Aims and scope

Discover Applied Sciences (formerly SN Applied Sciences) is a fully open access (OA) journal. All content published in the journal is published under an open access licence, and freely available to readers worldwide, enabling the widest possible dissemination and reuse.

It is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal for the disciplines of Applied Life Sciences, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Materials Science and Physics, fostering sound scientific discovery to solve practical problems. The journal encourages quality, scientifically valid, original research which presents a good understanding of scientific knowledge, experiments and theories, methods and techniques, as well as interdisciplinary linkages.

The Applied Life Sciences section of Discover Applied Sciences aims to publish relevant articles that focus on modern applications of life sciences research in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Health Sciences, Physics, Engineering and Environmental Sciences. We are particularly interested in applied research that makes significant scientific and societal contributions across the broad spectrum of life sciences.
The topics covered in this section include but are not limited to:

    Agriculture and Agronomy
    Aquatic and Marine Biology
    Behavioral Sciences
    Biochemistry
    Bioengineering
    Biomaterials
    Biomedical Sciences
    Biophysics
    Biotechnology
    Cell Biology
    Ecology
    Environmental Life Science
    Evolutionary and Developmental Biology
    Food Science
    Forestry
    Genetics and Genomics
    Microbiology
    Plant Sciences
    Population dynamics
    Systems Biology and Bioinformatics
    Zoology and Veterinary Sciences

The Engineering section provides a forum for various sub-disciplines of Engineering Technology, e.g. Bioengineering, Applied Engineering, Robotics and Control, Signal Processing, Data Analysis, Experiments, Computational Mechanics, and Fluid Mechanics. We are looking for contributions covering theoretical and practical problems associated with:

    Aerospace Engineering
    Big Data, Data Science and Data Analysis
    Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
    Communication Systems
    Complex Structures
    Computer Engineering
    Computing Systems
    Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electromagnetics
    Energy, Power and Industrial Applications
    Fluid Mechanics
    Image Processing and Signal Processing
    Industrial Technology and Manufacturing
    Machine Learning
    Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning
    Multiscale Modelling and Multiscale Analysis
    Optics
    Structural Integrity and Technologies in Construction
    Sustainable Inventive Systems

The Interdisciplinary section provides a forum for multi-disciplinary projects that cover the expertise of experiments, numerical modelling, and theory to provide a better understanding of key processes. It welcomes manuscripts combining or linking disciplines of applied sciences and exploring theoretical or practical problems.

The Chemistry and Materials Science section deals with the key research fields of chemistry and material science. Among many topics that our section covers, we promote the topics relating to catalysis, activation of small molecules, electrochemistry and energy materials. The following keywords are only few of the key topics in our section:

    Electrocatalysis
    Click Chemistry
    Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Catalysis
    Biochemistry
    Green Synthesis Of Nanoparticles
    Energy Conversion
    Biomass
    Construction Materials
    Photocatalysis
    Water Splitting
    Fuel Cells
    Inorganic Chemistry
    Analytical Chemistry
    Oxygen Reduction Reaction
    Electrolysers
    Food Chemistry

The Physics and Materials Science section of Discover Applied Sciences targets the latest developments in the Applied Physics area and its intersection with the Material Sciences. We encourage topics that generate an interest or are related to global challenges, including among others, alternative energy sources, climate change, food and water safety and innovative health. Some keywords that we are considering are:

    Electronic Properties of Materials
    Structure-Property Relationship and Characterization
    Superconductivity and Magnetism
    Spintronics
    Organic Electronics
    Perovskite/ Silicon Solar Cells
    Biomaterials and Health Applications
    Bioelectronics and Sensors
    Applied Photochemistry
    Photonic Materials
    Mechanical Properties of Materials
    Thermoelectric Materials
    Nanomaterials/Nanoparticles
    Energy Transfer, Storage and Conversion
    Organic Materials Doping
    Batteries
    Optical Properties of Materials
    Alloys and Ceramics
    Applied Biophysics
    Sustainable Development in Material Sciences

The Earth and Environmental Sciences section of Discover Applied Sciences aims to publish relevant articles and case studies within Earth and Environmental System Sciences. We welcome disciplinary papers from the fields of Physical Geography, Geology, Climate, Oceanography and Natural Hazards, as well as those with strong interdisciplinary connections from the fields of Geophysics, Environmental Chemistry, Geochemistry and Environmental Engineering. We welcome contributions which demonstrate linkages between natural and anthropogenic processes, human-environmental interactions and environmental processes and applications.

Content types

Discover Applied Sciences welcomes a variety of article types – please see our submission guidelines for details. The journal also publishes guest-edited Topical Collections of relevance to all aspects of applied sciences and its applications. For more information, please follow up with our journal publishing contact.

Special Issue on Earth and Environmental Sciences: Advancements in Monitoring Soil Water and Plant Conditions in a Changing Climate
Submission Date: 2025-01-31

Soil water and plant systems are interconnected, and their interactions play a crucial role in the climate system. Monitoring these interactions is important for understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change on soil and plant systems and for developing sustainable land and soil management practices. Monitoring soil water and plant conditions in a changing climate is critical because soil moisture is essential for photosynthesis, it serves as a carrier of nutrients and minerals for plant growth, and in general helps keep soil ecosystems healthy. Soil physical, chemical, and biological properties influence the storage of soil moisture, plant development, and consequently the climate system, which properties play a crucial role in controlling factors such as evaporation, transpiration, or soil temperature. Changes in land use or other soil parameters (e.g. tillage) can accelerate or slow climate change-related effects on the soil-plant-water system.

This Topical Collection focuses on longer term monitoring on any part or the entire soil-plant-water system, particularly advancements in instruments or the use of current technologies and information, such as remote sensing. This interdisciplinary Collection invites papers in the topics on recent techniques, such as new instruments or remote sensing data on soil moisture monitoring; plant growth, development, or physiological monitoring; climate change-related studies; or the effects of soil management systems on soil-plant-water systems. 

Special Issue on Engineering: Recent Advancements in Waste Recovery Technologies
Submission Date: 2025-01-31

This collection is a compilation of recent advancements in waste heat recovery technologies in industry. A substantial amount of energy is undesirably rejected in the form of waste heat. Despite the amount of fuel consumed, such wasted heat contributes to the global warming due to the CO2 emissions resulted from the combustion of fossil fuels. In this regard, waste heat recovery technologies are the solution to reduce the global consumption of fuel and its associated carbon dioxide emission. Among the various waste heat recovery technologies, supercritical CO2 power cycle, and organic Rankine cycles are considered one of the promising cycles for waste heat recovery in industry. Given the significance of this subject, you are invited to contribute a research article to this collection. The contributions may include, but are not limited to, supercritical CO2 power cycles, organic Rankine cycles, design and analysis of heat exchangers, design and analysis of expansion machines, and thermal storages.

Special Issue on Interdisciplinary: Advanced Method for Signals Processing in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Submission Date: 2025-01-31

Adequate signal processing (including 2D, i.e., images, and multidimensional signals in the term) is of paramount importance in Earth & Environmental Sciences. Think e.g., of the study of crustal kinematics using GNSS time series, of the various remote sensing techniques and applications, of the acquisition of seismic data in real time or for geophysical prospecting, of the acquisition and analysis of time series in oceanography, of the detection of trends in atmospheric time series. In some cases, the signals can be characterized by the absence of data for more or less prolonged periods, by significant variations in the observation conditions and therefore uncertainties or are sometimes reconstructed on the basis of more or less stringent hypotheses (an example is the reconstruction of the conditions of thermohaline oceanic circulation starting from paleontological data). This Collection is devoted to advanced methods of signal processing in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Papers dedicated to both theoretical and technological aspects of signal processing (provided they are consistent with the topic) and to the applications of advanced methods, as well as simulation, are welcome. Papers focused on deep learning in signal processing, aimed e.g., at data filtering or reconstructing missing segments of time series, are particularly encouraged. Manuscripts describing the acquisition of information of geophysical/environmental interest from disturbances of radio/TV/phone/… signals are also encouraged. Although not strictly required, it is strongly encouraged that any codes developed be made available to the reader (e.g., in Harvard Dataverse or Zenodo).

Special Issue on Interdisciplinary: Advances in the Development of Sustainable Cities
Submission Date: 2025-01-31

This topical collection aims to gather works that deal with the development of sustainable cities. In particular, we aim to collect studies on waste management (including wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy conversion technologies, treatment of emerging pollutants, conversion of waste materials to high-value products), water treatment and conservation, fate and transport of environmental pollutants, and life cycle assessment.

Special Issue on Materials Science: Plasmonic Nanomaterials: From Plasmon-Enhanced Light–Matter Interactions to Sensing Applications
Submission Date: 2025-01-31

In the last decades, there has been significant advances in both theoretical and experimental investigations of surface plasmons, which led to the development of new simulation methods to calculate the optical properties of nanoplasmonic systems and has delivered a relevant number of important applications. This Collection focuses on the latest advances and most exciting results in the area of Plasmonic Nanomaterials, i.e. materials containing plasmonic nanoparticles or nanostructures used to i) enhance several light-matter interaction processes (Raman scattering, photocatalysis, chemical energy conversion, heat generation, photovoltaics, etc.), ii) to accurately detect different kinds of molecules and biomolecules using label-free sensing platforms, or even to iii) perform biological imaging and photothermal therapies. We welcome contributions reporting new knowledge and/or breakthrough innovations in the development of Plasmonic Nanomaterials, addressing radical new design concepts that can be supported by theory, and new thin film deposition pathways to fabricate these materials.

Potential subjects to be explored in this Collection include (but are not limited to): Theory of Surface Plasmons; Modelling Nanoplasmonic Effects; Graphene/Plasmonic Nanoparticles Systems; Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS); Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) Sensors; Plasmon-Enhanced Photocatalysis; Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Coupled to Plasmonic Structures (e.g. Fano Resonances); Enhanced Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect using Plasmonic nanomaterials; Thermal Phototherapy of Tumors Using Plasmonic Nanoparticles, among others.

Special Issue on Physics: Unconventional Magnetism
Submission Date: 2025-01-31

The aim of this Topical Collection is to promote research on unconventional magnetism. Specific topics of interest include magnetism in Moire twisted graphene, D-wave magnetism namely, altermagnetism, interplay between magnetism and topology (axion insulators and anomalous Hall insulators, Shiba chains for topological superconductivity), magnetism at the interface between hetero-structures, skyrmions. This would help to explore the frontiers of quantum phenomena and uncover the complexity of unconventional magnetism and its potential applications.

Special Issue on Earth and Environmental Sciences: Environmental Tracers in Water Resources Management
Submission Date: 2025-02-24

 Environmental tracers are defined as geogenic (natural to the Earth) or anthropogenic (human-created) isotopes, elements, or compounds that are widely distributed in the near-surface environment of the earth, such that variations in their abundances can be used to infer environmental processes. An ideal tracer of water flow is one that is soluble, mobile, relatively unreactive, and easily measured. However, while tracers that behave conservatively (that is, do not cling to subsurface materials nor undergo chemical change) in the environment yield information on water sources or transport processes, tracers that readily undergo chemical reactions can be used to determine hydro-chemical conditions in aquifers and reaction pathways. Several environmental tracers also provide information on the timescales of subsurface processes. These include radioactive tracers, which decay at a known rate; radiogenic tracers, which are produced and accumulate in the subsurface; and event markers, which are neither produced nor consumed in the subsurface but have a variable and well-known history as to when they entered the water system. These can be used for various surface water, ground water, environmental and hydrometeorological studies and help in solving the difficulties involved in hydrological evaluations.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 6

Special Issue on Interdisciplinary: Biotechnological Application of Bioactive Compounds: Sustainable Processes for Obtaining and Applying
Submission Date: 2025-02-24

The collection delves into the biotechnological applications of bioactive compounds, focusing on sustainable processes for their extraction and utilization. It explores innovative methods for obtaining these compounds and highlights their eco-friendly applications in various industries. The aim is to foment the publication of research that emphasizes the importance of sustainable practices in biotechnology and the potential impact of bioactive compounds on diverse fields. Based on the above considerations, submissions to this Topical Collection are welcomed, in the form of original research papers, reviews, or communications that highlight the state of research in the applications of bioactive compounds using sustainable processes for its extraction and application.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 3, SDG 9, SDG 12

Special Issue on Engineering: Biofuels
Submission Date: 2025-02-28

The energy business has continued to change course due to the significant increase in climate change over the last few years. The need for energy is likely to continue to climb globally, and pressure to reform the energy sector is growing. Recently, the energy and trading value chain has been dominated by the energy transition. To cater the climate change, the world's largest economy, the energy sectors have adopted objectives for net-zero emissions by 2050. The power sector's primary objective is to create new energy ecosystems that support economic growth in order to provide global access to clean, dependable, sustainable, and secure electricity in the upcoming years. The energy sectors are reducing emissions through sustainable initiatives and involving in inventions related to more low-carbon energy such as biofuels, hydrogen, charging for electric vehicles and electricity generated by solar, wind power, and so forth. Biofuels are recognized as a pertinent technology since they provide numerous advantages, such as energy security, environmental cleanliness, and sustainable development. In order to increase fuel security, address climate change, and support infrastructure development, biofuels are primarily employed as alternatives to petroleum-based fuels for transportation. Due to economic and technological limitations, biofuels, however, have not been able to totally replace fossil fuels. The purpose of this Topical Collection is to inform readers about the most recent developments in the production of biofuels and bioenergy while also addressing current trends and improvements in biofuel and bioenergy production technology. This Topical Collection will cover all areas of emerging technologies in the area of biofuels technologies, catalysis, process optimization, digitalization, techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to: (1) biofuels’ production, (2) digitalization in biofuels, (3) catalysis in biofuels production, (4) Circular Economy in biofuels’ production, (5) sustainability in biofuels’ production.

Special Issue on Materials Science: Natural-based Polymeric Materials for Environmental Remediation
Submission Date: 2025-03-10

In the last decades, the environment and all the ecosystems are progressively threatened by pollution, evidencing a worldwide problem of great concern that needs urgent solutions.

Different pollutants are released every day in water bodies, and some of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, carcinogenic, mutagenic. Accordingly, Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), and textile dyes, are particularly dangerous categories due to their toxicological impact on human and environmental health, even in traces, although the risks they pose are still not fully understood. For these reasons, their removal is necessary. Thus, researchers are working hardly for finding solutions to ensure the safety of all ecosystems. The innovative tendency represented by the use of wastes and by-products as adsorbents materials to treat water from pollutants is increasing in the last years, according to greener technologies.

Besides, natural-based polymeric materials are still widely used for the purpose. Among remediation strategies, the adsorption, even when in synergy with the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), is widely studied.

This Topical Collection aims to offer a background about these useful materials and approaches, proposing the sustainable management, the efficient use of natural resources as dictated by Bioeconomic principles, and the reduction of wastes through recycling and upcycling.

Keywords: Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs); Dyes removal; Water remediation technologies; Adsorption processes; Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs); Adsorption substrates; Polymeric materials; Waste management; Circular Economy

Special Issue on Materials Science: Advanced Materials for Thermoelectric Energy Conversion
Submission Date: 2025-03-28

This collection intends to show research and innovation on exploring high-performance thermoelectric conversion materials, namely Advanced Materials for Thermoelectric Energy Conversion, including discovering new types of three-dimensional and low dimensional thermoelectric conversion materials, exploring new theoretical methods and corresponding experimental techniques for thermoelectric conversion, considering the effects of high-order anharmonicity and multiple scattering mechanisms on material thermal and conductive properties, etc. Examples are thermoelectric material, density functional theory, first-principles calculation and Boltzmann transport equations, anharmonic lattice dynamics, lattice thermal transport, electron transport characteristics, phonon coherence effect, machine-learning potential-based molecular dynamics, energy-conversion efficiency of the materials.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 9

Special Issue on Earth and Environmental Sciences: Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing Methods for Analyzing Sustainable Agriculture in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas around the World
Submission Date: 2025-03-31

Advanced GIS and remote sensing methods to assess food security in arid and semi-arid areas. The 21st century is a century of challenges in the areas of food, water, energy and soil conservation. The semi-arid and arid regions will increase by a total of 15 %. The areas in North and Central Africa, South and East Australia, South-East Asia, the zones in South America, North America and South-East Europe will be arid and semi-arid. In these zones, water shortages and water deficits are increasing, plants and vegetables need to be preserved and new species need to be established. In all these cases, it is important that the countries concerned take the initiative to stop the water deficit and preserve plants and vegetables. The advanced GIS and remote sensing methods and techniques can contribute to a better understanding of climate drivers and modeling of suitable areas. Results can be collected at local, regional, and global scales. The work (research) on this or similar topics can be limited to solving this or similar problems. The final results can be presented in an integrated database in raster or vector format. All methods in the field of GIS and remote sensing are welcome.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 2, SDG 13

Special Issue on Materials Science: Quantum Material (2D and Hybrids): Synthesis, Characterization, Simulation, Properties, and Applications
Submission Date: 2025-03-31

This collection focuses on a special class of advanced materials namely Quantum materials which offers fascinating quantum properties for various advanced application across diverse domains. The research in QM has witnessed an upsurge due to their unprecedent potential. 2D material showing such properties offer additional platform for their exploration. The exceptional opportunity in this domain comes with additional challenges of scalable synthesis, accurate characterization, simulation study and property determination. Therefore, we aim a topical collection which offers a vast understanding on these topics.

This collection invites articles, review covering the recent advancement on the synthesis, characterization, simulation study, properties of quantum materials. The research exploring the application of quantum materials in the form of 2D, hybrids, bulk for energy, electronics, gas-sensing, devices, and other useful relevant application are encouraged to submit.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 9

Special Issue on Engineering: Research and Technology Innovations in Industrial Engineering
Submission Date: 2025-06-30

 The Collection aims to present the latest achievements in automation strategies, digitalization, and process efficiency improvement, with particular emphasis on sustainable practices. It covers topics related to modern technologies used in industrial engineering, innovations in production management, and the use of data analysis in improving the efficiency of production systems. It aims to discover the future generation in manufacturing by implementing smart technologies, intelligent systems using up-to-date approaches, and modern software based on IoT, VR/AR, ANN, GA, etc. These technologies allow using data and information throughout the entire life cycle of the product and ensure the creation of flexible production processes that rapidly respond to challenges in demand at low cost to the enterprises as well as to the environment.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 9, SDG 12