About ESMS
Energy Storage Manufacturing Science (ESMS) is a non-profit, open-access journal supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. ESMS publishes reproducible, transparent, collaborative, and transdisciplinary research focused on scalable manufacturing approaches for advancing and producing energy storage technologies.
At ESMS, we believe that rigorous research is the essential foundation for groundbreaking discoveries. A singular focus on radical innovation can sometimes undervalue the incremental progress that enables major breakthroughs—especially in energy storage.
Our central theme is cost-focused critical research, acknowledging that market adoption of new materials or technologies is primarily driven by cost competitiveness relative to existing solutions. We emphasize that processing sciences—those aimed at reducing the manufacturing costs of current materials and technologies—are equally vital as the discovery of new ones. From a manufacturing science perspective, significant opportunities remain in processing research for both established and emerging materials and technologies.
ESMS is led by Professors Jie Xiao and M. Stanley Whittingham, who share a vision of creating a completely free and open platform for scientists. Our mission is to foster collaborative exchanges of validated results and the application of scientific tools that support industry partners in achieving meaningful breakthroughs in energy storage research and manufacturing.
ESMS actively promotes the communication of errors and uncertainties, highlights the importance of reporting negative results, and encourages skepticism regarding findings and assumptions to ensure reproducibility.
Reference: National Academy of Engineering, “Engineering the Future,” Issues in Science and Technology. Read more.
What We Publish
- Experimental successes and failures in manufacturing processes
- Materials and methods tested in realistic device configurations
- Process innovations and scale-up strategies
- Work from students, early-career researchers, and established experts alike is encouraged
- Challenges, limitations, and lessons learned in translation to practice
- Concise communications (1–2 pages) with reproducible insights
- New device design or improvement leading significant enhancement of reproducibility
- Short perspective regarding a significant barrier or emerging technology in energy manufacturing
Out of Scope
- Pure theoretical modeling without validation or practical guidance
- Long narrative reviews without distilled, reproducible takeaways
- Large unprocessed datasets without a concise, actionable summary
Community & Discussion
ESMS encourages sharing what isn’t working as well as what is. Authors may opt in to post-publication discussion (lightly moderated) to gather suggestions from peers and subject-matter experts.
- Accessible notes oriented toward students, post-docs, and early-career researchers
- Opportunities for online forums to exchange ideas and feedback
- Research that accelerates collective progress
- Engaging, active contributions that invite collaboration
Practical Output Formats
Beyond PDF, we support structured method notes and failure reports templates to improve consistency and reusability. Authors may also include small scripts or datasets with a minimal README.