Advances in Electrically Conductive Coatings: Materials, Preparation and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 May 2026 | Viewed by 983

Special Issue Editor

School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: organic optoelectronics; bionic electronics; flexible electronics; functional coatings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrically conductive coatings (ECCs) have found broad applications across electronics, energy storage, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, anticorrosion, aerospace, as well as emerging wearable electronics, smart sensors, and biomedical fields, etc., driven by their ability to impart electrical functionality to diverse substrates while maintaining structural integrity.

In terms of the material components of ECCs, recent studies have been conducted in four major categories, which include film-forming substances (synthetic resins, rubbers, conducting polymers, etc.), conductive fillers (metal powders, metal fibers/nanowires, metal oxides, carbon-based fillers (carbon black, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), conducting polymers, composite conductive fillers, etc.), dispersion media (organic solvents, water, or mixed phase), and various additives. Each component plays a different role in the coating and jointly determines the coating’s electrical, mechanical, and other properties. Regarding preparation methods, various techniques have been explored and refined, from solution-based methods (e.g., spin-coating, dip-coating, and spray-coating, etc.) to chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), electrodeposition and screen-printing techniques, etc. The composition and preparation of ECCs needs to be designed based on specific application scenarios (such as conductivity requirements, substrate type, cost budget, environmental protection standards, etc.). The combined effect of them ultimately determines the performance and application scope of the final coating.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances, challenges, and future prospects of the ECCs covering broad aspects, especially emphasizing recent breakthroughs in conductive fillers, film-forming matrices, preparation, and applications. It is believed that the integration of material science with advanced manufacturing techniques from continuous material innovation to preparation methodologies and innovative application expansion will open up new opportunities for ECCs in future industries. Both comprehensive review articles and innovative research papers are welcome.

Dr. Shuai Chen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • conductive coating
  • carbon-based material
  • optoelectronic film
  • electromagnetic shielding
  • flexible electronics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3163 KB  
Article
Hydrophobic, Durable, and Reprocessable PEDOT:PSS/PDMS-PUa/SiO2 Film with Conductive Self-Cleaning and De-Icing Functionality
by Jie Fang, Rongqing Dong, Meng Zhou, Lishan Liang, Mingna Yang, Huakun Xing, Yongluo Qiao and Shuai Chen
Coatings 2025, 15(9), 985; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15090985 - 23 Aug 2025
Viewed by 748
Abstract
Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) stands out as a renowned commercial conducting polymer composite, boasting extensive and promising applications in the realm of film electronics. In this study, we have made a concerted effort to overcome the inherent drawbacks of PEDOT:PSS films (especially, high [...] Read more.
Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) stands out as a renowned commercial conducting polymer composite, boasting extensive and promising applications in the realm of film electronics. In this study, we have made a concerted effort to overcome the inherent drawbacks of PEDOT:PSS films (especially, high moisture absorption, mechanical damage vulnerability, insufficient substrate adhesion ability, etc.) by uniformly blending them with polydimethylsiloxane polyurea (PDMS-PUa) and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles through a feasible mechanical stirring process, which effectively harnesses the intermolecular interactions, as well as the morphological and structural characteristics, among the various components. The Si−O bonds within PDMS-PUa and the −CH3 groups attached to Si atoms significantly enhance the hydrophobicity of the composite film (as evidenced by a water contact angle of 132.89° under optimized component ratios). Meanwhile, SiO2 microscopically modifies the surface morphology, resulting in increased surface roughness. This composite film not only maintains high conductivity (1.21 S/cm, in contrast to 0.83 S/cm for the PEDOT:PSS film) but also preserves its hydrophobicity and electrical properties under rigorous conditions, including high-temperature exposure (60–200 °C), ultraviolet (UV) aging (365.0 nm, 1.32 mW/cm2), and abradability testing (2000 CW abrasive paper, drag force of approximately 0.98 N, 40 cycles). Furthermore, the film demonstrates enhanced resistance to both acidic (1 mol/L, 24 h) and alkaline (1 mol/L, 24 h) environments, along with excellent self-cleaning and de-icing capabilities (−6 °C), and satisfactory adhesion (Level 2). Notably, the dried composite film can be re-dispersed into a solution with the aid of isopropanol through simple magnetic stirring, and the sequentially coated films also exhibit good surface hydrophobicity (136.49°), equivalent to that of the pristine film. This research aims to overcome the intrinsic performance drawbacks of PEDOT:PSS-based materials, enabling them to meet the demands of complex application scenarios in the field of organic electronics while endowing them with multifunctionality. Full article
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