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Crystals
Special Issues
Thin Film Materials for Sensors
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Thin Film Materials for Sensors

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 1813

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhihui Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Dynamic Measurement Technology, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China
Interests: thermal sensing thin films; temperature-sensitive materials; thin film thermistors; infrared thin film sensors; thermal conductivity films; flexible temperature sensors
Dr. Yaru Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, College of Basic Education, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 100020, China
Interests: photonic crystal sensors; optical sensors; thin-film sensors; metal–organic frameworks; functional materials; nanomaterials and physics; gas sensors; sensors array; micro-nano intelligent sensor; chemical engineering and environment; colorimetric and fluorescence-based sensing applications
Dr. Xue Qi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Dynamic Measurement Technology, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China
Interests: thin-film sensors; piezoelectric material; flexible sensing materials; piezoelectric actuators; silicon-based sensors; high-temperature sensors
Dr. Lin Gan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: 2D materials; chemical vapor deposition; optoelectronics; sensors; optical fiber sensing; crystal growth
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crystalline thin-film materials have demonstrated extremely broad and high-potential applications in the field of sensors. They play a key role in numerous areas such as environmental monitoring, medical and health care, industrial production, smart homes, and aerospace, and they are one of the core elements driving the continuous innovation and development of future sensor technology. Representative examples include graphene-based flexible pressure sensors, organic thin-film transistor biosensors, indium antimonide thin-film sensors, perovskite-based optical sensors, and tin dioxide thin-film gas sensors.

We are pleased to announce that Crystals has now launched a new Special Issue with the title “Thin Film Materials for Sensors”.

The research topics may cover, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

  • New thin-film materials for gas sensing and their preparation processes;
  • Biosensors based on thin-film materials for detecting biomolecules, cells or tissues;
  • The application of thin film materials in sensing physical quantities such as pressure, temperature and humidity;
  • Thin-film chemical sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity;
  • The application of thin film materials in special sensing fields such as optical sensing and acoustic sensing;
  • Surface modification and functionalization of thin film materials to enhance sensing performance;
  • Research on the integration and miniaturization of thin-film sensor devices;
  • The application of thin film materials in flexible sensors;
  • Exploration of new nanofilm materials in the field of sensing;
  • Research on the stability, reliability and lifespan of thin-film sensors, etc.

Dr. Zhihui Liu
Dr. Yaru Wang
Dr. Xue Qi
Dr. Lin Gan
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals 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 2100 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
  • sensors
  • flexible temperature
  • temperature measurement
  • temperature-sensitive materials

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 1926 KB  
Article
Development and Experimental Validation of a Thin-Film Thermocouple System for Real-Time Temperature Monitoring and Tool Wear Prediction in Cutting Processes
by Yingyuan Luo, Qi Xu, Lei Zhu and Xueliang Zhang
Crystals 2026, 16(5), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16050312 - 7 May 2026
Viewed by 213
Abstract
A homemade NiCr/NiSi thin-film thermocouple integrated with a PCBN turning tool was developed for real-time temperature monitoring during dry turning of AISI 1045 steel. The study addresses a practical limitation of existing cutting-temperature methods, namely the difficulty of combining local in situ sensing [...] Read more.
A homemade NiCr/NiSi thin-film thermocouple integrated with a PCBN turning tool was developed for real-time temperature monitoring during dry turning of AISI 1045 steel. The study addresses a practical limitation of existing cutting-temperature methods, namely the difficulty of combining local in situ sensing near the cutting edge with a transient thermal analysis framework that can interpret the measured signal under repeatable cutting conditions. The sensor was fabricated on an Al2O3 substrate by magnetron sputtering, protected by a SiO2 layer, and tested at cutting speeds corresponding to spindle speeds of 1000, 1500 and 2000 rpm, with a cutting depth of 0.5 mm, a feed rate of 0.1 mm/rev and cutting times of 30–90 s. A three-dimensional transient heat-conduction model and inverse heat-flux reconstruction were then used to interpret the temperature history. The maximum measured temperature increased from 342 °C to 488 °C, and VB increased from 0.082 mm to 0.295 mm, showing a strong temperature–wear association within the investigated parameter window. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Materials for Sensors)
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13 pages, 1803 KB  
Article
A Graphene–Molybdenum Disulfide Heterojunction Phototransistor
by Chuyue Jing, Ze Deng and Haichao Cui
Crystals 2026, 16(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16020105 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 608
Abstract
Heterojunctions combining graphene with transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have garnered considerable interest in phototransistor research. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) can be well combined with graphene owing to its excellent and special bandgap characteristics. In this study, a photoelectric transistor is designed and [...] Read more.
Heterojunctions combining graphene with transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have garnered considerable interest in phototransistor research. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) can be well combined with graphene owing to its excellent and special bandgap characteristics. In this study, a photoelectric transistor is designed and fabricated based on a graphene–molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) van der Waals heterojunction. Its novelty lies in constructing a vertical heterojunction architecture with a well-defined structure, clear interface, and easy gate modulation. It fully utilizes the high mobility of graphene and the appropriate bandgap of MoS2 to achieve efficient light absorption and carrier transport. The device exhibits a good photoelectric response and stability at room temperature, with key performance indicators including the following: a responsivity of 0.5023 mA/W, and a dark current of approximately 10−11 A at a gate voltage of 0 V and approaching 10−10 A at 30 V; when the light intensity is 1000 mW/cm2, the photocurrent reaches the 10−8 A level, demonstrating the synergistic modulation capability of gate voltage and light intensity. Although its responsivity is lower than some high-performance heterojunction devices, this device has advantages such as a simple structure, controllable preparation, stable room-temperature operation, and the potential for a broad-spectrum response, showing good application prospects in flexible electronics and integrated optoelectronic systems. This study provides an experimental basis and technical path for the development of two-dimensional material heterojunctions in programmable, multifunctional optoelectronic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Materials for Sensors)
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Review

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25 pages, 1040 KB  
Review
Innovative Nanowire Structures for Sensors: Advanced Synthetic Nanowire Strategies
by Cheng Pu, Yao Zhou, Jianxing Zhao, Ao Wang, Jianhong Zhou and Chonge Wang
Crystals 2026, 16(3), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16030173 - 3 Mar 2026
Viewed by 577
Abstract
This systematic review presents a critical analysis of multifunctional nanowire sensors, with explicit selection criteria for included studies: we focus on peer-reviewed research, prioritizing studies on semiconductor (ZnO, TiO2, Si), metal (Ag, Au), and carbon-based (CNT) nanowires that report structural innovations, [...] Read more.
This systematic review presents a critical analysis of multifunctional nanowire sensors, with explicit selection criteria for included studies: we focus on peer-reviewed research, prioritizing studies on semiconductor (ZnO, TiO2, Si), metal (Ag, Au), and carbon-based (CNT) nanowires that report structural innovations, performance breakthroughs, or industrial scalability. We systematically analyze their structural characteristics, advanced fabrication techniques (hydrothermal synthesis, magnetron sputtering, PECVD), and application performance across biosensing, pressure sensing, and gas monitoring. Unlike existing reviews limited to single material classes or application scenarios, this work advances the field by integrating three novel perspectives: it delivers a cross-material comparison of nanowire structure–performance relationships, incorporates an analysis of fabrication strategy scalability for industrial translation, and synthesizes unresolved challenges and future directions. Nanowire sensors exhibit superior sensitivity, rapid response, and broad detection ranges compared to conventional sensors, with significant potential to advance healthcare, environmental monitoring, and flexible electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Materials for Sensors)
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