Clays in Soil Science and Soil Chemistry
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Clays and Engineered Mineral Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 February 2026 | Viewed by 93
Special Issue Editors
Interests: the behavior of complex fluids with interfacial and biological activity with potential applications in material science; soil chemistry; geochemistry and environmental chemistry fields using computer simulation techniques; atomistic and coarse-grained models
Interests: application of molecular modeling methods (from force-field-based to quantum chemical methods) in the field of material chemistry; environmental chemistry; soil chemistry and geochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Clays and clay minerals belong to a rich family of hydrous aluminum phyllosilicates, formed in nature by the weathering transformation of primary silicate minerals. They are variable in chemical composition, and their properties highly dependent on their origin material and location. Clays are not only found naturally but can also be prepared synthetically. Due to their unique structures and properties, they have many applications, such as smart materials in material chemistry and the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and construction industries. Their high abundance worldwide makes them an essential component of soils, where they play an important role in numerous soil processes. This makes clays of particular interest in fields such as soil science and soil chemistry.
This Special Issue will study the impacts of clays and clay minerals in soils by considering the behavior and interactions of clays with components of organic and inorganic nature, such as soil organic matter, heavy metals and pesticides, as contaminants. This Special Issue welcomes different perspectives from computer simulations methods such as quantum chemical, classical molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo and Machine Learning models, as well as experimental approaches, such as microcalorimetry, nano-SIMS, AFM, and XANES measurements, and a combination of both approaches.
Dr. Edgar Galicia-Andrés
Prof. Dr. Daniel Tunega
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- clay minerals
- soil organic matter
- organic-mineral interactions
- soil pollutants
- molecular modeling
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
