Thin Films and Coatings: Application in the Repair and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cultural relics protection technology; mechanism of microbial deterioration in cultural heritage
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As material witnesses of human civilization, cultural heritages are confronted with severe challenges of environmental degradation and material aging in their long-term preservation. Against this backdrop, thin-layer and coating technologies, as a forward-looking, micro-interventional protection strategy, are demonstrating significant application potential and development prospects. This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research achievements in this cross-disciplinary field and promote the innovation of protection methodologies.
Traditional protective materials and techniques often have limitations in terms of durability, compatibility, and reversibility. However, advanced thin-film technologies, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), the sol–gel method, and nano-composite coatings, can achieve precise, uniform, and controllable intervention on the substrate of cultural relics. These technologies can not only be used to build super-hydrophobic and UV-resistant protective barriers, but they also enhance the mechanical strength of fragile materials through nano-reinforcement and biomimetic design and even achieve self-healing of cracks and corrosion protection of metals.
However, applying the cutting-edge achievements of materials science to sensitive cultural heritage still requires overcoming numerous scientific and ethical challenges. These include scientific evaluations of the long-term durability of coatings, studies on compatibility with the original artifacts, and adherence to the crucial ethical principle of "reversibility". Therefore, this Special Issue not only focuses on the development of new materials and processes, but it also attaches great importance to advanced diagnostic and non-destructive characterization methods, as well as in-depth case studies and ethical discussions.
We firmly believe that through the close collaboration of materials scientists, conservation experts, and archeologists, thin-layer and coating technologies will surely provide more precise, efficient, and safe solutions for the sustainable inheritance of cultural heritage.
Dr. Bingjie Mai
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cultural relics protection
- functional coating
- nanomaterials
- self-repairing
- atomic-layer deposition
- non-destructive testing
- durability bionic material
- reversibility
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