Functional materials are an integral component of a myriad of devices taken for granted by modern society. Technologies that allow these materials to be fabricated and integrated more easily and economically, as well as clever device designs and innovative applications are key to their wide adoption. It is thus perhaps no wonder that, with its focus on technology-related applied materials research, Advanced Materials Technologies has achieved such good traction within the research community since its launch in 2016. 2019 is proving to be an exciting one for Advanced Materials Technologies. A few weeks ago, the journal received its first full Impact Factor (IF) of 5.395.1 This equates to a 17% increase over last year's partial IF (4.622). Table 1 lists the ten Advanced Materials Technologies articles published in 2016 or 2017 that were cited most in 2018. These hot topics – flexible and stretchable energy conversion and storage devices, sensors, actuators, photonics, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and practical fabrication technologies – are representative of the wide-ranging, multidisciplinary areas of research covered by the journal. For a taste of the most popular papers we have published more recently take a look at our “Best of 2018” – free to access for a limited time – and make sure you don't miss our “cover art gallery” with the most stunning cover images of 2018. The increasing popularity of Advanced Materials Technologies is evident by submissions to the journal, which have grown strongly over the past year. Indeed, we are on track to receive over 1000 manuscripts this year. To ensure our authors continue to enjoy the best possible service, we recently strengthened our peer review editorial team with the addition of Dr. Marco Squillaci and Dr. Valentina Lombardo. We also welcomed Prof. Michael Dickey (North Carolina State University) to the International Editorial Advisory Board. Other highlights this year include an “Advanced Intelligent Systems” Special Series, consisting of invited-only articles that showcase the outstanding achievements of leading international researchers working in the field of intelligent systems. Topics featured include robotics, the human-machine interface, smart and responsive materials, smart sensing systems, neuromorphic computing, and programmed self-assembly. This series proved so successful that in May we launched a new premium open access journal Advanced Intelligent Systems, a general science and engineering journal that covers these research areas and more. Papers that demonstrate a holistic, systems approach, incorporating both “hard” and “soft” intelligence, are prioritized. Check out the first issue here and submit your paper now to take advantage of free publication throughout 2019. The power of microfluidic technologies for the robust and customizable production of functional materials is illustrated in the June Special Issue of Advanced Materials Technologies devoted to “Microfluidics”, guest-edited by Prof. Andrew deMello (ETH Zürich), co-chair of the Editorial Advisory Board. A Special Section in the May issue on “Interface Engineering in Organic Devices” guest edited by Paolo Samorì and Fabio Biscarini demonstrates how optimizing the design of interfaces can enhance the overall performance of devices. In further news from the wider Advanced journals group, the use of an ORCID identifier is now required for submissions to our journals. With pre-print servers playing an increasingly important role in the early dissemination of unpublished results, all Advanced journals now welcome submissions previously posted on pre-print servers. We hope you enjoy reading the research published within the pages of Advanced Materials Technologies as much as we do. In collaboration with you — our authors, reviewers and Advisory Board members — we look forward to disseminating many more important technological advances, the full impact of which remains to be discovered.