The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) and ASM International have named Victorino Franco, Ph.D., as the first of two editors of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E: Materials for Energy Systems - a new, peer-reviewed energy journal focusing on the science and technology of energy materials.
Scheduled to debut in March 2014, the journal joins the long established, highly respected and peer-reviewed Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A and B family of publications. Selection of a second technical editor currently is underway.
Under Dr. Franco’s technical and editorial leadership, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E will engage the global materials community and publish peer-reviewed, original research and review articles focused on solving the world’s energy and environmental challenges through advanced materials.
“It is a great pleasure for me to be a member of this editorial team and to contribute to Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E,” said Dr. Franco. “The combined efforts of TMS and ASM International to launch this new journal fulfill a critical need in the materials and energy R&D communities. It provides an ideal mix of fields of expertise that will result in a high-impact publication that can be instrumental for the transformation necessary to meet the needs of our energy-hungry society in the near future.”
Dr. Franco commented that while there are other journals that focus on energy-related materials, they generally are restricted to those materials that are responsible for the production or conversion of energy. “Energy systems rely heavily on many other materials, which are crucial for enabling the technology. The improvement of their properties also is fundamental to enhancing energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, energy system reliability and safety, and even for making new transformational energy technologies and systems possible,” he added. “With this journal, we will be able to broaden the focus to include the full breadth of materials that are relevant and critical to energy-related applications.”
David Laughlin, principal editor of the new energy journal and its affiliated, peer-reviewed publications — Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A and B — noted that Dr. Franco brings a proven research background and focus on materials for energy. “Under Dr. Franco’s editorship, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E will become the all-inclusive source and authority to serve the materials for energy community,” Laughlin said.
Dr. Franco’s scientific career includes approximately 20 years in the areas of research and teaching. His research has focused on microstructure-property relationships of functional materials, such as alloys and magnetic materials. His research involves both experimental studies and modeling of materials’ properties, as well as the study of functional materials for more efficient use of energy and energy harvesting. Dr. Franco currently serves as Professor in the Condensed Matter Physics Department at Sevilla University, Spain. Prior to that, he served as Research Fellow, Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at Sevilla University. Additionally, he has been a guest researcher and visiting professor at numerous laboratories in the United States, Europe and Asia.
A member of TMS, Dr. Franco received his Ph.D. in Physics from Sevilla University. He currently serves as the Chair of the TMS Magnetic Materials Committee and as a key member of the TMS Electronic, Magnetic & Photonic Materials Division Council. Additionally, he has served as an advisor to the TMS member journal, JOM, received scientific awards from the Spanish Royal Physical Society and the Royal Order of Chivalry of Sevilla, and authored more than 110 technical papers in international journals.
Officially announced by TMS and ASM International on March 4, 2013, the new journal spans the entire energy spectrum, from production and generation to transmission to energy storage and conversion. It will provide a vital platform for presenting original research and review focused on the science of materials applied to or being investigated to address unique aspects of current and emerging energy technologies. The journal will cover a broad range of energy technologies and focus on why the technology matters for a particular energy application. These technologies include battery, biomass, fuel cell, geothermal, hydrocarbons, hydrogen storage, nuclear, solar cell, supercapacitor, thermal conversion, thermochemistry, thermoelectricity, wind, and other energy technologies as they emerge. Various areas of materials research, including larger materials issues with applications to energy, will be included.
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E: Materials for Energy Systems is accepting papers now for publication in 2014. A Call for Papers is available at http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/MT/MT.aspx