Functional Ceramic and Composite Materials for Energy and Environment
A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 312
Editors
Interests: ceramic proton conductors; membranes; fuel cells; ceramic robocasting; freeze casting; sintering; perovskites; ceramic composites; rheology
Interests: metal oxides synthesis; electrochemistry; photoelectrochemistry; ferroelectric ceramics; piezophototronics; nanostructured metal oxides; thin-film metal oxides; dye-sensitised solar cells
Interests: ceramic oxides; dip-coating; nanomaterials synthesis; nanosafety; fuel cells; perovskites; catalysis; exsolution
Interests: continuum damage mechanics of materials and structures; modelling of ceramic polycrystalline materials; modelling of composites: ceramic and polymer matrix, polymer foams, wood and plywood; fracture mechanics of materials under mechanical loading and thermal shock; plates with damage and sandwich structures; experimental testing of materials and structures under: static, cyclic, thermal and impact loading
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ceramic materials play a critical role in addressing environmental challenges due to their chemical stability, structural versatility and ability to host active sites, defects and interfaces that govern key functional properties. In this context, functional ceramics and ceramic-based composites are widely investigated for applications such as catalysis, photocatalysis, sensing and environmental remediation, as well as active components in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical systems, including materials for batteries, fuel cells, electrolyzers and photoelectrochemical cells. In these applications, crystal structure and microstructure directly influence overall performance and stability.
The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together contributions addressing both fundamental and applied aspects of functional ceramic and composite materials, covering recent advances in their design, synthesis, processing and functional characterization. Special emphasis is placed on understanding structure–property and structure–function relationships, with a focus on the role of composition, defects, interfaces and microstructural design in controlling functional performance. From a materials-driven perspective, research related to ionic and electronic transport, catalytic and electrocatalytic activity, interfacial phenomena and stability under operating conditions is within the scope of this Special Issue. Contributions combining experimental studies with theoretical or modelling approaches are especially encouraged.
A broad range of material systems may be considered, including ceramic materials, ceramic-based composites and hybrid architectures relevant to environmental and energy applications. Research on innovative synthesis and processing strategies, advanced structural and microstructural characterization and functional evaluation of materials is covered by this Special Issue. Original research articles, reviews and communications from academic and industrial researchers addressing functional ceramic and composite materials are welcome.
Dr. Andrea Bartoletti
Dr. Simone Casadio
Dr. Andrea Brigliadori
Prof. Dr. Tomasz Sadowski
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. 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
- functional ceramics
- ceramic-based composites
- synthesis and processing
- structure–property relationships
- microstructure
- catalytic materials
- electrocatalysis
- photocatalysis
- functional materials
- energy and environmental applications
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