Theoretical and Experimental Advances in Coating Science

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic or non-metallic coatings are increasingly used in a variety of fields in order to obtain functional surfaces characterized by high hardness, wear resistance, electrical and thermal properties, anti-friction, anti-microbial, biocompatibility, chemical stability, etc. The use of innovative methods and techniques for introducing appropriate materials directly into the process, as well as the rigorous control of process parameters, yields qualitative coatings with excellent physical, chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties. This enables coatings to be utilized in the automobile, aeronautic and aerospace, chemical, nuclear, mining, textile, and energy industries, as well as in medical applications, in energy conversion, and in storage processes.

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest news and to promote additional research in the field of coatings obtained using thermal spraying through plasma or electric arc, as well as any experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations. All original papers, case studies, review articles, and communications are welcome.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Fundamentals and new concepts of coating technologies;
• Modeling and simulation of processes for obtaining metallic or non-metallic coatings;
• Relations between process parameters and deposit properties;
• Theoretical and experimental studies on the phenomena that are developing at the coating–substrate interface;
• The effect of the coatings on the properties of the substrate;
• New directions in the design and production of hard coatings, resistant to wear and corrosion, type thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), and layers used in medical applications (biocompatible) or in energy production or storage phenomena;
• New coatings used to control and minimize the friction phenomenon (self-lubricating);
• Tribological coatings used for extreme operating conditions, for example, for high/low temperatures, aggressive environments, etc.;
• Study of the phenomena of friction and wear of tribological deposits;
• Single- and multilayer thin films with special properties, such as high-refractive index (HRI), super-hydrophobic, and self-cleaning coatings;
• Biomaterials coatings applied, non-exclusively, to Ti-based alloys, CoCr alloys, and stainless steels;
• Functional coatings obtained by different deposition processes: chemical, electro-chemical, thermal spraying, PVD, CVD, spin-coating, etc.;
• The behavior in operation of the functional coatings obtained by various new deposition techniques (case studies);
• New methods of investigation, testing, and characterization of coatings;
• Techniques for post-processing the surface of the coatings, in order to improve the properties of the coatings, such as heat treatment, severe plastic deformation, thermo-mechanical treatment, etc.;
• Any other aspects related to the functional coatings obtained by different techniques (chemical, electro-chemical, thermal spraying, PVD, CVD, spin-coating etc.).

Dr. Stefan Lucian Toma
Dr. Daniela-Lucia Chicet
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.

• thermal spray
• plasma spray
• arc spray process
• PVD
• corrosion
• biocompatible and osseointegrating layers
• functional coatings
• thin films
• modeling
• modeling physical phenomena
• analysis and characterization of surface