VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1
JANUARY 1996
© Copyright 1996 by the American Chemical Society
Editorial Chemistry of MaterialssThen and Now 1996 marks the eighth year of publication for Chemistry of Materials; however, it has been almost 10 years since the establishment of this journal was recommended to the ACS Committee on Publications by a special task force chaired by Mark Wrighton, currently at Washington University in St. Louis. In the report, which recommended starting a new journal in the area of materials chemistry, it was noted that “the consensus view is that emphasis should be given to publishing high quality, basic research papers” that focus on “the molecular level studies of materials: synthesis, characterization and relationship between microscopic and macroscopic properties”. It was also noted that “the central objective in starting a new journal is to serve a need to bring together a large number of papers in materials chemistry that are presently scattered throughout the literature. A new journal will serve as a unifying medium and will become the focus of the exciting science of materials chemistry”. Today, we can state with a reasonable level of certainty that these expectations have been realized, perhaps to a degree that was difficult to appreciate in 1986. As is suggested by the growing number of papers we have received from an increasingly broad range of countries and laboratories, this journal has become a favored location for the publication of leading research in materials chemistry. On the basis of the most recent “impact factors”,1 which place Chemistry of Materials sixth in 1993 and fifth in 1994 among the materials-related journals, these articles are widely read, or at least frequently cited, by the scientific community. The growth of this journal has been fed by the increasing interest and activity in (1) Compiled by the Institute for Scientific Information, Inc. These impact factors provide a measure of the frequency with which “the average article” in a journal has been cited in a particular year.
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materials chemistry worldwide, which has led to a number of exciting discoveries in recent years. Our emphasis on the prompt publication of highquality, original papers describing the results of “fundamental research with a molecular level perspective at the interface of chemistry, chemical engineering and materials science” has become the distinguishing feature and the main objective of Chemistry of Materials since its inception in 1989. As stated in the first editorial in the January 1989 issue, “a major objective of Chemistry of Materials has been to provide a forum for work in materials-related chemistry and to highlight the pivotal role of chemistry as a source of new materials and approaches to materials processing. The journal is intended to serve as a bridge between the disciplines of chemistry and materials science and to make the area of materials chemistry more visible to the chemistry community.” Judging from its success in attracting high-quality papers, this journal has come a long way toward meeting these objectives. However, this does not imply that the editors are content with things as they are and are not contemplating further changes and potential improvements in the journal format and operation. Indeed, we recognize that change is an important component of growth and vitality and that this journal must continue to evolve in response to changes occurring in the field and in the publishing environment. An important source of suggestions for changes and improvements is the readership of this journal, our “customer” in the journal publication business. The changes in format that you see in this issue, i.e., the new “subject category” section and the cover illustration, demonstrate our continuing efforts to improve the journal. A cover illustration will be a regular feature of future issues that contain one or more short reviews. In addition to © 1996 American Chemical Society
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improving the appearance and the visual appeal of the journal, the objective is to highlight the short review format in general, as well as the particular short review featured in that issue. Later on in 1996, we expect to publish the first of a series of reviews which will focus on “Materials Chemistry Issues in Key Technologies”. The object of this new review format will be to summarize the current and potential future materials chemistry needs of key technologies (i.e., new materials and/or processes needed for, e.g., automobile manufacturing, electronics, etc.). Each of these changes is a result of suggestions received from our editorial board members and our readers. We strongly encourage you to let us know (by email or letters) how we can better serve you and to provide your input regarding any
Editorial
aspect of journal policy or operation. Suggestions for short review and special issue topics are also welcomed. Speaking of special issues, I would like to remind those of you who are interested in submitting papers for the 1996 (July or August) special issue on “Nanostructured Materials” (see October 1995 issue for details) that the submission deadline for papers is January 31, 1996. We cannot guarantee that papers received after this date will be processed in time for inclusion in this issue. Best wishes for 1996 and we look forward to your continuing support of Chemistry of Materials. Leonard V. Interrante, Editor CM950600A
