Smart Nanomaterials and AI-Enhanced Technologies for Environmental Separation and Sensing

About this Research Topic

Background

Clean water, air, and soil are essential resources that play a critical role in the economic, social, and cultural development of nations. Today, widespread issues such as wastewater discharge, air pollution, and soil contamination have created a growing demand for advanced technologies that support a sustainable environmental ecosystem. Recent studies have highlighted the use of smart materials and nanomaterials such as functionalized adsorbents, superhydrophobic surfaces, and magnetic composites for selective pollutant capture and separation across diverse applications. Integrating these materials with artificial intelligence (AI) can further accelerate advancements in material design and environmental monitoring by enabling accurate property prediction, real-time sensing, and system optimization. Emerging adaptive AI methodologies can be effectively applied alongside nanotechnology, separation techniques, and sensing systems, ushering in a new era of intelligent environmental solutions. This interdisciplinary field, which brings together engineering, science, and data, is rapidly progressing toward scalable and efficient technologies for environmental protection and resource recovery.

The main goal of this Research Topic is using new technology development, including using smart materials or nanomaterials and also using the application of AI technology in this field, in order to tackle common issues such as wastewater, air pollution, and soil contamination to build a sustainable environmental ecosystem. Conventional strategies face limitations such as high energy consumption, low specificity, and poor adaptability. Recent progress in smart materials has led to more selective pollutant-targeting systems, while artificial intelligence offers powerful tools for predictive modeling, real-time sensing, and material optimization in environmental applications. By using AI, we can overcome current limitations in environmental remediation, moving toward intelligent systems that not only help in the synthesis of materials and their optimization but also can be used to detect and capture pollutants and adapt in real time to changing conditions.

We aim to accelerate this interdisciplinary collaboration to create a bridge across different fields of engineering, science, and AI by using new AI methodologies for the development of robust, cost-effective solutions for water purification, air filtration, and soil decontamination, and beyond this, for sensing and monitoring.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:

• Synthesis and characterization of functional nanomaterials
• Development of superhydrophobic, magnetic, or multifunctional nanomaterials for environmental remediation, pollutant capture, and wastewater treatment.
• Use of AI for material discovery, property prediction, and optimization in separation processes.
• Computational modeling of adsorption, diffusion, and separation processes using AI.
• Integration of smart materials into scalable platforms for water purification, air filtration, or gas separation.
• Application of sustainable materials derived from biomass, waste, or green chemistry principles in environmental remediation.
• Design of AI-assisted environmental sensors
• Hybrid separation systems combining nanotechnology, AI, and real-time sensing for adaptive pollution control in dynamic environments.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Smart Nanomaterials, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-Driven Modeling, Pollutant Sensing, Environmental Applications

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

  In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my Research Topic?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.