Ten years of Catalysis Science & Technology

In what has been a year of trepidation for many across the world, 2021 marked a bright and momentous milestone for Catalysis Science & Technology in the form of the journal's 10th anniversary. In celebration of this achievement, I would like to highlight several initiatives launched in 2021 which I hope you will agree reinforce the journal's reputation as an inclusive home for high-quality and impactful catalysis research.

Early in 2021, the journal made an important statement through our refreshed journal scope, which aims to be inclusive of all types of research work carried out by the catalysis community at large. Our new scope reads as follows:

Catalysis Science & Technology is committed to publishing research reporting high-quality, cutting-edge developments across the catalysis community at large. The journal places equal focus on publications from the heterogeneous, homogeneous, thermo-, electro-, photo-, organo- and biocatalysis communities. Works published in the journal feature a balanced mix of fundamental, technology-oriented, experimental, computational, digital and data-driven original research, thus appealing to catalysis practitioners in both academic and industrial environments.

Original research articles published in the journal must demonstrate new catalytic discoveries and/or methodological advances that represent a significant advance on previously published work, from the molecular to the process scales. We welcome rigorous research in a wide range of timely or emerging applications related to the environment, health, energy and materials.

In line with the Royal Society of Chemistry's values of inclusion and diversity, we felt it was imperative to emphasise to our community that we wish to welcome work from all areas of catalysis. The key determining factor for publishing in Catalysis Science & Technology is that the contribution must be of high quality – we look forward to continue to receive your excellent research work.

In November 2021, we were delighted to host the Catalysis Science & Technology 10th year Anniversary Symposium (https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/47845/catalysis-science-and-technology-10th-anniversary-symposium) in a virtual space to recognise the achievements of the journal and our community. The global pandemic situation has meant that events have had to take place in new ways, however we believe the online format offered a great opportunity for connection with our international community in ways that have never been possible before. By removing barriers such as the cost of travel and registration fees and the time needed to attend a physical event, this free virtual symposium was inclusive and reflective of our diverse community.

The focus of the symposium was to highlight how catalysis is contributing to solving some of the biggest global challenges of our time. We hosted an excellent group of speakers who are world leaders in their respective fields of catalysis from the heterogeneous, homogeneous, thermo-, electro-, photo-, organo- and biocatalysis communities. In celebration of their talks, Catalysis Science & Technology has compiled a themed collection of their recently published work in the journal. The collection also features papers from our esteemed Editorial Board, whose work remains at the core of the journal's values and success (read the full collection here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/articlecollectionlanding?sercode=cy&themeid=79f793fd-3bb2-4c8f-8225-289b6c012943).

The event provided an opportunity for our valued community members to discuss and explore our most important challenges. I was honoured to participate as a panelist in a discussion hosted during the event on a topic I believe is of current critical importance, chemical recycling of plastics. This provided a unique opportunity for the audience to engage with myself and the other speakers about how catalysis can contribute to this vital global challenge. I was also pleased to participate in the event's “Meet the Editor” networking sessions which provided engagement opportunities with the Catalysis Science & Technology Editorial team, as well as poster sessions including 10 journal-sponsored poster prizes offering networking and recognition opportunities for catalysis researchers from around the world.

For the journal to continue to strive towards the future, we must look towards our field's brightest rising stars. Last year, Catalysis Science & Technology launched its inaugural Emerging Investigator Series, showcasing the work being conducted by emerging investigators in all areas of catalysis science across the globe. It highlights up-and-coming scientists in early stages of their independent careers, who have been identified as having the potential to influence future directions in the field.

I would like to welcome all early career researchers who are eligible for the series to submit their best work to the journal. Further information on eligibility, how to apply for consideration as well as more information about the corresponding authors featured in this collection can be found in our blog (https://blogs.rsc.org/cy/2020/12/16/introducing-the-catalysis-science-technology-emerging-investigators-series/). I would invite you all to read the excellent contributions in this collection here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/articlecollectionlanding?sercode=cy&themeid=e72e65f1-c258-4131-aaca-84016886bc1d, and please join me in congratulating this group of researchers for their fantastic achievements in the early stages of their career.

Finally, I am delighted to introduce the journal's new 10th Anniversary Perspectives collection which begins as part of this month's issue. This growing collection of Perspectives showcases the work and opinions from experts within our community on various challenges relating to our field. This series of papers also reflects the diverse nature of the journal: from Catalysis Science & Technology Associate Editor Dirk De Vos et al.’s work on C–N coupling reactions with arenes through C–H activation (DOI: 10.1039/D1CY01827B), to Ohtani and Takashima's exciting contribution on what makes happy photocatalysts and unhappy photocatalysts (DOI: 10.1039/D1CY01955D), all the way to the interesting work of Goutam Kumar Lahiri, Arnab Dutta and Catalysis Science & Technology Advisory Board member Debabrata Maiti et al. on group 6 transition metal-based molecular catalysts for sustainable catalytic CO₂ reduction (DOI: 10.1039/D1CY01378E). My colleague and Catalysis Science & Technology Associate Editor Núria López and I were also honoured to contribute a paper to this collection on mechanistic routes toward C₃ products in copper-catalysed CO₂ electroreduction (DOI: 10.1039/D1CY01423D). We trust you will enjoy reading the papers in this series and the outlooks that they provide across the breadth of our discipline.

Considering all the above, Catalysis Science & Technology has had a seminal year. I would like to express my admiration and gratitude to the entire community involved with the journal that we have all created together. On behalf of the Editorial Board, the Executive Editor Maria Southall and the rest of the Editorial Office team, I would like to sincerely thank all who have supported the journal in the past, present and who are now looking forward to the future. Our authors, reviewers and readers are central to everything we strive to achieve with the journal, and we hope to continue to strengthen our connections with you going forward. 2021 was a year to reflect on what our journal and community has achieved since its inception and I, as the Editor-in-Chief, am incredibly proud of what it has become. We believe Catalysis Science & Technology will continue to be the home of diverse, inclusive, and impactful catalysis research for many years to come. We are excited to continue our journey with you all together!

 

Professor Javier Pérez-Ramírez, Editor-in-Chief

---