FCT-NOVA and Nature Group launch new scientific journal

This new open-access project to disseminate knowledge in the field of 2D materials is a partnership between FCT-NOVA and the Nature Group, with the support of the European Materials Society(E-MRS).

The idea came about three years ago, following FCT-UNL's participation in the "Frontiers and Materials: Spintronics" Workshop promoted by E-MRS and the Nature Group. The meeting highlighted the remarkable activity of Portuguese units specializing in the areas of Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies and Applications. It emerged that there was no interdisciplinary platform for sharing and disseminating research projects on two-dimensional materials.

Having identified this gap and recognizing the prestige and experience of the CENIMAT/I3N and CEMOP Centres - which are part of the Materials Science Department at FCT-UNL - the Nature group challenged the institution to lead the project to create a new online scientific journal entirely dedicated to materials science research, as well as to involve European academics and researchers. This invitation was immediately accepted by FCT-NOVA, which thus became the first Portuguese institution to work in partnership with the renowned journal Nature.

Despite being considered a recent scientific area, research into 2D materials has seen significant growth since 2004, thanks to the identification and characterization of various two-dimensional, crystalline materials. The first material in this new class is graphene, - made up of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, - which has extraordinary and unique properties: it is extremely strong [more so than steel], very light and flexible. It is also a highly conductive material for electricity and heat.

During the E-MRS Conference in France, the potential of this new category of materials [2D] and the numerous applications for the technology, health, sports and even textile industries became clear. Sustainable, creative and innovative solutions are being developed for the construction of electronic equipment and multifunctional, intelligent and interactive systems.

Encouraging research in 2D materials and giving visibility and space to authors of the trends and novelties that are emerging in this area are the main objectives of the new npj 2D Materials and Applications. Published weekly, this online scientific journal aims to publish articles and materials of international relevance in open access, using the credible nature.com platform to disseminate the content.

On the FCT-NOVA side, the project has the faces of Rodrigo Martins, the researcher in charge of CEMOP/Uninova, in the area of applications and, in the areas of electronics and nanotechnology, the scientist Elvira Fortunato. The journal's editorial board also includes a Portuguese researcher, Luís Pereira from CENIMAT/ I3N/CEMOP. He will thus be the first Portuguese to be appointed to an editorial role in the Nature Group.

This year, the Department of Materials Sciences at FCT-NOVA celebrates its 40th anniversary, and the partnership established with Springer Nature and E-MRS for the creation of the npj 2D Materials and Apllicationsaccentuates the institution's prestige and the excellence of its units' activities in the fields of Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies and Creative and Innovative Applications.