Surface Engineering for Advanced Applications in Electronics and Energy

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Engineering for Energy Harvesting, Conversion, and Storage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026 | Viewed by 124

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Battery Division, Sxhaeffler Group, Wooster, OH, USA
2. Applied Materials Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
Interests: materials science; inorganic chemistry; thin films; electrochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surface engineering has emerged as a pivotal technique in advancing the performance, durability, and functionality of materials used in modern electronics and energy systems. By tailoring interfacial properties using innovative coatings, nanostructured films, and chemical modification techniques, researchers have enabled significant breakthroughs in the development of devices such as solid-state batteries, solar cells, sensors, and wearable electronics. The field has gained increasing attention due to the growing demand for sustainable, miniaturized, and high-efficiency systems in the context of the global clean energy transition.

This Special Issue of Coatings, “Surface Engineering for Advanced Applications in Electronics and Energy”, seeks to highlight recent advances in thin-film technologies, interfacial characterization, and surface functionalization strategies that support the development of next-generation materials and devices. We aim to provide a platform for researchers working at the intersection of materials science, electrochemistry, nanotechnology, and applied surface physics to share their latest findings.

We invite the submission of original research articles, reviews, and short communications, with topics of interest including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and other thin-film techniques;
  • Nanostructured and multifunctional coatings for energy devices;
  • Interfacial engineering in lithium-ion and solid-state batteries;
  • Surface modifications to enhance thermal, electrical, or corrosion resistance;
  • Advanced surface characterization (XPS, AFM, TEM, ellipsometry);
  • Coatings for wearable, flexible, and printed electronics;
  • Bioinspired or hybrid coatings for energy conversion and storage;
  • Self-healing or stimuli-responsive surface systems.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Pragathi Darapaneni
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 engineering
  • thin films
  • atomic layer deposition
  • energy storage devices
  • interfacial modification

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 3870 KiB  
Review
Eco-Friendly, Biomass-Derived Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices
by Yeong-Seok Oh, Seung Woo Seo, Jeong-jin Yang, Moongook Jeong and Seongki Ahn
Coatings 2025, 15(8), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15080915 (registering DOI) - 5 Aug 2025
Abstract
This mini-review emphasizes the potential of biomass-derived materials as sustainable components for next-generation electrochemical energy storage systems. Biomass obtained from abundant and renewable natural resources can be transformed into carbonaceous materials. These materials typically possess hierarchical porosities, adjustable surface functionalities, and inherent heteroatom [...] Read more.
This mini-review emphasizes the potential of biomass-derived materials as sustainable components for next-generation electrochemical energy storage systems. Biomass obtained from abundant and renewable natural resources can be transformed into carbonaceous materials. These materials typically possess hierarchical porosities, adjustable surface functionalities, and inherent heteroatom doping. These physical and chemical characteristics provide the structural and chemical flexibility needed for various electrochemical applications. Additionally, biomass-derived materials offer a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional components, promoting green chemistry and circular resource utilization. This review provides a systematic overview of synthesis methods, structural design strategies, and material engineering approaches for their use in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs), and supercapacitors (SCs). It also highlights key challenges in these systems, such as the severe volume expansion of anode materials in LIBs and the shuttle effect in LSBs and discusses how biomass-derived carbon can help address these issues. Full article
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