Call for Papers: Physical Chemistry of Light-Driven Catalysis

Photo-driven catalysis is one of the most dynamic areas of research towards transformative pathways for more sustainable chemical synthesis, energy conversion, and environmental remediation, among other goals. The insights that can be gained from physical chemistry into understanding reaction pathways and mechanisms, as well as their dynamics, are critical to the discovery of new catalysts and generally for moving this field forward.

This upcoming Special Issue in ACS Physical Chemistry Au will highlight the most recent advances in the physical chemistry of light-driven catalysis, emphasizing mechanistic insights into reaction pathways, especially coming from in situ and operando approaches and connections between experimental work and theoretical calculations. As such, it will also provide a molecular-level understanding that guides the rational design of catalytic systems for applications.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Photophysical and photochemical processes underlying photo-driven reactions
• Catalyst design for photo-driven reactions via electronic and interfacial structure
• Detecting reaction intermediates by advanced in situ and operando spectroscopies
• Detecting catalyst restructuring by advanced in situ and operando spectroscopies
• Theoretical investigations of photo-driven reactions for heterogeneous surfaces
• Theoretical investigations of photo-driven reactions for homogeneous solutions

Organizing Editors

Gemma C. Solomon, Deputy Editor, ACS Physical Chemistry Au
University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Tanja Cuk, Associate Editor, ACS Physical Chemistry Au
University of Colorado at Boulder, United States

Jin Z. Zhang, Associate Editor, ACS Physical Chemistry Au
University of California Santa Cruz, United States

Anderson Thesing, Guest Editor
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Christopher Kley, Guest Editor
Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy, Germany

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through April 30, 2027. For more information on submission requirements, please review the journal’s Author Guidelines.

Manuscript types considered for this Special Issue include Research Articles, Letters, Perspectives, Reviews, and Tutorials. All submissions will undergo the full, rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals. Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available online ASAP (as soon as publishable). Once all accepted papers are published, they will be compiled on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue.

Open Access: ACS Physical Chemistry Au is an open access journal. 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 confirm any pre-populated information has transferred correctly.
• Under “Special Issue Selection,” select Physical Chemistry of Light-Driven Catalysis.
• Confirm all other information is correct.
• Submit your article.

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact Prof. Gemma Solomon (solomon-office@physchemau.acs.org).