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Enhanced Properties of Advanced Materials via Surface Modification and Composite Coatings

A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Thin Films and Interfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 2811

Editors

Jasper Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75703, USA
Interests: colloid; supramolecular materials; interfacial material; surface coatings

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Guest Editor
Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Dankook University, Gyeonggi-do, Yongin-si 16890, Republic of Korea
Interests: biointerfaces; healthcare; antifouling; biopolymers; nanocomposites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced, multifunctional surface coatings are gaining more interest because of their applications across diverse sectors such as food, agriculture, aerospace, marine, and biomaterials. Numerous advanced features have been suggested, including anti-fouling, antimicrobial, anti-icing, and self-cleaning properties. Recently, a wide range of materials, including nanomaterials, polymers, metal–organic frameworks, and ceramic composites, have been developed to achieve these functions through innovative surface modification and composite coating methods. By combining different material systems and optimizing interfacial interactions, these advanced coatings can achieve enhanced durability, improved mechanical strength, tailored wettability, extended release of active agents, sensing, and stimuli-responsive behaviors. Understanding the relationship between coating structure, composition, and performance is essential for developing next-generation materials with multifunctional features. These advances offer great potential to address current technological challenges, leading to safer food packaging, more durable infrastructure, improved energy systems, and sophisticated biomedical devices.

Dr. Shuhao Liu
Dr. Jun Kyun Oh
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • surface modification
  • composite coatings
  • multifunctional properties
  • polymers
  • nanomaterials

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4310 KB  
Article
An Investigation of the Influence of the Sequence of Laser Texturing and Heat Treatment Processes on the Coefficient of Friction of X165CrMoV12 Steel
by Yavor Sofronov, Boyan Dochev, Antonio Nikolov, Krum Petrov, Valentin Mishev, Rayna Dimitrova, Milko Yordanov, Milko Angelov, Georgi Todorov and Krassimir Marchev
Materials 2026, 19(9), 1781; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19091781 - 28 Apr 2026
Viewed by 552
Abstract
The effect of nanosecond laser modification on X165CrMoV12 tool steel before and after heat treatment was investigated. Three laser texturing modes were applied to the studied material, with the variables being the frequency used and the pulse energy: 50 kHz/pulse energy 0.9 mJ, [...] Read more.
The effect of nanosecond laser modification on X165CrMoV12 tool steel before and after heat treatment was investigated. Three laser texturing modes were applied to the studied material, with the variables being the frequency used and the pulse energy: 50 kHz/pulse energy 0.9 mJ, 100 kHz/pulse energy 0.45 mJ, and 150 kHz/pulse energy 0.3 mJ. The other parameters of laser texturing were power—90%; speed—500 mm/s; hatching angle—0° (horizontal), +60°/−60° (or equivalent 120°), and +30°/−30° (or equivalent 150°); and Hatching Distance—0.02 mm. The surface laser modification process aims to obtain a homogeneous and adaptive surface relief optimizing the operational properties of the working surfaces of the parts under dry contact friction conditions. The influence of the used laser modification modes on the roughness class of the obtained surfaces, the structure of the formed modified surface and the friction coefficient was studied. The comparative analysis showed that the lowest roughness class (Ra—4.123 µm) was obtained when using an operating frequency of 50 kHz. The obtained friction coefficient values were lowest in the following sequence of processes: laser texturing and subsequent thermal treatment. The lowest friction coefficient (µ = 0.0041) was registered in the test bodies processed with a mode in which the operating frequency was 50 kHz and the pulse energy was 0.9 mJ, after which they were subjected to thermal treatment according to the used cycle. In this processing sequence, no diffusion-related defects (decarburization) were observed on the surface layer of the tested steel. Full article
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19 pages, 5998 KB  
Article
Comparative Study of Nanostructured Multilayer Cr/(Cr/a-C)ml Coatings Deposited on HS6-5-2 Steel by Magnetron Sputtering
by Rayna Dimitrova, Krum Petrov, Yavor Sofronov, Valentin Mishev, Milko Angelov, Boriana Tzaneva, Boyan Dochev, Antonio Nikolov, Milko Yordanov and Krassimir Marchev
Materials 2026, 19(6), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19061073 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 601
Abstract
Comparative analysis of nanostructured multilayer Cr/(Cr/a-C)ml coatings on HS6-5-2 steel was carried out. The coatings were deposited at various chromium target power values using PVD technology, particularly the magnetron sputtering method. The effect of different technological regimes on the properties of the nanostructured [...] Read more.
Comparative analysis of nanostructured multilayer Cr/(Cr/a-C)ml coatings on HS6-5-2 steel was carried out. The coatings were deposited at various chromium target power values using PVD technology, particularly the magnetron sputtering method. The effect of different technological regimes on the properties of the nanostructured multilayer Cr/(Cr/a-C)ml coatings was studied. Identical characterization methods were used for the three types of coatings obtained. Cross-sections of the coated samples were prepared in order to directly determine the thickness of the resulting coatings, their uniformity, and the presence of defects or imperfections, both at the substrate–coating interface and within the coatings themselves. Calotest and Daimler-Benz adhesion test were also performed to evaluate the coated layers’ thickness and evaluate their adhesion strength. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses were carried out to define the chemical composition of the multilayered coatings. To evaluate the hardness and modulus of elasticity of the resulting coatings, nanoindentation measurements were also conducted. The data obtained under the three different deposition regimes were analyzed and compared, which allowed us to assess the influence of the chromium target power during the deposition process on the properties of the obtained coatings. Full article
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33 pages, 9908 KB  
Article
Integrated Performance and Capability Analysis of Anticorrosive Cathodic Electrodeposition Coatings: Effect of Polymerization Variables
by Damián Peti, Gabriel Stolárik, Radoslav Vandžura, Miroslav Gombár and Michal Hatala
Materials 2025, 18(21), 5051; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18215051 - 6 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1186
Abstract
The presented research delivers a comprehensive evaluation of anticorrosive cathodic electrodeposition (CED) coatings through an integrated performance and process capability analysis—an approach that remains extremely limited in the literature, particularly in the context of statistically designed experiments (DoEs) applied to CED systems. This [...] Read more.
The presented research delivers a comprehensive evaluation of anticorrosive cathodic electrodeposition (CED) coatings through an integrated performance and process capability analysis—an approach that remains extremely limited in the literature, particularly in the context of statistically designed experiments (DoEs) applied to CED systems. This study therefore addresses a notable gap by focusing on the role of polymerization variables in determining coating quality through DoE to quantify the influence on coating thickness uniformity, adhesion integrity and impact resistance, while all other deposition parameters were rigorously controlled. Prior to coating application, all specimens were prepared and conditioned in accordance with ISO 1513:2010. Coating thickness was determined in compliance with ISO 2808:2019, adhesion was characterized by cross-cut methodology according to ISO 2409:2020 and dynamic mechanical resistance was evaluated using a falling-weight apparatus in accordance with ISO 6272-1:2011. The obtained datasets were subjected to statistical capability analysis within the PalstatCAQ environment, providing Cp, Cpk, Pp and Ppk indices in line with ISO 22514-7:2021 and IATF 16949:2016 requirements. Results evidenced non-linear dependencies of thickness formation on curing parameters, with potential capability indices (Cp > 1.8; Pp ≈ 1.4) indicating favorable process dispersion, while performance indices (Cpk < 0.5; Ppk < 0.4) revealed systematic mean shifts and deviations from normality confirmed by Shapiro–Wilk and Anderson–Darling tests. Adhesion testing demonstrated a direct correlation between curing conditions and interfacial bonding, reaching ISO Grade 0 classification. Complementary impact resistance assessments corroborated these findings, showing that insufficient curing induced extensive cracking and delamination. Furthermore, SEM–EDX analysis performed on Sample n.3 of X2 variable confirmed the chemical integrity and multilayered structure of the CED coating. Full article
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