Recent Developments in Thin Films for Technological Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 483

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati INFN, Frascati, Italy
Interests: thin films; strained films; nanostructured materials coating; transition metal oxide; transition metal dichalcogenide; strongly correlated materials; metal insulator transition; VO2; thin films deposition; nanostructured films synthesis; surface characterization; work function modification; ordered and disordered nanostructure films

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Guest Editor
Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: spectroscopy; metamaterials; plasmonic; phononic; topological materials; exotic excitations
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to submit your manuscripts to the Special Issue "Recent Developments in Thin Films for Technological Applications". This Special Issue aims to explore new research works in the field of thin films, with a particular emphasis on transition metal oxides, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and coating technologies.

Transition metal oxides have garnered substantial attention due to their versatile electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. These materials are pivotal in the development of next-generation electronic devices, sensors, and catalysts. Their unique ability to exhibit various oxidation states and structural phases makes them suitable for applications in energy storage, smart windows, and memristors.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) represent another exciting class of materials, characterized by their layered structures and tunable band gaps. TMD thin films exhibit remarkable properties such as high carrier mobility, strong spin–orbit coupling, and flexibility, making them ideal candidates for applications in flexible electronics, valleytronics, and next-generation transistors.

By gathering the latest research and insights, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in thin films and their transformative potential for technological applications.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Thin-film growths and characterization;
  • Thin-film structure–property relations;
  • Functional properties of thin films and coating materials;
  • Transition metal oxides heterointerfaces;
  • Van der Waals materials characterizations and applications;
  • Plasmonic and phononic materials;
  • Superconducting materials and coatings.

Dr. Alessandro D'Elia
Dr. Salvatore Macis
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • transition metal oxides
  • transition metal dicalcogenides
  • thin-film
  • growths and characterization

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 4067 KiB  
Article
Thin Films of PNDI(2HD)2T and PCPDTBT Polymers Deposited Using the Spin Coater Technique for Use in Solar Cells
by Michał Sładek, Patryk Radek, Magdalena Monika Szindler and Marek Szindler
Coatings 2025, 15(5), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15050603 - 18 May 2025
Viewed by 127
Abstract
Conductive polymers play a crucial role in the advancement of modern technologies, particularly in the field of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Due to advantages such as flexibility, low specific weight, ease of processing, and low production costs, polymeric materials present an attractive alternative to [...] Read more.
Conductive polymers play a crucial role in the advancement of modern technologies, particularly in the field of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Due to advantages such as flexibility, low specific weight, ease of processing, and low production costs, polymeric materials present an attractive alternative to traditional photovoltaic materials. This study investigates the properties of a polymer blend composed of PCPDTBT (donor) and PNDI(2HD)2T (acceptor), used as the active layer in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. The motivation behind this research was the search for a novel n-type polymer material with potentially better properties than the commonly used P(NDI2OD-T2). Comprehensive characterization of thin films made from the individual polymers and their blend was conducted using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), four-point probe conductivity measurements, and photovoltaic testing. The prepared films were continuous, uniform, and exhibited low surface roughness (Ra < 2.5 nm). Spectroscopic analysis showed that the blend absorbs light in a broad range of the spectrum, with slight bathochromic shifts compared to individual polymers. Electrical measurements indicated that the blend’s conductivity (9.1 µS/cm) was lower than that of pure PCPDTBT but higher than that of PNDI(2HD)2T, with an optical band gap of 1.34 eV. Photovoltaic devices fabricated using the blend demonstrated an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.45%, with a short-circuit current of 14.37 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage of 0.89 V. These results confirm the feasibility of using PCPDTBT:PNDI(2HD)2T blends as active layers in BHJ solar cells and provide a promising direction for further optimization in terms of polymer ratio and processing conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Thin Films for Technological Applications)
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