FlexTech, an international academic journal (ISSN 2771-1706), jointly published by Tsinghua University Press and Wiley Publishing Group, has officially released its first issue. Supported by Tsinghua University’s State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, the journal aims to serve as a global platform for scholars to advance cutting-edge research and engineering applications in flexible materials, devices, and systems, driving humanity toward an intelligent era.
Editor-in-Chief’s Vision: Bridging Humanity, Machines, and the Digital World
In his inaugural editorial, Prof. Xue Feng from Tsinghua University, Editor-in-Chief of FlexTech, emphasized that “the future of flexible technology requires collaborative exploration by global scholars.” He highlighted three core pillars shaping the field:
Download: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/27711714/current
1. A Bridge Connecting Humans, Machines, and Digital Realms
Flexible technology transforms rigid materials and systems into soft, bendable, and stretchable forms, overcoming physical limitations and enabling high-performance, multifunctional innovations. Over the past decade, the field has seen explosive growth, integrating fundamental disciplines like materials science, chemistry, and mechanics while driving applications in biomedicine, robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In the intelligent era, it emerges as a key pathway for merging humans, machines, and objects.
2. Dual Pathways: Material Innovation and Mechanical Design
The journal’s editorial outlines two critical development routes:
Intrinsic Soft Materials: Developing biomimetic skins, flexible integrated circuits, and wearable systems to enhance device portability and functionality.
Structural Flexibility via Mechanics and Micro-Nano Fabrication: Engineering rigid high-performance materials like semiconductors and metals into stretchable architectures for 3D integration. A notable breakthrough example is foldable displays, where luminescent soft materials now rival rigid counterparts in efficiency, enabling smartphone-quality visuals in rollable formats.
3. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration for Synergistic Innovation
As an open-access, peer-reviewed journal, FlexTech covers the full spectrum of flexible technology—from new material development and structural design to manufacturing processes and emerging applications. It spans topics such as biomedical materials, soft robotics, human-machine interaction, and energy storage, actively encouraging interdisciplinary research and engineering demonstrations.
The editorial board features world-renowned experts: Prof. John A. Rogers and Prof. Yonggang Huang (Northwestern University), pioneers in flexible electronics, serve on the advisory committee. Prof. Xue Feng leads as Editor-in-Chief, joined by Associate Editors including Prof. Chwee Teck Lim (National University of Singapore), Prof. Young Min Song (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology), and Prof. Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh (University of Sydney), with plans to engage emerging scholars globally.
4. Accelerating Translation from Lab to Industry
With flexible technology entering an engineering fast lane—including pilot lines for flexible integrated devices in healthcare, aerospace, and industrial IoT—FlexTech aims to bridge academia and industry through rapid peer review, academic promotion, and industry-university-research collaboration, facilitating the transition of research into commercial applications.
Call for Submissions
FlexTech invites contributions on:
- Advanced materials for flexible devices (soft materials, biomimetic materials)
- Stretchable, conformal structural designs
- Novel manufacturing methods for flexible systems
- Emerging applications (e.g., healthcare, robotics, IoT)
- Computational methods and AI in flexible technology
All submissions must be original, unpublished research undergoing rigorous peer review to ensure high academic standards. Authors can submit manuscripts via wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/FLE2 and find detailed guidelines on https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/27711714/homepage/author-guidelines.
Inquiries can be directed to the editorial office at flextech@tup.tsinghua.edu.cn.
Journal
FlexTech