Hot Topics in Chemistry: The Big Talking Points of the Summer

Sep 1, 2022
4 min read

ACS Publications journals cover a huge range of specialties within the field of chemistry. Our virtual issues bring together collections of articles in a particular topic of interest, highlighting connections and synergies and casting a light on important papers you may have missed. Here we bring you a selection of the diverse offering of virtual […]

Machine Learning for the Chemist

2022 has seen a dramatic increase in the number of articles published on artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks—up 133% from 2020 to 2021. To acknowledge this, ACS Omega released a special issue exploring the utility of machine learning for the chemist. This includes varied topics from bioinformatics, chemometrics, and small-molecule design and synthesis to diagnostics in medicine. The collection also looks at physical and chemical processes, such as energy materials, metallurgy, wastewater treatment, and image analysis applied to agriculture.

Metal–Organic and Covalent Organic Frameworks

Next up, emerging advances and applications in metal–organic and covalent organic frameworks (MOFs and COFs). MOFs are a class of porous materials with a multitude of uses, including as catalyst support, adsorbents for CO2 removal, and even in biomedical applications. COFs are related porous materials that have emerged more recently as a field of interest for research. A virtual issue in JACS Au highlights new advances in MOFs and COFs reported over the past 18 months, including their use as precursors for single-atom catalysts, and applications in molecular recognition.

Nanotechnology: A Game-Changer for Sustainable Agriculture

Another special issue in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology brings together a collection of papers on the role of nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture. Rapid advancements in nanoscale science are delivering promising solutions—scientists have extended technologies developed for drug delivery applications to design more targeted and effective delivery systems for fertilizers and pesticides, with an emphasis on using biodegradable materials in delivery systems. Researchers are also utilizing nanoparticles and nanofibers to enhance plant growth and suppress diseases.

Industrial Sustainability

Sustainability was also the topic for a joint virtual issue from ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and Organic Process Research & Development. Although the chemical industry makes positive contributions—accounting for $5.7 trillion of global GDP and supporting 120 million jobs—manufacturing operations cause a negative environmental impact. Researchers are committed to developing renewable materials and new technologies to replace rare, expensive, or toxic materials. These alternatives promote the development of environmentally friendly chemical reactions and processes that require significantly less energy, water, reagents, and solvents than in current practice.

Advances in Plasma Catalysis

Integrating plasmas and catalysts can achieve reactant conversions and product selectivities that are inaccessible with either material alone. A virtual issue across multiple ACS publications presents 35 recent articles in six classes, including the characterization of plasma and surface plasma/catalysts, plasma-assisted synthesis and modification of catalysts, carbon and nitrogen chemistry, and theory and modeling.

Excited-State Energy Transfer for Light Energy Conversion

Excited-state energy transfer offers a unique opportunity to tune the properties of light-harvesting assemblies. A virtual issue in ACS Energy Letters offers a collection of recent research on excited-state energy transfer for light energy conversion, whose understanding is essential for practical implications in photovoltaics and solar fuel generation.

Halide Perovskite Materials and Applications

Our final virtual issue selection highlights recent developments in halide perovskite materials and their applications. This joint special issue from ACS Applied Energy Materials andACS Applied Electronic Materials explores the vast potential of halide perovskites in the energy and electronics fields, including applications such as optoelectronic devices, LEDs, x-ray imaging, photodetectors, and memory devices.

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In addition to our high-quality, high-impact journal issues and books, ACS works with Editors to create online collections of previously published research on areas of current scientific interest. These Virtual Collections, which include both Virtual Issues and Thematic Collections, are designed not only for experienced investigators but also as a tool to teach students about the diverse areas of the chemical sciences.

Visit the website to explore more, and connect with us on social media for more news and updates on forthcoming virtual issues.

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