Surface Treatment and Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials

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 October 2025 | Viewed by 1111

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Metallurgy and Energy, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 0631200, China
Interests: advanced high-strength steels; phase transformations; mechanical behaviors; microstructure characterization; synchrotron radiation; heat treatment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic materials have wide applications in automobiles, high-speed rail, airline transportation, clean energy, or more advanced space exploration techniques. Surface treatment is applied to enhance the in-service performance of metallic materials and improve their mechanical properties. Designing and developing metallic materials for today’s modern society demands a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationships between surface treatment and mechanical properties. Current research significantly engages in surface treatment to improve their mechanical properties. Advanced materials characterization and simulation techniques provide opportunities for obtaining detailed microstructure information from the micro- to nanoscale surface of metallic materials treated by various technologies. The strengthening and toughening of mechanisms contributing to mechanical properties can originate from different surface treatment methods. Investigating the relationships between surface treatment and mechanical properties of metallic materials is significant for promoting the development and application of metallic materials in academia and industry.

This Special Issue aims to cover recent advances and new developments in the relationships between the surface treatment and mechanical properties of conventional and advanced metallic materials. The articles presented in this Special Issue will focus on, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Surface severe plastic deformation;
  • Surface chemical heat treatment, spraying, plating, heat treatment, physical/chemical vapor deposition, and nano-etching;
  • Promising methods and processes for surface treatment;
  • Mechanical properties, metallic materials design, materials processing, and advanced characterization techniques.

We kindly invite you to submit a manuscript for publication in this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Minghe Zhang
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

  • surface treatment
  • coatings
  • mechanical properties
  • microstructure characterization
  • strengthening and toughening mechanism

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 8675 KiB  
Article
Nb Microalloying Enhances the Grain Stability of SAE8620H Gear Steel During High-Temperature Carburizing
by Xiangyu Zhang, Huasong Liu, Bingjun Lu, Yu Zhang, Qianshui Zhao, Zhiran Yan, Shuo Gong, Xiaodong Guo, Dong Pan, Pei Xu, Yang Wang and Kaimeng Wang
Coatings 2025, 15(4), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15040423 - 2 Apr 2025
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Abstract
In modern industries, gears function as pivotal transmission elements whose operational performance is directly dependent on the microstructural characteristics of gear steels. While high-temperature carburizing (950–1050 °C) substantially improves process efficiency through accelerated carbon diffusion, it inevitably promotes austenite grain coarsening. This study [...] Read more.
In modern industries, gears function as pivotal transmission elements whose operational performance is directly dependent on the microstructural characteristics of gear steels. While high-temperature carburizing (950–1050 °C) substantially improves process efficiency through accelerated carbon diffusion, it inevitably promotes austenite grain coarsening. This study investigates the effect of Nb microalloying on grain stability in SAE8620H gear steel during high-temperature carburizing. Experimental steels with varying Nb contents were prepared via vacuum induction suspension melting, followed by hot rolling, solution treatment, and pseudo-carburizing. Thermodynamic calculations, optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy were employed to analyze the mechanisms. Thermodynamic results revealed that higher Nb content retains more Nb(C, N) phases at elevated temperatures, effectively suppressing grain coarsening. Without preheating, increased Nb content refined grains but exhibited limited inhibition at high temperatures. Preheating (1330 °C × 10 min + water quenching) promoted uniform and fine Nb(C, N) precipitates, significantly enhancing grain refinement. When Nb content exceeded 0.053 wt.%, grain coarsening was fully inhibited under 1050 °C × 2 h carburizing. This study establishes the optimal Nb content range, elucidates the micro-mechanisms, and proposes a preheating process to improve high-temperature carburizing performance in gear steels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Treatment and Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials)
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12 pages, 3752 KiB  
Article
Efficacy of Air-Polishing with Sodium Bicarbonate vs. Erythritol in the Decrease of the Bacterial Concentration on the Surface of Dental Implants: In Vitro Study
by Ashley Yaressi Gómez-Rueda, Myriam Angélica De La Garza-Ramos, Norma Idalia Rodríguez-Franco, Jesús Israel Rodríguez-Pulido, Claudia Lucía Elizalde-Molina and Omar Elizondo-Cantú
Coatings 2025, 15(3), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15030327 - 12 Mar 2025
Viewed by 703
Abstract
Dental implants are recognized as one of the most effective long-term solutions for the replacement of one or multiple missing teeth, addressing both aesthetics and functionality. However, one of the leading causes of implant failure is peri-implant diseases. This study aims to evaluate [...] Read more.
Dental implants are recognized as one of the most effective long-term solutions for the replacement of one or multiple missing teeth, addressing both aesthetics and functionality. However, one of the leading causes of implant failure is peri-implant diseases. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of air polishing with sodium bicarbonate compared to erythritol in reducing the bacterial concentration on dental implant surfaces in vitro. A sample of twenty-four implants (12 JD Evolution and 12 Straumann) was utilized and divided as follows: 10 implants contaminated with biofilm treated with sodium bicarbonate air polishing (1 min); 10 implants contaminated with biofilm treated with erythritol aeropolishing (1 min); two implants contaminated with biofilm (negative control); and two sterile implants (positive control). The entire experiment was performed in triplicate. The bacterial culture included P. gingivalis, S. gordonii, and F. nucleatum. Optical density (OD) at 600 nm was measured before and after the decontamination protocol to analyze the results. The JD Evolution implant demonstrated a slightly greater reduction in bacterial concentration, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Similarly, no differences were observed between erythritol and sodium bicarbonate in the Straumann implants. An increase in surface roughness is observed in the JD Evolution implant treated with erythritol, whereas the one treated with bicarbonate exhibits a smoother surface compared to the untreated implant. The findings suggest that air polishing with erythritol is as effective as sodium bicarbonate in reducing the bacterial concentration on dental implants in vitro. This could suggest the use of erythritol during air polishing due to its antimicrobial capacity and its increase in surface roughness on implant surfaces compared to bicarbonate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Treatment and Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials)
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