Announcements

We are pleased to share with you a successful recent Special Issue published in open access journal Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049): “A Themed Issue Dedicated to Professor John B. Goodenough on the Occasion of His 100th Birthday Anniversary” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/molecules_Professor_John_Goodenough).

This Special Issue is dedicated to Professor John B. Goodenough, who won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on developing lithium-ion batteries. A total of 16 papers were published in this Special Issue, which you can access and download for free. They are as follows:

1. “John B. Goodenough’s Role in Solid State Chemistry Community: A Thrilling Scientific Tale Told by a French Chemist”
Michel Pouchard
Molecules 2020, 25(24), 6040; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25246040
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/24/6040

2. “Spin Exchanges between Transition Metal Ions Governed by the Ligand p-Orbitals in Their Magnetic Orbitals”
Myung-Hwan Whangbo et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(3), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26030531
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/3/531

3. “Spin Hamiltonians in Magnets: Theories and Computations”
Hongjun Xiang et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(4), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26040803
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/4/803

4. “Towards Reversible High-Voltage Multi-Electron Reactions in Alkali-Ion Batteries Using Vanadium Phosphate Positive Electrode Materials”
Laurence Croguennec et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(5), 1428; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051428
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/5/1428

5. “The Fascinating World of Low-Dimensional Quantum Spin Systems: Ab Initio Modeling”
Tanusri Saha-Dasgupta
Molecules 2021, 26(6), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26061522
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/6/1522

6. “Insights into Layered Oxide Cathodes for Rechargeable Batteries”
Gerbrand Ceder et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3173; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26113173
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3173

7. “Electronic and Magnetic Structures of New Interstitial Boron Sub-Oxides B₁₂O₂:X (X = B, C, N, O)”
Samir F. Matar et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(1), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26010123
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/1/123

8. “A Bifunctional Hybrid Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Oxygen Evolution Reactions: Nano-Co₃O₄-Deposited La_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃ via Infiltration”
Arumugam Manthiram et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(2), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020277
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/2/277

9. “Syntheses and Characterization of Novel Perovskite-Type LaScO₃-Based Lithium Ionic Conductors”
Ryoji Kanno et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(2), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020299
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/2/299

10. “WO₃ Nanowire/Carbon Nanotube Interlayer as a Chemical Adsorption Mediator for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries”
Yang-Kook Sun et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(2), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020377
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/2/377

11. “Unusual Spin Exchanges Mediated by the Molecular Anion P₂S₆⁴⁻: Theoretical Analyses of the Magnetic Ground States, Magnetic Anisotropy and Spin Exchanges of MPS₃ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni)”
Myung-Hwan Whangbo et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(5), 1410; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051410
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/5/1410

12. “Fast Li-Ion Conduction in Spinel-Structured Solids”
Jan L. Allen et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(9), 2625; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092625
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/9/2625

13. “Electrochemical Assessment of Indigo Carmine Dye in Lithium Metal Polymer Technology”
Philippe Poizot et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3079; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26113079
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3079

14. “Defect Engineering and Anisotropic Modulation of Ionic Transport in Perovskite Solid Electrolyte Li_xLa_(1−x)/3NbO₃”
Yuichi Ikuhara
Molecules 2021, 26(12), 3559; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26123559
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/12/3559

15. “High-Voltage Polyanion Positive Electrode Materials”
Atsuo Yamada
Molecules 2021, 26(17), 5143; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26175143
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/17/5143

16. “In Honor of John Bannister Goodenough, an Outstanding Visionary”
Myung-Hwan Whangbo et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6624; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216624
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/21/6624

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Yi Tang has been appointed Associate Editor of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).

Name: Prof. Dr. Yi Tang
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Interests: zeolite catalysis and nanomaterials for energy conversion and fine chemicals production

Prof. Dr. Yi Tang received his B.S. in 1985 and Ph.D. in 1990 at the Fudan University under the supervision of Prof. Zi Gao. He then became a Lecturer (1990), Associate Professor (1993), and eventually Full Professor (1997) at the Department of Chemistry at Fudan University and chaired the Department of Chemistry at Fudan University from 2006 to 2015. He has carried out research in the fields of zeolite, mesoporous material, superacid, layered phosphate, metal non-oxide, and so on for applications in catalysis, electrocatalysis, biomaterials, and others. His main research interests in recent years have been the synthesis and application of zeolitic materials and nanomaterials on catalytic and electrocatalytic conversion of petroleum, biomass, plastics, and hydrogen generation from water splitting, etc.

We warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Yi Tang to the Editorial Board of Molecules. We wish him every success in his new position and look forward to his contributions to the journal.

1. “Potential Therapeutic Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Dihydroflavones, Flavones, and Flavonols”
Cristina Zaragozá et al.
Molecules 2020, 25(4), 1017; 10.3390/molecules25041017
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/4/1017 

2. “Recent Developments in Chitosan-Based Adsorbents for the Removal of Pollutants from Aqueous Environments”
Daniele C. da Silva Alves et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(3), 594; 10.3390/molecules26030594
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/3/594

3. “Green Silver and Gold Nanoparticles: Biological Synthesis Approaches and Potentials for Biomedical Applications”
Andrea Rónavári et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(4), 844; 10.3390/molecules26040844
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/4/844

4. “3-(6-Phenylimidazo [2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazol-2-yl)-1H-Indole Derivatives as New Anticancer Agents in the Treatment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma”
Stella Cascioferro et al.
Molecules 2020, 25(2), 329; 10.3390/molecules25020329
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/2/329

5. “Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review”
Sidney J. Stohs et al.
Molecules 2020, 25(6), 1397; 10.3390/molecules25061397
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/6/1397

6. “Paper-Based Oil Barrier Packaging using Lignin-Containing Cellulose Nanofibrils”
Ali H. Tayeb et al.
Molecules 2020, 25(6), 1344; 10.3390/molecules25061344
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/6/1344

7. “New Phosphine Oxides as High Performance Near- UV Type I Photoinitiators of Radical Polymerization”
Céline Dietlin et al.
Molecules 2020, 25(7), 1671; 10.3390/molecules25071671
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/7/1671

8. “Catechol-Containing Schiff Bases on Thiacalixarene: Synthesis, Copper (II) Recognition, and Formation of Organic-Inorganic Copper-Based Materials”
Pavel Padnya et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(8), 2334; 10.3390/molecules26082334
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/8/2334

9. “Actuating Shape Memory Polymer for Thermoresponsive Soft Robotic Gripper and Programmable Materials”
Dennis Schönfeld et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(3), 522; 10.3390/molecules26030522
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/3/522

10. “Using a B-Phycoerythrin Extract as a Natural Colorant: Application in Milk-Based Products”
Ana Belén García et al.
Molecules 2021, 26(2), 297; 10.3390/molecules26020297
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/2/297

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049), under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and Awards:

After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Molecules Editorial Office (molecules@mdpi.com), and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, Molecules continues to welcome all Special Issue proposals based on hot research topics as usual.

Molecules Editorial Office

Name: Jianzhang Zhao

Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

Research Keywords: charge separation; electron transfer; energy transfer; intersystem crossing; triplet state

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Jianzhang Zhao has been appointed Associate Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Photochemistry” Section of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).

Prof. Dr. Jianzhang Zhao received his Ph.D. in 2000 at the Jilin University. He then moved to the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) to carry out postdoctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Kimoon Kim. In 2001, he moved to the Max-Planck Research Unit of Enzymology of Protein Folding at Halle (Saale), Germany. He worked on the photochemistry of peptides (photo-switching of the conformation of peptides) with Prof. Gunter Fischer. In 2003, he moved to the Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, to carry out another postdoctoral research project, working on enantioselective fluorescent chemosensors with Prof. Tony D. James. In 2005, Jianzhang Zhao joined the Dalian University of Technology as a Full Professor. His main research interests are the photochemistry and photophysics of organic compounds, focused on intersystem crossing (ISC) and triplet excited state-related properties. The research in his group is based on synthetic chemistry, steady-state and time-resolved transient optical spectroscopy, and time-resolved electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (TREPR), as well as theoretical computations. Electron transfer, energy transfer, and electron spin dynamics (ESP) of organic compounds are the main subjects of interest for the group.

We warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Jianzhang Zhao in his role as Associate Section Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to him leading Molecules to achieving more milestones.

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.

Academic editors play a crucial role in leading our journals and ensuring that each article undergoes a robust and timely peer-review. With the launch of Topics this year and addition of Topic Editors to our family of academic editors, we decided it would be a good time to restructure our academic boards, thus providing more clarity and support for each role. MDPI is pleased to announce the launch of a new position—Topical Advisory Panel Member, that will replace the previous position of Topics Board Member. The Topical Advisory Panel will be comprised of early career researchers eager to gain experience in editorial work.

The main responsibility of the new members of the Topical Advisory Panel is to regularly provide support to Guest Editors, Topic Editors, and Section Board Members. The responsibilities of the Topical Advisory Panel are available here: https://www.mdpi.com/editors.

Each year, the members’ performances are evaluated, and outstanding members are promoted to the Editorial Board by the Editor-in-Chief.

To qualify as a Topical Advisory Panel Member, applicants must:

• Have expertise and experience in the field related to the journal;
• Have received a Ph.D. in the last 10 years, approximately;
• Have at least 6-8 published papers in the last 5 years as first author or corresponding author;
• Currently hold an independent research position in academia or a government institute.

If you are interested in this role, please contact the editorial office by email.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Founded in 1996, MDPI was one of the first fully Open Access publisher. Over 25 years MDPI has grown to become the largest Open Access publisher globally, publishing over 160,000 articles across more than 350 journals in 2020. At the core, MDPI was founded in response to a pressing need of fast publication and inclusion. The scholar was set at the centre of the publication process for the first time. Acting as a service provider, rather than a product provider, MDPI exists to help scientists achive their objective to disseminate research results. At MDPI, we believe scientists deserve a better service from the publishing world.

The International Open Access Week (Open Access Week), founded by the SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) Alliance and student partners in 2008, has been successfully running for 13 years. As an advocate and pioneer of open access publishing, MDPI actively responds to the call of International Open Access Week. This year’s theme of “It Matters How We Open Knowledge: Building Structural Equity” highlights the Recommendation’s call for equitable participation from all authors and readers.

For the last 25 years, MDPI has been committed to disseminating open research. Here is a video showing MDPI’s Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity for More than 25 Years.

International Open Access Week is an important opportunity to catalyze new conversations, create connections across and between communities that can facilitate this co-design, and advance progress in the building of more equitable foundations for opening knowledge—discussions and actions that need to be continued, year in and year out. MDPI has always aimed to provide professional and efficient publishing services to scholars around the world.

Our mission is to make scientific research accessible to everyone; this year, we interview and hold discussions with open science ambassadors on how to build an equal and inclusive environment for open science. Academic editors help us collaborate with more institutions to advocate for open access ideas.

Read our anniversary blog post: "Sharing 'Collective Human Knowledge': The Benefits of Open Access Publication"

Besides this, our scientific community is a key driver of our success and MDPI’s remarkable growth. Despite the pandemic, we have prepared online conferences and workshops to gather scholars from different communities.

The Basel Sustainable Publishing online forum provides an equal opportunity for stakeholders and researchers from multi-cultural environments to exchange ideas and eliminate barriers to participation.

Conference date: 25 October 2021, online
Conference website: https://bspf2021.sciforum.net/
Main topics: MDPI discusses the current dilemma of open access science from various perspectives such as governments, libraries, and publishers, and related measures on how to change the status quo of discrimination from a global perspective.

We aim to support equality, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in scholarly communications. We collaborate with universities and key laboratories and have scholarly communications with researchers, teachers, and students on open access workshops.

• 25 October 2021
  Energies journal and Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• 28 October 2021
  Machines journal and State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, Southwest Jiaotong University

• 29 October 2021
  Processes journal and Beijing Institute of Technology

• 29 October 2021
  Coatings journal and Wuhan University of Technology

MDPI is committed to providing open access and high-quality publishing services for scholars and promoting rapid dissemination of academic achievements. We hope to promote the practices and policies of open access publishing and diversify the dissemination of academic achievements.

MDPI will be attending the 21st Chinese Zeolite Conference (21 CZC), hosted by the Chinese Zeolite Association and China University of Petroleum, which will be held from 27 to 30 September 2021 in Qingdao, China. The conference will be held at the International Conference Center of China Railway Qingdao World Expo City. More than 1500 delegates are expected to attend.

The theme of this conference is “Porous Materials and Future Energy”. The conference aims to show the latest progress in the field of zeolite and porous material in China and discuss the responsibilities, opportunities, and challenges in zeolite and related porous functional material chemistry in the new era of energy reform and sustainable development. We also aim to further promote the development and achievements of zeolite science and technology.

The main topics of the conference include: the synthesis, modification, and characterization of porous zeolite materials; host-guest chemistry and functional materials; adsorption, separation, and diffusion performances; porous material catalysis and chemical processes; theoretical calculations and simulations of porous material properties, structures, and applications.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Molecules;
• Separations;
• Energies;
• Crystals;
• Materials;
• Membranes;
• Inorganics;
• Sustainability;
• Sustainable Chemistry;
• Symmetry;
• Reactions.

If you are also attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth (#B20). Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit https://www.chemsoc.org.cn/meeting/21czc/.

Rigorous peer-review is the cornerstone of high-quality academic publishing. Over 369,916 scholars served as reviewers for MDPI journals in 2020. We are extremely appreciative of all those who made a contribution to the editorial process in this capacity. At the beginning of every year, journal editorial offices publish a list of all reviewers’ names to express our gratitude. In addition, this year, the MDPI Top Reviewer Award was announced, to recognize the very best reviewers for their expertise and dedication, and their high-quality, and timely review reports. We are pleased to announce the following winners of the 2020 MDPI Top Reviewer Award:

• Adriana Burlea-Schiopoiu;
• Alban Kuriqi;
• Álvaro González-Vila;
• Alessandro Alaimo;
• Alexey Beskopylny;
• Alexander Yu Churyumov;
• Alberto Fernández-Isabel;
• Andrea Mastinu;
• Antonios N. Papadopoulos;
• Anton Rassõlkin;
• Antonio Humberto Hamad Minervino;
• Arkadiusz Matwijczuk;
• Artur Słomka;
• Baojie He;
• Bartłomiej Potaniec;
• Bojan Đurin;
• Camilo Arturo Rodriguez Diaz;
• Carmelo Maria Musarella;
• Chiachung Chen;
• Chiman Kwan;
• Cristian Busu;
• Danil Pimenov;
• Dan-Cristian Dabija;
• Delfín Ortega-Sánchez;
• Demetrio Antonio Zema;
• Denis Butusov;
• Elena Lucchi;
• Gaurab Dutta;
• Livia Anastasiu;
• M. R. Safaei.

For more information about how to become a reviewer of MDPI journals, please see: www.mdpi.com/reviewers.