The series of International Symposium on Plasma for Catalyses and Energy Materials (ISPCEM) found its origin in 2012 and take place biannually in Tian**, China [1, 2]. The aim of the symposia is to provide a platform for scientists and students who are working on the combination of plasma technology and catalyst or nano energy material to exchange ideas, to discuss future development and to promote collaboration. 93 participants from 12 countries attended ISPCEM-2016 attracted, reflecting its international collaboration nature.

On the basis of the results presented at ISPCEM-2016, this themed Topics in Catalysis issue entitled “Recent Advances in Plasma Catalysis (ISPCEM 2016)” is organized and published. The contents of the present issue comprise three reviews and 19 original papers. The reviews overviewed recent advances in the following areas: (1) plasmas in contact with liquids for chemical processing and material synthesis [3]; (2) non-colloidal nanocatalysts fabricated using arc plasma deposition for heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalysis [4]; (3) carbon surface modifications by plasma for catalyst support and electrode materials [5]. The original papers cover different areas of plasma application for catalyses and energy materials, which can be categorized by topics as: (1) reforming of methane [6–9]; (2) conversion of CO [10–14]; (3) environmental processes [15–21]; (4) hydrogenation and hydrochlorination reactions [22–24]. This themed issue provides a picture of recent advances in plasma catalysis, which should be of significant interest in both academic and industrial scientists of all disciplines using plasma technology and/or catalysts. We hope that this themed issue would give new directions and trigger further progress and collaboration in the related fields.

The editors would like to thank the editorial team of Topics in Catalysis for the opportunity to publish this themed issue and their kind assistance during preparation. We wish to thank all of the authors and reviewers who have contributed to this themed issue. We also acknowledge the excellent work of the international advisory board and organizing committee members. Having enjoyed the successful ISPCEM-2016, we look forward to the next edition of the symposium, which will take place in Tian**, China in September of 2018.