There are many ways to measure an article’s success after it is published. One helpful method of evaluating a scientific publication’s reach and influence is by looking at how many times it has been read. Below, we have gathered a selection of recently published chemistry articles that were among the most read in November 2022 across all ACS Publications journals.*

Topics in this month’s collection include Alzheimer’s prevention, catalysis, molecular cloning, and more. We hope you find this content informative and useful. If you are interested in publishing in an ACS journal, click below to learn more about how your research can further our commitment to being the “Most Trusted. Most Cited. Most Read.”

Photoelectrochemical Asymmetric Catalysis Enables Direct and Enantioselective Decarboxylative Cyanation
Xiao-Li Lai, Ming Chen, Yuqi Wang, Jinshuai Song, and Hai-Chao Xu
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09050

Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention through Natural Compounds: Cell-Free, In Vitro, and In Vivo Dissection of Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) Multitarget Activity
Alessandro Palmioli, Valeria Mazzoni, Ada De Luigi, Chiara Bruzzone, Gessica Sala, Laura Colombo, Chiara Bazzini, Chiara Paola Zoia, Mariagiovanna Inserra, Mario Salmona, Ivano De Noni, Carlo Ferrarese, Luisa Diomede, and Cristina Airoldi
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00444

Nickel Catalysis via S_H2 Homolytic Substitution: The Double Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling of Aliphatic Acids
Artem V. Tsymbal, Lorenzo Delarue Bizzini, and David W. C. MacMillan
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c08989

A User’s Guide to Golden Gate Cloning Methods and Standards
Jasmine E. Bird, Jon Marles-Wright, and Andrea Giachino
DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00355

Ligand-Enabled Pd(II)-Catalyzed β-Methylene C(sp3)–H Arylation of Free Aliphatic Acids

Ligand-Enabled Pd(II)-Catalyzed β-Methylene C(sp³)–H Arylation of Free Aliphatic Acids
Liang Hu, Guangrong Meng, and Jin-Quan Yu
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09205

High-Performance Transparent Radiative Cooler Designed by Quantum Computing
Seongmin Kim, Wenjie Shang, Seunghyun Moon, Trevor Pastega, Eungkyu Lee, and Tengfei Luo
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c01969

Excited-State Copper-Catalyzed [4 + 1] Annulation Reaction Enables Modular Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated-γ-Lactams
Satavisha Sarkar, Arghya Banerjee, Jagrut A. Shah, Upasana Mukherjee, Nicoline C. Frederiks, Christopher J. Johnson, and Ming-Yu Ngai
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09006

Lipid Nanoparticles─From Liposomes to mRNA Vaccine Delivery, a Landscape of Research Diversity and Advancement
Rumiana Tenchov, Robert Bird, Allison E. Curtze, and Qiongqiong Zhou
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c04996

Synthesis of Stereoenriched Piperidines via Chemo-Enzymatic Dearomatization of Activated Pyridines
Vanessa Harawa, Thomas W. Thorpe, James R. Marshall, Jack J. Sangster, Amelia K. Gilio, Lucian Pirvu, Rachel S. Heath, Antonio Angelastro, James D. Finnigan, Simon J. Charnock, Jordan W. Nafie, Gideon Grogan, Roger C. Whitehead, and Nicholas J. Turner
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07143

General Synthetic Approach to Diverse Taxane Cores
Melecio A. Perea, Brian Wang, Benjamin C. Wyler, Jin Su Ham, Nicholas R. O’Connor, Shota Nagasawa, Yuto Kimura, Carolin Manske, Maximilian Scherübl, Johny M. Nguyen, and Richmond Sarpong
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c10272

*This list was not chosen by the journals’ editors and should not be taken as a “best of” list, but as another perspective on where the chemistry community is recently allocating their attention.

National Nanotechnology Day is an annual event held in recognition and celebration of the many ways in which nanotechnology impacts and enriches our daily lives. It occurs on the same day each year—October 9—in honor of the nanometer scale, 10^-9 meters.

This year, National Nanotechnology Day focuses on the role nanotechnology plays in addressing the challenges and effects of climate change and helping us move toward a more sustainable future. To mark the occasion, we have provided a handpicked collection of recent, highly read papers from ACS Publications journals in this area.

Covering everything from smart textiles for healthcare to the applications of carbon dots for drought-resistant soybean crops, this selection showcases a wealth of innovative, cutting-edge nanotechnology research from ACS Publications authors around the world.

Explore Recent Nanotechnology Research from ACS Journals

Sustainable 3D Printing of Recyclable Biocomposite Empowered by Flash Graphene
ACS Nano 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c08157

Wood-Based Self-Supporting Nanoporous Three-Dimensional Electrode for High-Efficiency Battery Deionization
Nano Lett. 2022, 22, 18, 7572–7578
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02583

Long-Term Stable Elastocaloric Effect in a Heusler-Type Co51V33Ga16 Polycrystalline Alloy
ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.2c02567

Safe, Durable, and Sustainable Self-Powered Smart Contact Lenses
ACS Nano 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c05452

Tough, Highly Oriented, Super Thermal Insulating Regenerated All-Cellulose Sponge-Aerogel Fibers Integrating a Graded Aligned Nanostructure
Nano Lett. 2022, 22, 9, 3516–3524
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c03943

Wool Keratin Nanoparticle-Based Micropatterns for Cellular Guidance Applications
ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.2c03116

Smart Textiles for Healthcare and Sustainability
ACS Nano 2022, 16, 9, 13301–13313
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c06287

Near-Perfect Absorbing Copper Metamaterial for Solar Fuel Generation
Nano Lett. 2021, 21, 21, 9124–9130
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02886

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Axially Chiral Molecules: Development of Strategies and Skeletons
Acc. Chem. Res. 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00509

Carbon Dots Improve Nitrogen Bioavailability to Promote the Growth and Nutritional Quality of Soybeans under Drought Stress
ACS Nano 2022, 16, 8, 12415–12424
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c03591

Outdoor Personal Thermal Management with Simultaneous Electricity Generation
Nano Lett. 2021, 21, 9, 3879–3886
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00400

Poly(cannabinoid)s: Hemp-Derived Biocompatible Thermoplastic Polyesters with Inherent Antioxidant Properties
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c05556

Star Polymers with Designed Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging and Agent Delivery Functionality Promote Plant Stress Tolerance
ACS Nano 2022, 16, 3, 4467–4478
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c10828

Designing Mesoporous Photonic Structures for High-Performance Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling
Nano Lett. 2021, 21, 3, 1412–1418
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c04241

—————-

References

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Jain S, et al. Hybrid In Silico Approach Reveals Novel Inhibitors of Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Variants. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2021;4:1675–1688.
Wan H, et al. Probing the Dynamic Structure-Function and Structure-Free Energy Relationships of the Coronavirus Main Protease with Biodynamics Theory. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020;3:1111–1143.
Ma C, et al. Ebselen, Disulfiram, Carmofur, PX-12, Tideglusib, and Shikonin Are Nonspecific Promiscuous SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020;3:1265–1277.
Chen T, et al. Synergistic Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Replication Using Disulfiram/Ebselen and Remdesivir. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2021;4:898–907.
Maiti BK. Potential Role of Peptide-Based Antiviral Therapy Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020;3:783–785.
Guo J, et al. Worldwide rates of diagnosis and effective treatment for cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros 2022;21(3):456–462.
Ghelani DP, Schneider-Futschik EK. Emerging Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Modulators as New Drugs for Cystic Fibrosis: A Portrait of in Vitro Pharmacology and Clinical Translation. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020;3:4–10.
Qiu F, et al. Balance between the Safety of Mother, Fetus, and Newborn Undergoing Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Treatments during Pregnancy. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020;3:835–843.
Donovan C, Hansbro, PM. IL-33 in Chronic Respiratory Disease: From Preclinical to Clinical Studies. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020;3:56–62.
Jeong MH, et al. Recent Advances in Molecular Diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis for Precision Medicine. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022;5:520–538.

Macromolecules has been creating a series of Mini Virtual Issues on Twitter which highlight articles with a similar theme. Here we have collected them all in one place so readers won’t miss out!

Semi-Conducting Polymers

Semi-conducting polymers are useful in many emerging applications, and the fundamentals of their synthesis, charge conduction, and organization are important to established for future applications in sensors, solar cells, and organic electronics as exemplified in these three recent Macromolecules papers.

Usefulness of Polar and Bulky Phosphonate Chain-End Solubilizing Groups in Polymeric Semiconductors
So-Huei Kang, Doyoung Lee, Wonbin Choi, Joon Hak Oh, and Changduk Yang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02628

High-Performance Unipolar n-Type Conjugated Polymers Enabled by Highly Electron-Deficient Building Blocks Containing F and CN Groups
Chan Zhang, Wen Liang Tan, Zhongwei Liu, Qiao He, Yanru Li, Jianeng Ma, Anthony S. R. Chesman, Yang Han, Christopher R. McNeill, Martin Heeney, and Zhuping Fei
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00870

Effect of Isomerization of Linking Units on the Photovoltaic Performance of PSMA-Type Polymer Acceptors in All-Polymer Solar Cells
Liuyang Zhou, Lei Meng, Jinyuan Zhang, Shucheng Qin, Jing Guo, Xiaojun Li, Xinxin Xia, Xinhui Lu, and Yongfang Li
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00515

Polyelectrolytes

Polyelectrolytes are a class of polymers with charges along the backbone of the chain and are used in many applications that range from hydrogels to surface modifiers to drug delivery. Four recent papers in Macromolecules highlight new innovative experiment and theoretical work on polyelectrolytes.

Adsorption of Charge Sequence-Specific Polydisperse Polyelectrolytes
Vaidyanathan Sethuraman, David Zheng, David C. Morse, and Kevin D. Dorfman
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02623

Effect of Ethanol and Urea as Solvent Additives on PSS–PDADMA Polyelectrolyte Complexation
Mohammad Khavani, Piotr Batys, Suvesh M. Lalwani, Chikaodinaka I. Eneh, Anna Leino, Jodie L. Lutkenhaus, and Maria Sammalkorpi
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02533

Extraordinarily High Dielectric Breakdown Strength of Multilayer Polyelectrolyte Thin Films
Ethan T. Iverson, Hsu-Cheng Chiang, Thomas J. Kolibaba, Kendra Schmieg, and Jaime C. Grunlan
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00259

The pH-Dependent Swelling of Weak Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels Modeled at Different Levels of Resolution
Jonas Landsgesell, David Beyer, Pascal Hebbeker, Peter Košovan, and Christian Holm
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02489

Block Polymers

Block polymers are fascinating materials useful for numerous advanced technologies that include energy storage and nanotemplating. Three articles recently published in Macromolecules highlight the wonderful and interesting self-assembly behavior of these hybrid polymers.

Enhanced Electrochemical Properties of Block Copolymer Electrolytes with Blended End-Functionalized Homopolymers
Jihoon Kim, Kyeong-Jun Jeong, Kyoungwook Kim, Chang Yun Son, and Moon Jeong Park
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02461

Long-Range Ordered Lamellar Formation with Lower Molecular Weight PS-PMMA Block Copolymers: Significant Effects of Discrete Oligopeptides at the Junction
Tomoka Yoshimura, Tomofumi Morishita, Yoshihiro Agata, Kodai Nagashima, Kevin Wylie, Yuta Nabae, Teruaki Hayakawa, and Makoto Ouchi
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02569

Universality and Specificity in the Self-Assembly of Cylinder-Forming Block Copolymers under Cylindrical Confinement
Junying Yang, Qingshu Dong, Meijiao Liu, and Weihua Li
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02504

Rheological Analysis

The rheological behavior of polymers is critically important to understanding underlying phenomena associated with chain dynamics in a variety of macromolecular materials. In back-to-back Macromolecules Perspectives, the importance of rheological analysis, underlying theory, and associated simulations are highlighted in the realm of reversible networks and extensional flow.

Advances and New Opportunities in the Rheology of Physically and Chemically Reversible Polymers
Shilong Wu and Quan Chen
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01605

When Polymer Chains Are Highly Aligned: A Perspective on Extensional Rheology
Qian Huang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02262

South Asia is one of the most populated regions of the world with a population of nearly two billion people (nearly a quarter of the world’s population) located within 5.1 million square kilometers of land. This creates challenging circumstances for freshwater management and supply for the region.

South Asia experiences a wide diversity of urban and natural water stressors. There are a diversity of climates across South Asia, though much of the region is heavily dependent on monsoon rainfall, which may be dramatically impacted by climate change. Despite rapid economic growth in South Asia, relatively sparse information is available on the water situation and technology/policy solutions.

This Special Issue from ACS ES&T Water will provide a high-level overview of the water issues facing South Asia, as well as technological and policy examples of efforts to overcome the regional challenges. Moreover, the Special Issue will set the groundwork for future advancements to maintain water sustainability in this rapidly developing region.

Submit your manuscript for inclusion now.

Editor-in-Chief: Professor Shane Snyder, Nanyang Technological University

Guest Editors:

Associate Professor Raj Kumar Gupta, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India
Fazlullah Akhtar, Center for Development Research, University of Bonn, Germany
Professor Shameen Jinadasa, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Associate Professor Shukra Raj Paudel, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
M. Feisal Rahman, Northumbria University, United Kingdom

Author Instructions:

To submit your manuscript, please visit the ACS ES&T Water website. Please follow the normal procedures for manuscript submission and when in the ACS Paragon Plus submission site, select the special issue of “Water Challenges and Solution Opportunities in South Asia, a Rapidly Developing Region of the World.” All manuscripts will undergo rigorous peer review. For additional submission instructions, please see the ACS ES&T Water Author Guidelines.

South Asia is generally defined as the following countries (in order of population size): India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives.

The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2022. Submit your manuscript now.

Biochemistry Perspectives are designed to communicate a focused review of the most exciting new developments in a field or area and with an eye toward guiding future research.

Explore the Perspectives published in Biochemistry over the past year:

Antibodies from Lampreys as Smart Anti-Glycan Reagents (SAGRs): Perspectives on Their Specificity, Structure, and Glyco-genomics
Tanya R. McKitrickTanya R. McKitrick, Deniz Eris, Nandini Mondal, Rajindra P. Aryal, Nathanael McCurley, Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro, and Richard D. Cummings
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b01015
***
Tafenoquine: A Step toward Malaria Elimination
Kuan-Yi Lu and Emily R. Derbyshire
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b01105
***
The Biochemistry of Survival Motor Neuron Protein Is Paving the Way to Novel Therapies for Spinal Muscle Atrophy
Patrick Lomonte, Faouzi Baklouti, and Olivier Binda
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b01124
***
mRNA Therapies: New Hope in the Fight against Melanoma
Melissa van Dülmen and Andrea Rentmeister
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00181
***
Mimicking Functions of Native Enzymes or Photosynthetic Reaction Centers by Nucleoapzymes and Photonucleoapzymes
Margarita Vázquez-González, Zhixin Zhou, Yonatan Biniuri, Bilha Willner, and Itamar Willner
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00421
***
Light-Driven Catalytic Regulation of Enzymes at the Interface with Plasmonic Nanomaterials
Heloise Ribeiro de Barros, Fernando López-Gallego*, and Luis M. Liz-Marzán
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00447
***
Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Statins
Ghazal Alipour Talesh, Véronique Trézéguet*, and Aksam Merched
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00476
***
Specificity Distorted: Chemical Induction of Biological Paracatalysis
Brian P. Callahan, Daniel A. Ciulla, Andrew G. Wagner, Zihan Xu, and Xiaoyu Zhang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00643
***
Targeting Lipid Metabolism in Liver Cancer
Malak Alannan, Hussein Fayyad-Kazan, Véronique Trézéguet, and Aksam Merched
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00477
***
Illuminating the Path to Target GPCR Structures and Functions
Christian D.-T. Nielsen, Divya Dhasmana, Giuseppe Floresta, Thorsten Wohland, and Agostino Cilibrizzi
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00606
***
The Origin of Lipid Rafts
Steven L. Regen
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00851
***
Disulfide Bridging Strategies in Viral and Nonviral Platforms for Nucleic Acid Delivery
Kingshuk Dutta, Ritam Das, Jewel Medeiros, and S. Thayumanavan
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00860
***
Early Strides in NMR Dynamics Measurements
Jane Dyson
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00141
***
Buffers, Especially the Good Kind
Gary J. Pielak
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00200
***
Evolution of Enzyme Function and the Development of Catalytic Efficiency: Triosephosphate Isomerase, Jeremy R. Knowles, and W. John Albery
John A. Gerlt
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00211
***
Long-Acting Cabotegravir for HIV/AIDS Prophylaxis
Kathleen D. Engelman and Alan N. Engelman
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00157
***
Live and Let Dye
Luke D. Lavis
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00299
***
Revisiting Nitric Oxide Signaling: Where Was It, and Where Is It Going?
Michael A. Marletta
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00276
***
Rhodium Complexes Targeting DNA Mismatches as a Basis for New Therapeutics in Cancers Deficient in Mismatch Repair
Adela Nano, Joanne Dai, Julie M. Bailis, and Jacqueline K. Barton
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00302
***
Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Reveal Dynamic Allostery on Multiple Time Scales in the Serine Protease Thrombin
Riley B. Peacock and Elizabeth A. Komives
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00277
***
Protein Engineering in the Design of Protein–Protein Interactions: SARS-CoV-2 Inhibitors as a Test Case
Jiří Zahradník and Gideon Schreiber
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00356
***
Genetic Code Expansion: A Brief History and Perspective
Mia A. Shandell, Zhongping Tan, and Virginia W. Cornish
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00286
***
Origins of Ca²⁺ Imaging with Fluorescent Indicators
Xinqi Zhou, Kayla J. Belavek, and Evan W. Miller
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00350
***
Chance Favors the Perplexed Mind: The Critical Role of Mechanistic Biochemistry in Drug Discovery
Robert A. Copeland
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00345
***
Mechanisms of O₂ Activation by Mononuclear Non-Heme Iron Enzymes
Edward I. Solomon, Dory E. DeWeese, and Jeffrey T. Babicz Jr.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00370
***
Correlated Motions in Structural Biology
Da Xu, Steve P. Meisburger, and Nozomi Ando
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00420
***
Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation in Biology: Specific Stoichiometric Molecular Interactions vs Promiscuous Interactions Mediated by Disordered Sequences
Zhe Feng, Bowen Jia, and Mingjie Zhang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00376
***
Inducible Protein Degradation to Understand Genome Architecture
Alexi Tallan and Benjamin Z. Stanton
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00306
***
Functional Roles of Chelated Magnesium Ions in RNA Folding and Function
Ryota Yamagami, Jacob P. Sieg, and Philip C. Bevilacqua
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00012
***
Drugging the Undruggable: How Isoquinolines and PKA Initiated the Era of Designed Protein Kinase Inhibitor Therapeutics
Robin Lorenz, Jian Wu, Friedrich W. Herberg, Susan S. Taylor, and Richard A. Engh
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00359
***
Phase Separation in Cell Polarity
Heyang Wei and Wenyu Wen
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00372
***
Global Mapping of Metalloproteomes
Xin Zeng, Yao Cheng, and Chu Wang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00404
***
Low Intrinsic Efficacy Alone Cannot Explain the Improved Side Effect Profiles of New Opioid Agonists
Edward L. Stahl and Laura M. Bohn
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00466
***
Ligandability of E3 Ligases for Targeted Protein Degradation Applications
Bridget P. Belcher, Carl C. Ward, and Daniel K. Nomura
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00464
***
Redefining the Scope of Targeted Protein Degradation: Translational Opportunities in Hijacking the Autophagy–Lysosome Pathway
Katelyn Cassidy and Heng Zhao
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00330
***
The Birth of Genomic Enzymology: Discovery of the Mechanistically Diverse Enolase Superfamily
Karen N. Allen and Christian P. Whitman
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00494
***
Ins and Outs: Recent Advancements in Membrane Protein-Mediated Prokaryotic Ferrous Iron Transport
Janae B. Brown, Mark A. Lee, and Aaron T. Smith
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00586
***
The Moderately (D)efficient Enzyme: Catalysis-Related Damage In Vivo and Its Repair
Ulschan Bathe, Bryan J. Leong, Donald R. McCarty, Christopher S. Henry, Paul E. Abraham, Mark A. Wilson, and Andrew D. Hanson
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00613
***
Bacterial Responses to Iron Withholding by Calprotectin
Adunoluwa O. Obisesan, Emily M. Zygiel, and Elizabeth M. Nolan
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00572
***
Reframing the Protein Folding Problem: Entropy as Organizer
George D. Rose
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00687
***
Toward Elucidating the Human Gut Microbiota–Brain Axis: Molecules, Biochemistry, and Implications for Health and Diseases
Yunjia Lai, Radhika Dhingra, Zhenfa Zhang, Louise M. Ball, Mark J. Zylka, and Kun Lu
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00656
***
Three Rings to Rule Them All: How Versatile Flavoenzymes Orchestrate the Structural Diversification of Natural Products
Marina Toplak and Robin Teufel
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00763
***
Chemoproteomic Analysis of Microbiota Metabolite–Protein Targets and Mechanisms
Xiaohui Zhao, Xinglin Yang, and Howard C. Hang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00758
***
Protein Engineering in Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-translationally Modified Peptides (RiPPs)
Truc Do and A. James Link
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00714
***
Biochemistry Perspectives are usually submitted by invitation, but suggestions to the Biochemistry editors of both topics and authors are welcome. Make a suggestion:
***

Discover other Biochemistry collections:

Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the past achievements of Black chemists and chemical engineers. It’s also a time to talk about pioneering Black chemists doing exciting work in the chemical sciences today.

In honor of Black History Month, here are a variety of resources from the American Chemical Society for learning about the work of Black chemists past and present.

Interviews with Black Chemists on ACS Axial

Articles from C&EN

C&EN’s 2021 Trailblazers Issue Focusing on Black Chemists

Black Chemists You Should Know About

Career Ladder Profile: Paula Hammond

More Black History Month Resources From ACS:

A Call for Diversity Story Guest Editorials

ACS Honors African Americans in the Chemical Sciences

Celebrate Black History Month with 5 Remarkable Black Chemists

Highlighting Prominent African American Chemists

National Historic Chemical Landmark: St. Elmo Brady

National Historic Chemical Landmark: Norbert Rillieux and the Multiple Effect Evaporator

National Historic Chemical Landmark: Percy L. Julian and the Synthesis of Physostigmine

Spotlighting Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers [VIDEO]

Mentoring the Next Generation of Black Chemists [VIDEO]

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research is delighted to announce the 2021 Class of Influential Researchers. These talented researchers, who are in the first 10 years or so of their independent careers, were identified through an open call for nominations, with a focus on researchers in the Americas. The nominations were then reviewed by our global team of editors and advisory board members and selected based on the quality and impact of their research.

This Virtual Special Issue comprises reviews and original research articles invited from this talented group of early-career scientists and engineers. I&EC Research is pleased to showcase these 36 authors and their work. The Influential Researchers are listed below, in alphabetical order by last name, along with their associated research articles.

“I&EC Research has been at the forefront of chemical engineering research since 1909, and we continue today as the largest and most-cited general chemical engineering research journal in the world. We congratulate this 2021 Class of Influential Researchers for being at the forefront today, and we are pleased to highlight their work,” says Phillip E. Savage, Editor-in-Chief, in the Editorial. In parallel with this publication, the 2022 call for nominations to the next Class of Influential Researchers opens for early career researchers located in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Milad Abolhasani

Continuous Ligand-Free Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reactions in a Cartridge Flow Reactor Using a Gel-Supported Catalyst

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 26, 9418–9428
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01531

***
Moises Bastos-Neto

LTA Zeolite Characterization Based on Pore Type Distribution

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2022, 61, 5, 2268–2279
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c04897
***

Bryan S. Beckingham

Fabrication and Characterization of Cross-Linked Phenyl-Acrylate-Based Ion Exchange Membranes and Performance in a Direct Urea Fuel Cell

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 41, 14856–14867
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02798
***

Sidi A. Bencherif

Avian Egg: A Multifaceted Biomaterial for Tissue Engineering

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 48, 17348-17364
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03085

***

Saad Bhamla

Frugal Science Powered by Curiosity

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 44, 15874–15884
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02868
***

Jesse Q. Bond

Kinetic and Mechanistic Analysis of the Hydrodeoxygenation of Propanoic Acid on Pt/SiO₂

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 45, 16171–16187
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03032
***

Marco Caricato

Predicted Properties of Active Catalyst Sites on Amorphous Silica: Impact of Silica Preoptimization Protocol

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 35, 12834–12846
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01849
***

Nick J. Carroll

DNA Binding by an Intrinsically Disordered Elastin-like Polypeptide for Assembly of Phase Separated Nucleoprotein Coacervates

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 48, 17408-17416
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02823
***

Nagu Daraboina

Particulate Deposition Modeling for Predicting Paraffin Thickness in Flowlines: Application of Data Analytics for Model Parameters

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15793–15804
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02740
***

Brandon J. DeKosky

Optimized Production of Fc Fusion Proteins by Sortase Enzymatic Ligation

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 47, 16839-16853
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02842
***

Eno E. Ebong

Regeneration and Assessment of the Endothelial Glycocalyx To Address Cardiovascular Disease

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 48, 17328-17347
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03074
***

Ashlee N. Ford Versypt

Mathematical Modeling of the Gut–Bone Axis and Implications of Butyrate Treatment on Osteoimmunology

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, XXX, XXX-XXX
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02949
***

Michele Galizia

Evidence for Size-Sieving Driven Vapor Sorption and Diffusion in a Glassy Polybenzoxazole Exhibiting Configurational Free Volume

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 36, 13326–13337
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02660
***

Jean Marcel R. Gallo

Isomerization and Epimerization of Glucose Catalyzed by Sn-Containing Mesoporous Silica

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 35, 12821–12833
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01781
***

Gaurav Giri

Meniscus Guided Coating and Evaporative Crystallization of UiO-66 Metal Organic Framework Thin Films

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 48, 17585-17595
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03969
***

Daniel T. Hallinan Jr.

Polymer Blend Electrolytes for Batteries and Beyond

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 48, 17303-17327
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02938
***

Seok Hoon Hong

Establishing Efficient Bisphenol A Degradation by Engineering Shewanella oneidensis

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 47, 16864-16873
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03324
***

Gyoung G. Jang

Corrosion Prevention of Additively Manufactured Aluminum Packing Devices Developed for Process Intensification of CO₂ Capture by Aqueous Amines

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 47, 1736-17044
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03069
***

Ayman M. Karim

Kinetic Synergy between Supported Ir Single Atoms and Nanoparticles during CO Oxidation Light-Off

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 44, 15960–15971
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02806
***

Melissa D. Krebs

Photoinduced Gelatin-Methacrylate Scaffolds to Examine the Impact of Extracellular Environment on Trabecular Meshwork Cells

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 48, 17417-17428
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02828
***

Li-Chiang Lin

In Silico Screening of Zeolites for the Highly Selective Adsorption of Central C–C Bonds toward More Effective Alkane Cracking

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 42, 15174–15183
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03213
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Jian Liu

Understanding the Adsorption of Noble Gases in Metal–Organic Frameworks Using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 45, 16469–16477
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03255
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Emily B. Pentzer

Capsules of the Poly(α-olefin) PAO₄₃₂ for Removal of BTEX Contaminants from Water

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 40, 14455–14463
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02819
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William A. Phillip

Staged Diafiltration Cascades Provide Opportunities to Execute Highly Selective Separations

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15706–15719
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02984
***

Toufiq Reza

Pretreatment of Biomass by Selected Type-III Deep Eutectic Solvents and Evaluation of the Pretreatment Effects on Hydrothermal Carbonization

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15479–15491
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03068
***

Fateme Rezaei

Assessment of CO₂/CH₄ Separation Performance of 3D-Printed Carbon Monoliths in Pressure Swing Adsorption

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 45, 16445–16456
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01741
***

Jessica D. Schiffman

Optimizing the Packing Density and Chemistry of Cellulose Nanofilters for High-Efficiency Particulate Removal

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15720–15729
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03051
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Marc Singer

Improvement to Water Speciation and FeCO₃ Precipitation Kinetics in CO₂ Environments: Updates in NaCl Concentrated Solutions

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 47, 17026-17035
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02957
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Seyed Mohammad Taghavi

Efficient Displacement of Fluids Using a Viscous Shear-Thinning Spacer

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 28, 10376–10392
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01690
***

Joshua A. Thompson

Rate-Based Absorption Modeling for Postcombustion CO₂Capture with Additively Manufactured Structured Packing

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 41, 14845–14855
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02756
***

Jesús M. Velázquez

Charge Transport Dynamics in Microwave Synthesized One-Dimensional Molybdenum Chalcogenides

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 45, 16153–16161
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02825
***

Bin Wang

First-Principles Study of Interaction between Molecules and Lewis Acid Zeolites Manipulated by Injection of Energized Charge Carriers

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 39, 14124–14133

DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02808
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Richard H. West

Extensive High-Accuracy Thermochemistry and Group Additivity Values for Halocarbon Combustion Modeling

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15492–15501
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03076
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Luisa Whittaker-Brooks

Interplay between Morphology and Electronic Structure in Emergent Organic and π-d Conjugated Organometal Thin Film Materials

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15365–15379
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03077
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Di Wu

Formation Energetics and Guest—Host Interactions of Molybdenum Carbide Confined in Zeolite Y

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 38, 13991–14003
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02822
***

Dan Xie

Rational Design and Targeted Synthesis of Small-Pore Zeolites with the Assistance of Molecular Modeling, Structural Analysis, and Synthetic Chemistry

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 43, 15403–15415
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02878
***

Huiyuan Zhu

Powering the Remediation of the Nitrogen Cycle: Progress and Perspectives of Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2021, 60, 41, 14635–14650
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03072

Starting with stone mortars and pestles, before history was ever written, humans have ground and milled materials to induce physical or chemical changes. In the modern world, the systematic study of such processes has given rise to the field of mechanochemistry, set apart from its peers by the preferential use of solid-state reagents. At the roots of mechanochemistry lies the ability of solids to support shear strain. Unlike fluids, sheared solids under stress experience a distortion of their crystalline structures. The resulting modification of crystal geometries can induce destabilization of chemical bonds in covalent, ionic, and metallic solids, and symmetry breaking in molecular solids, which can eventually cause chemical transformations.

Driven by scientists’ enthusiasm and by the promise of genuinely revolutionary impacts on the industrial preparation of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals, mechanochemistry is slowly but steadily overcoming practical limitations (such as issues of scale-up), and its potential benefits are becoming ever more apparent. Mechanochemistry’s increased adoption promises a bright future of enhanced sustainability for the chemical industry, providing feasible solutions to realise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal objectives.

In recent years, the use of mechanochemical methods to induce and alter chemical transformations has gained remarkable momentum, particularly in the field of organic synthesis. This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) concerning Advances in Mechanochemistry features contributions from prominent scientists in the area and is particularly focused on mechanochemical methods for enabling sustainable synthetic routes.

Adapted from the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Editorial by Evelina Colacino, Francesco Delogu, and Timothy Hanusa.

Learn more in the Degradable and Recyclable Virtual Special Issue Editorial.

Featured Articles:

Mechanochemical Cyclodehydrogenation with Elemental Copper: An Alternative Pathway toward Nanographenes
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 20, 7569–7573
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02223
***
The Use of Copper and Vanadium Mineral Ores in Catalyzed Mechanochemical Carbon–Carbon Bond Formations
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 19, 7262–7266
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02447
***
Mechanochemical and Mechanoenzymatic Synthesis of Pharmacologically Active Compounds: A Green Perspective
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 24, 8881–8893
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c01645
***
Solvent-Free Mechanochemical Synthesis of Ultrasmall Nickel Phosphide Nanoparticles and Their Application as a Catalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER)
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 32, 12014–12024
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02762
***
Solvent-Free, Continuous Synthesis of Hydrazone-Based Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients by Twin-Screw Extrusion
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 32, 12230–12238
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03816
***
Efficient CO₂ Sequestration by a Solid–Gas Reaction Enabled by Mechanochemistry: The Case of l-Lysine
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 35, 13159–13166
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c00217
***
Mechanochemistry Applied to the Synthesis of X-ray Contrast Agent
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 34, 12825–12830
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02928
***
Environmentally Friendly Sunscreens: Mechanochemical Synthesis and Characterization of β-CD Inclusion Complexes of Avobenzone and Octinoxate with Improved Photostability
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 35, 13215–13225
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02735
***
Making Agriculture More Sustainable: An Environmentally Friendly Approach to the Synthesis of Lignin@Cu Pesticides
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 39, 14886–14895
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04645
***
Mechanochemically Activated Asymmetric Organocatalytic Domino Mannich Reaction-Fluorination
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 38, 14417–14424
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04260
***
Mechanochemical Formation of Protein Nanofibril: Graphene Nanoplatelet Hybrids and Their Thermoelectric Properties
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 47, 17368–17378
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05048
***
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Amides with Uronium-Based Coupling Reagents: A Method for Hexa-amidation of Biotin[6]uril
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 41, 15703–15715
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05558
***
Enhanced Reactivity and Primary Liquid-Phase Forming in Mechanochemically Activated Soda–Lime–Silica Glass Batches
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 48, 17740–17751
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05980
***
A Glove-Box- and Schlenk-Line-Free Protocol for Solid-State C–N Cross-Coupling Reactions Using Mechanochemistry
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 44, 16577–16582
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05834
***
Mechanochemical Preparation of N,S-Doped Graphene Oxide Using (NH₄)₂SO₄ for Supercapacitor Applications
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 51, 18810–18815
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05918
***
Green Synthesis of Lidocaine Ionic Liquids and Salts: Mechanisms of Formation and Interactions in the Crystalline and Supercooled States
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 49, 18266–18276
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06811
***
Mn(I)-Catalyzed Mechanochemical C–H Bond Activation: C-2 Selective Alkenylation of Indoles
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 51, 19105–19116
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c07465
***
Ultrasonication for Environmentally Friendly Preparation of Antimicrobial and Catalytically Active Nanocomposites of Cellulosic Textiles
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 51, 18879–18888
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05493
***
Kabachnik–Fields Reaction by Mechanochemistry: New Horizons from Old Methods
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 51, 18889–18902
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05744
***
Fast Li Ion Dynamics in the Mechanosynthesized Nanostructured Form of the Solid Electrolyte Li₃YBr₆
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 2, 743–755
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06694
***
Multigram Mechanochemical synthesis of a Salophen Complex: A Comparative Analysis
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 3, 1152–1160
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06374
***
Thermoelectric Cu–S-Based Materials Synthesized via a Scalable Mechanochemical Process
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 5, 2003–2016
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05555
***
From Uncommon Ethylzinc Complexes Supported by Ureate Ligands to Water-Soluble ZnO Nanocrystals: A Mechanochemical Approach
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 4, 1540–1549
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06081
***
The Mechanochemical Beckmann Rearrangement: An Eco-efficient “Cut-and-Paste” Strategy to Design the “Good Old Amide Bond”
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 5, 2100–2114
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c07254
***
Mechanochemical Synthesis and Thermal Dehydrogenation of Novel Calcium-Containing Bimetallic Amidoboranes
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 5, 2089–2099
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06839
***
Mechanical Activation of Construction and Demolition Waste in Order to Improve Its Pozzolanic Reactivity
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 9, 3416–3427
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05838
***
Biomechanochemical Solid-State Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles with Antibacterial Activity Using Lichens
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 37, 13945–13955
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03211

Professor Harry A. Atwater

Professor Harry A. Atwater, Founding Editor-in-Chief of ACS Photonics, announced in his latest Editorial that he is stepping down from his role leading the journal at the end of the month. This is a sad occasion for the journal, but it also serves as an opportunity to celebrate the journal’s achievements, which is the result of a team of efforts led by Professor Atwater.

Under his leadership, ACS Photonics has grown to become one of the top journals in its field. As we say goodbye, we thought it appropriate to use Professor Atwater’s past Editorials to tell the story of the journal and how it has influenced the field.

Let There Be Light

The first issue of ACS Photonics was published in January 2014. Recognizing the field of photonics had become a more interdisciplinary field, Professor Atwater wrote in his inaugural Editorial that the journal was founded to, “embrace the scientific opportunity to bridge disciplinary gaps and promote rich cross-fertilization of knowledge between chemistry, physics, and engineering in the field of photonics.”

In that same editorial, Professor Atwater also writes about, “the internationalization of the field,” and the “worldwide recognition … of the importance of scientific advance in photonics,” as a driver for the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2015 the “International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies.”

International Year of Light

Professor Atwater kicked off the second year of the journal with an Editorial in the January 2015 issue highlighting the importance of the International Year of Light. He wrote that it was “an opportunity for us to tell the rest of the world about the amazing properties of light and its potential to enrich the human experience,” while also noting that authors and contributors, “see the beauty of light and its amazing ability to probe molecular and nanoscale features, to interrogate physical and chemical processes that occur on ultrashort time scales, and to bring forth new technologies from rapid advances in science.”

In the years since, the journal has celebrated the International Day of Light by highlighting a collection of articles across many of the most important topical areas in the field.

Influence and Impact

ACS Photonics’ debut Impact Factor was announced in 2016. In honor of the achievement, Professor Atwater shared his thoughts in a July Editorial. In it, he calls the Impact Factor an early indicator that the journal had already begun establishing itself among the top tier of photonics-focused journals. He also called it, “a reflection of the dynamism and vibrancy of the global photonics research enterprise and its expanding impact in the whole scientific community.”

In the time since, the journal’s influence and importance have grown. So has the Impact Factor. Additionally, the journal has ranked in the top quartile in the Optics; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary, Physics, Applied; and Physics, Condensed Matter categories according to the 2020 Journal Citation Report from Clarivate. It also ranks in the second quartile for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

2020 and Beyond

In the face of global lockdowns and working from home, Professor Atwater spearheaded the launch of the ACS Photonics Global Webinar Series to connect audiences around the world with leading researchers in the field. Speakers in the series include Andrea Alu, Shanhui Fan, ACS Photonics Associate Editor Jelena Vuckovic, and the 2020 ACS Photonics Lectureship winner Maiken H. Mikkelson.

ACS Photonics began 2021 taking a look back at past achievements in the field with the “20 Years of Photonics” Special Issue, which features Perspectives from leading researchers on topics including nanophotonics, nanosensors, quantum photonics, and more. In his Editorial for the issue, Professor Atwater notes that the formation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2000 ushered in the beginning of the “worldwide race in the field of nanoscience,” that ultimately led to an explosion in nanophotonics research and “an unusually creative, productive, and highly impactful time for the photonics field.”

Highlighting a few editorials over an eight-year span will never provide a full picture of the works published in the journal, nor the advances in the field. It does, however, provide us with an opportunity to look back and see how we got here. But also look ahead to where we are headed, as Professor Atwater does in his 20 Years of Photonics editorial. “As we enter 2021, the achievements of the last 20 years that are detailed in this issue’s Perspective papers can give us inspiration to imagine what our field will be writing about and discussing in 2040,” writes Atwater.

On behalf of ACS Publications, the American Chemical Society, and the ACS Photonics community, we thank Professor Atwater for his dedication to the journal and the field. We wish him the best in all of his future endeavors!

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