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Nanomaterials and Surface Science

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 1335

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sylwia Sowa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Surface Engineering Centre, Łukasiewicz Research Network—Institute for Sustainable Technologies, 26-600 Radom, Poland
Interests: surface engineering; nanomaterials; nanomaterial characterization, microstructure analysis; nanoindentation
Dr. Joanna Kacprzyńska-Gołacka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Surface Engineering Centre, Łukasiewicz Research Network—Institute for Sustainable Technologies, 26-600 Radom, Poland
Interests: surface engineering; plasma activation; magnetron sputtering; modification of polymer surface
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Smolik Jerzy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Surface Engineering Centre, Łukasiewicz Research Network—Institute for Sustainable Technologies, 26-600 Radom, Poland
Interests: nanomaterials; PVD coating; hybrid method; plasma processes; thin coating; advanced materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional materials include various materials from ceramics, composites, metals or polymers with special properties. This Special Issue contains topics such as the interdisciplinary approach between materials science, physics, chemistry and biology on the nanoscale. It also investigates the most promising ways to enrich the functional properties of different materials, especially nanomaterials surface modification. The development of material science relies on the performance of advanced materials.

We are pleased to invite to submit your latest findings and results as full-length articles or reviews to the Special Issue on “Nanomaterials and Surface Science” of the journal Applied Sciences MDPI. This Special Issue aims to address the evolution of nanomaterials and their impact on the surface and functional properties of advanced materials, such as thin coatings. Topics include (but are not limited to) the following: surface engineering, functional and advanced materials, modification of surfaces, thin coatings, and the characterization of nanomaterials and their function.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sylwia Sowa
Dr. Joanna Kacprzyńska-Gołacka
Prof. Dr. Smolik Jerzy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanomaterials and nanostructures
  • surface engineering
  • functional materials
  • advanced materials
  • nanomaterials characterization
  • modification of surface
  • thin coatings
  • thin films

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3920 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Zirconia-Based Composites Designed for Biomedical Applications
by Agnieszka Wojteczko, Sebastian Komarek and Magdalena Ziąbka
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 4455; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16094455 - 1 May 2026
Viewed by 435
Abstract
In this study, bioceramic composites based on zirconia (ZrO2) were synthesized and characterized in terms of mechanical properties. Two types of different-sized grains of zirconia powders were used to prepare the composites. A commercial zirconia micropowder (Tosoh) was used as a [...] Read more.
In this study, bioceramic composites based on zirconia (ZrO2) were synthesized and characterized in terms of mechanical properties. Two types of different-sized grains of zirconia powders were used to prepare the composites. A commercial zirconia micropowder (Tosoh) was used as a base for the composites modified with bioactive glass (BG), copper-doped bioactive glass (BGCu), and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) with a sintering temperature of 1450 °C. The composites with the addition of hydroxyapatite, for which their sintering temperature was 1150 °C, were independently fabricated using a zirconia nanopowder prepared via co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods to achieve high densification and avoid hydroxyapatite decomposition. Mechanical performance of these composites was assessed with regard to biaxial flexural strength, Vickers hardness (HV), and fracture toughness (KIc). The reference 3Y-TZP material exhibited Vickers hardness (11.8 GPa) and fracture toughness (6.1 MPa∙m1/2 values typical for dense tetragonal zirconia ceramics. The addition of all bioactive phases resulted in significant alterations in mechanical properties. Specifically, incorporating 20 wt.% HAp led to a threefold decrease in hardness and a 40% reduction in fracture toughness, while increasing the HAp content to 40 wt.% further reduced these properties. Nonetheless, the fracture toughness of these composites remained higher than that of pure hydroxyapatite materials. The incorporation of BG and BGCu reduced the hardness values by 45% and 30%, respectively, compared to 3Y-TZP. The most significant deterioration of the properties was observed for the 3Y-TZP-hBN composite. The 3Y-TZP–BGCu composite exhibited fracture toughness (5.9 MPa∙m1/2) representing 95% of the toughness of pure zirconium dioxide, thereby showing the lowest weakness of all the other composites with bioactive additives. A slightly lower fracture toughness value (5.3 MPa∙m1/2) was also observed in the composite with bioglass but lacking the copper additive. This factor, combined with a relatively small decrease in hardness in both cases, highlights high durability for implantology applications, thus marking the indicated materials the most promising among the composites studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Surface Science)
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14 pages, 1146 KB  
Article
Epoxy Coatings Containing Nature-Inspired Antifouling Compounds Loaded in Halloysite Nanocontainers
by Daniela Pereira, Monica Tonelli, Joana R. Almeida, Marta Correia-da-Silva, Honorina Cidade and Francesca Ridi
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 4114; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16094114 - 23 Apr 2026
Viewed by 335
Abstract
Marine biofouling is a major global concern affecting the marine industry, the environment, and public health. The accumulation of organisms on submerged surfaces causes significant economic losses, including increased fuel consumption, higher pollutant emissions, and accelerated corrosion. Antifouling (AF) coatings with biocides are [...] Read more.
Marine biofouling is a major global concern affecting the marine industry, the environment, and public health. The accumulation of organisms on submerged surfaces causes significant economic losses, including increased fuel consumption, higher pollutant emissions, and accelerated corrosion. Antifouling (AF) coatings with biocides are widely used to prevent this problem. However, many conventional biocides have been banned due to toxicity, creating an urgent need for environmentally friendly alternatives. In previous studies, we synthesized a gallic acid derivative and three flavonoids that showed AF activity against the settlement of mussel larvae (Mytilus galloprovincialis) together with low ecotoxicity. In the present work, to further assess their potential in marine coatings and exploit the advantages of nanocarriers in protecting and prolonging bioactive effects, these compounds were loaded into halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and incorporated into epoxy coatings. Coatings containing the same AF compounds in free form were also prepared for comparison. HNTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and compound loading was quantified by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The resulting composites were analyzed by SEM and dynamic water contact angle measurements. Laboratory bioassays with M. galloprovincialis larvae showed that coatings containing HNT-loaded synthetic compounds generally reduced larval settlement more effectively than the corresponding coatings containing the same compounds directly dispersed in the epoxy matrix, with values below 20% after both 15 and 40 h of exposure for the best-performing formulation. These findings highlight the novelty of the proposed HNT-based delivery strategy for nature-inspired synthetic antifoulants and support its potential for the development of effective and environmentally safer AF coatings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Surface Science)
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