Call For Papers: Physical Chemistry of Droplets

Droplets are at the heart of countless chemical and biological phenomena, from atmospheric chemistry to next-generation microfluidic devices and precision drug delivery. Yet many fundamental questions remain unresolved: How do interfacial dynamics, confinement, and nanoscale environments shape chemical reactions? Advancing our understanding of droplet behavior promises not only fundamental insights but also transformative applications across science and technology.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters invites contributions to the upcoming Special Issue on “Physical Chemistry of Droplets,” featuring pioneering research that uncovers the physics, chemistry, and emergent properties of droplets in diverse systems. We welcome experimental, computational, and theoretical studies on droplet formation and stability, interfacial chemistry, confined-phase reactions, aerosols, microfluidics, reaction kinetics, mass and heat transport, and other related topics that push the frontiers of this rapidly evolving field.

Topics of Interest

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Droplet formation and breakup: Understanding how droplets form, coalesce, and maintain stability.
• Interfacial phenomena: Surface tension, Marangoni flows, and surfactant-driven effects at droplet interfaces.
• Evaporation, condensation, and thermodynamics: Size-dependent phase behavior and droplet energetics.
• Confinement effects and nanoscale behavior: Chemical and physical processes in micro- and nano-droplets.
• Phase transitions and crystallization: Nucleation, growth, and polymorphism within droplets.
• Confined reaction kinetics: How microenvironments influence reaction rates and mechanisms.
• Interfacial catalysis and reactions: Surface-mediated transformations in droplets.
• Radical, photochemical, and electrochemical processes: Light- and electron-driven chemistry in droplets.
• Self-assembly and supramolecular chemistry: Droplet-mediated molecular organization and structure formation.
• Reaction-diffusion and pattern formation: Emergent spatially heterogeneous chemical phenomena.
• Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip platforms: High-throughput droplet manipulation and experimentation.
• Spectroscopic, microscopic, and imaging methods: In situ characterization of droplet structure and dynamics.
• Computational modeling and simulations: From molecular to continuum approaches to capture droplet behavior.
• Machine learning and AI applications: Predictive design and analysis of droplet systems.
• Aerosols and environmental droplets: Chemistry of atmospheric and industrial droplets.
• Drug delivery and biomedical droplets: Microdroplet platforms for targeted therapeutics and diagnostics.
• Photochemistry and energy conversion: Light-driven reactions and energy applications in droplets.
• Active and hybrid droplet systems: Self-propelled, field-responsive, or multi-phase droplet assemblies.
• Collective behavior and emergent phenomena: Interactions and organization in droplet ensembles.
• Digital twins and high-throughput experimentation: Integrating simulations and automation for droplet research.

Organizing Editors

Haizheng Zhong, Executive Editor, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Beijing Institute of Technology, China

Jianbin Huang, Guest Editor
Peking University, China

Shengyang Tao, Guest Editor
Dalian University of Technology, China

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through March 31, 2027. For more information on submission requirements, please visit the journal’s Author Guidelines page.

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will only include letters articles. Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

Open Access: There are diverse open access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select your manuscript type; upload your manuscript and related files.
• Review the title and abstract fields to ensure any pre-populated information has uploaded correctly.
• Under "Special Issue Selection," select Physical Chemistry of Droplets.
• Confirm all other information has uploaded correctly.
• Submit your article.

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact the Editor-in-Chief’s office (eic@jpclett.acs.org).