Novel Inorganic Coatings and Thin Films

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 448

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics, “Gleb Wataghin” Institute of Physics (IFGW), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil
Interests: nanostructured coatings; sensors; functional thin films; inorganic materials characterization; oxide thin films; surface modification

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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics, “Gleb Wataghin” Institute of Physics (IFGW), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil
Interests: materials science; nanotechnology; sensors; thin films; electrical characterization; self-healing materials; self-assembly

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Inorganics, entitled "Novel Inorganic Coatings and Thin Films". Inorganic coatings and thin films continue to play a pivotal role in a wide range of technological applications, including optics, electronics, protective barriers, energy storage, and catalysis. Meanwhile, advances in deposition techniques and materials synthesis have enhanced the functionality and performance of these systems. This Special Issue will provide a platform for the dissemination of novel research in this interdisciplinary area, connecting fundamental insights with practical implementations in materials science and engineering.

This Special Issue aims to gather original research and comprehensive reviews concerning recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, and application of inorganic coatings and thin films. Contributions that address the structural, chemical, mechanical, electrical, or optical properties of these materials are particularly welcome. The scope of this Special Issue aligns closely with the journal’s interest in all aspects of inorganic chemistry, including solid-state materials, nanomaterials, and surface/interface phenomena.

By compiling diverse contributions from academia and industry, we seek to foster dialogue across fields and present novel approaches to challenges in the field. If we receive 10 high-quality papers, the Special Issue may be considered for publication in book form.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

The physical and chemical vapor deposition of thin films;

  1. Sol–gel and other wet chemical approaches for coating synthesis;
  2. Functional oxide and nitride coatings;
  3. Thin film characterization techniques (AFM, SEM, XRD, etc.);
  4. Coatings for corrosion protection, thermal insulation, or catalysis;
  5. Nanostructured and hierarchical coatings;
  6. Innovative coatings with sensing or self-healing properties;
  7. Smart coatings with sensing or self-healing properties;
  8. Quantum and photonic applications of inorganic thin films;
  9. Biocompatible or antibacterial coatings;
  10. Interfacial phenomena and adhesion in multilayer coatings.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and to building a strong and impactful collection.

Prof. Dr. Mawin J. M. Jimenez
Dr. Antonio Riul, Jr.
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. Inorganics 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 2200 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

  • inorganic coatings
  • thin films
  • nanostructured materials
  • functional surfaces
  • deposition techniques
  • oxide materials
  • characterization
  • surface engineering

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 3758 KiB  
Article
Effect of Sputtering Process Parameters on Physical Properties and Electron Emission Level of Titanium Nitride Films
by Yang Xia and Dan Wang
Inorganics 2025, 13(6), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13060201 - 16 Jun 2025
Viewed by 338
Abstract
Titanium nitride (TiN) is a typical inorganic compound capable of achieving resistance modulation by adjusting the element ratio. In this work, to deeply investigate the resistance-tunable characteristics and electron emission properties of TiN, we prepared 10 sets of TiN films by adjusting the [...] Read more.
Titanium nitride (TiN) is a typical inorganic compound capable of achieving resistance modulation by adjusting the element ratio. In this work, to deeply investigate the resistance-tunable characteristics and electron emission properties of TiN, we prepared 10 sets of TiN films by adjusting the magnetron sputtering parameters. The microscopic analyses show that the film thicknesses ranged from about 355 to 459 nm. Moreover, with the process parameters used in this work, TiN nanostructures are formed more easily when the nitrogen flow rate is ≤5 sccm, and compact TiN films are formed more easily when the nitrogen flow rate is ≥10 sccm. Elemental analyses showed that the N:Ti atomic ratios of the TiN films ranged from about 0.587 to 1.40. The results of surface analysis showed the presence of a certain amount of oxygen on the surface of the TiN film, indicating that the surface TiN may exist in the form of TiN:O. The electrical resistance test showed that the resistivity of the TiN coating ranges from 1.59 × 10−4 to 1.83 × 10−1 Ω·m. And the closer the N:Ti atomic ratio is to one, the lower the TiN film resistivity is. The electron emission coefficient (EEC) results show that among the film samples from #3 to #10, sample #8 has the lowest EEC, with a peak EEC of only 1.61. By comparing the resistivity and EEC data, a novel phenomenon was discovered: a decrease in the resistivity of TiN films leads to a decrease in their EEC values. The results show that the resistivity and EEC of TiN films can be adjusted according to the film-forming components, which is important for the application of TiN in the electronics industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Inorganic Coatings and Thin Films)
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