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Emerging Trends in Functional Coatings for Biomedical Applications
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Emerging Trends in Functional Coatings for Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Coatings for Biomedicine and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2026 | Viewed by 1930

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tomasz Borowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warszawa, Poland
Interests: surface engineering; corrosion; wear; biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Emilia Skołek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: steel; heat treatment; phase transformations; corrosion; termo-chemical treatments; nitriding; carburizing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The continuous progress in materials engineering and surface modification has led to the rapid development of functional coatings for biomedical applications. Such coatings play a crucial role in improving the corrosion resistance, wear resistance, bioactivity, and biocompatibility of metallic and polymeric substrates used in medical devices, implants, and surgical tools.

This Special Issue aims to gather original research articles and comprehensive reviews focused on recent advances in the design, synthesis, characterization, and performance of coatings for biomedical use. Topics include thin films, surface layers, and coatings produced by physical and chemical vapor deposition (PVD, CVD), the sol–gel method, electrochemical processes (e.g., anodization), plasma treatments, and thermal oxidation. Contributions addressing the relationships between coating microstructure, composition, and functional behavior—such as adhesion, corrosion resistance, tribological properties, and biological response—are particularly welcome.

Both experimental and theoretical studies, as well as papers exploring innovative approaches to multifunctional, antimicrobial, biocompatible, or biodegradable coatings are encouraged.

Dr. Tomasz Borowski
Dr. Emilia Skołek
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 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

  • surface engineering
  • coating
  • layer
  • corrosion resistance
  • bioactivity
  • biocompatibility
  • wear resistance
  • biodegradable coatings
  • resorbable coatings
  • antimicrobial coating

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 13237 KB  
Article
Assessment of the Thermal Oxidation Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Magnetron-Sputtered NbN Coating Produced on AISI 316L Steel
by Tomasz Borowski, Justyna Frydrych, Maciej Spychalski, Marek Betiuk and Mateusz Włoczewski
Coatings 2026, 16(1), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010106 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 678
Abstract
Niobium nitride (δ-NbN) coatings were deposited on AISI 316L austenitic steel using reactive DC magnetron sputtering. This study investigates the effects of air oxidation on the surface morphology, topography, roughness, nanohardness, adhesion, and wear resistance of NbN coatings. Their microstructure and thickness were [...] Read more.
Niobium nitride (δ-NbN) coatings were deposited on AISI 316L austenitic steel using reactive DC magnetron sputtering. This study investigates the effects of air oxidation on the surface morphology, topography, roughness, nanohardness, adhesion, and wear resistance of NbN coatings. Their microstructure and thickness were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while surface morphology and roughness were assessed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface topography was assessed by an optical profilometer. Nanohardness was measured using a Berkovich indenter. Adhesion was evaluated via progressive-load scratch testing and Rockwell indentation (VDI 3198 standard). Wear resistance was assessed using the “ball-on-disk” method. Both as-deposited and oxidized NbN coatings improved the mechanical performance of the substrate surface. Air oxidation led to the formation of an orthorhombic Nb2O5 surface layer, which increased surface roughness and reduced hardness. However, the brittle oxide also contributed to a lower coefficient of friction. Despite reduced adhesion and increased surface development, the oxidized coating exhibited a significantly lower wear rate than the uncoated steel, though several times higher than that of the non-oxidized NbN. Considering its good wear and corrosion performance, along with the bioactivity confirmed in earlier research, the oxidized NbN coating can be considered a promising candidate for biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Trends in Functional Coatings for Biomedical Applications)
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Review

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30 pages, 5210 KB  
Review
Electrospun Janus Fibrous Membranes: Property and Potential Biomedical Applications
by Haodong Chen, Wenbo Wu, Xinyu Li, Lili Gao and Tifeng Jiao
Coatings 2026, 16(3), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030281 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 974
Abstract
The Janus membrane, as a kind of functional material with asymmetric wettability, is endowed with a unique “liquid diode” effect by its hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties on both sides, which can realize unidirectional fluid transport that shows an important value for biomedical and other applications. [...] Read more.
The Janus membrane, as a kind of functional material with asymmetric wettability, is endowed with a unique “liquid diode” effect by its hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties on both sides, which can realize unidirectional fluid transport that shows an important value for biomedical and other applications. Electrospinning technology, with the advantages of flexible processing and controllable fiber structure, has become a mainstream method for preparing Janus membranes with customizable structure and function. Electrospun Janus membranes are widely used in biomedical fields, especially in wound dressings. Their unidirectional drainage property can effectively remove wound exudate, and combined with functional components, they can simultaneously achieve antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, sustained drug release, and rapid hemostasis, and can even realize wound condition monitoring through functional modification, showing great potential in smart medical dressings. While Janus membrane studies have achieved notable breakthroughs, they still face challenges such as poor asymmetric interlayer bonding, lack of long-term stability, organic solvent contamination from electrostatic spinning, and large-scale production. In the future, we need to focus on material interface modification, green preparation process development, and theoretical model improvement to advance the real-world utilization of Janus membranes across diverse applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Trends in Functional Coatings for Biomedical Applications)
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