Advanced Films/Coatings for Energy Harvesting and Storage: Photocatalytic, Thermoelectric and Electrochromic Applications
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: 10 September 2026 | Viewed by 247
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With the growing global demand for renewable energy and energy storage technologies, the development of efficient, miniaturized, and multifunctional material systems has emerged as a focal point in cutting-edge research. Advanced thin-film and coating technologies are playing a transformative role in this domain. Through precise structural and compositional design, these thin-layer materials enable the harvesting, conversion, and storage of various forms of energy. Owing to their advantages—including compact size, high efficiency, excellent integrability, and potential for low-cost, large-scale manufacturing—these technologies collectively provide a robust foundation for the future development of clean, efficient, and intelligent energy systems.
Specifically, in energy harvesting applications, photocatalytic films can harness sunlight to drive chemical reactions, converting light energy into chemical energy for hydrogen production via water splitting or for the degradation of environmental pollutants. Thermoelectric films generate electrical energy directly by exploiting temperature gradients within devices or ambient environments, enabling continuous power supply for low-energy devices. In the realm of energy storage and intelligent energy management, electrochromic films can reversibly alter their optical properties under a small applied voltage, allowing dynamic modulation of solar radiation transmittance and delivering substantial energy-saving benefits in building windows and automotive glazing.
This Special Issue will serve as a forum for papers addressing the following concepts:
- Theoretical and experimental research, knowledge, and new ideas in advanced films/coatings for energy harvesting and storage.
- Recent developments in multifunctional advanced films/coatings for energy harvesting and storage.
- Research on new photocatalytic, thermoelectric, and electrochromic film/coating materials, along with structural design optimization.
- The latest applications of advanced films/coatings for energy harvesting and storage in industrial fields.
Dr. Tianhu Zhang
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.
Keywords
- photocatalytic
- thermoelectric
- electrochromic
- coatings
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