Announcements

1. “Rheological and the Fresh State Properties of Alkali-Activated Mortars by Blast Furnace Slag”
Marvila, M.T.; Azevedo, A.R.G.d.; Matos, P.R.d.; Monteiro, S.N.; Vieira, C.M.F.
Materials 2021, 14(8), 2069. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14082069
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/8/2069

2. “Prediction of Compressive Strength of Fly Ash Based Concrete Using Individual and Ensemble Algorithm”
Ahmad, A.; Farooq, F.; Niewiadomski, P.; Ostrowski, K.; Akbar, A.; Aslam, F.; Alyousef, R.
Materials 2021, 14(4), 794. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14040794
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/4/794

3. “Fly Ash-Based Eco-Efficient Concretes: A Comprehensive Review of the Short-Term Properties”
Amran, M.; Fediuk, R.; Murali, G.; Avudaiappan, S.; Ozbakkaloglu, T.; Vatin, N.; Karelina, M.; Klyuev, S.; Gholampour, A.
Materials 2021, 14(15), 4264. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14154264
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/15/4264

4. “Pyrolytic Conversion of Plastic Waste to Value-Added Products and Fuels: A Review”
Papari, S.; Bamdad, H.; Berruti, F.
Materials 2021, 14(10), 2586. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14102586
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/10/2586

5. “Application of Novel Machine Learning Techniques for Predicting the Surface Chloride Concentration in Concrete Containing Waste Material”
Ahmad, A.; Farooq, F.; Ostrowski, K.A.; Śliwa-Wieczorek, K.; Czarnecki, S.
Materials 2021, 14(9), 2297. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14092297
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/9/2297

6. “Rheology of Cement Pastes with Siliceous Fly Ash and the CSH Nano-Admixture”
Szostak, B.; Golewski, G.L.
Materials 2021, 14(13), 3640. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14133640
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/13/3640

7. “Current Applications of Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition: A Review”
Reis, G.S.d.; Quattrone, M.; Ambrós, W.M.; Grigore Cazacliu, B.; Hoffmann Sampaio, C.
Materials 2021, 14(7), 1700. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14071700
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/7/1700

8. “Clay Ceramic Waste as Pozzolan Constituent in Cement for Structural Concrete”
Barreto, E.d.S.; Stafanato, K.V.; Marvila, M.T.; de Azevedo, A.R.G.; Ali, M.; Pereira, R.M.L.; Monteiro, S.N.
Materials 2021, 14(11), 2917. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14112917
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/11/2917

9. “Palm Oil Fuel Ash-Based Eco-Efficient Concrete: A Critical Review of the Short-Term Properties”
Amran, M.; Murali, G.; Fediuk, R.; Vatin, N.; Vasilev, Y.; Abdelgader, H.
Materials 2021, 14(2), 332. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14020332
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/2/332

10. “Uniaxial Tensile Behavior, Flexural Properties, Empirical Calculation and Microstructure of Multi-Scale Fiber Reinforced Cement-Based Material at Elevated Temperature”
Li, L.; Khan, M.; Bai, C.; Shi, K.
Materials 2021, 14(8), 1827. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14081827
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/8/1827

1. “The Bad and the Good—Microorganisms in Cultural Heritage Environments—An Update on Biodeterioration and Biotreatment Approaches”
Pyzik, A.; Ciuchcinski, K.; Dziurzynski, M.; Dziewit, L.
Materials 2021, 14(1), 177. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14010177
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/1/177

2. “Chitosan-Based Nanocomposite Polymeric Membranes for Water Purification—A Review”
Spoială, A.; Ilie, C.-I.; Ficai, D.; Ficai, A.; Andronescu, E.
Materials 2021, 14(9), 2091. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14092091
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/9/2091

3. “Synthetic, Mesomorphic, and DFT Investigations of New Nematogenic Polar Naphthyl Benzoate Ester Derivatives”
Al-Zahrani, S.A.; Ahmed, H.A.; El-atawy, M.A.; Abu Al-Ola, K.A.; Omar, A.Z.
Materials 2021, 14(10), 2587. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14102587
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/10/2587

4. “Ion-Imprinted Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Adsorption of Radionuclides”
Kusumkar, V.V.; Galamboš, M.; Viglašová, E.; Daňo, M.; Šmelková, J.
Materials 2021, 14(5), 1083. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14051083
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/5/1083

5. “Polysaccharide-Based Aerogel Production for Biomedical Applications: A Comparative Review”
Guastaferro, M.; Reverchon, E.; Baldino, L.
Materials 2021, 14(7), 1631. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14071631
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/7/1631

6. “Polyelectrolyte Multilayers: An Overview on Fabrication, Properties, and Biomedical and Environmental Applications”
Petrila, L.-M.; Bucatariu, F.; Mihai, M.; Teodosiu, C.
Materials 2021, 14(15), 4152. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14154152
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/15/4152

7. “Alkali Activation of Metallurgical Slags: Reactivity, Chemical Behavior, and Environmental Assessment”
Lancellotti, I.; Piccolo, F.; Traven, K.; Češnovar, M.; Ducman, V.; Leonelli, C.
Materials 2021, 14(3), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14030639
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/3/639

8. “Processability and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Polylactide/Polyhydroxybutyrate (PLA/PHB) Bioblends”
Olejnik, O.; Masek, A.; Zawadziłło, J.
Materials 2021, 14(4), 898. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14040898
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/4/898

9. “Recent Advancements in Plastic Packaging Recycling: A Mini-Review”
Beghetto, V.; Sole, R.; Buranello, C.; Al-Abkal, M.; Facchin, M.
Materials 2021, 14(17), 4782. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14174782
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/17/4782

10. “Potential for and Distribution of Enzymatic Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Environmental Microorganisms”
Hou, L.; Majumder, E.L.-W.
Materials 2021, 14(3), 503. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14030503
Full text available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/3/503

We are pleased to announce a new project of Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944)—Special Issue Development Program.

The program aims to provide early-career scientists with the opportunity to develop a Special Issue and experience the academic editor's role under the mentorship of an experienced scientist.

What you will receive from a Special Issue Development Program:

• A Guest Editor certificate;
• A platform to collect papers on a certain topic;
• Guidance from experienced scientists from Materials;
• More editorial experience and the opportunity to enrich your resume.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Materials Editorial Office (materials@mdpi.com) or submit the proposal at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/materials. We will then discuss our potential collaboration and how the process works in detail.

In addition to the new Special Issue Development Program, Materials continues to welcome Special Issue proposals based on hot research topics.

The Materials 2022 Travel Award closed for applications at the end of 2021. The applications were processed by the Evaluation Committee, lead by the Editor-in-Chief of Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944). We are pleased to announce the winners:

The winners will each be awarded CHF 800 and a certificate. On behalf of the Evaluation Committee, we would like to congratulate the winners on their accomplishments.

1. “Brief History of Early Lithium-Battery Development”
Reddy, M.V.; Mauger, A.; Julien, C.M.; Paolella, A.; Zaghib, K.
Materials 2020, 13(8), 1884; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081884
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/8/1884

2. “Using Deep Learning to Detect Defects in Manufacturing: A Comprehensive Survey and Current Challenges”
Yang, J.; Li, S.; Wang, Z.; Dong, H.; Wang, J.; Tang, S.
Materials 2020, 13(24), 5755; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13245755
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/24/5755

3. “Face Masks and Respirators in the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Current Materials, Advances and Future Perspectives”
O’Dowd, K.; Nair, K.M.; Forouzandeh, P.; Mathew, S.; Grant, J.; Moran, R.; Bartlett, J.; Bird, J.; Pillai, S.C.
Materials 2020, 13(15), 3363; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13153363
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/15/3363

4. “Dendrimers as Pharmaceutical Excipients: Synthesis, Properties, Toxicity and Biomedical Applications”
Santos, A.; Veiga, F.; Figueiras, A.
Materials 2020, 13(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13010065
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/1/65

5. “On the Vibrations and Stability of Moving Viscoelastic Axially Functionally Graded Nanobeams”
Shariati, A.; Jung, D.w.; Mohammad-Sedighi, H.; Żur, K.K.; Habibi, M.; Safa, M.
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1707; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071707
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/7/1707

6. “Recent Trends in the Use of Pectin from Agro-Waste Residues as a Natural-Based Biopolymer for Food Packaging Applications”
Mellinas, C.; Ramos, M.; Jiménez, A.; Garrigós, M.C.
Materials 2020, 13(3), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13030673
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/3/673

7. “The Interfacial Adhesion Performance and Mechanism of a Modified Asphalt–Steel Slag Aggregate”
Liu, W.; Li, H.; Zhu, H.; Xu, P.
Materials 2020, 13(5), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13051180
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/5/1180

8. “Progress and Status of Hydrometallurgical and Direct Recycling of Li-Ion Batteries and Beyond”
Larouche, F.; Tedjar, F.; Amouzegar, K.; Houlachi, G.; Bouchard, P.; Demopoulos, G.P.; Zaghib, K.
Materials 2020, 13(3), 801; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13030801
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/3/801

9. “Methods of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Preparation”
Slepička, P.; Slepičková Kasálková, N.; Siegel, J.; Kolská, Z.; Švorčík, V.
Materials 2020, 13(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13010001
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/1/1

10. “Based on Single-Layer Complementary Gammadion-Shaped Graphene”
Chen, F.; Cheng, Y.; Luo, H.
Materials 2020, 13(4), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040860
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/4/860

We are very proud to announce that the 4^th International Conference on Materials (https://icm2022.sciforum.net/), organized by MDPI’s open access journal Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) has opened for registration. This conference will be held in the beautiful city of Barcelona from 19 to 21 October 2022. The first three editions of the conference were in an electronic format, and each was a great success. This has encouraged the Organizing Committee to take this tradition to the next level by organizing the fourth edition of this conference to be held in Barcelona, where all stakeholders working on various aspects of materials science and material engineering can come together. The aim is to make this event a forum for discussion, knowledge exchange and fruitful interactions among participants in this exponentially growing field.

Stakeholders from academia and industry as well as from governments and research institutes are welcome to join this event and share their findings on various topics related to materials, such as:

• Materials characterization;
• Nanotechnology in material sciences and engineering;
• Materials processing and manufacturing;
• Soft and biomaterials;
• Fibers and membranes;
• Optical, electrical and magnetic materials.

We are very enthusiastic about this fourth Materials conference, and are relying on you to make it a successful event. We look forward to meeting you in Barcelona.

Prof. Dr. Maryam Tabrizian and Prof. Dr. Filippo Berto
ICM 2022 Chairs

Conference name: 9th International Symposium on Sensor Science (I3S 2022)

Conference website: https://i3s2022warsaw.sciforum.net/

Date: 20–22 June 2022

Place: Warsaw, Poland

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 9th International Symposium on Sensor Science, to be held in Warsaw, Poland, from 20 to 22 June 2022.

Sensor technology has been shown to be suitable for applications in many important fields, including industrial applications, security medical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. This international conference, supported by the Photonics Society of Poland, Warsaw University of Technology, as well as MDPI’s Sensors (ISSN: 1424-8220), will bring together scientists from different areas to discuss important recent developments in sensor technology. It will represent a great opportunity for an in-person meeting of an interdisciplinary community aiming to discuss important breakthroughs in sensor technology and its related fields.

The main topics of the conference include:

• Chemical sensors;
• Biosensors;
• Physical sensors;
• Optical/photonic sensors;
• Sensor applications;
• Specialty optical fibers for sensing;
• Materials, microfluidics, configurations and strategies for sensing;
• Distributed sensing in optical fibers;
• Amorphous materials for sensor applications.

We look forward to your participation in this exciting event.

Dr. Piotr Lesiak, Prof. Tomasz Woliński and Prof. Leszek Jaroszewicz
I3S 2022 Conference Chairs

Follow the conversation on Twitter with #I3S2022

The Editors-in-Chief of the newly established Section “Polymeric Materials” in Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) are as follows:

• Name: Dr. Shouke Yan
  Affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China; School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
  Research Interests: multiscale structure of polymeric materials; orientation-induced polymer crystallization; surface-induced polymer crystallization; confined polymer crystallization; polymer blend 
• Name: Prof. Dr. Xu-Ming Xie
  Affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  Research Interests: polymer hydrogels; polymer blends; nanomaterials and nanocomposites; plastics recycling and value-added reuse

Section Information

Polymeric materials, owing to their versatile properties, have found numerous applications in various areas of our daily life, such as packaging (plastics), industry (in fabrication of spaceships, airplanes, bridges, high-performance cars, boats, sports equipment, 3D printing, etc.), civil engineering (polymer concrete), energy (polymer solar cells), and pharmaceutical industries. They cover many fields, e.g., soft matter, biomaterials, polymer chemistry, polymer physics, engineering, etc. The Section “Polymeric Materials” of Materials aims to rapidly publish contributions on all aspects of polymeric materials, including preparation, characterization, processing, property, and application of plastics, as well as fibers, rubbers, and their related composites. Its main scope includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects:

• Synthesis, characterization of polymers;
• Modification and self-assembly of polymers;
• Application of polymers;
• Modeling, processing, and engineering of polymers;
• Recycling of polymers;
• Green and sustainable chemistry in polymers. 

For more details, please check the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials/sections/polymeric_materials.

Additionally, the Section “Polymeric Materials” is now recruiting Editorial Board Members. 

The main responsibilities of Section Editorial Board Members are as follows:

• Pre-screening and making decisions on new submissions related to your research interests;
• Setting up at least one Special Issue during your term on a topic related to your research interests (or supervising Special Issues related to your research field);
• Providing input or feedback regarding journal policies;
• Helping to promote the journal among your peers or at conferences;
• Attending Board Meetings to suggest journal development strategies;
• Reviewing manuscripts. 

Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal published semi-monthly online by MDPI. It publishes reviews, regular research papers (articles), and communications that advance the in-depth understanding of the relationship between the structure, the properties, and the functions of all kinds of materials. It is abstracted and indexed by SCIE, Scopus, and other databases. Citations are available in PubMed, and full texts are archived in PubMed Central.

This position is open to experts in polymeric materials. To apply for this position, recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Materials Editorial Office (materials@mdpi.com) or Lili Li (lili.li@mdpi.com).

The members of Corrosion and Materials Degradation (ISSN: 2624-5558) are pleased to announce this call for participation in the 2nd Corrosion and Materials Degradation Web Conference. Scientists and engineers currently working on corrosion research are encouraged to join this event and share their findings with colleagues from all over the world.

The conference will cover the following general and related themes (note that this list is not exhaustive):

1. Electrochemical corrosion mechanism at the interface (localized, crevice, advanced characterization techniques, EAC, nanoscale);
2. Corrosion of steel in concrete;
3. Computational modelling, design and prediction of corrosion;
4. Surface treatments and coatings for corrosion protection;
5. Corrosion in new materials (HEA, CCA, TWIP/TRIP, AM, PM);
6. Corrosion in the energy sector (renewable and nuclear);
7. Corrosion in biomedical implants;
8. Atmospheric corrosion;
9. Microbiologically influenced corrosion;
10. Corrosion of magnesium alloys;
11. Corrosion inhibition.

Only abstracts will be accepted for the 2nd Corrosion and Materials Degradation Web Conference. All abstracts that are accepted will be available to view online in open access form on Sciforum.net. Selected authors will have the option to include a video presentation to be displayed with their abstract online. Participants who are selected to make an oral contribution will need to contribute a full manuscript to the section “Selected Papers from Corrosion and Materials Degradation Conference” in Corrosion and Materials Degradation, free of charge.

Important Dates:

Abstract submission: 1 March 2022;
Acceptance notification: 28 March 2022;
Early bird registration: 18 April 2022;
Covering author registration: 1 June 2022.

The Scientific Committee looks forward to receiving contributions in response to this call and would be glad to provide any further information to interested parties. Any questions may be addressed to the conference secretariat (cmdwc2022@mdpi.com).

We thank you in advance for attending this conference, and we look forward to a stimulating exchange.

To find out more about the conference, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/CMDWC2022.

It is our great honor to congratulate the Editorial Board Members and Editors in MDPI's journals who have been distinguished as 2021 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate, according to Web of Science data. We herewith express our gratitude for the immense impact the named researchers continue to make on scientific progress and on our journals' development.

Clarivate's annual list of Highly Cited Researchers^TM identifies the most highly cited scientists for the past decade. Their impactful papers are among the top 1 per cent in the citation distribution of one or more of 22 fields analyzed in the "Essential Science Indicators", distinguishing them as hugely influential among their peers.

The full list of 2021 Highly Cited Researchers  can be accessed at the following webpage in the Web of Science^TM https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2021/.

--- Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) is a Clarivate product.