pubs.acs.org/Langmuir © 2009 American Chemical Society
Preface to the 25 Years of Langmuir Special Issue January 1, 1985... “A Journal is born”... the first words written by Arthur Adamson in his Editorial in the first issue of Langmuir, a journal intended to bring together all areas of surface and colloid chemistry. Adamson considered these areas to include solid surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum, chemistry and electrochemistry at well-defined surfaces, heterogeneous catalysis, all aspects of liquid-liquid and liquid-vapor interfaces, and the great domain of dispersed systems. Langmuir started as a small journal, but its scope was intended to be broad in order to stimulate the cross pollination of ideas among specialists in diverse areas of surface and colloid science, from theory to applications. How has Langmuir measured up to these expectations 25 years later? It is no longer a small journal. From just over 100 articles in 1985, Langmuir grew to include over 1000 articles in 1996; more than 2000 papers will be published in 2009. Its scope is as broad as ever. Langmuir still offers sections devoted to electrochemistry, dispersed media, adsorption, reactions, films, and forces at interfaces, but true to its mission, Langmuir is constantly expanding its reach to include the areas of nano- and mesostructured materials as well as biocolloids, biomolecular interactions, and biomimetic materials. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the journal, the Langmuir Editorial team has assembled an issue that focuses on research areas of historical and ongoing importance, where articles in Langmuir have had exceptional impact. To select the topics, we researched the most cited Langmuir articles (overall and over the last 10 years), highly cited authors, and topics with large numbers of well-cited articles. This exercise led us to select five themes. (1) Molecular and Macromolecular Self-Assemblies (Editors: V. Ramamurthy and D. Whitten) (2) Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Properties, and Assemblies (Editors: L. Liz-Marzan and T. Majima) (3) Self-Assembled Monolayers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications (Editors: R. Nuzzo and D. Schwartz) (4) Self-Assembled Polyelectrolyte Multilayers: Structure and Function (Editors: T. Desai and F. Winnik) (5) Wetting and Superhydrophobicity (Editors: F. Winnik and X. Zhang) We are very grateful to the authors who prepared these contributions and especially to the many expert reviewers who volunteered their time and expertise to ensure that this issue (and every other issue, for that matter) measures up to the high standards that the readers of Langmuir have come to expect. And what lies ahead? Experience tells us that science progresses in unforeseen directions. Langmuir will continue to capture in its pages new ideas and emerging fields in colloid and interface science. It will also strive to remain a “friendly and collegial journal”, in the spirit of Irving Langmuir and as envisaged by the founding editor, associate editor, and advisory board. Franc-oise M. Winnik Executive Editor Daniel K. Schwartz Senior Editor
Langmuir 2009, 25(24), 13697–13697
Published on Web 12/08/2009
DOI: 10.1021/la904226t
13697
