Advances in Clay Science in China

Abstract

Reports of scientific investigations published in Clays and Clay Minerals address a wide range of topics covering virtually every physical and natural science and thousands of industrial products and processes worldwide. Even though these nano-sized materials occur naturally throughout the Earth's crust, a large proportion of the studies carried out in the past regarding their origins, nature, and uses, as reported in Clays and Clay Minerals, have arisen predominantly from North America and Europe. In recent years, however, manuscript submissions from China have increased appreciably (Figure 1). In the current issue, a number of those studies were selected for a compilation in order to highlight the contributions being made by Chinese colleagues, which gives a glimpse into the types of clay research under way in that country. The manuscripts selected do not, of course, represent a comprehensive treatise of clay research in China, but rather an opportune emphasis that is intended to call attention to the work being done there.