Journal Guide

ACS Energy Letters is a monthly peer-reviewed journal that publishes new scientific advances in all aspects of energy research that are of interest to scientists working in the fundamental, and applied sciences. A central criterion to acceptance is that the paper reports sufficiently new results such that rapid publication is essential. 

The journal maintains one of the most rapid publication times in the field (average 4-6 weeks from submission to web publication in ASAP -As Soon As Publishable- format). ACS Energy Letters is currently ranked within the top 10 journals for the Web of Science Electrochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Energy & Fuels, and Nanoscience & Nanotechnology categories. 

Journal editors and staff routinely attend major scientific conferences, and are eager to discuss with readers and authors, and the journal maintains an active presence on social media. 

The following topics are examples within the scope of ACS Energy Letters:

• Storage Batteries and Supercapacitors
• Solar Cells (for example, Perovskite, Quantum Dots, Organic Photovoltaics and Tandem)
• Solar Fuels (Hydrogen, CO₂ and N₂ reduction) and Biofuels
• Energy Materials (Quantum Dots and Light Harvesting Assemblies)
• LED and Display Devices
• Fuel Cells and Redox Flow Batteries
• Photo- and Electro- Chemical/Catalytic Processes
• Desalination and Electrolyzers

Reviewers of ACS Energy Letters manuscripts will be asked the following questions:

• Is the manuscript likely to interest a substantial number of energy researchers, not just specialists working in the authors' specialized area of research?
• Are the conclusions adequately supported with appropriate data, control experiments, and statistics?

How does the manuscript rank in terms of urgency, significance, novelty, and scholarly presentation?

ACS Engineering Au is an open access journal reporting significant advances in chemical engineering, applied chemistry, and energy, covering fundamentals, processes, and products. The journal's broad scope includes experimental, theoretical, mathematical, computational, chemical, and physical research from academic and industrial settings. Topics include:

• Fundamental research in thermodynamics, transport phenomena (flow, mixing, mass & heat transfer), chemical reaction kinetics and engineering, catalysis, separations, interfacial phenomena, and materials
• Process design, development, and intensification (e.g., process technologies for chemicals and materials, synthesis and design methods, process intensification, multiphase reactors, microwave, cavitation, scale-up, systems analysis, process control, data correlation schemes, modeling, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence)
• Product research and development involving chemical and engineering aspects (e.g., catalysts, plastics, elastomers, fibers, adhesives, coatings, paper, membranes, lubricants, ceramics, aerosols, fluidic devices, intensified process equipment)
• Energy and fuels (e.g., pre-treatment, processing, and utilization of renewable energy resources; processing and utilization of fuels; properties and structure or molecular composition of both raw fuels and refined products; fuel cells, hydrogen, batteries; photochemical fuel and energy production; decarbonization; electrification)
• Measurement techniques, computational models, and data on thermo-physical, thermodynamic, and transport properties of materials and phase equilibrium behavior
• New methods, models, and tools (e.g., real-time data analytics, multi-scale models, physics informed machine learning models, machine learning enhanced physics-based models, soft sensors, high-performance computing)

ACS Environmental Au is an open access journal publishing experimental research and theoretical results in all aspects of environmental science and technology, both fundamental and applied. Topics include:

• Alternative energy
• Anthropogenic impacts on atmosphere, soil, or water
• Biogeochemical cycling
• Biomass or wastes as resources
• Contaminants in aquatic and terrestrial environments
• Environmental applications and implications of synthetic biology
• Environmental data science
• Environmental justice and equality
• Ecotoxicology and public health
• Energy and climate
• Environmental modeling, processes, and measurement methods and technologies
• Environmental nanotechnology and biotechnology
• Green chemistry
• Green manufacturing and engineering
• Risk assessment, regulatory frameworks, and life-cycle assessments
• Systems engineering and quantitative sustainability
• Treatment and resource recovery and waste management

ACS Infectious Diseases is the first journal to highlight chemistry and its role in the multidisciplinary and collaborative field of infectious disease research. With editors well-versed in both chemistry and the biology of infectious diseases, the journal aims to bridge the gap between these two disciplines. ACS Infectious Diseases welcomes submission of articles reporting investigations into chemistry and biology of infectious diseases, and encourages discussions centered on specific pathogen- and disease-related issues relating to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.

Topics covered by the journal include but are not limited to the following:

• Therapeutics
• Diagnostics
• Anti-infective Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Systems
• Drug Resistance
• Pathogens and Host-Pathogen Interactions
• Vaccines

ACS Macro Letters is the leading forum for the dissemination of urgent macromolecular and bio-macromolecular research. ACS Macro Letters welcomes research across many fields, from chemistry to physics to biology, including polymer engineering, polymer processing, and applications of polymers. Submissions to ACS Macro Letters typically contain strong elements of innovation and important experimental/theoretical approaches that demonstrate a fundamental advance in the understanding of polymers.

Topics covered by ACS Macro Letters include, but are not exclusively limited to:

• Polymers in catalysis and biocatalysis
• Advanced mechanics and rheology of polymer-based systems
• Polymer and composite membranes
• Supramolecular polymers and macromolecular assembly
• Polymer bioconjugates
• Carbohydrate and biobased polymers (polypeptides)
• Biomimetic polymers
• Polymer composites and nanocomposites
• Computational techniques
• Polymer networks and gels
• Diagnostic imaging and biosensing
• Polymer glasses
• Dynamic and stimuli-responsive macromolecules
• Polymerization/depolymerization
• Electronic, optical, magnetic, and spin-active macromolecules
• Polymers for advanced manufacturing, e.g., 3D printing
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence in polymer science
• Polymers for drug/gene delivery
• Nonlinear and block polymers
• Polymers for energy applications
• Porous polymers
• Polymers for membrane applications
• Sustainable and circular polymers
• Polymers for regenerative engineering
• Analysis and characterization of novel polymers
• Polymer design and synthesis

ACS Materials Au is an open access journal publishing high-quality research at the forefront of fundamental and applied research, and at the interface between materials and other disciplines, such as chemistry, engineering, and biology. Manuscripts that showcase multidisciplinary and innovative materials research addressing global challenges are especially welcome. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Design, synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of forefront and emerging materials
• Understanding structure, property, performance relationships and their underlying mechanisms
• Development of materials for energy, environmental, biomedical, electronic, and catalytic applications

ACS Materials Letters publishes high-quality and urgent papers on the forefront of fundamental and applied research at the interface between materials and other disciplines, such as chemistry, engineering, and biology. Papers that showcase multidisciplinary and innovative materials research addressing global challenges are especially welcome. Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Design, synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of forefront and emerging materials
• Understanding of structure, property, performance relationships and their underlying mechanisms
• Development of materials for energy, environmental, biomedical, electronic, and catalysis applications

ACS Materials Letters is dedicated to publishing the most transformative materials research with very fast processing times.

With the launch of ACS Materials Letters, Chemistry of Materials and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces will focus exclusively upon publishing full articles and have ceased publishing Letters/Communications.

ACS Measurement Science Au is an open access journal publishing experimental, computational, or theoretical research in all areas of chemical measurement science. The journal welcomes work on any phase of analytical operations, including sampling, measurement, and data analysis. Papers dealing with established methods need to offer a significantly improved, original application of the method. Topics include:

• Chemical Reactions and Selectivity
• Chemometrics and Data Processing
• Electrochemistry
• Elemental and Molecular Characterization
• Imaging
• Instrumentation
• Mass Spectrometry
• Microscale and Nanoscale systems
• Omics (Genomics, Proteomics, Metabonomics, Metabolomics, and Bioinformatics)
• Sensors and Sensing (Biosensors, Chemical Sensors, Gas Sensors, Intracellular Sensors, Single-Molecule Sensors, Cell Chips, Arrays, Microfluidic Devices)
• Separations
• Spectroscopy
• Surface analysis

ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters is interested in receiving manuscripts that discuss various aspects of medicinal chemistry. The journal will publish studies that pertain to a broad range of subject matter, including compound design and optimization, biological evaluation, drug delivery, imaging agents, drug interactome studies, and pharmacology of both small and large bioactive molecules.

Specific areas include but are not limited to:

• Identification, synthesis, and optimization of lead biologically active molecules and drugs (small molecules and biologics)
• Biological characterization of new molecular entities in the context of drug discovery towards delineating structure-activity relationship (SAR) trends
• Computational, cheminformatics, and structural studies for the identification or SAR analysis of bioactive molecules, ligands, and their targets, etc.
• Use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in drug discovery
• Novel and improved methodologies, including radiation biochemistry, with broad application to medicinal chemistry if the methods have been tested on relevant molecules. (e.g., DNA-encoded libraries, high-throughput experimentation, high-throughput parallel synthesis- compound library production, fragment-based drug discovery, covalent modulators.)
• New developments in discovery screening and bioassay technologies for biologically active molecules from both synthetic and natural (plant and other) sources.
• Chemistry patents relevant to the medicinal chemistry field
• Studies involving proximity-inducing agents including targeted protein degradation and molecular glues.

ACS Nano is a forum for the communication of comprehensive articles on nanoscience and nanotechnology research at the interfaces of chemistry, materials science, biology, medicine, physics, and engineering.

In addition to comprehensive, original research articles, ACS Nano offers thorough reviews and perspectives on cutting-edge research, and discussions of topics that provide distinctive views about the future of nanoscience and nanotechnology, including, but not limited to:

• Synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials and nanostructures
• Molecular nanotechnology and nanosystems
• Nanofabrication and nanomanufacturing
• Energy conversion and storage
• Nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine
• Catalysis
• Nanodevices and systems, nanorobotics
• Single-molecule, single-atom methods and measurements
• Nanometrology, nanoscopy, and characterization
• Theory, simulations & modeling for nanotechnology
• AI and machine learning for nanotechnology
• Nanophotonics and plasmonics
• Nanoelectronics and nano-optoelectronics
• Quantum materials and technology
• Interfacial and surface science
• Carbon capture, hydrogen, and clean electrification
• Sustainable development through nanotechnology
• Mechanistic understanding of nano-bio interactions
• Biomaterials and nano-enhanced bioengineering
• Environmental health and safety, nanotoxicology
• Community impact of nanotechnology innovations

ACS Nanoscience Au is an open access journal publishing original, fundamental, and applied research on nanoscience and nanotechnology research at the interfaces of chemistry, biology, medicine, materials science, physics, and engineering. ACS Nanoscience Au also publishes original experimental and theoretical research of an applied nature that integrates knowledge in the areas of materials, engineering, physics, bioscience, and chemistry into important applications of nanomaterials. Topics include:

• Synthesis, assembly, characterization, theory, modeling, and simulation of nanostructures, nanomaterials, and nanoscale devices
• Design, fabrication, and applications of organic, inorganic, polymer, hybrid, and biological nanostructures
• Experimental and theoretical studies of nanoscale chemical, physical, and biological phenomena
• Methods and tools for nanoscience and nanotechnology
• Self- and directed-assembly
• Zero-, one-, and two-dimensional materials
• Nanostructures and nano-engineered devices with advanced performance
• Nanobiotechnology
• Nanomedicine and nanotoxicology
• Nano energy

ACS Omega publishes new peer-reviewed findings in chemistry and the interfacing sciences, including interdisciplinary studies. The editors seek content supported by sound scientific principles and robust experimental protocols, without a requirement for wider significance. Reports of negative results that meet these expectations are welcome. ACS Omega welcomes work on topics including (but not limited to):

• Core chemistry (inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry)
• Agriculture and food chemistry
• Applied chemistry
• Astrochemistry
• Chemical biology, biological chemistry, and medicinal chemistry
• Catalysis
• Chemical engineering and industrial chemistry
• Energy
• Environmental and sustainable chemistry
• Materials science
• Measurement science
• Nanoscience
• Polymer science
• Theoretical and computational chemistry

ACS Organic & Inorganic Au is an open access journal publishing original experimental and theoretical/computational studies on organic, organometallic, inorganic, crystal growth and engineering, and organic process chemistry. Topics include:

Organic chemistry:

• Physical and theoretical organic chemistry, including mechanistic studies
• Natural product isolation, identification, and synthesis
• New synthetic methodology, including single or multistep reactions, total synthesis and electrosynthesis
• Bioorganic and medicinal chemistry
• Materials science: Polymer chemistry and studies on functional molecules and systems

Organometallic chemistry:

• Synthesis, structure, bonding, chemical reactivity, and reaction mechanisms for a variety of applications, including catalyst design and catalytic processes
• All aspects of main-group, transition-metal, and lanthanide and actinide metal chemistry
• Synthetic aspects of polymer science and materials science
• Bioorganometallic chemistry

Inorganic Chemistry:

• Coordination chemistry involving transition metals, lanthanides, and actinides
• Main-group and organometallic chemistry
• Bioinorganic chemistry
• Catalyst design and catalytic processes, including electrocatalysis
• Solid-state/materials/nanoscale chemistry

Organic Process chemistry:

• Practical applications of organic chemistry that enable the safe, environmentally benign, and ultimately economical manufacturing of organic compounds at large-scale

Crystal Growth and Engineering:

• Organic, inorganic, hybrid solids, biological substances (e.g., biomineralization)

ACS Photonics is an interdisciplinary forum to communicate on the latest advances in the field of photonics, all the way from basic research to applied research and technology. Embracing the transversality of photonics, it connects scientists and technologists from a broad scientific spectrum, at the interface between physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. It also aims at bridging the gap between the academic and industrial worlds.

The first goal of ACS Photonics is to publish original and timely research which addresses important questions in the field of photonics. Novelty, high technical quality, significance, potential impact, and readability are among the main criteria considered for acceptance.

Areas targeted by the journal include the following:

• Nanophotonics, including plasmonics and polaritonics, optical metamaterials and metasurfaces
• Optical materials, including quantum/topological materials, 2D materials and phase change materials
• AI for photonics (e.g., inverse design) and photonics for AI (e.g., optical computing)
• Integrated photonics
• Light sources including new classes of lasing devices and LED with improved performance and new integration strategies
• Photodetection including new device principles, device physics and device architectures
• Nonlinear optics
• Quantum photonics
• Photonics-based wearables
• Virtual and augmented reality
• Photonics for energy, including photonic enhancement to solar energy harvesting, waste heat harvesting (thermophotovoltaics), and wireless photonic energy transmission
• Biophotonics, advanced optical imaging, photonics-based biosensing
• Optical trapping and optical manipulation
• Optomechanics
• Fundamentals of light-matter interaction
• Electron-beam spectroscopies and ultrafast electron microscopy
• Terahertz Photonics, including devices, imaging and spectroscopy

ACS Physical Chemistry Au is an open access journal publishing original, fundamental, and applied research on all aspects of physical chemistry. The journal publishes new and original experimental, computational, and theoretical research of interest to physical chemists, biophysical chemists, chemical physicists, physicists, material scientists, and engineers. Manuscripts must provide new physical insight or develop new tools and methods of general interest. Some major topical areas include:

• Molecules, Clusters and Aerosols
• Biophysics, Biomaterials, Liquids and Soft Matter
• Energy, Materials and Catalysis

ACS Polymers Au is an open access journal publishing original, cutting-edge, and impactful research on all aspects of polymer science and related cross-disciplinary areas. The journal publishes all areas of macromolecular and soft matter science and their applications, including:

• Polymer synthesis and modification
• Polymer characterization
• Nanotechnology
• Self-assembly
• Supramolecular chemistry
• Energy generation and storage
• Electronics
• Photonics
• Sensing
• Adaptive materials
• Membranes
• Renewable and sustainable materials
• Biomaterials
• Biomedical applications of polymers

Manuscripts should highlight innovation and advances in the fundamental understanding of polymers through studies of:

• Synthesis
• Phase behavior, thermodynamics, dynamic phenomena
• Structure and properties
• State-of-the-art characterization, modeling, simulation, and theoretical methods

Manuscripts that report studies integrating fundamental knowledge into important polymer applications and their performance are also welcome.

ACS Sensors is a peer-reviewed research journal that is devoted to the dissemination of new and original knowledge on all aspects of sensor science that selectively sense chemical or biological species or processes. Articles should address conceptual advances in sensing. Papers should demonstrate the use of the sensor in complex samples appropriate to the application, show it is fit-for-purpose, and exhibit a correlation of the sensor’s performance with an existing analytical method. Papers may focus on sensor development for commercialization or developing sensors that are used to provide new scientific knowledge.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Biosensors
• Chemical sensors
• Gas sensors
• Intracellular sensors
• Single molecule sensors
• Protein engineering for sensing
• Cell chips
• Arrays
• Microfluidic devices
• Clinical applications
• Environmental sensing
• Instrumental in vivo imaging
• Novel transduction methods
• Machine learning in sensing
• Surface chemistry
• Material chemistry for sensing

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering welcomes contributions that address challenges of sustainability in the chemical enterprise and advance principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering. Examples of topics in the journal's scope include:

• Green Chemistry
• Green Manufacturing and Engineering
• Biomass or Wastes as Resources
• Alternative Energy
• Life-Cycle Assessment

Potential authors are encouraged to read Editorial articles like these for additional guidance on scope:

• Why Wasn't My ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Manuscript Sent Out for Review?
• The Evolution of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
• Expectations for Manuscripts in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Scope Summary and Call for Creativity
• Expectations for Papers on Photochemistry, Photoelectrochemistry, and Electrochemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage
• Expectations for Papers on Sustainable Materials
• Expectations for Manuscripts on Catalysis
• Expectations for Manuscripts with Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Elements
• Advancing the Use of Sustainability Metrics
• Expectations for Manuscripts on Industrial Ecology
• Expectations for Manuscripts on Biomass Feedstocks and Processing in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
• Expectations for Manuscripts Contributing to the Field of Solvents

ACS Sustainable Resource Management is an interdisciplinary journal publishing original research describing the science and practice in the sustainable use of natural and waste resources. The journal seeks to report advances, promote discussion among various stakeholders including academic scientists, industrial practitioners and government agencies and regulators, that together help in the implementation of strategies to achieve the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. 

Submissions covering fundamental and applied research in science and engineering of the circularity of effluent streams (gaseous, liquid, or solid forms) through the conversion to useful compounds or feedstocks are welcome. Discussions integrating systems thinking, planetary boundaries and metrics-based approaches are encouraged to ensure that the envisioned circular approaches are indeed sustainable in terms of reducing environmental footprint and toxicity. Examples of resources and applications/processes/methods that fit the scope include:

Resources

• Activated sludges
• Agriculture, aquatic & marine ecologies, forest residues (biomass, pesticides, fertilizers, nutrients, etc.)
• Biochars
• Biofuels and fossil fuels
• Biological molecules
• Contaminated soils
• Electronic and urban wastes
• EMI shielding (including microwave absorbers)
• Foods, dyes and textile effluents
• Heavy, trace, catalytic and energy metals
• Industrial effluents (solvents, chemicals pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, etc.)
• Microplastics
• Nanomaterials
• Plastics, membranes, resins, etc.
• Radioactive wastes
• Solid wastes including end-of-use solar panels
• Toxic compounds
• Waste energy
• Water (groundwater, wastewater and oily wastewater, drinking water)
• Green Chemistry
• Green Manufacturing and Engineering
• Biomass or Wastes as Resources
• Alternative Energy
• Life-Cycle Assessment

Applications/ Methods/Processes

• Adsorption technologies
• Advanced oxidation processes
• Aerobic and anaerobic digestions
• Artificial intelligence/big data in resource management
• Biogas production
• Biomass-based catalysis, organocatalysis electrocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, photocatalysis, single atom catalysis
• Bioprocesses (biodegradation, biofiltration, bioremediation biosorption, biotreatment)
• Chemical processing of wastes
• Circular and net-zero economy
• CO₂ capture and utilization
• Eco-design for the environment and ecosystem restoration
• Electrochemical methods and processes
• Emulsion separation and oil spill remediation
• Gasification and pyrolysis
• Governance, legislation, and policy for sustainable resource management
• Green processes for waste management
• Industrial symbiosis
• Membrane technology and separation processes
• Mining of waste resources
• Phytoremediation
• Redox processes and hydrolysis
• Sensors and analytical methods for resource recovery
• Sustainability metrics in resource management
• Sustainable metallurgy
• Thermal energy storage/conversion technologies
• Upcycling and recycling processes

With a focus on the science, engineering and management of resources using sustainable approaches, ACS Sustainable Resource Management complements ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, and strengthens the overall portfolio of some ACS publications such as ACS Agricultural Science & Technology, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (ACS AMI) and other ACS AMI family of journals, ACS Catalysis, ACS ES&T Engineering, ACS ES&T Water, ACS Food Science & Technology, Energy & Fuels, Langmuir, Macromolecules, Biomacromolecules, Environmental Science & Technology, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, and Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

ACS Synthetic Biology is a monthly peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research across all areas of synthetic biology. The journal is particularly interested in studies on the design and synthesis of new biological or biohybrid systems; computational methods in the design of biological or biohybrid systems; and the application of synthetic biology in various areas.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Design, engineering, and optimization of biological systems
• Design, characterization, and assembly of genetic circuits and parts
• DNA synthesis or assembly methodologies
• Robotic platforms or biofoundries for synthetic biology
• Creative and innovative applications of cellular programming
• In vitro and cell-free synthetic biology and molecular programming
• Minimal cell design and construction
• Genomics and genome replacement strategies
• Computational methods
• Natural product discovery, engineering, and production
• Mammalian synthetic biology
• Plant synthetic biology
• Food synthetic biology
• Engineered biomaterials
• Metagenomics and synthetic metagenomic analysis
• Environmental applications