Professor Tierui Zhang, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (TIPC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, China is the recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of Cambridge Materials: Energy. To celebrate the launch of the Cambridge Materials journals, they participated in a Q&A to discuss the aims of the journals and their hopes for their role as EiC.

Q. Why will the Journal be important, and what role do you feel they will play both in the scientific community but also beyond that in terms of addressing societal challenges?

Tierui Zhang: Cambridge Materials: Energy will provide a focused platform for research that advances the materials and technologies needed for a sustainable energy future. Energy production, storage, and conversion lie at the heart of climate mitigation, carbon neutrality, and global development. By bringing together fundamental materials science and application-driven innovation, the Journal can support scientific progress while also contributing to solutions that directly impact society, aligning closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Q. What are your hopes for the type of content the Journals will attract? (i.e. what types of research do you hope to attract and why? Quality? Themes etc)

TZ: I hope the Journal will attract rigorous, high-quality research across the spectrum of energy materials, including catalysts, electrochemical materials, photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen systems, carbon capture, and circular or low-carbon manufacturing. Work that integrates experimental and computational approaches, or that connects performance improvements with sustainability metrics, will be especially valuable. In addition, forward-looking reviews and perspectives that help shape the field’s future directions will play an important role.

Q. Can you explain what you are most looking forward to as part of your roles? 

TZ: As part of the editorial leadership, I am most looking forward to helping shape a journal environment that is fair, transparent, and supportive. I look forward to engaging with authors, reviewers, and the research community to highlight impactful work and encourage innovative contributions in energy materials science.

Q. And finally: what difference do you feel these Journals could make to the literature already available?

TZ: Cambridge Materials: Energy can strengthen and expand work already present in the existing literature by bringing together high-quality materials research with a clear emphasis on sustainable energy impact. While some journals address individual aspects of this space, Cambridge Materials: Energy aims to offer a more integrated platform where fundamental advances, device-level performance, scale-up considerations, and sustainability outcomes are discussed together. In doing so, it can help connect research communities, encourage collaboration, and support more cohesive and solution-oriented progress in energy materials

Cambridge Materials: Energy focuses on advanced materials for renewable energy technologies, energy storage solutions, and efficiency improvements, with studies that also address social and economic impacts.

The journal aligns with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Cambridge Materials: Energy is part of Cambridge Materials, a suite of four journals, each focused on a particular global challenge – circularity, energy, health, water – and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Cambridge Materials journals publish high-quality research that integrates innovations in materials science and engineering with environmental, life cycle, economic, social, and policy considerations, thereby bridging knowledge gaps and supporting impactful solutions.