Aims & Scope
Nature Chemical Engineering is a new monthly online journal dedicated to publishing the most significant original research, commentary and analysis of direct relevance to the diverse community of chemical engineers. The journal will highlight all facets of chemical engineering: from fundamental scientific advances in chemical, physical and biological systems to the design, scale-up and optimization of chemical processes of importance to society.
Chemical engineering provides a versatile toolkit for solving complex, process- or systems-oriented challenges, many of which carry major scientific and societal consequences. The journal will showcase the breadth of the discipline by covering all aspects of engineering molecular processes and transformations over a wide range of scales, including:
- Raw material processing and resource recovery
- Material and system characterization
- Reactor design and reaction engineering
- Molecular thermodynamics and transport processes
- Separation and purification
- Storage, packaging and recycling
- Process modeling, intensification, control and safety
- Process techno-economic and life-cycle assessments
Nature Chemical Engineering aims to publish studies from a broad scope of systems that significantly advance fundamental research, aid product and process development and explore new technological solutions, examples of which are described at the end. We particularly welcome engineering solutions to the global Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations.
The journal will provide a forum for valuable interactions within the community in both academia and industry, in addition to promoting the exchange of ideas with neighboring disciplines such as physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, mechanical engineering and computer science, maximizing scientific and societal impact. The journal is also strongly committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion as a key part of our mission.
In addition to research published as Articles and Analyses, Nature Chemical Engineering will also feature Reviews, Perspectives, Comments, News & Views, Q&As, Correspondence and Research Highlights on important developments in the field that will be of broad interest to chemical engineers.
Like all Nature-branded journals, Nature Chemical Engineering will be characterized by a dedicated team of professional editors, a fair and rigorous peer-review process, high standards of copy-editing and production, swift publication and editorial independence.
A broad range of research topics will be covered in the journal, each in the context of core chemical engineering approaches; these will include, but are not limited to:
- Additive manufacturing
- Agriculture and agrochemicals
- Air pollution and quality
- Alternative energy
- Atomistic and molecular theory and simulations
- Biomaterials and biomedical devices
- Biochemical engineering
- Carbon capture, utilization and storage
- Catalysis and surface science
- Cellular engineering
- Chemical manufacturing
- Circular economy
- Complex fluids and interfacial science
- Electronic materials
- Energy storage and conversion
- Enzyme engineering
- Environmental engineering
- Food engineering
- Genetic engineering
- Laboratory and process automation
- Metabolic engineering
- Microfluidics
- Microbiome engineering and modeling
- Nuclear engineering
- Petroleum refining
- Plastic recovery and recycling
- Plasma science
- Polymer science and engineering
- Protein engineering
- Resource recovery
- Renewable feedstocks
- Sensing and diagnostics
- Systems biology
- Therapeutic development, production and delivery
- Thermal management
- Tissue engineering
- Water purification and filtration
- Waste management