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Coatings
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Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications
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Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Engineering for Energy Harvesting, Conversion, and Storage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 8233

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Wanping Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: metal oxides; gas sensing; material failure; tribocatalysis; photocatalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Catalytic technologies, including photo-catalysis, electro-catalysis, and recently tribo-catalysis, are becoming increasingly important in promoting the conversion of clean energies in nature to chemical energy in important applications such as environmental remediation and production of chemical fuels. For photo-catalysis, catalysts are sometimes fabricated as coatings on large-area substrates to increase the absorption of solar light; for electro-catalysis, coatings are often applied to catalysts to improve their performance, while for tribo-catalysis, coatings on vessel bottoms are able to greatly increase the absorption of mechanical energy by catalysts through creating friction with them. In all these cases, coatings play a vital role in achieving improved catalytic performance. While coatings are well known for their role in material protection, it is predicted that they will receive increasing attention for their critical roles in catalysis. In this Special Issue of Coatings, we plan to publish a series of papers to show those outstanding effects of coatings in catalysis.

Prof. Dr. Wanping 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 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

  • photo-catalytic
  • electro-catalytic
  • tribo-catalytic
  • degradation of organic pollutants
  • splitting of water
  • reduction of CO2
  • coatings

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4517 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of Silver-Loaded Micro-Arc Oxidation TiO2 Coating
by Xingping Fan, Ying Xia, Wei Fan and Yulong Li
Coatings 2025, 15(3), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15030272 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 514
Abstract
Using a Ti6Al4V (TC4) titanium alloy plate as a substrate, micro-arc oxidation technology was applied at an oxidation time of 3.5 min and a voltage of 480 V, 495 V, and 510 V. A TiO2–containing ceramic layer was prepared on the [...] Read more.
Using a Ti6Al4V (TC4) titanium alloy plate as a substrate, micro-arc oxidation technology was applied at an oxidation time of 3.5 min and a voltage of 480 V, 495 V, and 510 V. A TiO2–containing ceramic layer was prepared on the surface of the TC4 alloy, and the TiO2–containing coating was doped with silver ions. The surface microstructure, phase structure, and photocatalytic performance of ceramic coatings before and after doping with silver ions were analyzed using instruments such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that as the oxidation voltage increased, the number of large pores first decreased and then increased. At a voltage of 495 V, the total area of various pores reached 45–50 μm2. After the voltage rose to 510 V, the maximum pore area decreased. TiO2 exists in the surface pores of the morphology in the form of rutile, and the loading of silver ions further enhances its photocatalytic performance. The degradation rate of methyl orange by undoped silver ion samples can reach 15.5%, and the degradation rate of methyl orange can reach about 31% when 4 g/L Ag2O is added to the electrolyte. Increasing the concentration of doped silver ions can enhance the degradation rate of methyl orange. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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13 pages, 3458 KiB  
Article
First-Principles Study on the Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of BiOIO3 Doped with As, Se, and Te
by Fumei Lang, Xue Wen, Jibo Liu, Yineng Huang, Lili Zhang, Haiming Lu, Kaiye Jiang and Baohua Zhang
Coatings 2025, 15(1), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15010111 - 20 Jan 2025
Viewed by 768
Abstract
This study calculates the electronic structure and optical properties of intrinsic BiOIO3 and X-BiOIO3 (X = As, Se, or Te) using PBE (Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof) and MBJ (Modified Becke–Johnson) functionals based on density functional theory, with MBJ showing better correlation with experimental values. [...] Read more.
This study calculates the electronic structure and optical properties of intrinsic BiOIO3 and X-BiOIO3 (X = As, Se, or Te) using PBE (Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof) and MBJ (Modified Becke–Johnson) functionals based on density functional theory, with MBJ showing better correlation with experimental values. The X-BiOIO3 systems exhibit relative stability under MBJ potential and show crystal lattice distortion compared to intrinsic BiOIO3, creating localized potential differences that enhance polarization and adjust the bandgap. Doping reduces the bandwidth and increases energy level density, promoting electron transitions. Consequently, based on the computational results presented in this paper, it can be inferred that both BiOIO3 and X-BiOIO3 facilitate water hydrolysis and oxygen generation due to their favorable energy band positions. Notably, Se-BiOIO3 exhibits the highest visible light absorption capacity, which may enhance photocatalytic efficiency by strengthening the built-in electric field and promoting charge carrier generation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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11 pages, 3079 KiB  
Article
Controlled Aggregation of Cobalt and Platinum Atoms via Plasma Treatment for Exceptional Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Activity
by Guoqing Zhang, Jiankun Li, Yixing Wang, Linfeng Lei and Linzhou Zhuang
Coatings 2024, 14(12), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14121569 - 15 Dec 2024
Viewed by 838
Abstract
Designing and developing highly active, stable, and cost-effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts is crucial in the field of water electrolysis. In this study, we utilize N-doped porous carbon (CoNC) derived from zeolite imidazole metal–organic frameworks (ZIF-67) as support and prepare CoNC-Pt-IM-P via [...] Read more.
Designing and developing highly active, stable, and cost-effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts is crucial in the field of water electrolysis. In this study, we utilize N-doped porous carbon (CoNC) derived from zeolite imidazole metal–organic frameworks (ZIF-67) as support and prepare CoNC-Pt-IM-P via chemical impregnation (CoNC-Pt-IM) and plasma treatment. Systematic analyses reveal that calcined CoNC with pyridinic nitrogen could serve as a robust support to strongly anchor PtCo nanoclusters, while argon plasma treatment could lead to a noticeable aggregation of Co and Pt atoms so as to alter the electronic environment and enhance intrinsic HER catalytic activity. CoNC-Pt-IM-P could exhibit outstanding catalytic activity toward HER, achieving an exceptionally low overpotential of 31 mV at the current density of −10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 36 mV dec−1. At an overpotential of 50 mV, its mass activity reaches 4.90 A mgPt−1, representing enhancements of 1.5 times compared to CoNC-Pt-IM and 12.3 times compared to commercial 20 wt% Pt/C. Furthermore, it could operate stably for over 110 h at a current density of −10 mA cm−2, demonstrating its exceptional durability. This work uses plasma treatment to achieve the controllable aggregation of Co and Pt atoms to enhance their catalytic activity, which has the advantage of avoiding excessive particle aggregation compared to the commonly used method of high-temperature calcination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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10 pages, 5131 KiB  
Article
Metal Ions’ Dynamic Effect on Metal-Assisted Catalyzed Etching of Silicon in Acid Solution
by Xiaoyu Yang, Ying Liu, Lin Wu, Zhiyuan Liao, Baoguo Zhang, Tinashe Tembo, Yichen Wang and Ya Hu
Coatings 2024, 14(11), 1405; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14111405 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 912
Abstract
Metal-assisted catalyzed etching (MACE) technology is convenient and efficient for fabricating large-area silicon nanowires at room temperature. However, the mechanism requires further exploration, particularly the dynamic effect of various ions in the acid-etching solution. This paper investigated the MACE of silicon wafers predeposited [...] Read more.
Metal-assisted catalyzed etching (MACE) technology is convenient and efficient for fabricating large-area silicon nanowires at room temperature. However, the mechanism requires further exploration, particularly the dynamic effect of various ions in the acid-etching solution. This paper investigated the MACE of silicon wafers predeposited with metal nanofilms in an HF-M(NO3)x-H2O etching solution (where M(NO3)x is the nitrate of the fourth-period elements of the periodic table). The oxidizing ability of Fe3+ and NO3− was demonstrated, and the dynamic influence of metal ions on the etching process was discussed. The results show that the MACE of silicon can be realized in various HF-M(NO3)x-H2O etching solutions, such as KNO3, Al(NO3)3, Cr(NO3)3, Mn(NO3)2, Ni(NO3)2, Co(NO3)2, HNO3, and Ca(NO3)2. It is confirmed that the concentration and type of cations in the etching solution affect the etching rate and morphology of silicon. Fe3+ and NO3− act as oxidants in catalytic etching. The fastest etching rate is about 5~6 μm/h in Ni(NO3)2, Co(NO3)2, and Ca(NO3)2 etching solutions. However, a high concentration of K+ hinders silicon etching. This study expands the application of MACE etching solution systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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15 pages, 2608 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole by Cd/Er-Doped Bi2MoO6
by Nengxun Yang, Yixuan Niu, Bohang Zhang and Fuchun Zhang
Coatings 2024, 14(9), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14091112 - 2 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1451
Abstract
Bi2MoO6 (BMO) is a typical bismuth-based semiconductor material, and its unique Aurivillius structure provides a broad space for electron delocalization. In this study, a new type of bismuth molybdate Cd/Er-BMO photocatalytic material was prepared by co-doping Er3+ and Cd [...] Read more.
Bi2MoO6 (BMO) is a typical bismuth-based semiconductor material, and its unique Aurivillius structure provides a broad space for electron delocalization. In this study, a new type of bismuth molybdate Cd/Er-BMO photocatalytic material was prepared by co-doping Er3+ and Cd2+, and the performance of the photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) was systematically studied. The research results showed that the efficiency of SMZ degradation by Cd/Er-BMO was significantly improved after doping Er3+ and Cd2+ ions, reflecting the synergistic catalytic effect of Cd2+ and Er3+ co-doping. Cd/Er-BMO doped with 6% Cd had the highest degradation efficiency (93.89%) of SMZ under visible light irradiation. The material revealed excellent stability and reusability in repeated degradation experiments. In addition, 6% Cd/Er-BMO had a smaller particle size and a larger specific surface area, which is conducive to improving the generation efficiency of its photogenerated electron-hole pairs and reducing the recombination rate, significantly enhancing the photocatalysis of the material. This study not only provides an effective photocatalyst for degrading environmental pollutants such as SMZ, but also provides an important scientific basis and new ideas for the future development of efficient and stable photocatalytic materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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11 pages, 8007 KiB  
Article
Surprising Effects of Al2O3 Coating on Tribocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes by CdS Nanoparticles
by Senhua Ke, Chenyue Mao, Ruiqing Luo, Zeren Zhou, Yongming Hu, Wei Zhao and Wanping Chen
Coatings 2024, 14(8), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14081057 - 18 Aug 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1504
Abstract
With a band gap of 2.4 eV, CdS has been extensively explored for photocatalytic applications under visible light irradiation. In this study, CdS nanoparticles have been investigated for the tribocatalytic degradation of concentrated Rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) solutions. For CdS [...] Read more.
With a band gap of 2.4 eV, CdS has been extensively explored for photocatalytic applications under visible light irradiation. In this study, CdS nanoparticles have been investigated for the tribocatalytic degradation of concentrated Rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) solutions. For CdS nanoparticles in a glass beaker, 78.9% of 50 mg/L RhB and 69.8% of 20 mg/L MO solutions were degraded after 8 h and 24 h of magnetic stirring using Teflon magnetic rotary disks, respectively. While for CdS nanoparticles in a beaker with Al2O3 coated on its bottom, 99.8% of the RhB solution was degraded after 8 h of magnetic stirring and 95.6% of the MO solution was degraded after 12 h of magnetic stirring. Moreover, another contrast was observed between the two beaker bottoms—a new peak at 250 nm in UV–visible absorption spectra was only observed for the MO degradation by CdS in the as-received glass beaker, which indicates that MO molecules were only broken into smaller organic molecules in that case. These findings are meaningful for expanding the catalytic applications of CdS and for achieving a better understanding of tribocatalysis as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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11 pages, 5551 KiB  
Article
Catalytic Activity Evaluation of Molten Salt-Treated Stainless Steel Electrodes for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Medium
by Michihisa Fukumoto, Hiroki Takahashi, Dawid Kutyła, Marek Wojnicki and Piotr Żabiński
Coatings 2024, 14(7), 796; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14070796 - 26 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1507
Abstract
The goal of this research is to fabricate a novel type of highly active porous electrode material, based on stainless steel and dedicated to water electrolyzers. The main novelty of the presented work is the innovative application of the molten salts treatment, which [...] Read more.
The goal of this research is to fabricate a novel type of highly active porous electrode material, based on stainless steel and dedicated to water electrolyzers. The main novelty of the presented work is the innovative application of the molten salts treatment, which allows the design of a highly developed porous structure, which characterizes significantly higher catalytic activity than untreated steel substrates. The equimolar mixture of NaCl and KCl with 3.5 mol% AlF3 was used as the molten salt. The surface modification procedure includes the deposition of an Al layer with application at the potential of −1.8 V and following dissolution at −0.9 V, to create a porous alloy surface. The cathodic polarization measurements of the prepared porous stainless steel electrodes were measured in a 10 mass% KOH solution. Moreover, the amount of hydrogen generated during constant voltage electrolysis with a hydrogen sensor in situ was also measured. The porous stainless steel alloy showed higher current density at lower potentials in the cathodic polarization compared to untreated stainless steel. The cathodic polarization measurements in alkaline solution showed that the porous 304 stainless steel alloy is an excellent cathode material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coatings as Key Materials in Catalytic Applications)
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