Announcements

The Beijing Graphene Forum 2025 (BGF2025), organized by the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, and Zhongguancun Science City and hosted by the Beijing Graphene Institute, Beijing Graphene Institute Co., Ltd., and Zhongyuan Graphene Laboratory, will be held in Beijing, China, from 24 to 27 October 2025, at Nirvana Resort Beijing. It aims to promote the further integration of advanced technologies into the graphene industry and enhance academic exchange and collaboration in the field of graphene materials.

BGF2025 seeks to showcase the most innovative projects, cutting-edge research, transformative ideas, and breakthrough products in the field of graphene materials. Its objective is to foster innovation-led development in the graphene industry by linking innovation, industrial, and capital chains, thereby accelerating the implementation of frontier graphene technologies into industrial applications. BGF2025 invites leading scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investment professionals to engage in in-depth discussions on emerging technologies, share insights on market and industry trends, and collaboratively explore future development strategies for the global graphene industry.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at this conference:

• Molecules;
• Materials;
• Analytica;
• Solids;
• Surfaces;
• Liquids.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please feel free to reach out online and start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at our booth (#11) and answering any questions you may have. For more information about this event, please click on the following link: https://en.beijinggrapheneforum.com/.

As Peer Review Week is coming to an end and important topics have been discussed, we, as Publishers of Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944), wanted to conclude with a few thoughts on the main topic of this week: “Rethinking Peer Review in the AI Era”. In this way, we wanted to join the global discussion as well.

There is a community who has a skeptical relationship with AI. Discussions about the negative sides of its usage are rising. AI may reduce emphasis on innovation and rigor in academic writing; mass-generated papers could become highly homogenized, lacking individual style; authors face new challenges in protecting their intellectual property; the collection and analysis of vast amounts of researcher data raise serious concerns about privacy and data security; and the use of AI may exacerbate academic misconduct.

It is clear that there are challenges in scientific journal editing and publishing in the AI era. The quality of AI-generated content varies significantly, with fraudulent papers and reports wasting substantial publishing resources and time, thereby hindering the publication and dissemination of truly valuable research. Legal risks remain difficult to mitigate: Issues concerning the ownership and protection of copyright for AI-generated content not only challenge the adaptability and innovation of legal systems but also require collaborative efforts among legal, technological, and societal sectors to explore more reasonable, fair, and feasible solutions. Overreliance on AI may lead to excessive dependence on external technology providers, limiting the potential for in-house technological development within publishing organizations.

On the other hand, there is a space where we can use AI as a tool and as help to facilitate innovation in publishing industry. If AI is used as a carefully designed program for a specific company’s purpose, then AI assists in the initial review of manuscripts, detecting academic misconduct and ensuring integrity, including plagiarism and image manipulation detection; recommends or verifies suitable peer reviewers, helps with detection of any bias; supports editing and proofreading; optimizes titles and polishes abstracts; helps journals develop thematic guidelines; analyzes research trends and advancements within fields, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis; generates intelligent summaries; and provides translation services.

In the editorial and publishing process, it is essential to clearly define which stages are suitable for the application of generative AI and establish corresponding guidelines to ensure appropriate use and positive development. Efficient and accurate detection algorithms should be developed to monitor AI-generated content in real time or periodically. A robust public feedback mechanism should be established to encourage societal oversight of published content.

The publishing industry and the tech community should deepen cross-sector collaboration, engaging in in-depth discussions on the boundaries, rules, and value orientation of AI applications in academia, striving to achieve broad consensus. Journal publishing institutions must take concrete responsibility for content review and management, implementing clear labeling standards for AI-generated material.

We endorse the use of AI tools by authors and reviewers to assist research activities under compliance with the following guidelines:

• Authors must disclose the purpose, names, and specific functions of AI tools used at the time of submission;
• Generating core academic content—including but not limited to hypotheses, conclusions, and image data—using AI is strictly prohibited;
• Reviewers are not permitted to input manuscript content into unauthorized platforms and must not use AI to generate peer review reports;
• Any use of AI must not violate confidentiality, originality, or data protection regulations.

Non-compliance will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript or suspension of review privileges.

Editorial Office of Materials,
Publishers

We are pleased to announce that Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) has been accepted into the ICI Journals Master List, receiving an Index Copernicus Value (ICV) 2024 of 178.50. The ICV index, valid for one year, aims to reflect the journal’s level of development and its impact on the world of science.

The ICI Journals Master List is an international indexing database of scientific journals that has been evaluating submitted periodicals for almost 20 years. Being indexed in the database is dependent upon the condition of passing a positive multidimensional evaluation based on over 100 criteria. The evaluation process is free of charge and available for every journal registered in the ICI World of Journals database.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our editors. This achievement would not have been possible without the numerous significant publications of our authors and the contributions of our dedicated reviewers. We wish to thank you all for your support and hope to receive more contributions from you in the future.

In addition to the ICI Journals Master List, Materials is also indexed within Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), PubMed, PMC, Ei Compendex, CaPlus / SciFinder, Inspec, Astrophysics Data System, and other databases.

For more information about the journal’s statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/Materials/stats.

Materials Editorial Office

Dr. Ibrahim Haruna Umar is one of the authors of the following newsletter article published in Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944):

“Marble Powder as a Soil Stabilizer: An Experimental Investigation of the Geotechnical Properties and Unconfined Compressive Strength Analysis”
by Ibrahim Haruna Umar and Hang Lin
Materials 2024, 17(5), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17051208

1. Congratulations on your published paper. Could you please briefly introduce the main research content of the published paper?

Thank you. Our paper investigates the potential of waste marble powder as a sustainable soil stabilizer for fine-grained clayey soils. Through a comprehensive experimental program, we evaluated geotechnical properties such as Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS), and Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS). We also developed a quartic polynomial regression model to predict UCS based on curing time, water content, and composition ratios. The study demonstrates how marble powder can transform weak soils into viable construction materials.

2. What are the key takeaways you hope readers will gain from your paper?

I hope readers take away three main points: Readers should recognize the environmental and engineering value of repurposing industrial waste—specifically marble powder—for soil stabilization. The research highlights optimal conditions for strength development and provides a predictive model that can guide future applications. It also underscores the importance of curing time and moisture control in achieving durable soil composites.

3. Was there a specific experience or event in your research career that led you to focus on your current field of research?

My interest was sparked by observing the practical challenges in my region, where construction on weak, expansive soils often leads to pavement failures and foundation problems. Simultaneously, I noticed the environmental burden of industrial waste like marble powder. This presented a clear opportunity: to address a pressing engineering problem with a sustainable waste management solution. This intersection of geotechnical engineering and environmental sustainability has been the driving force behind my research focus.

4. Could you describe the difficulties and breakthrough innovations encountered in your current research?

One difficulty was understanding the non-linear behavior of the soil–powder mixture, especially why strength decreased after a certain optimal marble powder ratio. This required careful analysis beyond simple linear assumptions. The breakthrough innovation was twofold: First, we achieved the “successful application of a high-degree polynomial regression model” that could accurately capture the complex relationships between the input variables and the resulting strength. This model achieved an excellent R² value of 0.954, providing a powerful tool for prediction. Second, through rigorous testing, we quantified the precise influence of each factor (curing time, water content, composition) on the final strength, with curing time emerging as the most critical parameter.

5. Does technological progress provide new opportunities for the topic you are researching? Does it bring any potential risks? How do you think these factors will affect future research trends on this topic?

Absolutely. Technological progress, particularly in data analytics and machine learning, provides tremendous opportunities. We can move beyond traditional regression to develop even more sophisticated predictive models that can incorporate a wider range of variables and soil types. Advanced microstructural analysis techniques (e.g., SEM, XRD) can help us visually understand the chemical bonding and reaction mechanisms at a micro-level, optimizing the stabilization process. However, reliance on computational models without sufficient experimental validation poses risks. The future trend will undoubtedly involve a multi-disciplinary approach, combining advanced material science, data analytics, and traditional geotechnical testing to develop intelligent, tailored, and highly reliable stabilization protocols for diverse soil conditions.

6. How do you evaluate research trends in this field, and what advice would you give to other young researchers?

The field is moving decisively towards green and sustainable geotechnics. There is a growing emphasis on using recycled materials, reducing the carbon footprint of construction, and creating circular economies. My advice to young researchers is the following:

• Be interdisciplinary: Don't just be a civil engineer. Learn about materials science, chemistry, data science, and environmental science;
• Focus on applicability: Always ask, “How can this research be implemented in the real world?” Bridge the gap between the lab and the field;
• Embrace sustainability: Look for research questions that offer solutions to environmental challenges. This is not just a trend but the future of our profession.

7. Finally, how do you think the open access publishing model impacts authors?

Open access democratizes knowledge. It allows researchers, practitioners, and students worldwide to access cutting-edge findings without subscription barriers, significantly increasing the visibility, citation potential, and real-world application of our work. However, the publishing fee can be a financial consideration, especially for early-career researchers or those without institutional support. However, MDPI offers several avenues for fee reductions, including institutional agreements, waiver programs, and discount applications. I encourage authors to explore these options, as they make open access more accessible while preserving the benefits of global reach and impact.

The Editorial Office of Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) is actively participating in the Peer Review Week (PRW) discussion. Peer review is essential in scientific research and academic publishing, which is why we, as Managing Editors of Materials, would like to contribute to the global discussion, letting our readers dive into our policies and guidelines. 

Our journal employs a single-blind peer review process, where authors’ identities are known to the reviewers, but the identity of the reviewer is not known to authors. Peer review comments are confidential. One of the biggest contributions of open access today is transparency. To support this value, we included the option of open peer review. If the authors opt for this, the identity of the reviewer is still unknown to authors during the peer review, but reports will be published alongside the manuscript. 

Open peer review means that authors can choose whether review reports are published (open reports) and reviewers have the option to have their name on their published report (open identity). If the authors decide to publish the reports, review reports and author responses will be available on the article abstract page. We encourage authors to take advantage of this opportunity as proof of the rigorous process employed in publishing their research. Furthermore, for reviewers, opting for open peer review brings their review work into the open, transforming it into a public and shareable academic contribution. This provides reviewers with their due recognition, allowing them to include such contributions in their academic portfolios, thereby incentivizing more scholars to engage in high-quality reviewing. Meanwhile, as readers or learners, individuals can evaluate research papers more critically and gain insights through openly available peer review reports. 

For Materials, the peer review process should uphold academic integrity, advance knowledge; be fair, inclusive, responsible, and respectful; and foster constructive collaboration among authors, reviewers, and editors to collectively enhance the quality of scholarly publishing. An effective peer review process needs to be rigorous and efficient, fair and transparent, to include reviewers who are experts in the related field, but also pay attention to providing constructive comments, to be handled with confidentiality and ethical compliance, in a human-centered process. Based on these points and values, we keep our structure clear and have defined timelines without compromising the processing speed. Our strict guidelines protect unpublished manuscript confidentiality, provide prevention of data misuse, and we keep strict adherence to academic ethics. We constantly work to improve our editorial process by implementing new tools to help us detect and prevent misconduct. However, we strongly believe that the decisions should remain reliant on human experts to ensure accuracy and contextual understanding.

MDPI recognizes the opportunities and challenges that are presented by the rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) services such as ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) for scholarly publishing. In order to provide transparency to the academic community, MDPI has developed strict policies based on the general guidance provided by STM and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in their position statement. Further details can be found at https://www.mdpi.com/ethics#_bookmark4. 

As the Editorial Office, we would like to emphasize the following to reviewers regarding the use of AI in manuscript evaluation and resisting the reliance on AI for reviews:

• The integration of artificial intelligence into research and publishing brings both opportunities and challenges. While AI tools can assist in language polishing, peer review must remain a human-driven, critical, and intellectually engaged process;
• We do not support using AI to generate review comments or final decisions. Peer review thrives on expert judgment, contextual understanding, and ethical responsibility—qualities that AI cannot replicate. Submitting AI-written reports violates confidentiality, undermines authenticity, and risks introducing biased or inaccurate feedback. 

Instead, we encourage you to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Use AI responsibly, e.g., for improving language clarity, while ensuring no manuscript data is exposed to unauthorized platforms;
• Uphold your role as an expert, apply your knowledge to evaluate novelty, rigor, and scholarly significance;
• Protect confidentiality—never input any part of manuscript content into public or unsecured AI tools. 

We are committed to supporting you with clear guidelines, training resources, and ethical frameworks for AI use. Together, we can embrace technological advances while preserving the integrity and trust that define peer review. 

Editorial Office of Materials,
Managing Editors

Today is the start of Peer Review Week (PRW)! MDPI and Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) are proud to participate in this event as good peer review is one of the pillars of scientific research and is essential in academic publishing.
 
At MDPI, we pride ourselves on our dedication to an efficient, rigorous and fair peer review process.  From submission to publication, we offer clear and transparent peer review and Materials is proud to offer the option of Open Peer Review.
 
The main topic of PRW is “Rethinking Peer Review in the AI Era”. There is no avoidance of artificial intelligence in almost any sphere of today's world, which also impacts academic publishing. Eyes of the community have been diligently following the development of AI use since the beginning. 
 
At MDPI and Materials, we follow the guidance outlined by COPE (The Committee of Publication Ethics) to develop strict and thorough AI usage guidelines: https://www.mdpi.com/ethics#_bookmark4.

Through many workshops, blogs, and lectures on a global level throughout this week, we will explore the topic of AI within peer review. 
 
To learn more, join our free webinar on 16 September 2025 at the following link:
https://sciforum.net/event/JAMS-2.
 
More information about MDPI's approach to Peer Review Week can be found at the following announcement: https://www.mdpi.com/about/announcements/13165.
 
More information about the event globally can be found at the following link: https://peerreviewweek.net/theme.php.

Conference: 2025 Chinese Biomaterials Congress (CSBM 2025)
Date: 9–12 October 2025
Location: Shaoxing, China

MDPI will be attending the 2025 Chinese Biomaterials Congress as an exhibitor. We welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

The Chinese Biomaterials Congress is the most comprehensive, largest, and highest-level comprehensive academic exchange platform in its field. The 2025 Chinese Biomaterials Congress ence and Exhibition of New Technologies, Products, and Instruments (CSBM 2025), hosted by the Chinese Society for Biomaterials and organized by the Zhejiang University Shaoxing Research Institute, will be held at the Zhejiang Shaoxing International Convention and Exhibition Center from 9 to 12 October 2025. Driven by the new quality productivity policy, biomaterials, as a key area of strategic emerging industries, are experiencing unprecedented development opportunities.

The conference will focus on cutting-edge biomaterials science, technological innovation, application of research findings, and regulatory science, sharing the latest research findings and practical experiences and discussing the future direction of the biomaterials field. Experts, scholars, researchers, physicians, and entrepreneurs from renowned research institutions, medical institutions, businesses, and regulatory agencies, engaged in the research, development, production, testing, regulation, and clinical practice of biomaterials and medical devices, will attend.

Here is a list of just a few of the cutting-edge topics for all:
1. Innovative bone regeneration biomaterials and bone health;
2. Cardiovascular and peripheral vascular materials and devices;
3. Advanced manufacturing cutting-edge technologies;
4. Tissue and organ regenerative medicine materials;
5. Biomedical metal materials;
6. Nanobiomaterials and pharmaceutical development;

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Bioengineering;
• JFB;
• CIMB;
• Biomedicines;
• Materials;
• Marine Drugs;
• Pharmaceutics.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://2025.csbm.org.cn/.

MDPI is launching a special webinar to commemorate the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (IDCABS) and encourage researchers to share their knowledge to raise awareness about the dangers of air pollution.

Air pollution is the leading environmental threat to human health, causing millions of premature deaths each year. In order to recognise its global impact, the UN has designated 7^th of September as the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies to highlight the need for urgent action towards a sustainable future.

Date: 9 September 2025 at 12:00 p.m. CEST | 6:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 891 7022 7572

Register now for free!

Program

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar Chairs and Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Suraj Bhagat, Marwadi University, India;
• Prof. Umberto Berardi, Politecnico di Bari, Italy;
• Dr. Linda Walters, University of Central Florida, USA.

Relevant Special Issues:

“Air Pollution: Health Risks and Mitigation Strategies”
Guest Editors: Dr. Gabriele Donzelli and Prof. Dr. María M. Morales Suárez-Varela
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025
Submit to Atmosphere

“Bio-Energy: Biogas, Biomethane and Green-Hydrogen”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. João Fernando Pereira Gomes
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025
Submit to Gases

“Air Quality in Indoor Environments, 3rd Edition”
Guest Editors: Dr. Ana Monteiro, Prof. Dr. Carla Viegas, Dr. Sandra Cabo Verde and Dr. Marina Almeida-Silva
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026
Submit to Applied Sciences

“The Impact of Wildfires on Climate, Air Quality, and Human Health”
Guest Editors: Dr. Diogo Lopes and Dr. Estela Vicente
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026
Submit to Fire

“Air Pollution Exposure and Its Impact on Human Health”
Guest Editor: Dr. Nedim Durmus
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2026
Submit to Air

Relevant feature papers:

“Mitigating Built Environment Air Pollution by Green Systems: An In-Depth Review”
by Serena Vitaliano, Stefano Cascone and Provvidenza Rita D’Urso
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(15), 6487; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14156487

“Methanol, a Plugin Marine Fuel for Green House Gas Reduction—A Review”
by Dimitrios Parris, Konstantinos Spinthiropoulos, Konstantina Ragazou, Anna Giovou and Constantinos Tsanaktsidis
Energies 2024, 17(3), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17030605

“Determination of Ozone Concentration Levels in Urban Environments Using a Laser Spectroscopy System”
by Mioara Petrus, Cristina Popa and Ana-Maria Bratu
Environments 2024, 11(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11010009

“Review of Satellite Remote Sensing of Carbon Dioxide Inversion and Assimilation”
by Kai Hu, Xinyan Feng, Qi Zhang, Pengfei Shao, Ziran Liu, Yao Xu, Shiqian Wang, Yuanyuan Wang, Han Wang, Li Di and Min Xia
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(18), 3394; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16183394

“An Overview of Waste-to-Energy Incineration Integrated with Carbon Capture Utilization or Storage Retrofit Application”
by Michele Bertone, Luca Stabile and Giorgio Buonanno
Sustainability 2024, 16(10), 4117; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104117

We are pleased to announce that three new scholars have been appointed as Editorial Board Members (EBMs) for Materials (ISSN: 1996-144), effective August 2025. We wish our new members success in both their research and their efforts to develop the journal.

Name: Dr. Wang Junjie
Affiliation: Tsinghua University, China
Interests: sustainable building materials with low CO₂ emissions and low energy costs (such as recycled cement, geopolymer concrete, and recycled aggregate concrete); highly durable and high-performance concrete in marine environments; non-destructive testing methods for concrete structures
Publications in Materials:
1. Carbon Sequestration by Preparing Recycled Cement, Recycled Aggregates, and Recycled Concrete from Construction and Demolition (C&D) Wastes
Materials 2024, 17(20), 5020; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205020
2. A Review on Concrete Superplasticizers and Their Potential Applications for Enhancing the Performance of Thermally Activated Recycled Cement
Materials 2024, 17(17), 4170; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174170

Name: Prof. Dr. Simka Wojciech
Affiliation: Silesian University of Technology, Poland
Interests: coating; material characterization; materials; nanomaterials; microstructure advanced materials; corrosion; plasma electrolytic oxidation; titanium; dental implants
Publications in Materials:
1. Zirconia Dental Implant Designs and Surface Modifications: A Narrative Review
Materials 2024, 17(17), 4202; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174202
2. Finite Element Analysis and Fatigue Test of INTEGRA Dental Implant System
Materials 2024, 17(5), 1213; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17051213

Name: Prof. Dr. Wang Peng
Affiliation: Zhejiang University, China
Interests: design and synthesis of organic/nanomaterials with unique optoelectronic properties; fabrication and device physics of optoelectronic devices; interfacial excited states and carrier dynamics; atomic/molecular scale microstructures 

We are currently still recruiting Editorial Board Members and Guest Editors. Please contact the Editorial Office if you are interested in these positions. 

Materials Editorial Office

Date: 23 September 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m
Location: The Chelsea Hotel, 33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto

MDPI is thrilled to announce our participation in the University of Toronto’s largest career fair, taking place at the St. George Downtown Campus. This exciting event brings together thousands of students, graduates, and professionals looking to connect with top employers and explore career opportunities.

We invite all attendees to visit the MDPI booth to discover how you can be part of one of the world’s leading open access academic publishers. Whether you are passionate about scientific research, editorial work, marketing, or supporting global innovation in publishing, we want to meet YOU!

What to expect at our booth:

• Learn more about MDPI’s mission and global impact;
• Explore exciting career opportunities in publishing, editorial, communications, and more;
• Network with our team and ask questions about working at MDPI.

Whether you’re just starting your career or looking to take the next step, don’t miss this opportunity to connect with MDPI. Bring your resume, your curiosity, and your questions—we look forward to seeing you there!

For additional information on the Career Fair and Open MDPI positions, please visit the following links:

• Learn more about the U of T Career Fair;
• Explore Careers with MDPI Canada.