Materials Science and X-Ray Diffraction

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is related to the investigation / characterization of the structural and dynamical properties of existing and newly synthesized materials using X-Ray diffraction. Indeed, the rise of time-resolved and high-flux X-ray techniques, like those available at Linear Accelerator and Synchrotron facilities, as well as the improvements in small- and wide angle laboratory instrumentations, has paved the way, in recent years, for very exciting and innovative studies on functional materials in their pure form or in mixture, as well as in various environments or in operando conditions. The role of symmetry (or asymmetry) in the tropicity of materials has proved to be very important in the response to external stimuli, as, for instance, temperature, pressure or tensile stress, and several examples of directional properties have been pointed out: linear and nonlinear elasticity, piezoelectricity and electrostriction, magnetic phenomena, to name a few. Techniques like in situ X-Ray microtomography have revealed the spatial distributions, orientations, alignment, and connectivity of the microstructural features of materials. Researchers working in this field, both from the experimental and theoretical side, are cordially invited to contribute original research papers or reviews to this Special Issue of Symmetry. A wide spectrum of compositions, including inorganic, organic, hybrid, 2D, nano, composite and textured materials, soft matter, a large number of potential functions–i.e. magnetic, optic, electronic and adaptive materials, in both traditional experiments under non-conventional conditions or in newly designed ones are eligible for this project.

Dr. Lorenzo Gontrani
Dr. Marco Campetella
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 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. Symmetry 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.