czech Academy of Science, Czech Republic

Metals:

• Adriana Eres-Castellanos, Spanish National Center for Metallurgical Research, Spain
• Pavel Shurkin, National University of Science and Technology, Russia

Nanomaterials:

• Aleksandrs Leitis, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, France
• Ekaterina Kolesova, ITMO, Russia

Separations:

• Christoph Gstoettner, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands

1. “Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) Nanoparticles in Biomedical Application: From Synthesis to Surface Functionalisation”
by Lokesh Srinath Ganapathe et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(4), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6040068
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/4/68

2.“Magnetic Nanoparticle Systems for Nanomedicine—A Materials Science Perspective”
by Vlad Socoliuc et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6010002
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/1/2

3. “Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Purposes: Modern Trends and Prospects”
by Tatyana I. Shabatina et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(3), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6030030
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/3/30/htm

4. “Tuning of Structural, Dielectric, and Electronic Properties of Cu Doped Co–Zn Ferrite Nanoparticles for Multilayer Inductor Chip Applications”
by Muhammad Hadi et al.
Magnetochemistry 2021, 7(4), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry7040053
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/7/4/53

5. “Spin-Crossover Complexes in Direct Contact with Surfaces”
by Manuel Gruber et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(3), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6030035
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/3/35/htm

6. “A Review on the Optimal Design of Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based T₂ MRI Contrast Agents”
by Nina Kostevšek
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6010011
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/1/11

7. “Nano-Structured Dilute Magnetic Semiconductors for Efficient Spintronics at Room Temperature”
by Akanksha Gupta et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6010015
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/1/15/htm

8. “Magnetic Nanoparticles for Nanomedicine”
by Maria Hepel
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6010003
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/1/3/htm

9. “Hybrid Nanostructured Magnetite Nanoparticles: From Bio-Detection and Theragnostics to Regenerative Medicine”
by Yolanda Piñeiro et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6010004
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/1/4/htm

10. “Saturation of Specific Absorption Rate for Soft and Hard Spinel Ferrite Nanoparticles Synthesized by Polyol Process”
by Cristian Iacovita et al.
Magnetochemistry 2020, 6(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry6020023
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2312-7481/6/2/23

The 2021 citation metrics have been officially released in Scopus!

We are pleased to announce that 182 MDPI journals are included, of which:

● 21 journals received their first CiteScore.
● 85% of journals increased their CiteScore from 2020.
● 155 journals (85%) ranked above average, in at least one category.

The following 65 MDPI journals (36%) ranked among the top 25% of journals, in at least one category:

Source: 2021 CiteScores™ (Elsevier)

To specifically develop different research areas and attract more high-quality papers, we are pleased to announce the following new Sections in Magnetochemsitry:

• “Magnetic Field”;
• “Magnetic Energy”;
• “Applied Magnetochemistry”.

We are now recruiting Editorial Board Members (EBMs) for these Sections. If you are an active researcher in one of the aforementioned fields and are passionate about publishing cutting-edge research, please do not hesitate to get in touch (magnetochemistry@mdpi.com). You can find more information on our homepage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/magnetochemistry.

Editorial Board Members have the following responsibilities:

• Making decisions on whether a manuscript can be accepted based on the reports we collect;
• Reviewing a small number of papers per year;
• Acting as a Guest Editor of a Special Issue on a topic related to your research interests;
• Promoting the Magnetochemistry journal and increasing its visibility at related academic conferences.

Magnetochemistry (ISSN 2312-7481) is a unique, international, open access journal covering all areas of magnetism, with special focus on the design, synthesis, and characterization of any type of magnetic material and the study of its structure/property relationships. Magnetochemistry has been indexed within Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), and the 2020 IF was 2.193.

We believe that by combining our rigorous editorial policies with your expertise, we can build a high-quality journal. We thank you in advance for your interest, and we look forward to collaborating with you.

Magnetochemistry Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Section titled “Magnetic Energy” in the journal Magnetochemistry (ISSN 2312-7481).

The “Magnetic Energy” Section of Magnetochemistry publishes original research papers in all areas of magnetic-based energy systems, including but not limited to: magnetic nanoparticles, supermagnetic nano-sized particles, magnetic nanofins, magnetic refrigeration systems, magnetic nanofluids for energy transfer and storage, magnetohydrodynamics, heat transfer, renewable energy systems, solar desalination, and magnet-based phase-change materials. The Section covers a variety of topics including energy generation, energy storage and transmission, energy management and conversion, magnetic nanoparticles, nuclear and renewable resources, utilization, and sustainability. The Section will publish articles in different formats, such as research reports, short communications, comprehensive reviews, and short opinion articles.

Keywords:

• magnetohydrodynamic;
• phase-change materials;
• magnetic nanofins;
• supermagnetic nano-sized particles;
• magnetic nanofluids;
• magnetocaloric and materials;
• magnetic refrigeration system;
• heat transfer, energy transfer, and storage.

For more detailed information, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/magnetochemistry/sections/magnetic_energy.

Magnetochemistry Editorial Office

We warmly welcome the following distinguished researchers to the Editorial Board of Magnetochemistry (ISSN: 2312-7481), and we look forward to achieving new milestones with their support:

Name: Dr. Xuegeng Yang
Affiliation: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden–Rossendorf, Institute of Fluid Dynamics, D-01314 Dresden, Germany
Interests: electrochemistry; magnetic field; magnetoelectrochemistry

Name: Prof. Dr. Rukang Li
Affiliation: Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Interests: solid-state chemistry; crystal and magnetic structures; crystal growth; magneto-optical crystals; magneto-caloric materials

Name: Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Sorace Affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica “U. Schiff”, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy Research Interests: magnetic anisotropy; electron paramagnetic resonance; lanthanides; molecular qubits; molecular magnetism; single-molecule magnets; spin dynamics

1. Could you please briefly introduce your research group and current research projects to us?

I am an Associate Professor at the University of Florence, working in the Laboratory of Molecular Magnetism where I am responsible for the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy. At present, I am interested in using this technique for the experimental characterization of molecular systems acting as potential qubits or qu-gates and of the anisotropy of Lanthanide-based complexes.

2. As an expert in the field of molecule magnets, could you please talk about the hot topics in this field?

Molecular magnetism dramatically evolved since I started working in the field, and is much more diversified now. I would mention only a few hot topics: further increasing blocking temperature in single-molecule magnets; controlling and addressing magnetic properties of molecular complexes by the electric field and optical radiation; application of molecular magnets in quantum technologies, by exploiting their coherent properties; nanostructuration of molecular magnets. Each one of these fields has seen spectacular advances in the past few years.

3. Based on your rich reviewing experience, could you please share the common problems that authors face?

Apart from technical issues of different degrees of severity, a general problem often encountered during the review process is a lack of clarity about the scope of the work. This also reduces the impact of the presented results.

4. Could you please share some useful skills to help young researchers achieve their research goals smoothly?

First and foremost, research work is hardly a smooth path from point A to point B, even when accurate planning of experimental and theoretical work has been done in advance. Significant progress in our knowledge can occur when deviations from the expectations are observed, and, thus, one of the most relevant skills is the ability to identify such deviations and interpret them. In terms of the skills needed to obtain results, beyond a strong fundamental preparation in their research field, they must be able to discuss results with specialists in many different fields, to broaden the scope of their research and make it more effective.

5. As an Editorial Board Member of Magnetochemistry, your advice is important to us. Can you tell us your idea for the development of the journal and the Open Access model?

While Open Access is a necessity in scientific publishing, it is my feeling that an Open Access model based on Article Processing Charges by authors risks to reproduce and amplify the major issues of the subscription-based model, i.e., an increase of the inequality among researchers from different countries and groups, based on their funding. At least at a European level, the direction to be pursued is that of transformative agreement of the subscription model toward open-access “read-and-publish” ones. As for Magnetochemistry, in the past few years, it got a quite recognizable profile of a forum for presenting magnetic characterization of materials. I think it should build on it by increasing the number of normal submissions and considering Special Issues only for very special cases.

The Magnetochemistry Editorial Office would like to express sincere appreciation for Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Sorace, who is an excellent scientist in his field. In 2021, he published more than 10 papers, and some of them get more than 10 citations. In addition, he has rich experience in reviewing papers. He provided many valuable suggestions for authors and Editorial Office editors. For example, hot topics, clarity about the scope of the work and skills to achieve their research goals. We believe his suggestions will provide great help to authors to orient their research direction and improve the quality of their articles.

MDPI is committed to publishing high-quality articles efficiently and we as a company share the same concerns as Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Sorace. To reduce the risk posed by the Article Processing Charge, MDPI makes many efforts, providing vouchers for reviewers from all around the world, cooperating with universities on Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP link: https://www.mdpi.com/about/ioap) and so on. We are devoted to improving the popularity of the journal and increasing regular contributions. Currently, Special Issues may be one of the methods to attract high-quality papers. However, we believe there must be more ways to solicit quality contributions. In addition, it is our great honor to hear the high praise for Magnetochemistry and we hope these efforts will make a difference.

The latest classification catalogue of the China Association for Science and Technology has recently been published, and 17 scientific and technological MDPI journals have been selected, among which Magnetochemistry (ISSN: 2312-7481) has been listed as T2 in the field of materials synthesis.

The journals in each discipline area are divided into the following three levels: T1, T2 and T3. T1 indicates that the journals are close to, or possess, international first-class journals, T2 refers to internationally renowned journals, and T3 refers to journals recognized as being of high standard by the industry. Magnetochemistry received a rating of T2, indicating that it has reached the level of international well-known journals.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles, recently published in the journal, that they believe will be particularly interesting to authors, or important in this field of research. The aim of doing this is to provide a snapshot of some of the most interesting work published in the various research areas of the journal.