Editorial pubs.acs.org/JPCL
Emerging Research Frontiers in Physical Chemistry The three Perspectives published in this issue provide new advances in the area of graphene−metal hybrids, bulk heterojunction solar cell, and protein folding. Alexander Star and his co-workers discuss different types of interfaces that exist within the metal−graphitic carbon nanoassemblies (Understanding Interfaces in Metal−Graphitic Hybrid Nanostructures. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013, 4, 147−160. DOI: 101021/ jz301711a). The applications of these nanohybrids in chemical sensors and fuel cells are discussed. Narayan and co-workers correlate the morphology of organic bulk heterojunction solar cell devices to their photovoltaic performance by spatial photocurrent scanning (High-Resolution Photocurrent Imaging of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013, 4, 161−169. DOI: 101021/jz3018336). The Perspective discusses a combination of methods that involve atomic force microscopy, near-field optical microscopy, and near-field photocurrent microscopy to obtain insight into the carrier generation and transport regions in the bulk heterojunction layer. Jennings and co-workers in their Perspective discuss how functional regions of proteins add complexity to folding landscapes (Hysteresis as a Marker for Complex, Overlapping Landscapes in GFP and Other Proteins. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013, 4, 180−188. DOI: 101021/jz301955f). They further lay down the reasoning behind the hysteresis observed as a consequence of the decoupling of unfolding events from the untying of the knotted protein backbone. JPC Letters Perspectives are often accompanied by short videos created by the authors. These video clips can serve as excellent tools for introducing new topics in the classroom. A complete list of videos is available in the journal Perspectives catalog (http://pubs.acs.org/page/jpclcd/perspectives/index. html). We now also encourage all JPC Letters authors to contribute an audio-narrated presentation in which slides associated with their paper are included. This new multimedia feature, introduced earlier through slideshare.net, is moving to the journal homepage (http://pubs.acs.org/JPCL) in January 2013. These presentations provide our authors an opportunity to disseminate their research to the general readership in the form of a short presentation. The nearly 50 000 views of 81 presentations posted last year show the effectiveness of this multimedia format in disseminating research published in JPC Letters. In addition, JPC’s Facebook page (http://www. facebook.com/JournalofPhysicalChemistry) has become the go-to place for information on the latest happenings in the JPC community. New content is added weekly and provides access to special issues, videos, and information of interest to physical chemists. JPC Letters has emerged as a leading platform for physical chemists, chemical physicists, biophysical chemists, and material chemists to rapidly communicate cutting edge research and significant scientific breakthroughs. The release of our first
“Physical chemistry is everything that is interesting!” This quote by Prof. G. N. Lewis remains a popular descriptor among physical chemists. Over the years, physical chemistry has extended to other disciplines, such as material science, biology, and nanotechnology, providing fundamental understanding of underlying phenomena. As part of JPC A/B/C/Letters’s commitment to embracing evolving physical chemistry topics, the journal subject categories were updated in 2012. Often a major award such as the Nobel Prize initiates a surge in related research activity worldwide. The recognition of fullerenes in 1996 and graphene in 2010 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, for example, led to the explosive growth of carbon nanomaterial research. Today, graphene-based papers are among the most cited papers of several preeminent journals. An obvious question is how long will nanocarbons continue to dominate research efforts? While no crystal ball can predict which topics will dominate in the future, Perspectives written by leading researchers provide overviews of future challenges and opportunities in emerging research topics appear in every issue of JPC Letters. A few examples of titles selected from the 67 Perspectives published in 2012 (Table 1) draw attention to emerging research frontiers. Topics such as plasmonics, protein folding, and physical processes of nanomaterials are likely to continue to feature prominently in the upcoming years. Recent advances in 2-D spectroscopy and single-molecule spectroscopy have enabled scientists to look into the photodynamics or interfacial processes of more complex systems. Both theoretical and experimental approaches to obtain fundamental understanding of biological phenomenon are expected to invigorate new interest. During the past decade, the majority of the effort was devoted to designing nanomaterials and hybrid assemblies and exploring their optical and electronic properties. Use of these new materials in sensing, energy conversion, and biomedical applications in an effective way remains a challenge. A basic understanding of interfacial phenomena and chemistry at the mesoscale level is likely to make an impact in fundamental science as well as in the development of catalytic and energy conversion devices. The collection of JPC Letters Perspectives provides a glimpse into these and other emerging research frontiers. © 2013 American Chemical Society
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The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Editorial
Table 1. Selected 2012 Perspectives on Emerging Research Frontiers topic 1.
Quantum Biology
title
reference
Probing Photosynthetic Energy and Charge Transfer with Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy
Kristin L. M. Lewis and Jennifer P. Ogilvie. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 503−510. DOI: 10.1021/jz201592v J. Strümpfer, M. Şener, and K. Schulten. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 536−542. DOI: 10.1021/jz201459c Moisés Pérez-Lorenzo. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 167−174. DOI: 10.1021/jz2013984 Andrew A. Peterson and Jens K. Nørskov. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 251−258. DOI: 10.1021/jz201461p Lei Zhou and Paul O’Brien. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 620−628. DOI: 10.1021/jz2015742 Olga Russina, Alessandro Triolo, Lorenzo Gontrani, and Ruggero Caminiti. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 27−33. DOI: 10.1021/jz201349z Prashant V. Kamat. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 663−672. DOI: 10.1021/jz201629p
How Quantum Coherence Assists Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting 2.
Catalysis
Palladium Nanoparticles as Efficient Catalysts for Suzuki Cross-Coupling Reactions Activity Descriptors for CO2 Electroreduction to Methane on Transition-Metal Catalysts
3.
Chemistry at Mesoscale
Mesocrystals Properties and Applications Mesoscopic Structural Heterogeneities in Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids
4.
5.
6.
Interfaces
Surfaces
Bio−Nano
Manipulation of Charge Transfer Across Semiconductor Interface. A Criterion That Cannot Be Ignored in Photocatalyst Design Understanding Interfacial Electronic Structure and Charge Transfer: An Electrostatic Perspective Interaction of Metals with Suspended Graphene Observed by Transmission Electron Microscopy
Oliver L. A. Monti. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 2342−2351. DOI: 10.1021/jz300850x Recep Zan, Ursel Bangert, Quentin Ramasse, and Konstantin S. Novoselov.J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 953−958. DOI: 10.1021/jz201653g Francisco Zaera. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 1301−1309. DOI: 10.1021/jz300125f Jennifer E. Gagner, Siddhartha Shrivastava, Xi Qian, Jonathan S. Dordick, and Richard W. Siegel. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 3149−3158. DOI: 10.1021/jz301253s Beverly D. Briggs and Marc R. Knecht. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 405−418. DOI: 10.1021/jz2016473 Esther Braselmann and Patricia L. Clark. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 1063−1071. DOI: 10.1021/jz201654k Mehmet Ozbil, Arghya Barman, Ram Prasad Bora, and Rajeev Prabhakar. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, pp 3460−3469. DOI: 10.1021/jz301597k Sabine Richert, Marina Fedoseeva, and Eric Vauthey. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 1635−1642. DOI: 10.1021/jz300249e Brantley A. West and Andrew M. Moran. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 2575−2581. DOI: 10.1021/jz301048n Giuseppe Spoto and Maria Minunni. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 2682−2691. DOI: 10.1021/jz301053n Tian Ming, Huanjun Chen, Ruibin Jiang, Qian Li, and Jianfang Wang. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2012, 3, 191−202. DOI: 10.1021/jz201392k Dan Credgington and James R. Durrant. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 1465−1478. DOI: 10.1021/jz300293q Taro Toyoda and Qing Shen. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 1885−1893. DOI: 10.1021/jz3004602
The Surface Chemistry of Atomic Layer Depositions of Solid Thin Films Engineering Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications Requires Understanding the Nano-Bio Interface: A Perspective Nanotechnology Meets Biology: Peptide-based Methods for the Fabrication of Functional Materials
7.
Protein Folding
8.
Spectroscopy
Autotransporters: The Cellular Environment Reshapes a Folding Mechanism to Promote Protein Transport Computational Insights into Dynamics of Protein Aggregation and Enzyme−Substrate Interactions Ultrafast Photoinduced Dynamics at Air/Liquid and Liquid/Liquid Interfaces Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy in the Ultraviolet Wavelength Range
9.
Plasmonics
Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging: What Next? Plasmon-Controlled Fluorescence: Beyond the Intensity Enhancement
10.
Energy Conversion
Insights from Transient Optoelectronic Analyses on the Open-Circuit Voltage of Organic Solar Cells Quantum-Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells: Effect of Nanostructured TiO2 Morphologies on Photovoltaic Properties
the efficient operation of JPC Letters. We also thank our Coordinating Editor, Constance Biegel, for her help in prompt handling of editorial operations. We want to especially thank our authors, reviewers, and readers for their enthusiastic support and contributions to the journal. We wish everyone a successful new year!
impact factor of 6.213 in June 2012 has reinforced the importance of JPC Letters to the physical chemistry community. We are making every effort to provide the fastest possible editorial service to our authors. To this end, it is important that authors strongly adhere to the submission instructions detailed on the journal homepage. We encourage our contributors to read a recent editorial, “Getting the Submission Right and Avoiding Rejection” (J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 3088−3089; DOI: 10.1021/jz3014562). Our editors put great emphasis on urgency, significant scientific advance, and physical chemistry scope before sending the paper for external review. We would like to thank our Managing Editor, Donna Minton, for all of her help and continued support for managing
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Prashant V. Kamat, Deputy Editor George C. Schatz, Editor-in-Chief
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this Editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS. 234
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