Best Nanotechnology Journals (2026): Ranked by Impact and Accessibility
A ranked guide to the top 14 nanotechnology journals by impact factor, acceptance rate, APC, and review time - covering synthesis, devices, biomedicine, and 2D materials.
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Quick answer: Best nanotechnology journals usually means three different shortlists: Nature Nanotechnology for field-changing nanoscale science, ACS Nano for thorough flagship nanoscience, and Nano Letters for concise high-impact communications. The right target depends on scope, format, evidence depth, and audience, not just impact factor. Nano Energy is stronger for energy applications, Journal of Nanobiotechnology for bio-nano work, and Nanoscale for solid broader nanoscience.
Here's what you need to know: the gap between the top nano journals and the rest is large, but there are excellent options at every level.
Method note: this page was reviewed against Nature Nanotechnology journal metrics, ACS Nano and Nano Letters journal pages and author materials, RSC Nanoscale Horizons metrics, Elsevier Nano Energy metrics, Clarivate JCR 2024 context, and Manusights pre-submission review patterns. It owns the "best nanotechnology journals" shortlist query. Individual impact-factor, acceptance-rate, review-time, and submission-guide questions stay on journal-specific pages.
- Nature Nanotechnology (IF ~34.9) for field-changing discoveries
- ACS Nano (IF 16.0) for thorough nanoscience papers with strong data
- Nano Letters (IF 10.1) for concise, high-impact communications
- Nanoscale (IF 6.7) for solid nanoscience at a more accessible level
- Small (IF 13.0) for interdisciplinary micro/nanoscale work
Full Comparison Table
Journal | IF (2024) | Acceptance Rate | APC | Review Time | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nature Nanotechnology | 34.9 | ~7% | $11,690 (OA) | 3-8 months | Highest impact nano |
ACS Nano | 16.0 | ~22% | $5,250 | 4-8 weeks | Broad nanoscience |
Nano Letters | 9.1 | ~18% | $5,250 | 3-6 weeks | Short communications |
Small | 12.1.0 | ~20% | $5,500 | 4-8 weeks | Micro/nanoscale science |
Nano Energy | 17.1 | ~18% | $3,540 (hybrid) | 4-8 weeks | Nano for energy |
Nanoscale Horizons | 6.6 | ~20% | $2,750 | 4-8 weeks | Communications, RSC |
Nanoscale | 5.1 | ~30% | $2,750 | 4-8 weeks | Broad nanoscience, RSC |
ACS Applied Nano Materials | 5.3 | ~35% | $5,250 | 3-6 weeks | Applied nanomaterials |
Nano Research | 9 | ~22% | $3,860 | 6-10 weeks | Broad nano, Springer |
2D Materials | 4.3 | ~20% | $3,250 (hybrid) | 6-10 weeks | 2D nanomaterials |
Nanotechnology | 2.8 | ~35% | $2,600 (hybrid) | 6-10 weeks | General nano, IOP |
Journal of Nanobiotechnology | 12.6 | ~20% | $2,990 | 4-8 weeks | Bio-nano interfaces |
npj 2D Materials and Applications | 8.8 | ~25% | $2,850 | 6-12 weeks | 2D materials, OA |
Nanomaterials (MDPI) | 4.4 | ~40% | $2,400 | 3-5 weeks | Broad nano, OA |
Best Fit by Manuscript Type
Manuscript type | First target | Strong fallback | Avoid if |
|---|---|---|---|
Field-changing nanoscale mechanism or platform | Nature Nanotechnology | ACS Nano | The advance is incremental or mostly application-specific |
Thorough nanoscience with deep characterization | ACS Nano | Small or Nanoscale | The story is too short for a full flagship article |
One concise high-impact nano result | Nano Letters | Nanoscale Horizons | The paper needs a long methods and validation arc |
Nanomaterials for batteries, photovoltaics, catalysis, or harvesting | Nano Energy | ACS Applied Nano Materials | The energy function is only speculative |
Drug delivery, biosensing, toxicity, or nano-bio interface | Journal of Nanobiotechnology | ACS Nano | The biology is peripheral or undervalidated |
Solid broad nanoscience needing a realistic target | Nanoscale | ACS Applied Nano Materials | The work claims elite novelty without elite evidence |
Elite Tier (IF 15+)
Nature Nanotechnology only publishes around 100 articles a year. The bar is extraordinary. Your paper needs to demonstrate a genuinely new capability, mechanism, or application of nanotechnology that will interest readers well beyond your specific sub-field. Most nano researchers will never publish here, and there's no shame in that.
ACS Nano (IF 16.0) is the real flagship of the field in terms of volume and influence. It publishes roughly 3,000 papers a year across all of nanoscience. The editors want thorough characterization, clear novelty, and well-supported conclusions. It's where most top-quality nano research ends up, and the community knows it.
Nano Energy (IF 16.8) is specifically for energy-related nanoscience. If your nanostructured material is designed for batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, or catalysis, this journal punches above its weight. It's grown remarkably fast and commands serious attention in the energy materials community.
Strong Tier (IF 8-15)
Nano Letters (IF 10.1) is the ACS's short-format nano journal. Papers are typically 4-6 pages, and the expectation is a single, clean result communicated efficiently. It's more selective per paper than ACS Nano because the format demands clarity. Great for a single striking finding, less suitable for thorough studies.
Small (IF 13.0) from Wiley covers both micro and nanoscale science. It's the Wiley counterpart to ACS Nano and has a loyal European readership. The editorial team is responsive and review times are reasonable. It's an excellent alternative when ACS Nano feels too crowded.
Nano Research (IF 9.9) is published by Springer and Tsinghua University Press. It has a strong reputation in the Chinese research community and has been gaining international recognition steadily. Review quality is good, and the scope is broad.
Nanoscale Horizons (IF ~6.6) is the RSC's premium nano journal, focused on short communications. It's open access, well-edited, and growing in prestige. If your paper is concise and novel, this is a smart choice that won't cost as much as ACS journals.
Journal of Nanobiotechnology (IF ~12.6) is the place for biomedical nanotechnology. Drug delivery nanoparticles, diagnostic nanoprobes, and nano-bio interactions all fit here. It's open access through BioMed Central and has become the default for the bio-nano community.
2D Materials (IF ~4.3) is an IOP journal dedicated entirely to graphene, MXenes, TMDs, and related layered materials. If your work is specifically about 2D nanomaterials, this focused audience will find it here.
Accessible Tier (IF 3-8)
Nanoscale (IF 6.7) is the RSC's workhorse nano journal. It publishes a large volume of solid nanoscience, and its acceptance rate of about 30% makes it a realistic target for good-quality work that isn't quite at the ACS Nano level. Review quality is consistent.
ACS Applied Nano Materials (IF 5.3) fills the gap between ACS Nano and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. If your paper is about nanomaterials with a clear application but doesn't carry the impact for ACS Nano, this is a natural cascade target. The transfer process from ACS Nano is straightforward.
Nanotechnology (IF 3.5) from IOP Publishing is one of the oldest dedicated nano journals. Its IF has declined, but it still has good indexing and a broad scope. For early-career researchers who need a solid publication, it's a reliable option.
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Open Access Accessible Tier
Nanomaterials (MDPI, IF 4.4) offers fast turnaround and full open access. The quality varies by issue, but it's indexed in Web of Science and Scopus. Useful when speed and accessibility matter more than prestige.
npj 2D Materials and Applications (IF 8.5) is a strong open access option from Springer Nature with lower APCs than the major players. It's focused on 2D materials specifically.
Decision Framework
If you've discovered a new nanomaterial property or demonstrated something that changes how people think about nanoscale phenomena, Nature Nanotechnology is worth trying. Just plan for a 6+ month timeline.
If you have a thorough nanoscience study with strong characterization and clear novelty, ACS Nano is the standard target. Your paper will be seen by the entire community.
If you have a single, striking result that can be told in 4-6 pages, Nano Letters rewards concise storytelling.
If your nanomaterials paper has a clear energy application, Nano Energy or Journal of Materials Chemistry A should be on your list.
If you're working on drug delivery, biosensors, or nano-bio interfaces, Journal of Nanobiotechnology is purpose-built for that work.
If you need a reliable publication with good turnaround for solid but not spectacular work, Nanoscale from the RSC treats authors well and reviews efficiently.
Common Mistakes in Journal Selection
Treating ACS Nano and Nano Letters as interchangeable. They're not. ACS Nano wants long-form, thorough studies. Nano Letters wants short, focused communications. Submitting a 10-page paper to Nano Letters, or a 4-page paper to ACS Nano, signals that you haven't read the journal.
Submitting characterization-only papers to top journals. "We made nanoparticles and measured their size" isn't enough for any journal above IF 5. You need a performance demonstration, a new property, or a mechanistic insight.
Ignoring the ACS cascade. If ACS Nano rejects your paper with decent reviews, you can transfer directly to ACS Applied Nano Materials. The reviews carry over, saving months. Plan your submission strategy with this in mind.
Choosing a journal by IF alone when your field is 2D materials. 2D Materials (IF 4.3) may have a lower IF than ACS Nano, but if your work is about graphene or MXenes, the readership there's exactly who you need to reach.
In our pre-submission review work
In our pre-submission review work with nanotechnology manuscripts, we observe a specific risk pattern: authors choose by journal prestige first, then try to force the manuscript into that format. In practice, nano reviewers consistently screen for whether the evidence package matches the journal type, not only whether the material is interesting.
Characterization breadth does not match the claim. We see papers aiming at ACS Nano or Nature Nanotechnology with strong TEM and SEM images but incomplete size distributions, missing batch-to-batch reproducibility, weak surface chemistry confirmation, or too little in situ evidence for the proposed mechanism.
Application claims arrive before application evidence. Energy, biosensing, or drug-delivery papers often claim practical relevance from one proof-of-concept assay. Editors consistently ask whether the operating conditions, controls, toxicity, stability, cycling, or benchmarking are strong enough for the claimed use case.
The chosen format fights the story. Nano Letters works when one result can be told cleanly. ACS Nano works when a fuller characterization and validation arc is needed. Nature Nanotechnology works when the concept changes how the field thinks. Manuscripts fail when authors pick the brand but ignore the format.
How to use this list
Impact factor is one signal, not the whole picture. The journals ranked above vary in scope, editorial culture, and what they consider a strong submission. The right journal for your paper depends on how your study sits within the field's research agenda, not just on which title has the highest number next to it.
A paper with solid methodology and honest conclusions that doesn't quite reach the novelty bar of the top-ranked journals will fare better at the second or third tier than a round of rejections from journals above its weight class. Start with an honest assessment of where your work sits, not where you wish it sat.
Before targeting any journal on this list, verify the current author guidelines directly. Word limits, submission system requirements, and scope boundaries change. The rankings above reflect 2024 JCR data and current editorial positioning, but journals evolve.
Before You Submit
Nano reviewers are exacting. They'll check your TEM images for artifacts, question your size distribution statistics, and scrutinize your claims about "uniform" particles that aren't actually uniform. Before submitting, get an independent assessment. A manuscript readiness check can flag the characterization gaps and overclaimed conclusions that trigger desk rejections in nanotechnology journals. It's faster than waiting 8 weeks for a reviewer to point out the same problems.
How to choose from this list
- Match scope precisely. A nanotechnology paper on clinical outcomes fits different journals than one on mechanisms.
- Check your constraints. Funder OA mandates, APC budgets, and timeline requirements narrow the list.
- Prioritize your audience. The best journal is where your citing researchers actually read.
- Be realistic about selectivity. If acceptance is <10%, have a backup identified.
Frequently asked questions
Nature Nanotechnology is the most prestigious. ACS Nano publishes far more papers and is the workhorse of the field. Nano Letters is best for short, high-impact communications.
A JIF above 10 is excellent. Above 5 is competitive and respected. The field runs hot compared to other disciplines, so even mid-tier nano journals carry solid citation signals.
Yes. ACS Nano and Nano Letters both offer open access options. Nanoscale Horizons is fully open access from the RSC. npj 2D Materials and Applications is a credible gold OA option from Springer Nature.
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