Modern Methods of Shaping the Structure and Properties of Coatings, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 1069

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Welding Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18A, Gliwice, Poland
Interests: welding; coatings; additive manufacturing; materials characterization; non destructive testing; monitoring of welding processes; robotic welding
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Guest Editor
Department of Logistics and Management Engineering, WSB Merito University in Poznan, 29 Sportowa, 41-506 Chorzow, Poland
Interests: production engineering; manufacturing processes; materials engineering; materials characterization; management; quality assurance; welding processes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the first edition of the Special Issue, ‘Modern Methods of Shaping the Structure and Properties of Coatings’ (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/coatings/special_issues/Shaping_Coating) successful, we are pleased to invite you to contribute this second edition.

The properties of the surface layers or coatings of machine components or tools have a key impact on their functionality, operating parameters, strength, durability, and reliability.

Conditions on the surface and surface layers or coatings often have a significant impact not only on the tribological characteristics, but also the strength of the entire cross-section of the component, especially in the case of fatigue or impact loads. This is due to the fact that surface roughness, and even single scratches, as well as changes in the structure, hardness, or stress in the surface layer or coating (the direction of stress is also important), can act as a notch and therefore concentrate stress.

For this reason, knowledge of the parameters and characteristics of the surface, surface layer, or coating is not only important when designing and manufacturing components operating under conditions of surface wear, but also in the case of other manufacturing methods, e.g., additive methods or welded structures.

This Special Issue aims to cover the broad aspects of science, technology, applications of surface treatment methods, coatings, and deposition; it also aims to cover the characterisation of surface layers and materials, as well as methods of additive manufacturing, welding, and related areas.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Technologies for surface treatment, deposition, and welding.
  • Designing and shaping the properties of surface layers.
  • Tribological characteristics of surface layers.
  • Characterisation of surface layers and new materials (microstructure and properties).
  • Wear mechanisms of surface layers (abrasion, erosion, cavitation, etc.).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Aleksander Lisiecki
Dr. Agnieszka Kurc-Lisiecka
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. 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

  • surface treatment
  • surface layer
  • tribology 
  • cladding
  • surfacing
  • hardening
  • coating 
  • alloying
  • wear resistance
  • corrosion resistance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4278 KB  
Article
Study on the Wear Resistance of Laser Cladding h-BN Reinforced by TiCN/Ni-Based Coating on TC4 Alloy Surface
by Yu Liu, Guohui Li, Ruoyu Xu, Hui Liang, Nan Ma and Zhanhui Zhang
Coatings 2026, 16(4), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040490 - 18 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Three Ni-based composite coatings with varying TiCN/h-BN contents were fabricated on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) alloy by laser cladding. The coatings were formulated with a fixed 15% TiCN and 0%, 2% and 5% h-BN, corresponding to L1–L3 coatings. The microstructure and phase [...] Read more.
Three Ni-based composite coatings with varying TiCN/h-BN contents were fabricated on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) alloy by laser cladding. The coatings were formulated with a fixed 15% TiCN and 0%, 2% and 5% h-BN, corresponding to L1–L3 coatings. The microstructure and phase composition were fully characterized and investigated. In addition, the microhardness and wear resistance of the coating were evaluated too. The analysis revealed that the L1–L3 coatings primarily consisted of Ti, TiNi, Ti(C, N) and TiAl3 phases. Microstructural analysis indicated that the top region of the coating was predominantly composed of granular crystals, while the middle and bonding regions featured a combination of dendrites and white granular crystals. The average microhardness values for the L1–L3 coatings were measured at 1203.8, 1216.8 and 1235.5 HV0.2, respectively, while the corresponding wear volumes were 0.098, 0.094 and 0.086 mm3. As the h-BN content increased, the microstructure of the Ni-based composite coating became finer and finer. Some TiB particles were also generated in the coating, which made the average microhardness and wear resistance increase gradually. Notably, the coating with 5% h-BN demonstrated the highest average microhardness and optimal wear resistance. Compared with the substrate, 5% h-BN increased the wear resistance of the substrate by 47.6%. The primary wear mechanism observed was abrasive wear. Full article
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Review

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34 pages, 3423 KB  
Review
From Passive Filling to Active Energy Dissipation: Evolution, Mechanisms, and Application Prospects of Impact Absorption and Damping Coatings in Modern Sports Protective Gear
by Yanchao Hou and Yan Zhuo
Coatings 2026, 16(4), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040420 - 1 Apr 2026
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Abstract
The rapid development of modern sports has placed higher demands on athlete protection. Traditional protective gear relying on passive energy dissipation through bulk materials such as foam and gel suffers from limitations like large volume and poor adaptability, driving the evolution of protection [...] Read more.
The rapid development of modern sports has placed higher demands on athlete protection. Traditional protective gear relying on passive energy dissipation through bulk materials such as foam and gel suffers from limitations like large volume and poor adaptability, driving the evolution of protection technology toward active and intelligent solutions. Impact absorption and damping coating technology, which integrates advanced functional materials in thin-film form onto the surface of protective gear, has achieved a paradigm shift in protective performance and is advancing toward lightweight, intelligent, and customizable designs. This review first systematically elaborates on the working principles and performance regulation mechanisms of novel coating systems centered on shear-thickening fluids, polymer gels, microstructural biomimetics, and phase-change materials. Secondly, it deeply analyzes the application modes and protective efficacy improvements of these technologies in specific scenarios such as helmets, joint protectors, and smart clothing. Furthermore, it explores the complex interaction mechanisms between coatings and human tissues under dynamic impact. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future trends in the evolution of this technology toward multifunctional integration, dynamic adaptability, and precise personalized design, aiming to provide a systematic reference for interdisciplinary innovation in fields such as materials science, biomechanics, and sports medicine. Full article
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