Innovative Thin Films for Efficient Wastewater Treatment
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Aspects in Colloid and Interface Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
Interests: membrane separation processes; porous media; thin film composite; patterned membranes; microfiltration; ultrafiltration; nanofiltration; reverse osmosis; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: water treatment; polymer synthesis; membrane separations; polymer composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Water scarcity remains a pressing global challenge, intensified by climate change, industrial growth, and the growth of the population. Membrane separation processes have emerged as critical technologies for addressing water shortages, offering energy-efficient, scalable, and selective treatment solutions across sectors such as biotechnology, food processing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, and seawater desalination. At the heart of these processes are thin films, which are selective, semi-permeable layers that enable the precise separation of contaminants. Recent innovations in thin-film composites and surface functionalization have significantly enhanced the performance of membranes, thus improving water permeability, selectivity, antifouling resistance, and operational durability. These advancements position innovative thin films as crucial components of advanced water and wastewater treatment technologies.
This Special Issue, entitled Innovative Thin Films for Efficient Wastewater Treatment, aims to highlight recent advances in the development, fabrication, modification, and characterization of thin films and coatings specifically tailored to water purification and wastewater treatment. The focus of this Special Issue closely aligns with the scope of the journal by emphasizing the design of novel thin-film materials, functional coatings, surface modifications, and interface engineering to enhance membrane performance, antifouling resistance, and the efficiency of selective separation. We welcome research from both academic and industrial researchers, and seek contributions that address experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of the thin films employed in environmental applications. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Thin film deposition methods (e.g., interfacial polymerization, phase separation) for water treatment membranes.
- Surface functionalization strategies to mitigate fouling and improve hydrophilicity or oleophobicity.
- Characterization and modeling of thin film properties relevant to wastewater separation performance.
- Development of coatings with enhanced chemical, mechanical, or environmental durability.
- Application of porous and patterned thin films for selective contaminant rejection, oil/water separation, and dye removal.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Thin film composite (TFC) membranes for water purification
- Antifouling and antibacterial surface coatings
- Nanomaterials and hybrid membranes for water treatment
- Novel fabrication methods for selective layers
- Surface modification techniques to enhance membrane performance
- Porous thin films for adsorptive and catalytic wastewater treatment
- Green and sustainable membrane coating technologies
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Asad Asad
Dr. Pooria Karami
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
- thin film composite membranes
- wastewater treatment
- surface modification
- antifouling coatings
- nanostructured films
- water purification
- oil/water separation
- dye and salt rejection
- polymeric membranes
- advanced separation processes
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