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Advances in Electrically Conductive Coatings: Materials, Preparation and Applications
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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 2075

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shuai Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: functional coating; organic semiconductor; bionic electronics; flexible electronics
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

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

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

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1587 KB  
Article
Multifunctional MXene/GO/rGO-Textile Flexible Sensor with Outstanding Electrothermal and Strain-Sensing Performance for Wearable Applications
by Rongjie Zeng, Han Zhang, Jiaqing Huang, Rui Hao, Yuxin Wei, Yige Liu, Xinyue Liao, Birong Pi and Xinghua Hong
Coatings 2025, 15(12), 1381; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15121381 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 378
Abstract
To address the inherent limitations of easy oxidation and unstable electrical properties in two-dimensional MXene-based flexible sensors, this study developed a MXene/GO/rGO (reduced graphene oxide) textile-based flexible sensor using a lamination method and in situ steam reduction technology. The sensor was constructed on [...] Read more.
To address the inherent limitations of easy oxidation and unstable electrical properties in two-dimensional MXene-based flexible sensors, this study developed a MXene/GO/rGO (reduced graphene oxide) textile-based flexible sensor using a lamination method and in situ steam reduction technology. The sensor was constructed on a high-elasticity knitted polyester fabric, with MXene as the primary conductive layer, graphene oxide (GO) as the adhesive layer, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the protective encapsulation surface layer. The tensile strain-sensing and electrothermal properties of the resulting e-textile were systematically characterized. The MXene/GO/rGO textile demonstrated outstanding electrical and mechanical performance, achieving a conductivity of 39.7 S·m−1, a gauge factors ranging from –3 to –1.6, and a controllable electrothermal heating range from 43 °C to 85 °C under currents of 0.02–0.05 A. Experimental results demonstrated that under applied currents of 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.05 A, the fabric reached temperatures of 43, 56, 73, and 85 °C, respectively, and remained constant over extended periods. In terms of strain sensing, the sensor exhibited a short response time (65 ms), high discriminability for different strain levels and stretching rates, and a consistent relative resistance change (ΔR/R0) under various stretching speeds (0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 mm/s). Compared with sensors based on a single conductive material, the MXene/GO/rGO polyester fabric sensor shows superior electrothermal and strain-sensing performance, indicating promising potential for applications in intelligent wearable textiles such as medical thermal therapy, sports monitoring, and health management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Electrically Conductive Coatings: Materials, Preparation and Applications)
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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
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1405
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Electrically Conductive Coatings: Materials, Preparation and Applications)
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