Thin Films and Coatings for Energy Application

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue on "Thin Films and Coatings for Energy Application". The energy market is changing rapidly from centralized generation towards unbundling generation, transmission, distribution, and supply activities. It requires new solutions for materials, and device levels and thin film and coatings could play essential roles in fulfilling the growing energy market demands. A variety of thin-film synthesis methods could be applied. For example, physical vapor deposition technologies allow the formation of metal, alloy, and chemical compounds with strictly controlled composition, microstructures, and stoichiometry at low temperatures. The problem of doping is easily solved by the edition of doping elements in the vapor phase using chemical vapor deposition. Additional ion bombardment during film growth (ion-assisted deposition, plasma enhanced synthesis) modifies new phases synthesis kinetics. Metastable phases with unique properties can be obtained. The aim of this Special Issue is to present the latest experimental and theoretical developments in thin films and coatings applications for both renewable and non-renewable energy sectors, through a combination of original research papers and review articles from leading groups around the world.

In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

• Fundamentals and new concepts in use, modeling, and characterization of thin films and coatings for energy applications
• New methods for the synthesis of thin films and coatings for energy applications
• Novel thin films and coatings for catalysis and photocatalysis in energy
• Thin films and coatings for energy storage devices including but not limited to batteries and supercapacitors
• Thin films and coatings for hydrogen energy technologies including but not limited to fuel cells and solid-state hydrogen storage
• Thin films and coatings for solar cells and solar thermal
• Thin films and coatings for thermoelectric
• Smart coatings and thin films for energy applications

Dr. Darius Milčius
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.