Technological Advances on the Rise

Less than two years have passed since the first of issue of Advanced Materials Technologies was published in April 2016. The aim when launching this journal was to report on research that bridges the gap between materials science and real-world applications. As Advanced Materials Technologies enters its third volume, we can conclude that we have achieved this goal. Devices are a central theme of the journal. Popular topics include flexible electronics, sensors, fabrication, energy generation and storage; with carbon, graphene, nanostructures, nanotubes and nanoparticles all featuring prominently (see Figure 1). Healthcare and optics are other important areas. Articles published in the past 12 months that have made the biggest mark in terms of downloads from Wiley Online Library are shown in Table 1. The appeal of Advanced Materials Technologies is reflected in the steady flow of submissions to the journal. A total of 617 manuscripts have been received since its launch and 204 articles published in 20 issues (at the time of writing). The international flavour of the journal is reflected in the diverse range of countries of origin of our authors, with the biggest contribution coming from the USA (36%), followed by China (28%), South Korea (9%), Spain (6%) and Singapore (6%). We have also had the privilege of publishing very attractive cover pictures that depict work within the pages of each issue of the journal. Figure 2 shows a small selection of 2017 covers. In article number 1600262, highlighted on the front cover of Admt-2-4, Yang Xu and co-workers develop an efficient environmental sensing platform by combining an array of Gr/Si Schottky diodes with a differential amplifier circuit (Figure 2 left). A new approach for fabricating conductive patterns onto 3D structures featuring affordable equipment, short processing times, and compatibility with a large substrate range is presented by Shlomo Magdassi and co-workers in article number 1600289 (Figure 2 middle). In article number 1700035, Jeong-Hyun Cho and co-workers present a novel self-assembly process using remotely controlled microwave energy to transform 2D nets into micro-scale 3D structures (Figure 2 right). The groups of Prof. Andreas Greiner and Prof. Volker Abetz report a new concept of ‘breathing glass’: the biobased poly(limonene carbonate) (PLimC) materials that were used unify sustainability, carbon capture and utilisation of carbon dioxide in one material. Prof. Giorgio Mattana and colleagues review the essential aspects of the fabrication of inkjet-printed organic transistors. Prof. Chwee Teck Lim and his team from the National University of Singapore report a wearable liquid-embedded microfluidic tactile sensor capable of haptic perception. 2018 will be an exciting year for Advanced Materials Technologies. The journal will not only receive its first (half) Impact Factor, it will also continue to present high-quality publications to its readers. For example, we can look forward to a special issue on Electronic Textiles, guest-edited by Daniel Simon (Linköping University, Sweden), Esma Ismailova (EMSE, France), John De Mello (Imperial College London, UK) and Tobias Cramer (Bologna University, Italy), as well as one on Renewable Energy Technologies, guest-edited by Guoxiu Wang (University of Technology Sydney, Australia). With the impressive research developments over the past years, new journals have joined the Advanced family. Of particular note are Advanced Theory and Simulations, Advanced Quantum Technologies, and Advanced Therapeutics launched in late 2017. We are confident that these journals will also make a strong contribution to the scientific effort. Don't miss out on exploring them! And… there is more good news for 2018. Starting from January 2018 all journals within the Advanced and Macromolecular families will waive the cost for printing color figures. As we enter the New Year, we would like to thank our Advisory Board of high calibre researchers, co-chaired by John Rogers, Andrew deMello and Zhong Lin Wang, for their invaluable support. We also acknowledge our authors, reviewers, and you our readers for continuous interest in and contributions to Advanced Materials Technologies — without whom it would not have been possible to have such a successful start. We wish you all the best for a prosperous 2018 and look forward to serving up more great publications in the coming year! P.S. We would be happy to receive your feedback anytime at advmattechnol@wiley.com