Announcements

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Changzhou Yuan’s paper “Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis of N-Doped, Multicolor Carbon Dots toward Fluorescent Inks, Fluorescence Sensors, and Logic Gate Operations” has been chosen as one of six articles of exceptional quality published in Nanomaterials (ISSN: 2079-4991) in 2022, and that he has won the Nanomaterials 2024 Best Paper Award. As the award winner, Dr. Yuan will receive CHF 200, a certificate, and a voucher granting a full waiver on the article processing charge for his next article (valid for one year).

The following is an interview with Dr. Changzhou Yuan:

1. Could you please briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
   I received a Ph.D. from Nanjing University in aeronautics and astronautics in 2009. Currently, I am a Taishan Scholar at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, and I have been recognized as a highly Cited Researcher (in Materials Science/Cross-Field) by Clarivate Analysis (2016–2020, 2020) and a Most Cited Chinese Researcher (in Materials Science) by Elsevier (2016–2023). My current research focuses on the designed synthesis of micro-/nanomaterials for electrochemical energy-related, electrocatalytic and luminescent applications. I have published about 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals, being cited >16,000 times and having an h-index of 71.

2. Could you please briefly introduce the main content of the winning paper?
   In this contribution, we prepare nitrogen-doped (N-doped) multicolored carbon dots (M-CDs) including green, chartreuse, and pink emissive CDs by the ultrasonic treatment of kiwifruit juice with different additive reagents including ethanol, ethylenediamine, and acetone. The as-prepared N-doped CDs exhibit excellent chemical and optical stability. It is these appealing properties and superiorities that make the resulting M-CDs smart platforms for fluorescence inks, as well as sequential fluorescence probes for the determination of Fe³⁺ and PO₄^3-/AA. Furthermore, the fluorescent nano-probes are successfully utilized for the construction of molecular logic gates and imaging Fe³⁺ and PO₄^3-/AA. More significantly, the ultrasonic-assisted synthesis concept introduced here can be extended to other biomasses for advanced heteroatom-doped CDs towards fluorescent inks/sensors, logic gates and beyond.

3. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?
   With regard to fluorescent CDs, the simple and scalable synthesis of near-infrared fluorescent CDs and high-speed separation and purification technology for high-purity CDs will be of great interest to the research community in the coming years.

4. Can you briefly describe the key to a happy laboratory life?  
   As is well known to all, laboratory life is sometimes accompanied by boredom, monotony, and failure. Even so, I believe that “Have faith for a better tomorrow” is the key to a happy laboratory. Do not be discouraged, and stay strong. I believe that tomorrow will be better. I believe, “I do”!

5. We are an open access journal. How do you think open access impacts the authors?
   To be frank, I cannot quite remember what is meant when I hear the term “open access”. That said, currently, more and more leading scholarly journals are publishing in an “open access” format. Such an appealing avenue makes accessing the research results of authors more convenient and timely. Peers and readers can download them for free. It widens the influence of the authors’ research results. Open access, I believe, will be a trend all over the world as it benefits not only authors themselves but also the public at large.

6. As the winner of this award, is there something you want to express or someone you wish to thank most?
   It is my great honor to receive such an invaluable award. On this special occasion, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the unreserved contributions of all my group members. Every step forward taken by me is due to their selfless effort and devotion.

More information about journal awards can be found by clicking on the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/awards.