Applications of Self-Healing and Environment-Responsive Coatings
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Functional Polymer Coatings and Films".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2027 | Viewed by 147
Editors
Interests: the activation of ground granulated blast-furnace slag using calcium-based activators; the development of photocatalytic properties of cementitious composites under low-irradiance conditions; the modification of permeable cementitious composites to enhance their filtration capacity; the use of lignin as a material modifier for cementitious composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: concrete internal curing; pervious concrete; photocatalysis; superabsorbent polymers; pollution removal; water treatment; carbon sequestration; the development of environmentally friendly coatings and high-performance cementitious composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Self-healing and environment-responsive coatings represent a rapidly evolving class of advanced materials that address critical durability, sustainability, and performance challenges across multiple industries, including construction, transportation, energy, and electronics. With increasing global emphasis on extending service life, reducing maintenance costs, and minimizing environmental impact, conventional passive coatings are no longer sufficient. Instead, there is a growing demand for intelligent systems capable of autonomously repairing damage, adapting to environmental stimuli (e.g., moisture, temperature, UV radiation, or pollutants), and maintaining functionality under dynamic operating conditions. These capabilities are particularly relevant in the context of climate change, resource efficiency, and the transition toward low-carbon and circular economy models.
Recent advances in material science, such as microencapsulation, stimuli-responsive polymers, and photocatalytic or bio-inspired systems, have significantly expanded the design space for next-generation coatings. However, challenges remain in scaling these technologies, ensuring long-term reliability, integrating multifunctionality, and validating performance under real-world conditions. Bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and practical deployment requires interdisciplinary efforts combining chemistry, materials engineering, surface science, and durability assessment. Consequently, this research area is both timely and highly significant for academia and the industry, offering opportunities to redefine protective and functional surfaces across a wide range of applications.
This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the design, characterization, and application of self-healing and environment-responsive coatings. We consider contributions addressing fundamental mechanisms, material development, performance evaluation, and real-world implementation of such systems across various sectors.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Self-healing mechanisms in coatings
- Microencapsulation systems for autonomous repair
- Stimuli-responsive coatings (e.g., moisture-, temperature-, pH-, UV-, or chemically activated systems)
- Photocatalytic and air-purifying coatings
- Bio-inspired and biomimetic coating technologies
- Durability, aging, and long-term performance assessment
- Coatings for corrosion protection, infrastructure, and extreme environments
- Smart coatings for energy systems (e.g., anti-icing, thermal regulation, solar reflectance)
- Functional coatings for environmental remediation (air, water, and soil purification)
- Integration of self-healing properties with mechanical and barrier performance
- Advanced characterization techniques and in situ monitoring
- Scale-up, manufacturing, and industrial implementation challenges
- Life cycle assessment and sustainability of smart coating systems
Dr. Karol Chilmon
Dr. Maciej Kalinowski
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-anonymized 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
- self-healing coatings
- stimuli-responsive materials
- smart functional surfaces
- photocatalytic coatings
- durability and environmental performance
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