Advanced Photonic Materials and Devices for Next-Generation Optical Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Photonics is entering a new phase of accelerated evolution, driven by breakthroughs in advanced materials, nanoscale engineering and innovative device architectures. The increasing ability to tailor light–matter interactions with high precision is enabling disruptive progress in sensing, imaging, communications, quantum technologies, energy conversion and integrated photonic platforms. As optical systems become more compact, efficient, tunable and multifunctional, the development of next-generation photonic materials and devices is becoming a central focus in modern optical science and engineering.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to showcase recent advances and highlight emerging trends in this rapidly evolving field.

This Special Issue will gather high-quality research articles and reviews offering a forward-looking perspective on current and emerging developments in photonic materials and devices. The collection will be curated to reflect both cutting-edge advances and the broader evolution of the field. Full articles, letters, short communications, tutorials and reviews are welcome. All submitted works will undergo a rigorous pre-check and peer-review process to ensure the highest scientific quality and relevance to this collection.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Advanced optical and photonic materials (nanostructured, hybrid, emerging semiconductors);
• Engineered light–matter interaction in functional materials;
• Novel photonic devices and architectures for sensing, imaging and communication;
• Integrated and on-chip photonics;
• Nonlinear and ultrafast photonic processes;
• Spectroscopic and luminescent materials for optical technologies;
• Reconfigurable and programmable photonic systems;
• Laser–matter interaction and laser-enabled fabrication;
• AI-assisted photonic material discovery and device optimization.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Helena Vasconcelos
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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.