Solar Fuels: A Themed Issue in Honor of Professor Harry B. Gray on the Occasion of His 85th Birthday

Dear Colleagues,

The enduring impact of Harry B. Gray on the field of inorganic chemistry is remarkable. On the occasion of his 85th birthday, we are delighted to announce that Molecules will compile and dedicate a special issue celebrating Harry—not only for changing the course of science through his research, but for having significantly touched the lives of countless students, colleagues, and friends.

In Copenhagen in 1960, Harry began revolutionizing the study of the electronic structure of small molecules, and his pioneering work in the development of “bioinorganic chemistry” has transformed our understanding of electron flow in biological systems—literally the currents of life. Simply put, his expertise and insight span orders of magnitude in length, time, and complexity.

His students will affirm that equal to this extraordinary scientific accomplishment is his dedication to education and mentorship. Of the 300+ students and postdoctoral scholars that Harry has mentored over the past half-century, more than 130 hold academic faculty positions, and 6 have become university presidents. The gracious warmth and enthusiasm he exudes in his interactions with students are legendary; we proudly call ourselves the “Gray Nation”.

While Harry’s academic footprint may be large, he has made it a priority to ensure that his carbon footprint is small. As former director of the National Science Foundation’s Center for Chemical Innovation: Solar Fuels, he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Solar Army, a group of thousands of high school, college, and graduate students working collectively to identify new, robust catalysts capable of splitting water to hydrogen and oxygen. As we work to solve the energy-related challenges that face our generation, Harry gave us hope, confidence, and marching orders that the problem can, and must, be solved.

To properly celebrate this milestone, we invite the young investigators of the Gray Nation to submit original contributions related to the theme of Solar Fuels. Please join us in sharing our independent accomplishments with Harry, made possible by his generosity and dedication.

Dr. Bryan Hunter
Prof. Michael Hill
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Solar fuels
• Catalysis
• Electrocatalysis
• Solar Army
• Photocatalysis
• Splitting water
• Water oxidation
• Proton reduction