We are delighted to present a list of title story articles selected to feature at the top of the Coatings (ISSN: 2079-6412) homepage for the second half of 2025. These articles cover a wide range of topics, including plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings, laser cladding composite coatings, DLC coating gear surface damage, wood surface sanding properties, spruce coating durability, ancient brick surface damage detection, Renaissance wall painting analysis, biodegradable packaging films, self-healable polyurea composites, EBC ceramic materials, and color determination of metal coatings. We hope you find these publications of interest.

1. “Modern Innovations and Applications in Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coatings on Aluminum, Magnesium, and Titanium”
by Angus G. McCarroll and Pradeep L. Menezes
Coatings 2025, 15(5), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15050592
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/5/592

2. “Research Progress on Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Strengthening Mechanisms of In Situ-Synthesized Ceramic-Reinforced Titanium Matrix Composite Coatings via Laser Cladding”
by Min Wen, Boqiang Jiang, Xianyin Duan and Dingding Xiang
Coatings 2025, 15(7), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15070815
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/7/815

3. “Influence of Gear Set Loading on Surface Damage Forms for Gear Teeth with DLC Coating”
by Edyta Osuch-Słomka, Remigiusz Michalczewski, Anita Mańkowska-Snopczyńska, Michał Gibała, Andrzej N. Wieczorek and Emilia Skołek
Coatings 2025, 15(7), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15070857
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/7/857

4. “Surface Property Differences of European Larch Sapwood and Heartwood After Sanding”
by Agnieszka Laskowska, Karolina Lipska, Teresa Kłosińska, Anna Piwek and Piotr Boruszewski
Coatings 2025, 15(7), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15070860
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/7/860

5. “Surface Damage Detection and Analysis for Reduction-Fired Cyan Square Bricks in Jiangnan Gardens via YOLOv12”
by Lina Yan, Yile Chen, Xingkang Jia and Liang Zheng
Coatings 2025, 15(9), 1066; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15091066
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/9/1066

6. “Novel Poly(butylene succinate-dilinoleic succinate) Films in Packaging Systems for Fresh Cut Chicory”
by Szymon Macieja, Małgorzata Mizielińska, Mirosława El Fray and Artur Bartkowiak
Coatings 2025, 15(9), 1095; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15091095
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/9/1095

7. “Enhancing Mechanical, Impact, and Corrosion Resistance of Self-Healable Polyaspartic Ester Polyurea via Surface Modified Graphene Nanoplatelets”
by Mingyao Xu, Jisheng Zhang, Yuhui Li, Ziyu Qi, Jiahua Liu, Zhanjun Liu and Sensen Han
Coatings 2025, 15(9), 1111; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15091111
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/9/1111

8. “Non-Invasive Multi-Analytical Insights into Renaissance Wall Paintings by Bernardino Luini”
by Eleonora Verni, Michela Albano, Curzio Merlo, Francesca Volpi, Chaehoon Lee, Chiara Andrea Lombardi, Valeria Comite, Paola Fermo, Andrea Bergomi, Vittoria Guglielmi et al.
Coatings 2025, 15(9), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15091113
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/9/1113

9. “Influence of Surface Sanding on the Coating Durability of Spruce as Facade Board”
by Ondrej Dvořák, Monika Sarvašová Kvietková, Petr Horák, Markéta Kalábová, Chia-Feng Lin, Dennis Jones and Petr Ptáček
Coatings 2025, 15(10), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15101133
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/10/1133

10. “Influences of SiO₂ Additions on the Structures and Thermal Properties of AlTaO₄ Ceramics as EBC Materials”
by Bingyan Wu, Luyang Zhang, Lin Chen, Jiankun Wang, Zipeng Gao and Jing Feng
Coatings 2025, 15(10), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15101204
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/15/10/1204