The Journal of Physical Chemistry C: Scope & APC

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C (abbreviated in standard indexing as J. Phys. Chem. C) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published weekly by the American Chemical Society (ACS Publications). Dedicated to experimental, theoretical, and computational research in materials physical chemistry, interfacial phenomena, and energy systems, the journal serves as a primary international forum for physical chemists, materials scientists, and chemical physicists.

Before submitting to the journal of physical chemistry c, researchers must navigate its specific structural scope across four distinct topical sections, rigorous editorial standards requiring fundamental physical insights, and hybrid publishing models. Many authors deposit early manuscript versions on chemistry preprint servers such as ChemRxiv before initiating formal editorial review.

What It Is

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C was established in January 2007 (beginning with Volume 111, Issue 1) following a reorganization of The Journal of Physical Chemistry. The parent journal, founded in 1896, was divided into Part A and Part B in 1997. Due to rapid expansion in nanoscience and energy materials research, the American Chemical Society separated Part B to create Part C as a dedicated publication focusing on nanomaterials, surfaces, interfaces, and energy conversion.

Key bibliographic and indexing identifiers include:

• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS Publications, Washington, D.C.)
• CASSI / ISO 4 Abbreviation: J. Phys. Chem. C
• CODEN: JPCCCK
• Print ISSN: 1932-7447
• Electronic ISSN: 1932-7455
• NLM Unique ID: 101299949 (NLM Title: The journal of physical chemistry. C, Nanomaterials and interfaces)
• Publication Cadence: Weekly (51–52 issues per annual volume)
• Indexing: Web of Science (Science Citation Index Expanded), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), and Portico

Who Runs It and What It Covers

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C is led by Editor-in-Chief Joan-Emma Shea (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Deputy Editor Libai Huang. They are supported by an international board of Senior Editors and Associate Editors who direct independent peer evaluations within specialized subfields.

The journal organizes its published articles across four core subject sections:

• Section C1: Energy Conversion and Storage: Covers the physical chemistry of solar energy conversion, photovoltaic cells, battery systems (lithium-ion, solid-state, and multivalent chemistries), supercapacitors, thermoelectric energy harvesting, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage.
• Section C2: Chemical and Catalytic Reactivity at Interfaces: Encompasses heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces, chemical reaction mechanisms at surfaces, and atomic layer deposition chemistry.
• Section C3: Spectroscopy and Dynamics of Nano, Hybrid, and Low-Dimensional Materials: Investigates plasmonics, optical physics, ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy, single-particle dynamics, quantum dots, carbon nanomaterials, and two-dimensional materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides.
• Section C4: Physical Properties of Materials and Interfaces: Addresses electronic, thermal, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties of functional nanomaterials, organic-inorganic hybrids, self-assembled monolayers, and predictive quantum-mechanical or molecular dynamics modeling of surfaces.

The editorial team enforces strict boundary conditions during initial screening. Manuscripts reporting routine materials synthesis, empirical device optimization, or characterization without uncovering fundamental physical chemistry mechanisms are desk-rejected or redirected to applied engineering journals.

How to Search or Use It

Researchers submitting or searching content within The Journal of Physical Chemistry C navigate the ACS Publications web platform and the centralized ACS Publishing Center. Authors follow six standard operational steps:

1. Access Portal: Access the ACS Publishing Center portal and log in using an ACS ID linked to an active ORCID identifier.
2. Select Publication and Article Type: Select The Journal of Physical Chemistry C and designate the manuscript type (Articles, Featured Articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Perspectives, Viewpoints, Tutorials, or Comments).
3. Upload Files via Fast Format: Submit manuscript text, figures, and tables using the ACS Fast Format system, allowing review-ready submission in a single combined PDF or DOCX file without complex initial styling.
4. Provide TOC Graphic: Upload a dedicated Table of Contents (TOC) graphic (approximately 3.25 inches wide by 1.75 inches high, or 8.25 cm × 4.45 cm) that visually conveys the primary physical chemistry insight.
5. Input Metadata and Funding: Enter complete bibliographic details, including a 100–200 word abstract, author affiliations, and research grant disclosures.
6. Nominate Reviewers and Submit: Nominate 4–6 qualified, independent peer reviewers, review the auto-assembled PDF proof, and finalize submission for editorial triage and peer review.

Citations must conform to ACS Style, requiring full titles of all cited articles, inclusive pagination, and digital object identifiers (DOIs).

Strengths and Limits

Publishing in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C provides notable disciplinary advantages along with operational constraints:

• Strengths:
  • Rigorous Disciplinary Vetting: Every article undergoes expert peer evaluation overseen by active physical chemists.
  • Rapid Dissemination: Accepted papers are published electronically as “Articles ASAP” (As Soon As Publishable) prior to weekly issue assembly.
  • Broad Global Visibility: Comprehensive indexing across Web of Science, Scopus, and CAS ensures discoverability.
  • Institutional Open Access Support: Authors at institutions with ACS Read + Publish agreements can publish open access without paying personal APCs.
• Limits:
  • Strict Mechanistic Criteria: Applied performance reports lacking fundamental physical chemistry insights fall outside scope.
  • Substantial Gold Open Access Fees: Authors without institutional agreement coverage must pay significant APCs for immediate open access.
  • Mandatory TOC Graphic Requirement: Authors must design a compliant Table of Contents graphic alongside the manuscript.

Under the subscription model, authors retain self-archiving rights. Authors may deposit their peer-reviewed author accepted manuscript in an institutional repository following a standard 12-month post-publication embargo.

Alternatives

Researchers selecting a publication venue compare The Journal of Physical Chemistry C against other titles in the ACS physical chemistry family and international chemistry publications:

Journal	Publisher	Core Scope	Publishing Model
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C	American Chemical Society	Nanomaterials, interfaces, surfaces, heterogeneous catalysis, energy storage	Weekly; Hybrid ($4,500 CC BY / $4,000 CC BY-NC-ND)
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A	American Chemical Society	Molecules, clusters, gas phase, kinetics, spectroscopy, atmosphere	Weekly; Hybrid ($4,500 CC BY / $4,000 CC BY-NC-ND)
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B	American Chemical Society	Biophysics, biomaterials, liquids, polymers, glasses, soft matter	Weekly; Hybrid ($4,500 CC BY / $4,000 CC BY-NC-ND)
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters	American Chemical Society	Urgent, high-impact brief communications across physical chemistry	Biweekly; Hybrid ($4,500 CC BY / $4,000 CC BY-NC-ND)
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP)	Royal Society of Chemistry	Physical chemistry, chemical physics, biophysical chemistry	Weekly; Hybrid
ChemPhysChem	Chemistry Europe (Wiley-VCH)	Interdisciplinary physical chemistry and chemical physics	Semimonthly; Hybrid

Authors seeking institutional funding for open access can explore their campus open access publishing fund. Researchers bridging laboratory surface science with technical manufacturing can also consult foundational references such as industrial chemistry literature.

FAQ

What is the ISO abbreviation for The Journal of Physical Chemistry C?

The standard ISO 4 and CASSI abbreviation is J. Phys. Chem. C. The National Library of Medicine catalog title abbreviation is J Phys Chem C Nanomater Interfaces.

Does The Journal of Physical Chemistry C charge submission or publication fees?

No. Traditional subscription publishing is completely free of charge, with no submission fees or page charges. Immediate Gold Open Access requires an Article Processing Charge of $4,500 for a CC BY license or $4,000 for a CC BY-NC-ND license, unless covered by an institutional Read + Publish agreement.

What is the difference between JPC B and JPC C?

The Journal of Physical Chemistry B focuses on biophysical chemistry, biomolecules, soft matter, and liquids. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C focuses on hard materials, nanomaterials, surfaces, interfaces, heterogeneous catalysis, and energy conversion systems.

Can authors post preprints before submitting to JPC C?

Yes. The American Chemical Society allows authors to post preliminary manuscript drafts on recognized non-commercial preprint servers such as ChemRxiv or arXiv prior to submission. Authors must disclose the preprint posting and provide its DOI during submission in the ACS Publishing Center.

Sources

• National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Nanomaterials and Interfaces (NLM ID: 101299949; ISSN: 1932-7447). Accessed November 10, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/101299949
• ACS Open Science: Hybrid Journals and Article Processing Charges (APCs). Accessed November 10, 2026. https://acsopenscience.org/researchers/hybrid-journals/
• Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS): CAS Source Index (CASSI) entry for J. Phys. Chem. C (CODEN: JPCCCK). Accessed November 10, 2026. https://cassi.cas.org/
• ACS Publications: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C Scope, Leadership, and Author Guidelines. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://pubs.acs.org/journal/jpccck