Oxide transistors have advanced significantly, gradually replacing materials like amorphous silicon in certain applications due to their excellent performance, transparency, and flexibility. These qualities make them crucial for displays, sensors, and other flexible electronics. However, challenges remain, particularly in the development of p-type oxide semiconductors, which are much less advanced than n-type ones. P-type semiconductors with high hole mobility, stability, and easy fabrication are scarce, hindering the progress of complementary oxide technology. Additionally, the rapid evolution of display technology has raised the bar for oxide transistor driving technology, making it increasingly difficult to balance mobility and stability. Achieving this balance requires in-depth research and innovative solutions. Oxide transistors also show promise for use in storage devices, logic circuits, and 3D integrated systems. With ongoing research, oxide transistors have the potential to transform industries by enabling more efficient, durable, and versatile electronic and optoelectronic devices.
The scope of this focus issue in Frontiers of Physics will cover all aspects of material design and innovation, experimental characterizations, electronic properties, and stability properties, among others. This special issue will present the major recent progress in this field from the best experimental and theoretical teams worldwide. We hope that the issue will provide a broad overview of the current state of this cutting-edge field.
Specific interests covered in this issue include
● Material Design and Innovation
● Fabrication Techniques and Process Engineering
● Electrical and Optical Properties of Oxide Transistors
● Applications in Flexible, Transparent, and Low-Power Electronics
● Next-Generation Applications
● Reliability, Stability, and Long-Term Performance
● Emerging Trends and Future Directions
We are seeking distinguished scientists from both China and abroad to contribute to our special issue with submissions including Reviews, Topical Reviews, Views & Perspectives, Reports, Research Articles, and Letters in the foresaid areas. Authors are encouraged to select a compelling topic that aligns with the focus of the issue. Co-authorship is welcomed. Although there are no strict length limitations for articles, Reviews should adhere to the minimum length of 15 pages. Publication fees will be waived for all contributors, and all articles published online will be accessible for free download. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2025. Authors needing an extension are kindly asked to notify us in advance.
We look forward to receiving your submission.
Sincerely,
Lei Liao, Hunan University, E-mail: liaolei@whu.edu.cn, liaolei@hnu.edu.cn
Xingqiang Liu, Hunan University, E-mail: liuxq@hnu.edu.cn
Cong Ye, Hubei University, E-mail: yecong@issp.ac.cn
Lingyan Liang, Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology, CAS, E-mail: lly@nimte.ac.cn
Originating from the discovery of the quantum Hall effect in the 1980s, the study of topological phases of matter have received sustained attention in the past few decades. Due to its universal nature, this field has expanded into new and exciting areas, particularly ultracold atomic gases and optics.
The implementation of topological states and their physical parameters in these new areas differ significantly from those in electronic materials explored in the pioneer studies. For instance, the extreme dilution and ultralow temperatures of atomic gases result in much longer timescales for dynamical processes, offering unique experimental opportunities. Current techniques allow researchers to monitor non-equilibrium processes driven by coherent quantum dynamics with exceptionally high temporal resolution and perform rapid parameter switches (quenches) to initiate various dynamical processes. These experimental advantages provide powerful platforms to explore topological dynamics in ultracold atomic gases and optical systems, including topological phase transitions, Floquet topological phases, quantized transport, and nonlinear phenomena. Moreover, these settings enable the creation and study of diverse topological states, such as vortices, vortex solitons, hopfions, skyrmions, and topological insulators, offering insights into their fundamental properties and potential applications.
We expect this special issue will provide a comprehensive overview of the latest achievements and advancements in this field, offering readers high-quality research contributions. We warmly invite theoretical and experimental research groups, as well as individual authors, to submit original research articles and reviews to the special issue. While there are no strict length restrictions for articles, reviews should have a minimum length of 15 pages. Publication fees will be waived for all contributors, and all articles published online will be freely available for download. The submission deadline is October 31, 2025. Authors who require an extension are kindly requested to inform us in advance.
We look forward to receiving your submission.
Sincerely,
Vladimir V. Konotop, University of Lisbon, E-mail: vvkonotop@ciencias.ulisboa.pt
Yongyao Li, Foshan University, E-mail: yongyaoli@gmail.com
Boris Malomed, Tel Aviv University, E-mail: malomed@tauex.tau.ac.il
The modern paradigm of functional new materials involves engineering structural units with specific functions to control their macroscopic performance, a concept that applies across a wide range of material science disciplines, from dynamic wave manipulation to low-dimensional quantum systems. These functional units overcome the elemental limitations of natural materials, thereby broadening the potential for designing and developing new materials with groundbreaking and transformative properties. For instance, the concept of metamaterials, initially developed for electromagnetics, has since found wide-ranging applications in controlling the propagation of dynamic waves, including acoustic waves in fluids, elastic waves in solids, and surface water waves. Over the past decade, research in this field has made significant strides, evolving from the study of negative-index metamaterials and transformation optics to the exploration of cutting-edge topics like novel wave manipulation using metasurfaces and topological materials. This special topic aims to further advance the field of functional metamaterials by exploring new theoretical concepts, innovative design strategies, cutting-edge experimental implementations, and novel devices and applications.
Sincerely,
Huangyang Chen, Xiamen University, E-mail: kenyon@xmu.edu.cn
Minghui Lu, Nanjing University, E-mail: luminghui@nju.edu.cn
Yangyang Fu, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, E-mail: yyfu@nuaa.edu.cn
Spatial and time assembly, which refers to the deliberate arrangement of functional units in space and time following specific rules and patterns, is crucial for determining the physical properties of functional materials. This approach, particularly the ability to manipulate various ordered arrangements — such as lattice symmetry, spatial or temporal gradients, and disordered designs — provides a versatile toolkit for modulating coupling and enhancement effects. These effects, in turn, enable the discovery of extraordinary properties or entirely new behaviors that surpass the individual characteristics of the constituent functional units. In the realm of classical wave systems, spatial and time assembly is playing an increasingly important role in pushing forward both theoretical and experimental developments in advanced physics fields, such as non-Hermitian physics, topological phenomena, and space-time wave dynamics. It offers a means to observe complex wave phenomena and novel wave-matter interactions. This special topic aims to highlight recent breakthroughs in these fields, particularly with respect to their practical applications. The special topic will explore new theoretical frameworks, innovative structural architectures, experimental observations, device fabrication techniques, and system applications that contribute to advancing our understanding of wave interactions within metamaterials, especially those with specific spatial and time assembly designs.
Sincerely,
Minghui Lu, Nanjing University, E-mail: luminghui@nju.edu.cn
Huangyang Chen, Xiamen University, E-mail: kenyon@xmu.edu.cn
Xiujuan Zhang, Nanjing University, E-mail: xiujuanzhang@nju.edu.cn
Low-dimensional systems, including two-dimensional (2D) materials, one-dimensional (1D) materials, and zero-dimensional (0D) materials, have emerged as one of the most exciting and rapidly advancing fields in condensed matter physics and materials science in recent years. These materials, by virtue of their reduced dimensionality, exhibit a range of unique electronic, optical, and mechanical properties that are fundamentally distinct from those of their bulk counterparts. This dimensional confinement leads to enhanced quantum effects, stronger interactions, and the emergence of novel physical phenomena, making them ideal candidates for exploring new physical states, such as fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) effect in 2D materials, Luttinger liquid in 1D materials, and relativistic molecular states in 0D quantum dots. These extraordinary properties have not only deepened our understanding of fundamental physics but also opened up new avenues for technological innovation.
This special topic in Frontiers of Physics aims to highlight the most recent breakthroughs in low-dimensional material research, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field. The scope of this special issue covers the synthesis, characterization, and theoretical studies of low-dimensional materials, as well as their potential applications in emerging areas. We aim to showcase cutting-edge research from both experimental and theoretical perspectives, offering a holistic view of the latest developments in this fast-evolving domain.
Specific materials of interest covered in this issue include
● 2D materials, such as graphene, hBN, transition metal dichalcogenides and their heterostructures;
● Topological insulators and semimetals;
● Low-dimensional superconductors and magnetic materials;
● 1D materials, such as 1D domain wall, 1D boundary, and 1D nanowires;
● 0D materials, such as quantum dots, islands, clusters, atomic defects, molecules.
We invite contributions from leading scientists worldwide, including review articles, original research, and perspectives on the current and future developments in this field. There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected. Co-authorship is welcome.
Here is the format-free submission statement: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtml and the new manuscript can be submitted online through http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop. All online versions of the articles can be freely browsed and downloaded and a copy of the volume will be mailed to all participants.
Sincerely,
Lin He, Beijing Normal University, E-mail: helin@bnu.edu.cn
Electrocatalysis is becoming the limelight of the field of energy conversion and storage, owing to the nature of sustainability and versatility. Elite electrocatalysts necessitate outstanding abilities to enable a synergistic control over the adsorption and concentration of reactants, the stabilization of key intermediates, and the desorption of products. Materials design strategies, such as morphological control, component tuning, and surface/interface functionalization, have been developed to optimize these processes. Concepts, including field effect-enhanced catalysis, single-atom catalysis, confinement effect, tandem catalysis, and scaling relationship breaking, have been proposed to enrich our toolbox for customizing desired electrocatalysts. Various in situ characterization techniques, such as FTIR, Raman, XAS, and XPS, have been utilized to unveil the structure-performance relationship to offer guidelines for constructing electrocatalysts with higher activity for practical use.
With the large-scale application of renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy, the problem of intermittency and instability has become increasingly prominent, requiring efficient energy storage technology to solve. Research on energy storage batteries provides key technical support for renewable energy storage, and through the development of high-performance, large-capacity, long-life energy storage batteries, we can realize effective storage and flexible deployment of renewable energy, improve the stability and reliability of the energy system, and promote the transformation of energy structure and sustainable development. Currently there are various battery systems developed and researched, such as lithium-ion batteries, zinc-ion batteries, metal-air batteries, sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries. These battery systems have different advantages in terms of energy density, safety or cost, and are expected to meet the diversified needs for batteries in different fields in the future, providing better solutions for energy storage and conversion.
The scope of this focus issue in Frontiers of Physics will cover all of the aspects from theory calculations, material synthesis, property characterizations, and applications of electrocatalytic materials. This special issue will present the major recent progress in this field from the best experimental and theoretical teams all over the world. We do hope that the issue will form a broad overview of the current state of this cutting-edge field.
Specific materials of interest covered in this issue include
● Simulation, synthesis, characterization, and mechanistic exploration of electrocatalysts for water splitting, CO2 reduction, nitrogen and nitrate reduction, oxygen
reduction, etc.;
● Operando investigations into the structural and electronic changes of electrocatalysts using techniques of synchrotron radiation and electron microscope;
● In situ tracking of intermediates by FTIR, Raman, and XPS to clarify the catalytic mechanism;
● Synthesis, simulation and mechanism study of novel electrode materials in various battery systems;
● Implementation of in-situ analysis techniques such as in-situ spectroscopy and in-situ electron microscopy to monitor the evolution of electrode structure and surface
properties under working conditions.
We are seeking for high-profile researchers from China and overseas to contribute Review, Topical Review, Report, View & Perspective, Research Article, or Letter/Communication in the foresaid areas. Please feel free to choose a striking topic that best fits the issue. Co-authorship is welcome. There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected.
Here is the format-free submission statement: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtml and the new manuscript can be submitted online through http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop. All online versions of the articles can be freely browsed and downloaded and a copy of the volume will be mailed to all participants.
Sincerely,
Jie Li
Henan University, Kaifeng, China
E-mail: jieli@henu.edu.cn
Haiqing Zhou
Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
E-mail: hqzhou@hunnu.edu.cn
Ming Zhang
Hunan University, Changsha, China
E-mail: zhangming@hnu.edu.cn
Min Liu
Central South University, Changsha, China
E-mail: minliu@csu.edu.cn
Ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) combines modern electron microscopy with pump-probe technique, which enables ultrafast imaging, diffraction and electron-spectroscopy with nanometer-femtosecond spatiotemporal resolution. The unique advantages of UEM enable powerful capabilities in the study of dynamic phenomena in materials, nano-systems and biology. In the last decades, the application of UEM in the research of non-equilibrium state including structural dynamics, magnetic dynamics, and other light-matter interaction phenomena brings new vision to the nature of multi-body interaction in materials and nano-systems. In addition, UEM has exhibited great application in the field of nano-photonics and electron optics based on the photon-induced near field microscopy (PINEM) effect, a phenomenon of quantum interaction between free electrons and optical field mediated by medium. The imaging of surface plasma polariton, band structure measurement of optical microcavities, electron acceleration, electron pulse compression and many other fascinating researches have been realized in UEM. Furthermore, with the great progresses in generation of attosecond optical pulses in the past decade (awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023), several strategies for achieving attosecond electron microscopy have been proposed and some of them have even been successfully demonstrated recently, providing an unprecedented powerful tool for study light-matter interactions on the nanometer or sub-nanometer spatial scale within a single or few optical circles.
The development and application of UEM are still fast expanding. The scope of this focus issue in Frontiers of Physics would cover the recent development of UEM and the novel applications in many scopes. We do hope that the issue will form a broad overview of the current state of this cutting edge field.
We are looking for high profile scientists from China and overseas to contribute Review, Topical Review, View & Perspective, or Research Article in the foresaid areas. Please feel free to choose a striking topic that best fits the issue. Co-authorship is welcome. There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected.
The sample article (TEX template) can be downloaded via http://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtml and the new manuscript can be submitted online through http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop. A copy of the volume will be mailed to all participants.
Sincerely,
Xuewen Fu
Nankai University, China
E-mail: xwfu@nankai.edu.cn
Jun Li
Institute of Physics CAS, China
E-mail: junli@iphy.ac.c
Bin Chen
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
E-mail: cbcce@sjtu.edu.cn
Two dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted intense research interest in both fundamental study and practical applications because of their intriguing optical and electronic properties. Thanks to the weak interlayer van der Waals force, these 2D materials can be further stacked to form artificial heterostructures without constraints from lattice mismatch. There, new degree of freedoms including components, structures and twisting angles provide unprecedented control of properties and functionalities. For example, heterostructures consisting of 2D semiconductors with strong light-matter interaction and excitonic effect have opened new door to ultrathin optoelectronics. Moreover, when two monolayers are super-imposed with carefully tuned twisting angles, a 2D moiré superlattice is formed, which has led to recent breakthrough in superconducting and correlated physics.
The scope of this special topic in Frontiers of Physics would cover all the aspects of experimental and theoretical studies on the optical properties and photophysical processes in 2D materials, heterostructures and Moiré Superlattices, including but not limited to:
● 2D exciton optical properties and dynamics;
● Interfacial exciton charge/energy transfer;
● Intralayer/interlayer exciton recombination and transport;
● Spin and valley relaxation and manipulation;
● Nonlinear optics and modulation;
● Moiré modulated optical properties and exciton dynamics;
● Correlated electronic states and hybrid exciton.
We are looking for scientists from China and overseas to contribute Review, Topical Review, Report, View & Perspective, or Research Article in the foresaid areas. Please feel free to choose a striking topic that best fits the issue. Co-authorship is welcome. There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected.
Sincerely,
Qihua Xiong, Tsinghua University, qihua_xiong@tsinghua.edu.cn
Tian Jiang, National University of Defense Technology, tjiang@nudt.edu.cn
Luyi Yang, Tsinghua University, luyi-yang@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Haiming Zhu, Zhejiang University, hmzhu@zju.edu.cn
In honor of the institute's fifth anniversary, we are going to publish a special topic on “Embracing the Quantum Era: Celebrating the 5th Anniversary of Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering" (Editors: Dapeng Yu, Dawei Lu & Zhimin Liao), together with the editorial office of the journal “Frontiers of Physics (FOP)”. We are inviting representative research groups within the institute and colleagues in the field of quantum science to contribute insightful articles in the form of reviews, topical reviews, view & perspectives, or research progress. For more information, please visit: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fop, https://www.springer.com/11467. Online submission system: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop
Dapeng Yu
Chair Professor, Academician of CAS, Southern University of Science and Technology
E-mail: yudp@sustech.edu.cn
Dawei Lu
Associate Professor, Southern University of Science and Technology
E-mail: ludw@sustech.edu.cn
Zhi-Min Liao
Boya Distinguished Professor, Peking University
E-mail: liaozm@pku.edu.cn
As Moore's Law approaches the physical limit, the traditional von Neumann architecture is facing challenges, among them, one of the most promising device candidates is memristor. In recent decades, memristors have developed rapidly due to their simple sandwich structure, good compatibility and availability with existing CMOS processes. Recently reported memristors show attractive features, such as high ON/OFF ratio, low power consumption, fast switching speed and high durability, which can respond to the needs of emerging applications. These characteristics of the memristor are produced by applying an external bias voltage to change the resistance state. By exploiting complex material types and a variety of resistive mechanisms, the research on memristors and their potential applications has become the frontier and hotspot in physics, electronics, materials, nano and other fields, and has shown the characteristics of interdisciplinary integration. In the field of basic research and practical application of memristors, their complex material types and various resistance mechanisms play a crucial role in device performance and application prospects. The material types and resistance variation mechanism of memristors have laid a solid foundation for predicting and improving device performance and expanding application prospects. Whether it is a non-volatile memristor or a volatile memristor, the material type and resistance variation mechanism are extremely important in influencing the application prospects of information storage, neural networks and logic operations. In particular, to address power and energy efficiency problems in neuromorphic computing, memristors are strong candidates. These endow memristors with the potential to trigger a circuit revolution, which may once again extend the life of Moore's Law, open up new directions for research in the field of information storage and information processing, and its industrialized application may also bring about a new round of technological revolution.
The scope of this focus issue in Frontiers of Physics would cover the aspects on the materials, mechanisms and applications of memristors from experimental synthesis, characterizations, theoretical calculations, etc. Articles reporting on the latest progress in the controllable growth of new materials, switching mechanism, application prospect of memristors and the exploitation of them towards innovative and practical devices are expected. Research works addressing approaches to switching mechanism and application prospect of memristors from both experimental and theoretical points of view are also welcome.
We are looking for high profile scientists from China and overseas to contribute Review, Topical Review, View & Perspective, or Research Article in the foresaid areas. Please feel free to choose a striking topic that best fits the issue. Co-authorship is welcome. There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected.
The sample article (TEX template) can be downloaded via http://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtml and the new manuscript can be submitted online through http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop. All PDFs of the special issue will be open accessed, and a copy of the volume will be mailed to all participants.
Sincerely,
Xiaobing Yan
College of Electron and Information Engineering, Hebei University
E-mail: xiaobing_yan@126.com
Bin Gao
School of Integrated Circuits, Tsinghua University
E-mail: gaob1@tsinghua.edu.cn
Qi Liu
School of Microelectronics, Fudan University
E-mail: qi_liu@fudan.edu.cn
http://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtml
The new manuscript can be submitted online through:https://www.springer.com/journal/11467
In recent decades two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted intense interest because of their unique mechanical, electronic and optical attributes that emerge from the exotic quantum collective behaviors of electrons confined within the atomically thin layers. By exploiting the 2D structural feature and unique material properties, 2D materials and their heterostructures have been explored as promising candidates for the applications in electronics, optoelectronics, sensing, catalysis, biomedicine, etc. In the fields of both fundamental research and practical applications in the 2D materials, surface and interface play crucial roles in modulating material properties and improving devices performance. Significant efforts have been directed towards the surface and interface engineering that is extremely important no matter the 2D materials are fabricated through the bottom-up or top-down processes. These endow emerging new properties of the 2D materials and enhanced performance of bespoken devices.
The scope of this focus issue in Frontiers of Physics would cover the aspects on the surface and interface of 2D materials from experimental synthesis, characterizations, theoretical calculations, device applications, etc. Articles reporting on the latest progress in the controllable growth of surface and interface of 2D materials and the exploitation of them towards innovative and practical devices are expected. Research works addressing approaches to regulate surface and interface of 2D materials from both experimental and theoretical points of view are also welcome.
We are looking for high profile scientists from China and overseas to contribute Review, Mini-Review, Perspective, or Research Article in the foresaid areas. Please feel free to choose a striking topic that best fits the issue. Co-authorship is welcome. There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected.
The sample article (TEX template) can be downloaded via http://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtml and the new manuscript can be submitted online through http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop. All PDFs of the special issue will be open accessed, and a copy of the volume will be mailed to all participants.
Sincerely,
Lijun Zhang, Jilin University, China, lijun_zhang@jlu.edu.cn
Dongchen Qi, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, dongchen.qi@qut.edu.au
Ming Yang, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, kevin.m.yang@polyu.edu.hk
Kai Zhang, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, kzhang2015@sinano.ac.cn