Advances in Thin Film Tribology
A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 629
Special Issue Editors
Interests: advanced materials; thin films and coatings; tribology and corrosion; surfaces and interfaces
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: design and implementation of surface treatments (including PDT, PACVD, nitriding, carbonitriding, glow discharge oxycarbonitriding); analysis of surface layers; tribology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Thin-film tribology is crucial for enhancing the performance, reliability, and lifespan of modern mechanical components operating under demanding conditions. This Special Issue focuses on a systematic study of ceramic thin films—carbides, nitrides, and oxides—along with diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, aiming to elucidate their friction, wear, and lubrication mechanisms across varying contact stresses, temperatures, and environments. Ceramic coatings, such as TiN, CrN, and Al₂O₃, provide exceptional hardness, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance, but can exhibit brittleness and tribochemical instability under severe sliding conditions. DLC films, on the other hand, offer ultra-low friction and excellent wear resistance due to their amorphous carbon structure, though their performance is highly sensitive to temperature, humidity, and interfacial chemistry.
The research will combine advanced deposition methods with comprehensive tribological testing and multiscale characterization to establish clear structure–property–performance relationships. Particular focus will be placed on interfacial phenomena and tribochemical processes, including transfer-layer formation, phase transformations, and tribo-oxidation. The results are expected to provide both fundamental insights and practical guidelines for designing next-generation low-friction, wear-resistant thin-films for high-performance engineering applications, including aerospace components, advanced energy systems, precision machining tools, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and biomedical devices.
Dr. Nay Win Khun
Dr. Krzysztof Kulikowski
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. Lubricants 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 films
- ceramics
- DLC
- friction
- wear
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