The world nowadays is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. A new wave of scientific and technological revolution, coupled with industrial transformation, is gathering momentum. Scientific and technological innovation has emerged as a decisive force reshaping the global competitive landscape. As both the enabler and cornerstone for the development of high-end equipment manufacturing and strategic industries, the capacity for innovation in materials science directly determines a nation’s industrial sophistication and core competitiveness. At present, the discipline of materials is experiencing a historic transition from empirical trial-and-error to rational design and from single-point optimization to system-wide empowerment. A growing array of novel materials with disruptive potential continues to emerge, driving generational leaps in high-end equipment and catalyzing a paradigm shift in strategic industries. This very context constitutes the starting point and central mission of our new journal, ENGINEERING Transformative Materials.
What are transformative materials? They are by no means incremental improvements to the existing material systems. Instead, they represent transformative innovations that originate from conceptual breakthroughs in materials science frontiers. Transformative materials should traverse the entire innovation chain from basic research and key technological breakthroughs to engineering applications, and ultimately lead to leapfrog enhancements in equipment performance and the reshaping of industrial landscapes. A retrospective glance at industrial history reveals that every disruptive breakthrough in key materials has heralded new industrial epochs, i.e., the advent of silicon materials laid the foundation for the entire semiconductor and information industries; the advances in high-temperature ceramics and superalloys underpinned the remarkable progress of aero-engines, propelled the humans into the near-Earth space; innovations in heat-resistant and thermal protection materials have enabled the maturation of reusable rocket technology and significantly reduced the cost of commercial space launches; and the evolution of lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic materials accelerated the global transition toward sustainable energy systems. History has repeatedly demonstrated that materials transformation serves as the precursor to technological revolutions and industrial upgrades. Seizing transformative materials, therefore, means gaining the initiative in equipment renewal and industrial competition.
In alignment with the national strategic imperative of building a material power, ENGINEERING Transformative Materials, a significant extension of the ENGINEERING journal series, adheres to the philosophy of "Forging New Frontiers, Disrupting Paradigms, Shaping the Future" and is committed to establishing a world-class academic platform dedicated to transformative materials research. The core mission of the journal is to encapsulate the entire chain of innovations from materials breakthrough to equipment modernization and industrial transformation. We not only delve deeply into the fundamental frontiers of materials science but also place strong emphasis on engineering applicability and industrial relevance, thereby ensuring that material innovations move effectively from the laboratory to the marketplace, and from microscopic mechanisms to macroscopic empowerment. We advocate a problem-driven, deeply interdisciplinary research paradigm, encouraging the dissolution of traditional disciplinary boundaries and the integration of expertise from physics, chemistry, biology, information science, and computational science, etc. We also encourage the exploration of novel pathways and paradigms of materials innovation, so that breakthroughs in materials science can genuinely serve as the core engine driving technological and industrial transformation.
Our journal seeks to provide comprehensive coverage of cutting-edge and transformative research in materials science and engineering, with a strategic focus on following six core areas. (i) Fundamental science and theoretical frontiers—delving into the underlying principles that govern structure–property relationships, thereby consolidating the theoretical foundation for the rational design of transformative materials. (ii) Energy revolution and sustainable development—addressing the critical needs of the new energy industry by developing high-efficiency, clean energy materials to support the iterative upgrading of energy equipment and the effective implementation of the dual-carbon strategy. (iii) Next-generation information and intelligent systems—targeting technological bottlenecks in the post-Moore era, advancing novel information materials and devices to empower the evolution of smart terminals and computing infrastructures. (iv) Biomedicine and life sciences—developing highly adaptive biomaterials to drive innovation in high-end medical devices and the healthcare industry. (v) Digital-intelligence-driven materials science—transforming materials R&D paradigms through artificial intelligence and high-throughput experimental methods, significantly shortening the cycle from development to commercialization. (vi) Advanced manufacturing and structural materials innovation—addressing frontier technologies such as materials for extreme-service environments and atomic-scale manufacturing, directly supporting major engineering projects and high-end equipment development across aerospace, maritime, and terrestrial domains.
Our journal features a diverse range of article types, including research articles, reviews, perspectives, and comments & views. We welcome not only systematic original research and breakthrough findings but also encourage the exchange of forward-looking intellectual insights, offering a panoramic view of innovative achievements in the transformative materials field.
Academic quality is the cornerstone of a journal’s reputation and sustainable development. To this end, we have established an international editorial board comprising leading scientists from around the world and have implemented a rigorous, fair, and efficient peer-review mechanism, consistently upholding the highest standards and credibility of scholarly publishing. Our manuscript selection criteria are clear and unequivocal: we prioritize research contributions that demonstrate profound scientific insight, significant application potential, and tangible industrial transformative value. We are dedicated to making this journal the first-choice publishing platform for original achievements that opens new research frontiers or overturns established scientific paradigms. With a professional editorial team, a streamlined publication process, and extensive international outreach, we are committed to delivering high-quality academic publishing services to scholars worldwide, and facilitating the rapid dissemination and broad impact of outstanding research outcomes.
The journey ahead is long, and only through collective effort can we achieve lasting success. We sincerely invite scientists, researchers, and engineers in materials science and related disciplines from across the globe to publish your most innovative and transformative research in our journal. Together, we shall explore the frontiers of materials science, and witness how materials-driven innovation empowers high-end equipment upgrading and strategic industrial transformation. We are committed to working with all our peers to build bridges through this journal, gather global innovation wisdom, contribute to China’s emergence as a world-leading scientific and technological power, and advance the cause of sustainable development for all humanity.
The Author(s). This article is published by Higher Education Press.
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