Thin Film Coatings, Surface Modifications and Characterizations of Novel Hybrid Nanomaterials for Advanced Energy and Sensors Technologies
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2026 | Viewed by 41
Special Issue Editors
Interests: nitride semiconductors; 2D materials; metal oxides; polymers; hybrid heterostructures; plasma coatings; MEMS; energy storage & conversion devices; electrochemical sensors; flexible/wearable and stretchable electronics; biomarkers; biosensors; gas sensors; point-of health care devices; microfluidics; AI/ML
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: thin films; nanomaterials; flexible electronics; metal oxides; energy materials; gas sensor; MEMS; surface engineering; Li-ion batteries; energy conversion & storage; numerical modeling and simulations
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Coating technologies play a pivotal role in the advancement of next-generation materials and devices, offering controlled surface properties, enhanced durability, and tailored functionalities for diverse applications. In light of rapid industrial and environmental transformations, there is an urgent need to develop innovative thin-film and surface coating solutions that address challenges in energy efficiency, environmental protection, and high-performance sensing.
This Special Issue will focus on cutting-edge coating technologies, especially those involving thin-film deposition, plasma-assisted coating, atomic layer deposition, solution-based coatings, and nanocomposite films designed for high-performance energy and sensor applications. Emphasis will be placed on how these coatings can precisely manipulate surface chemistry, electronic structure, and interfacial behavior to optimize device-level performance.
Recent progress in surface-engineered coatings using advanced nanomaterials—such as 2D materials, metal oxides, conductive polymers, and plasmonic nanoparticles—has enabled the fabrication of hybrid nanostructured coatings with tunable physicochemical properties. These materials are integral to the development of gas sensors, biosensors, wearable electronics, and energy storage/conversion devices, where coating quality, stability, and scalability are paramount.
Additionally, this Issue will welcome work that explores coating design through AI, machine learning (ML), and density functional theory (DFT) to accelerate the discovery and optimization of novel coating systems and architectures.
We invite submissions that present both experimental and theoretical advancements in coating technologies, with particular interest in innovations that bridge laboratory research and scalable industrial applications.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Key topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Advanced thin-film deposition methods for energy and sensor applications.
- Plasma-assisted coatings and surface functionalization techniques.
- Coating design for flexible, wearable, and implantable sensor systems.
- Nanomaterial-based coatings for hazardous gas and biosensing.
- Thin-film coatings for batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, PEC, HER, and OER.
- Surface modification strategies to enhance adhesion, stability, and performance.
- AI, ML, and DFT integration in the modeling and optimization of coatings.
By emphasizing innovative coating technologies and functional thin films, this Special Issue aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration toward the development of materials and devices critical for a sustainable and energy-efficient future.
Dr. Kedhareswara Sairam Pasupuleti
Dr. Roopa Kishore Kampara
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 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
- thin-film coatings and surface modifications for smart sensors and energy technologies
- flexible/stretchable/wearable electronics
- novel nano- and hybrid materials
- toxic chemicals and gas sensors
- electrochemical sensors
- biosensors and biomarkers for point-of-care applications
- environmental protection and smart health-care devices
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