Announcements

MDPI’s Young Investigator Awards recognize promising junior researchers, acknowledge their contributions, and enhance communication among scientists. We are proud to present the winners for the year 2021 in the “Chemistry & Materials Sciences” category. The winners were selected by the journals’ editors.

We warmly congratulate the awarded Young Investigators for their outstanding contributions.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Coatings:

• Marta Mohedano, Complutense University of Madrid-UCM, Spain

Materials:

• Edoardo Baldini, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Magnetochemistry:

• Mauro Perfetti, University of Florence, Italy

Membranes:

• Xu Hou, Xiamen University, China

Molecules:

• Biplab Maji, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, India

Nanomaterials:

• Andres Castellanos-Gomez, Instituto de Ciencia de los Materiales de Madrid, Spain
• Takuya Isono, Hokkaido University, Japan
• Panbo Liu, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who so generously dedicate their time to reviewing papers and demonstrate diligence, professionalism, and timeliness when reviewing manuscripts, MDPI journals regularly offer outstanding reviewer awards to scholars who participate in the peer-review process.

We are proud to recognize the winners for the year 2021 in the “Chemistry & Materials Sciences” category for their outstanding contributions among extensive competition by presenting them with the Outstanding Reviewer Award.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners on their achievement.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Catalysts:

• Rahat Javaid, Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute, Japan
• Georgios Bampos, University of Patras, Greece
• Esmail Doustkhah, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan
• Pawan Kumar, University of Alberta, Canada

Magnetochemistry:

• Lorenzo Sorace, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy

Materials:

• Khaled Giasin, University of Portsmouth, UK
• Oldrich Sucharda, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
• Danil Pimenov, South Ural State University, Russia
• Marián Palcut, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia

Metals:

• Khaled Giasin, University of Portsmouth, UK
• Catalin Pruncu, University of Strathclyde, UK
• Jacek Tomków, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
• Alexander Yu Churyumov, National University of Science and Technology (MISiS), Russia
• Hesam Pouraliakbar, Chungnam National University, South Korea

Nanomaterials:

• George Kenanakis, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Greece
• Goshtasp Cheraghian, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
• Oana Cadar, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, Romania

Polymers:

• Sawsan A. Zaitone, Suez Canal University, Saudi Arabia
• Lucia Baldino, University of Salerno Via Giovanni Paolo II, Fisciano (SA) Italy
• Gyorgy Szekely, University of Manchester, UK
• Bin Jiang, Northeast Agricultural University, China
• Haibao Lu, Harbin Institute of Technology, China

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as the scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation of the papers published in the journal last year.

We are honored to present the winners in the “Chemistry & Materials Sciences” category, who were selected amongst the extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

C — Journal of Carbon Research：

• “Activated Carbons Derived from High-Temperature Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass”
  by Cristian I. Contescu, Shiba P. Adhikari, Nidia C. Gallego, Neal D. Evans and Bryan E. Biss
  C 2018, 4(3), 51; doi:10.3390/c4030051

Catalysts:

• “Hydrogen Oxidation on Ni-Based Electrocatalysts: The Effect of Metal Doping”
  by Elena S. Davydova, Jérémie Zaffran, Kapil Dhaka, Maytal Caspary Toroker and Dario R. Dekel
  Catalysts 2018, 8(10), 454; doi:10.3390/catal8100454
• “Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: Role of Sacrificial Reagents on the Activity of Oxide, Carbon, and Sulfide Catalysts”
  by Vignesh Kumaravel, Muhammad Danyal Imam, Ahmed Badreldin, Rama Krishna Chava, Jeong Yeon Do, Misook Kang and Ahmed Abdel-Wahab
  Catalysts 2019, 9(3), 276; doi:10.3390/catal9030276
• “A General Overview of Support Materials for Enzyme Immobilization: Characteristics, Properties, Practical Utility”
  by Jakub Zdarta, Anne S. Meyer, Teofil Jesionowski and Manuel Pinelo
  Catalysts 2018, 8(2), 92; doi:10.3390/catal8020092
• “Mechanistic Insights into Photodegradation of Organic Dyes Using Heterostructure Photocatalysts”
  by Yi-Hsuan Chiu, Tso-Fu Mark Chang, Chun-Yi Chen, Masato Sone and Yung-Jung Hsu
  Catalysts 2019, 9(5), 430; doi:10.3390/catal9050430

Ceramics:

• “Chemical Preparation Routes and Lowering the Sintering Temperature of Ceramics”
  by Philippe Colomban
  Ceramics 2020, 3(3), 312–339; doi:10.3390/ceramics3030029

Coatings:

• “State of the Art in Directed Energy Deposition: From Additive Manufacturing to Materials Design”
  by Adrita Dass and Atieh Moridi
  Coatings 2019, 9(7), 418; doi:10.3390/coatings9070418
• “Encapsulation of Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells: A Review”
  by Ashraf Uddin, Mushfika Baishakhi Upama, Haimang Yi and Leiping Duan
  Coatings 2019, 9(2), 65; doi:10.3390/coatings9020065
• “Poly (Lactic Acid)/Thermoplastic Starch Films: Effect of Cardoon Seed Epoxidized Oil on Their Chemicophysical, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties”
  by Rosa Turco, Rodrigo Ortega-Toro, Riccardo Tesser, Salvatore Mallardo, Sofia Collazo-Bigliardi, Amparo Chiralt Boix, Mario Malinconico, Massimo Rippa, Martino Di Serio and Gabriella Santagata
  Coatings 2019, 9(9), 574; doi:10.3390/coatings9090574
• “Physical and Morphological Characterization of Chitosan/Montmorillonite Films Incorporated with Ginger Essential Oil”
  by Victor Gomes Lauriano Souza, João Ricardo Afonso Pires, Carolina Rodrigues, Patricia Freitas Rodrigues, Andréia Lopes, Rui Jorge Silva, Jorge Caldeira, Maria Paula Duarte, Francisco Braz Fernandes, Isabel Maria Coelhoso and Ana Luisa Fernando
  Coatings 2019, 9(11), 700; doi:10.3390/coatings9110700
• “Application and Evaluation of a Pectin-Based Edible Coating Process for Quality Change Kinetics and Shelf-Life Extension of Lime Fruit (Citrus aurantifolium)”
  by Neda Maftoonazad and Hosahalli S. Ramaswamy
  Coatings 2019, 9(5), 285; doi:10.3390/coatings9050285

Crystals:

• “Crystal and Magnetic Structures in Layered, Transition Metal Dihalides and Trihalides”
  by Michael A. McGuire
  Crystals 2017, 7(5), 121; doi:10.3390/cryst7050121
• “σ-Hole Interactions: Perspectives and Misconceptions”
  by Peter Politzer and Jane S. Murray
  Crystals 2017, 7(7), 212; doi:10.3390/cryst7070212
• “σ-Hole Interactions of Covalently-Bonded Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Arsenic: A Survey of Crystal Structures”
  by Peter Politzer, Jane S. Murray, Goran V. Janjić and Snežana D. Zarić 
  Crystals 2014, 4(1), 12-31; doi:10.3390/cryst4010012
• “Epitaxial Graphene on SiC: A Review of Growth and Characterization”
  by Gholam Reza Yazdi, Tihomir Iakimov and Rositsa Yakimova
  Crystals 2016, 6(5), 53; doi:10.3390/cryst6050053

Magnetochemistry:

• “A Clock Transition in the Cr₇Mn Molecular Nanomagnet”
  by Charles A. Collett, Kai-Isaak Ellers, Nicholas Russo, Kevin R. Kittilstved, Grigore A. Timco, Richard E. P. Winpenny and Jonathan R. Friedman
  Magnetochemistry 2019, 5(1), 4; doi:10.3390/magnetochemistry5010004
• “A Series of Field-Induced Single-Ion Magnets Based on the Seven-Coordinate Co(II) Complexes with the Pentadentate (N₃O₂) H₂dapsc Ligand”
  by Vyacheslav A. Kopotkov, Denis V. Korchagin, Valentina D. Sasnovskaya, Ildar F. Gilmutdinov and Eduard B. Yagubskii
  Magnetochemistry 2019, 5(4), 58; doi:10.3390/magnetochemistry5040058
• “Magnetic Janus Particles for Static and Dynamic (Bio)Sensing”
  by Susana Campuzano, Maria Gamella, Verónica Serafín, María Pedrero, Paloma Yáñez-Sedeño and José Manuel Pingarrón
  Magnetochemistry 2019, 5(3), 47; doi:10.3390/magnetochemistry5030047

Membranes:

• “Composite Membranes for High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells and Electrolysers: A Critical Review”
  by Xinwei Sun, Stian Christopher Simonsen, Truls Norby and Athanasios Chatzitakis
  Membranes 2019, 9(7), 83; doi:10.3390/membranes9070083

• “Transport Characteristics of Fujifilm Ion-Exchange Membranes as Compared to Homogeneous Membranes AMX and CMX and to Heterogeneous Membranes MK-40 and MA-41”
  by Veronika Sarapulova, Inna Shkorkina, Semyon Mareev, Natalia Pismenskaya, Natalia Kononenko, Christian Larchet, Lasaad Dammak and Victor Nikonenko
  Membranes 2019, 9(7), 84; doi:10.3390/membranes9070084

Nanomaterials:

• “Nanomaterials for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Wastewater”
  by Jinyue Yang, Baohong Hou, Jingkang Wang, Beiqian Tian, Jingtao Bi, Na Wang, Xin Li and Xin Huang
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(3), 424; doi:10.3390/nano9030424
• “Injectable Alginate-Peptide Composite Hydrogel as a Scaffold for Bone Tissue Regeneration”
  Moumita Ghosh, Michal Halperin-Sternfeld, Itzhak Grinberg and Lihi Adler-Abramovich
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 497; doi:10.3390/nano9040497
• “Carbon Dots and Graphene Quantum Dots in Electrochemical Biosensing”
  by Susana Campuzano, Paloma Yáñez-Sedeño and José M. Pingarrón
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 634; doi:10.3390/nano9040634
• “A Smart Nanovector for Cancer Targeted Drug Delivery Based on Graphene Quantum Dots”
  by Daniela Iannazzo, Alessandro Pistone, Consuelo Celesti, Claudia Triolo, Salvatore Patané, Salvatore V. Giofré, Roberto Romeo, Ida Ziccarelli, Raffaella Mancuso, Bartolo Gabriele, Giuseppa Visalli, Alessio Facciolà and Angela Di Pietro
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(2), 282; doi:10.3390/nano9020282
• “Evolution of Wearable Devices with Real-Time Disease Monitoring for Personalized Healthcare”
  by Kyeonghye Guk, Gaon Han, Jaewoo Lim, Keunwon Jeong, Taejoon Kang, Eun-Kyung Lim and Juyeon Jung
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(6), 813; doi:10.3390/nano9060813
• “An Ultra-High-Energy Density Supercapacitor; Fabrication Based on Thiolfunctionalized Graphene”
  by Janardhanan. R. Rani, Ranjith Thangavel, Se-I Oh, Yun Sung Lee and Jae-Hyung Jang
  Nanomaterials 2019, 9(2), 148; doi:10.3390/nano9020148

Polymers:

• “The Relationships between the Working Fluids, Process Characteristics and Products from the Modified Coaxial Electrospinning of Zein”
  by Menglong Wang, Tao Hai, Zhangbin Feng, Deng-Guang Yu, Yaoyao Yang and SW Annie Bligh 
  Polymers 2019, 11(8), 1287; doi:10.3390/polym11081287
• “Design of Controlled Release System for Paracetamol Based on Modified Lignin”
  by Mahboubeh Pishnamazi, Hamid Hafizi, Saeed Shirazian, Mario Culebras, Gavin M. Walker and Maurice N. Collins 
  Polymers 2019, 11(6), 1059; doi:10.3390/polym11061059
• “Additive Manufacturing of PLA-Based Composites Using Fused Filament Fabrication: Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelet Reinforcement on Mechanical Properties, Dimensional Accuracy and Texture”
  by Miguel Ángel Caminero, Jesús Miguel Chacón, Eustaquio García-Plaza, Pedro José Núñez, José María Reverte and Jean Paul Becar
  Polymers 2019, 11(5), 799; doi:10.3390/polym11050799
• “Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Manufacturing, Properties, and Applications”
  by Miguel Ángel Caminero, Jesús Miguel Chacón, ,Eustaquio García-Plaza, Pedro José Núñez, José María Reverte and Jean Paul Becar
  Polymers 2019, 11(10), 1667; doi:10.3390/polym11101667 

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2021 Travel Awards in the “Chemistry & Materials Sciences” category for their outstanding presentations.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage talented junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of Travel Awards for the year 2021 and wish them the greatest success with their future research endeavors.

MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Crystals:

• Gaojun Mao, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
• Lidia Bofill Herrera, University of Barcelona, Spain

Gels:

• Demetra Giuri, University of Bologna, Italy
• Martina Genta, Imperial College London, UK

Journal of Functional Biomaterials:

• Anushree Seth, Washington University, USA

Magnetochemistry:

• Fabio Ferreira, University of Coimbra, Portugal
• Giulia Serrano, University of Florence, Italy

Materials：

• Giulia Fredi, University of Trento, Italy
• Mattia Biesuz, Czech Academy of Science, Czech Republic

Metals:

• Adriana Eres-Castellanos, Spanish National Center for Metallurgical Research, Spain
• Pavel Shurkin, National University of Science and Technology, Russia

Nanomaterials:

• Aleksandrs Leitis, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, France
• Ekaterina Kolesova, ITMO, Russia

Separations:

• Christoph Gstoettner, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands

1. “Modification of Renewable Cardanol onto Carbon Fiber for the Improved Interfacial Properties of Advanced Polymer Composites”
Yawen Zheng et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010045
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/1/45 

2. “Structural Changes of Oak Wood Main Components Caused by Thermal Modification”
Ivan Kubovský et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(2), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12020485
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/2/485 

3. “Core–Shell Eudragit S100 Nanofibers Prepared via Triaxial Electrospinning to Provide a Colon-Targeted Extended Drug Release”
Yanfei Ding et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(9), 2034; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092034
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/9/2034 

4. “The Inhibition Property and Mechanism of a Novel Low Molecular Weight Zwitterionic Copolymer for Improving Wellbore Stability”
Weichao Du et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(3), 708; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12030708
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/3/708 

5. “Characterization Study of Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Fibers Reinforcement in Poly(Butylene) Succinate (PBS)/Starch/Glycerol Composite Sheet”
Rafiqah S. Ayu et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(7), 1571; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12071571
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/7/1571

6. “Energy-Saving Electrospinning with a Concentric Teflon-Core Rod Spinneret to Create Medicated Nanofibers”
Shixiong Kang et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2421; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12102421
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/10/2421 

7. “Mechanical Properties of Longitudinal Basalt/Woven-Glass-Fiber-reinforced Unsaturated Polyester-Resin Hybrid Composites”
S.M. Sapuan et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2211; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12102211
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/10/2211

8. “Effect of CNTs Additives on the Energy Balance of Carbon/Epoxy Nanocomposites during Dynamic Compression Test”
Manel Chihi et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010194
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/1/194

9. “Shape-Adaptive Metastructures with Variable Bandgap Regions by 4D Printing”
Reza Noroozi et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(3), 519; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12030519
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/3/519

10. “Phosphonic Acid Coupling Agent Modification of HAP Nanoparticles: Interfacial Effects in PLLA/HAP Bone Scaffold”
Cijun Shuai et al.
Polymers 2020, 12(1), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010199
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/1/199

The 2021 citation metrics have been officially released in Scopus!

We are pleased to announce that 182 MDPI journals are included, of which:

● 21 journals received their first CiteScore.
● 85% of journals increased their CiteScore from 2020.
● 155 journals (85%) ranked above average, in at least one category.

The following 65 MDPI journals (36%) ranked among the top 25% of journals, in at least one category:

Source: 2021 CiteScores™ (Elsevier)

1. “A Comparative Review of Natural and Synthetic Biopolymer Composite Scaffolds“
Sai Bhargava Reddy et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13071105
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/7/1105

2. “Micro- and Nanocellulose in Polymer Composite Materials: A Review“
by Abdoulhdi A. Borhana Omran et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13020231
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/2/231

3. “A Review on Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite for Bullet Proof and Ballistic Applications“
M. Nurazzi et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(4), 646; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13040646
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/4/646

4. “Potential of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites in Sandwich Structures: A Review on Its Mechanical Properties“
by S. Alsubari et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(3), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030423
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/3/423

5. “Poly(lactic Acid): A Versatile Biobased Polymer for the Future with Multifunctional Properties—From Monomer Synthesis, Polymerization Techniques and Molecular Weight Increase to PLA Applications“
Evangelia Balla et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1822; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111822
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/11/1822

6. “Fabrication, Functionalization, and Application of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Composite: An Overview“
Norizan Mohd Nurazzi et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13071047
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/7/1047

7. “Antimicrobial Actions and Applications of Chitosan“
Cai-Ling Ke et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(6), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060904
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/6/904

8. “Advances in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Based Affinity Sensors (Review)“
Simonas Ramanavicius et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(6), 974; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060974
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/6/974

9. “A Comprehensive Review on Advanced Sustainable Woven Natural Fibre Polymer Composites“
A. Aisyah et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(3), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030471
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/3/471

10. “Polylactic Acid (PLA) Biocomposite: Processing, Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Applications“
R.A. Ilyas et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1326; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081326
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/8/1326

1. “Multifunctional Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Based Hybrid Porous Materials for CO₂ Uptake and Iodine Adsorption”
Mohamed Gamal Mohamed et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13020221
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/2/221

2. “Nanosponge-Based Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Safer Li-O₂ Batteries”
Julia Amici et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(10), 1625; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13101625
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/10/1625

3. “Eco-Friendly, High-Density Fiberboards Bonded with Urea-Formaldehyde and Ammonium Lignosulfonate”
Petar Antov et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13020220
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/2/220

4. “Edible Films from Carrageenan/Orange Essential Oil/Trehalose—Structure, Optical Properties, and Antimicrobial Activity”
Jancikova Simona et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(3), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030332
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/3/332

5. “Protective Face Mask Filter Capable of Inactivating SARS-CoV-2, and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis”
Miguel Martí et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13020207
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/2/207

6. “Utilization of Birch Bark as an Eco-Friendly Filler in Urea-Formaldehyde Adhesives for Plywood Manufacturing”
Roman Réh,Ľuboš Krišťák et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(4), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13040511
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/4/511

7. “Eco-Friendly Fiberboard Panels from Recycled Fibers Bonded with Calcium Lignosulfonate”
by Petar Antov et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(4), 639; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13040639
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/4/639

8. “Removal of Cadmium and Chromium by Mixture of Silver Nanoparticles and Nano-Fibrillated Cellulose Isolated from Waste Peels of Citrus Sinensis”
Neha Tavker et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13020234
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/2/234

9. “Corn Starch (Zea mays) Biopolymer Plastic Reaction in Combination with Sorbitol and Glycerol”
M.D. Hazrol et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13020242
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/2/242

10. “Utilization of Bracing Arms as Additional Reinforcement in Pultruded Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Cross-Arms: Creep Experimental and Numerical Analyses”
Muhammad Rizal Muhammad Asyraf et al.
Polymers 2021, 13(4), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13040620
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/4/620

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

This program intends to provide an opportunity for early career scientists to enhance their editing, networking, and organizational skills and to work closely with our journal to gain more editorial experience. Early career scientists who have novel ideas for new Polymers Special Issues will act as Guest Editors under the mentorship of an experienced scientist; this mentor could be a member of the Editorial Board of Polymers (ISSN: 2073-4360), from other well-established research institutes or laboratories, etc.

Mentor’s responsibilities:

• Checking and making final decisions before the Special Issue is published online;
• Providing suggestions to young scholars on Special Issue editorial work;
• Checking Special Issues and giving feedback or advice in a timely manner to help to improve the quality of Special Issues.

Rewards for mentors:

The Polymers Editorial Office will provide official certificates for mentors who help young scholars to lead a successful Special Issue. For mentors who are active in this project, the Polymers Editorial Office will consider inviting them to join the Editorial Board.                                                                                           

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

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

Polymers Editorial Office

We are currently recruiting Editorial Board Members for the new Section "Polymer Networks" (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/sections/netw), to be published in the journal Polymers (ISSN: 2073-4360). If you are interested in serving on the Editorial Board, or have potential candidates to recommend, please reach out to us.

Applicants for the Editorial Board positions may nominate a specific Section which they specialize in, or they may nominate themselves as an Editorial Board Member for the entire journal.

Polymers is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal containing research in the field of polymer science. Polymers is fully covered by the leading indexing services, including PubMed/MEDLINE, Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), Scopus/SciVerse, and Google Scholar. Full-text articles are also available in PubMed Central. The newly released impact factor of Polymers is 4.329.

As an Editorial Board Member, you will have the following responsibilities:

• Pre-screening submissions and making decisions on whether they should be rejected or accepted for processing;
• Editing a Special Issue on a topic related to your research;
• Recommending timely topics and suggesting potential Guest Editors;
• Publishing/inviting/recommending one paper, free of charge, per year;
• Identifying appropriate conferences for the promotion of Polymers;
• Promoting the journal at conferences and on social media.

If you are an active researcher in the field and are passionate about publishing cutting-edge research, please do not hesitate to contact the Section Managing Editor Mr. Logan Sheng (logan.sheng@mdpi.com).

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Polymers Editorial Office