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Suitability of Technology-Driven Research for the Journal of Physical Chemistry C
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the authors have used physical methods (e.g., SEM, STM, TEM, XPS, XAS, FTIR, Raman, luminescence) to characterize their materials, and because these methods can produce data that give molecular-level information, it is assumed that these data represent new physical insight and that the research is appropriate for JPC. However, in typical technology-driven manuscripts, the characterizations are presented to demonstrate the chemical structure and/or the physical morphology of the material. The data are generally not used to uncover new insight that supports a scientific hypothesis, as such a hypothesis is rarely the stated motivation for the work. Authors may also choose JPCC for publishing applied research because they have seen similar research in previously published JPCC papers. In many cases, the research may seem to be similar in scope, but the related previously published paper described a study where underlying principles behind a method or material were the focus. In other cases, a field that was once new has become more mature, and the research has shifted from more fundamental to more routine or applied (J. Phys. Chem. C 2017, 121, 23852). In other cases, authors may choose JPCC as a higher-impact venue for a manuscript that would be a more natural fit for a specialized journal that focuses on applied work. We recognize that technology-driven research is important, and many of the papers we receive describe research that is cleverly performed and demonstrates results that are undoubtedly of value to a particular application. However, this research is not likely to be suitable for JPCC, so we would urge authors to consider journals whose focus is applied research for the publication of their “synthesis, characterization, and performance” studies. Research at the boundary of science and engineering can often produce new physical insight that would be suitable for JPCC. For example, the motivation behind the study of a system of practical relevance might be to reveal new insight about a method or material that would eventually lead to a technological advance. In this case, a manuscript that focuses on the new insight rather than the technological advantage of the new method or material would be appropriate for JPCC, and we would be happy to consider it for publication.
ur colleagues have written extensively about what does and does not constitute new physical insight in specific areas of physical chemistry, as “significant new physical insight” is the central criterion for consideration of a manuscript for publication in the Journal of Physical Chemistry (JPC). Here we provide a more general viewpoint about the suitability of research aimed at a superior method or material for JPCC. This research is typically driven by the desire to improve a technology. Technology-driven research is valuable, especially for engineering and development, yet manuscripts based on this research are seldom appropriate for JPC since their focus is on solving a technological rather than scientific problem. Technology-driven manuscripts that are submitted to JPCC often follow the structure, “synthesis, characterization, and performance”. The word “synthesis” in this context broadly means synthesis, preparation, or modification of a material by any means, such as hydrothermal synthesis of nanoparticles, altering the chemistry or morphology of a material, a new coating or coating method, doping of a material, etc. “Characterization” is often done by a form of electron microscopy, X-ray absorption, spectroscopy, or luminescence. Sometimes measurements of electrical or magnetic properties are conducted. “Performance” is specific to the technology that is to be improved and may be demonstrated by tests of catalytic efficiency, chemical sensing ability, battery performance, hydrophobicity, optoelectronic switching, gas uptake, hardness, smoothness, etc. The Introduction typically describes a technology that affects society in broad terms and then focuses on the material to be prepared and the method to be used. The experimental methods are described briefly, and then the characterization and performance are usually presented together in a combined Results and Discussion section. The Conclusion summarizes the work that was done and ends with a statement about how the new material or method can contribute to the relevant technology. In general, technology-driven manuscripts focus on methods and phenomenology. The motivation for the research is to improve a technology, and the hypothesis for the research typically involves how the new or modified material or method will lead to better performance and contribute to the technology. Sometimes, the motivation for the research is simply that the approach has not been tried previously, implying a trial and error approach to discovery. In any case, the problem presented is a technological problem and not a scientific problem, so the logical progression of the manuscript keeps the focus on the aspects of the work that are relevant to the performance goal. It is not surprising that such manuscripts contain little or no new physical insight. Although it might seem obvious that technology-driven manuscripts would likely not contain the new physical insight that we look for in JPCC, the journal receives a surprisingly large number manuscripts of the “synthesis, characterization, performance” type. There are several possible reasons why the authors of these manuscripts might choose JPC. In many cases, © 2017 American Chemical Society
Timothy K. Minton*
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States
Amy S. Mullin*
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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Authors
*E-mail:
[email protected]. *E-mail:
[email protected]. Published: December 14, 2017 27254
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b11150 J. Phys. Chem. C 2017, 121, 27254−27255
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The Journal of Physical Chemistry C ORCID
Timothy K. Minton: 0000-0003-4577-7879 Amy S. Mullin: 0000-0002-7984-8869 Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b11150 J. Phys. Chem. C 2017, 121, 27254−27255
