Materials Today Communications is a broad scope, multi-disciplinary, rapid-publication journal focused on sound science.

Materials are an essential component of every industry and underpin the technologies used in daily life. Materials science is an ever-expanding and evolving multi-disciplinary field, encompassing aspects of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering and mathematics. Materials Today Communications is interested in papers that focus on understanding the structure-property relationship for materials, utilizing characterization methods across different length scales to understand the effect of nano-, micro- and macro-structure on mechanical, electronic and chemical properties, and applying new and existing techniques to manufacture materials with properties and applications capable of meeting the challenges society faces now and in the future.

Materials Today Communications covers all aspects of materials science, publishing sound science articles on materials research. Our 'sound science' approach means we do not filter submissions based on their topic area, but on the quality of the individual manuscript.

Part of the Materials Today family, Materials Today Communications offers authors rigorous peer review, rapid decisions, and high visibility. The editors welcome comprehensive articles, short communications and reviews on topics including but not limited to:

    Bioengineering and biomedicine
    Biomaterials
    Building materials
    Catalysis
    Composites
    Computational materials science
    Ceramics and glasses
    Energy Materials
    Engineering applications
    Materials characterization

Special Issue on Innovative Approaches in Dissimilar Material Joining: High-Performance Techniques, Process Efficiency, and Lifecycle Enhancement
Submission Date: 2026-01-31

Advance the joining of dissimilar materials by utilizing various welding techniques and computational tools, focusing on time- and money-saving techniques and tactics to increase the lifespan of dissimilar components.

Guest editors:

Sachin Sirohi, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, NCR Campus, Ghaziabad, India
Velaphi Msomi, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Ghazal Moeini, Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Shailesh Mani Pandey, National Institute of Technology Delhi, New Dehli, India
Mahdieh Safyari, LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland

Special issue information:
Welding is fundamental to joining materials, creating strong and durable joints permanently. It involves melting the materials at the joint interface and allowing them to cool and solidify, forming a welded joint. This process is commonly used in manufacturing sector, aerospace, automotive and energy industries; welding presents a unique set of challenges due to the materials' inherent differences in material properties, thermal characteristics, and metallurgical behaviors while joining the dissimilar material. Addressing these challenges requires thoroughly understanding material properties, welding processes, and metallurgical interactions. Advanced welding techniques, innovative filler materials, and optimization strategies are crucial in overcoming the complexities of dissimilar welding and ensuring high-quality, durable welded joints. The ability to join dissimilar materials has greatly improved through the recent advancements in welding technologies, including friction stir welding, laser welding, hybrid welding processes, additive manufacturing, and computational tools for multi-layer simulation, optimization, and predictive analysis. These advancements have also decreased the amount of time wasted on unnecessary experiments.The main goal of this special issue is to advance the joining of dissimilar materials by utilizing various welding techniques and computational tools, focusing on time- and money-saving techniques and tactics to increase the lifespan of dissimilar components.

This issue focuses on advanced welding process analysis, including:
➢ Predictive modelling and computational techniques for the analysis of welded joints
➢ Optimization of welding parameters techniques, such as Topology Optimization
➢ Multidimensional analyses of welding processes
➢ Welding and joining processes used for the fabrication of dissimilar welded joints
➢ Innovative filler materials for dissimilar welding
➢ Metallurgical Characterization and mechanical properties

Manuscript submission information:

Interested authors are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract to Dr. Sachin Sirohi for consideration and comments before the preparation of a full manuscript.Abstract submissions are due by 30 October 2025

Submission Deadline: 31 January 2026

Submission Site: Editorial Manager®

Article Type Name: "VSI: Advanced Joining Approaches" - please select this item when you submit manuscripts online.

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed. Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, significance, technical quality, and clarity. Once accepted, articles will be posted online immediately and published in a journal regular issue within weeks. Articles will also be simultaneously collected in the online special issue.

For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, welcome to contact Dr. Sachin Sirohi.

For more information about our Journal, please visit our ScienceDirect Page: Materials Today Communications.

Keywords:

Dissimilar welding, Friction welding, Laser welding, Hybrid welding, Additive manufacturing, Optimization, Modelling