Journal Guide

ACS Chemical Neuroscience publishes high-quality research articles and reviews that showcase chemical, quantitative biological, biophysical and bioengineering approaches to the understanding of the nervous system and to the development of new treatments for neurological disorders. Research in the journal focuses on aspects of chemical neurobiology and bio-neurochemistry such as the following:

• Neurotransmitters and receptors
• Neuropharmaceuticals and therapeutics
• Neural development—Plasticity, and degeneration
• Chemical, physical, and computational methods in neuroscience
• Neuronal diseases—basis, detection, and treatment
• Mechanism of aging, learning, memory, and behavior
• Pain and sensory processing
• Neurotoxins
• Neuroscience-inspired bioengineering
• Development of methods in chemical neurobiology
• Neuroimaging agents and technologies
• Animal models for central nervous system diseases
• Behavioral research

Research articles reporting the identification of general principles that govern how information is processed by neuronal circuits; or using genetic model systems in conjunction with computational biology, imaging, electrophysiological, and computational neuroscience (neuroinformatics) are also welcomed.

ACS ES&T Air welcomes novel, cutting-edge, and globally relevant original research on all aspects of outdoor and indoor air quality sciences and engineering. The journal focuses on investigations of air chemistry and physics, air pollution, and climate change that impact human and ecosystem health, encompassing laboratory and in-situ measurements, remote sensing observations, and computational and modeling studies. Specific topics of interest may include (but are not limited to):

• Chemical, physical, and biological processes in the atmosphere
• Gases, aerosols, and clouds
• Climate change and air quality across scales
• Health impacts of air pollution
• Effects of air pollution on ecosystems
• Atmosphere-biosphere interactions
• Atmosphere-hydrosphere interactions
• Air pollution sources, control technologies and atmospheric implications
• Advances in instrumentation, model development, and remote sensing techniques
• Indoor air chemistry and air quality
• Science/Policy interface
• Air quality in disproportionately impacted communities

ACS ES&T Water is a high-quality specialist journal dedicated to water research and policy. This international, multidisciplinary journal publishes novel, high-impact, peer-reviewed research on all aspects of water quality, chemistry, treatment, protection, and sustainable use/reuse and supply. The Journal considers both marine and freshwater environments as well as water utilized for industrial and municipal applications. ACS ES&T Water's multi-disciplinary research focus also welcomes other water-related research fields. Manuscripts describing public policy and the underlying science utilized for decision making are also encouraged. Specific topics of interest may include (but are not limited to) the following areas:

• Water quality and the transformation, transport, and behavior of contaminants in aquatic environments (groundwater, surface water, snow/ice, precipitation, and marine water) and engineered systems
• Water/wastewater treatment and innovative technologies, including biological, physical, chemical, and natural processes
• Sustainable water supply, reuse, and integrated water resource management
• Industrial water systems and process water treatment
• Marine, estuarine, and freshwater biogeochemistry and ecology
• Direct and indirect impacts of climate change on water sustainability
• Remediation and restoration of natural aquatic systems
• Innovative technologies for water quality monitoring and spatial vulnerability assessments
• Modelling groundwater, surface water and marine flow and contaminant fate and transport
• Spatial data on global and local water supply and water quality monitoring data trends.
• Water quality impacts on human and environmental health, including pathogen, chemical, and physical stressors
• Risk assessment and regulatory frameworks
• Life-cycle assessments and economic impact calculations, and social science implications

ACS ES&T Engineering publishes high-impact research and review/perspective/viewpoint articles. It is a specialist journal that aims to serve as an international forum for research and innovation, welcoming contributions on materials, technologies, processes, data analytics and engineering systems that can manage, protect, and remediate air, water, and soil quality, treat wastes, and recover resources. Research contributions that support effective decision-making within complex engineered systems and are informed by mechanistic science and analytics that describe complex environmental engineering systems are encouraged. Papers that present novel, innovative advancements will be considered across the continuum from lab-based discovery to field-based application. Case/demonstration studies without significant scientific advances and technological innovations will not be considered. Papers containing experimental and/or theoretical methods and knowledge grounded in engineering principles that are integrated with core knowledge from other disciplines are welcome. Specific topics may include (but are not limited to) the following environmental engineering areas:

• Novel materials, technologies, processes, data analytical methods, and systems that:
• evaluate, protect and remediate air, water, and soil quality
• solve or address multiple emerging environmental issues at various nexuses
• (e.g., energy, material, sustainability, public health)
• Novel separation, desalination, and resource recovery technologies
• Environmental nanotechnology and biotechnology
• Environmental catalysis for pollution abatement and cleaner sustainable processes
• Redox processes for engineering applications
• Waste management, treatment, valorization, and waste-to-energy
• Environmental technologies developed for monitoring, sensing, and assessing environmental exposure & hazards
• Macroscopic and microscopic mechanisms that inform environmental engineering systems
• Novel analytical and simulation methods (e.g., data-driven science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data scraping) for environmental engineering application 

The Journal does NOT cover the following areas if they are presented as solitary topics and without making their connection to engineered systems or technological innovation clear:

• Environmental policy and regulation as a solitary focus (i.e., papers about the impact of engineered systems on the environment and health, and policy/regulation implications are considered within scope as long as outcomes link to advancements around the engineered system as a central theme of the paper)
• Characterization and monitoring of the environment as a solitary focus
• Fate and transport of contaminants and biogeochemical cycling
• Ecotoxicology and environmental health
• Atmospheric chemistry and processes, climate change
• Environmental chemistry as a primary focus (e.g., fundamental reaction mechanisms). However, environmental chemistry works that are necessary to demonstrate or understand engineering technologies or engineered systems may be suitable.

The scope of ACS Earth and Space Chemistry includes the application of analytical, experimental, and theoretical chemistry to investigate research questions relevant to the Earth and Space. The journal encompasses the highly interdisciplinary nature of research in this area, while emphasizing chemistry and chemical research tools as the unifying theme. The journal publishes broadly in the domains of high- and low-temperature geochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, marine chemistry, planetary chemistry, astrochemistry, and analytical geochemistry.

Among the areas the journal covers are:

Earth Interior

• High pressure experiments
• Core and mantle investigations
• Studies of planetary Interiors
• Mineral-melt phase equilibria, partitioning, and kinetics
• Mineralogy and mineral physics
• Igneous and metamorphic petrology, petrogenesis, and geochronology

Earth Surface

• Mineral-microbe-water reactions, thermodynamics, and kinetics
• Reactive transport modeling and colloid transport
• Multiscale science and scaling of geochemical and biogeochemical reactions

Atmosphere

• Atmospheric composition and reaction pathways
• Chemistry-climate interactions
• Biogeochemical cycles

Ocean

• Chemical fluxes and marine trace element chemistry
• Effects of global change on marine chemistry and the cryosphere
• Chemistry of the paleo-environment

Space

• Chemistry of planetary atmospheres and surfaces
• Investigations of meteorites and tektites
• Properties of cometary and interstellar materials
• Spectroscopy and chemistry of stars, interstellar clouds, and planetary formation

Analytical

• Analytical methods for characterization of Earth and Space materials

ACS Electrochemistry is an international forum for high-quality, cutting-edge original research in all areas of electrochemistry. The journal aspires to provide a platform for the diverse communities of scientists practicing electrochemistry to address global challenges. The journal welcomes submissions across fundamental, applied, experimental and theoretical aspects of electrochemistry research.

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