Surface Engineering of C/N/O Functionalized Materials

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit to this Special Issue of “Surface Engineering of C/N/O Functionalized Materials” with a special focus on functionalizing metallic or ceramic materials via surface chemical modifications by C/N/O fast diffusers. Great scientific and technological progress on surface modifications has been achieved in the respective material categories to date, but cross-references across material categories are barely made although common technical mechanisms existing therein. The aim of this Special Issue is to present technical synergies, such as characterization and testing methodology, surface reaction mechanism, diffusion mechanism, process–structure–property relationships, etc., between the surface engineering of metals and ceramics by evaluating the reaction-diffusion of C/N/O, and to accelerate scientific discovery in the area of surface engineering.

The carburizing and nitriding of metallic materials are vital to enhancing the fatigue life of key base components, such as tools and dies. Highly efficient oxygen transport in ceramic oxides is important to accelerate the practical applications of ceramic fuel cells. It appears that metallic materials and ceramic fuel cell materials belong to structural and functional materials, respectively. The thermochemical treatment of metallic materials, such as carburization and nitridation, and oxygen transport in ceramic fuel cells have similarities. For example, they have a similar temperature range (400–1000 °C); the element C/N/O is penetrated into the material bulk; the elemental processes are the same, i.e., reaction first then diffusion. Therefore, the two categories of materials can be integrated as “C/N/O Functionalized Materials”. This Special Issue is dedicated to the up-to-date development of surface engineering of C/N/O functionalized materials. Both experimental and theoretical studies are encouraged. The subtopics to be covered within the issue include but are not limited to:

• Heat treatment of steels;
• Ceramic fuel cells;
• Surface engineering of metals and ceramics;
• Carburization and nitridation;
• Surface chemical modification;
• Process modeling and simulation;
• Process–structure–property relationships.

Prof. Dr. Yan Xiang Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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