This special issue is proposed in the framework of the laser symposium titled ‘Innovation and sustainability through material laser processing: Advancing knowledge and emerging applications’ of the international conference E-MRS Spring Meeting 2026 held in Strasbourg (France) from May 25 to 29, 2026. As in previous editions, the symposium topic will revolve around laser processing from fundamental studies to versatile applications, inviting the leading experts of this field to publish in Applied Physics A.

More particularly, the symposium aims to address key topics for sustainable development by means of cutting-edge innovative strategies for material research from theoretical laser-matter interaction to feasible applications. This will cover laser- and plasma-based materials synthesis, surface structuring and functionalization, 3D writing and processing, additive manufacturing, high-performance device fabrication, advanced beam shaping methods, life science applications, as well as process analytics and materials diagnostics, with a special emphasis on working towards green developments and artificial intelligence implementations.

The new developments in laser sources, currently reaching extremely high peak intensities, covering temporal domains from continuous wave to GHz femtosecond bursts, over the entire spectral range from deep UV to far infrared, result in numerous new routes. These include multiphoton materials processing, improved high-resolution micromachining, novel materials synthesis, volumetric material modifications inside functional materials, time-resolved diagnostics, high-rate and high-precision laser processing, laser printing and manufacturing, or nano and microscale material engineering, which will be welcome in the special issue.

Click here for the Instructions for Authors.