Steel Surface Modification and Corrosion Resistance: Intelligent Monitoring and AI-Driven Approaches
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 134
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Steel is indeed considered the widely used engineering material because of its strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness. However, if we investigate its concern, then corrosion is seen as a daunting factor. Corrosion is a natural process that involves the gradual deterioration of materials, especially metals, due to chemical reactions with the environment, and it poses a serious challenge to various industries. Like other natural hazards, such as earthquakes and changing patterns of weather due to the climate change phenomenon, corrosion can cause significant damage to pipelines, oil and gas industries, bridges, buildings, and various other public infrastructures.
To enhance corrosion resistance, surface modification has an essential role to play by altering the interaction between steel surfaces and the aggressive environment. Key developments include the following: Advanced coating technologies (protective, self-healing, nano-engineered coatings, surface alloying and laser surface treatment, plasma treatments and ion implantation, thermal spray coatings, and electrochemical surface engineering techniques). This approach will improve corrosion resistance and reduce wear and fatigue degradation, thereby enhancing mechanical and environmental stability with an extended lifespan of steel components.
In this regard, AI is seen as a new avenue where surface modification strategies and intelligent monitoring systems meet to bring out cutting-edge technologies. In this aspect, the key AI technologies comprise computer vision-based surface inspection, predictive corrosion modelling, and a smart assembly and maintenance system. Nonetheless, these technologies can assist in automated corrosion detection, corrosion progression forecasting, data-driven risk assessment, and decision-making for maintenance planning. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to invite researchers to submit their research articles addressing the AI-driven corrosion mitigation methods. By combining manufacturing data with operational data streams, it is anticipated that a holistic ecosystem approach can be established.
This Special Issue welcomes contributions related to the following:
- Steel surface modification techniques and corrosion resistance mechanisms
- Coating technologies and surface engineering innovations
- Microstructure–corrosion relationships
- AI-based corrosion detection and monitoring
- Computer vision applications for steel inspection
- UAV or robotic inspection of steel structures
- Predictive modelling and digital twin approaches for corrosion management
Dr. Mohammad Nishat Akhtar
Guest Editor
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. 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
- steel surface modification
- corrosion resistance mechanisms
- advanced coating technologies
- artificial intelligence
- corrosion monitoring
- computer vision
- steel inspection
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