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Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials
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Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films and Interfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2026) | Viewed by 6425

Editor

Dr. Eri Miura-Fujiwara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials and Synchrotron Radiation Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Hyogo, 2168, Shosha, Himeji, Hyogo 671-2280, Japan
Interests: biomaterials; composites; interface; coating; titanium alloy; magnesium alloy; tribocorrosion; mechanical properties; optical properties

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an era of pivotal advancements in material science, the surface engineering of metallic materials is at the forefront of innovation, driving enhanced performance, durability, and functionality across various industries. For instance, the surface characteristics of materials and the coating technology employed on them contribute to the biocompatibility and biosafety of biomaterials and the heat resistance of turbine blades in jet engines. This, in turn, affects fuel consumption and durability. The surface condition of hot-rolled rolls is related to the quality of the steel sheet.

Various chemical or physical methods have been employed in the field of surface modification and coating of metals, depending on the specific application. Additionally, coatings of similar or different materials, including carburizing, nitriding, clad materials, and ceramic spraying, have been proposed, and some of them have been implemented in practice. As the importance of energy conservation and the enhancement of quality of life continues to grow, surface modification technology is emerging as a crucial foundational technology that supports the infrastructure of modern society and improves the intrinsic quality of materials, and its scientific principle is essential for technological advancement.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome for this Special Issue, which aims to present the latest knowledge, developments, methodologies, and insights into developing, characterizing, and applying surface modification technologies or candidate technologies designed to enhance the functionality of heat-resistant materials, biomaterials, or electronic materials. Additionally, the aim is to elucidate the fundamental principles underlying various phenomena induced by surface modification and coating of metallic materials for various applications.

The topics covered include, but are not limited to, studies on improving properties such as heat resistance, wear resistance, wettability, cytotoxicity, adhesiveness, optical properties, and electrical properties. Additionally, research on the mechanical behavior of the interface between the metal substrate and the coating, exfoliation resistance, and bonding mechanisms of dissimilar materials is encouraged. Furthermore, the aim is to facilitate the integration of cutting-edge research and practical applications, thereby opening up new avenues of exploration in this field.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Eri Miura-Fujiwara
Guest Editor

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • surface modification
  • coating
  • heat resistance
  • wear resistance
  • wettability
  • cytotoxicity
  • adhesiveness
  • optical properties
  • electrical properties
  • bonding mechanism

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6493 KB  
Article
Tribocorrosion Behavior of Mg Alloys on Sliding Friction in Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution
by Eri Miura, Chihiro Shiraishi and Sachiko Hiromoto
Materials 2026, 19(8), 1513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19081513 - 9 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 517
Abstract
The tribocorrosion behavior of AZ31 and WE43 was investigated during sliding wear tests in Hank’s balanced salt solution (HBSS) and pure water. While wear volume increased monotonically with load in air and water, HBSS exhibited a distinct non-monotonic trend; the maximum material loss [...] Read more.
The tribocorrosion behavior of AZ31 and WE43 was investigated during sliding wear tests in Hank’s balanced salt solution (HBSS) and pure water. While wear volume increased monotonically with load in air and water, HBSS exhibited a distinct non-monotonic trend; the maximum material loss occurred at the minimum load (0.98 N) and decreased at 2.94 N before rising again. This indicates that at low loads, degradation is primarily driven by accelerated chemical dissolution (tribocorrosion) rather than by purely mechanical abrasion. The magnitude of wear followed the order [HBSS] > [air] > [water] in the low-load range (0.98–1.96 N), whereas it shifted to [air] > [HBSS] > [water] in the high-load range (2.94–5.88 N). A comparison of the wear rate of the alloys shows that the wear rate in HBSS differs from that in water, depending on the hardness of the substrate, similar to conditions in air. Notably, the specific wear rate decreased as test duration increased under low loads, further suggesting that corrosion-induced volume loss significantly outweighs mechanical wear in this regime. The static corrosion test revealed that volume loss during tribocorrosion was higher than that under static corrosion conditions. While the deposition of corrosion products affected net volume loss, chemical dissolution remained the primary driver of the observed wear trends at low loads. Electrochemical data from anodic polarization curves confirmed that the specimen tested under a 0.98 N load exhibited lower corrosion resistance. Mechanistically, it was suggested that Cl− ions contributed to the overall increase in wear, while NaHCO3 specifically contributed to the increase in wear in the low-load range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials)
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17 pages, 8182 KB  
Article
Analysis of Niobium and Stainless Steel Electropolishing Solutions by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Using a Porous Silicon Substrate and a Non-Contact Pretreatment
by Ayumu Matsumoto, Yuki Takeda, Kiichi Kuroda, Hiroto Torigoe, Yui Sugita, Yusuke Shimazu, Keisuke Nii, Yoshiaki Ida and Shinji Yae
Materials 2026, 19(3), 637; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19030637 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 801
Abstract
Electropolishing is an essential process for the surface treatment of metallic materials. To determine the appropriate replacement timing of electropolishing solutions for their efficient use and improved productivity, it is important to periodically analyze the amounts of dissolved metals in the solutions. However, [...] Read more.
Electropolishing is an essential process for the surface treatment of metallic materials. To determine the appropriate replacement timing of electropolishing solutions for their efficient use and improved productivity, it is important to periodically analyze the amounts of dissolved metals in the solutions. However, these solutions are typically highly corrosive, and on-site analytical techniques that can be easily applied at production sites have not yet been established. In this study, we demonstrated microvolume liquid analysis using low-energy laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with a porous silicon substrate fabricated by metal-assisted etching (metal-assisted chemical etching) and a non-contact gas-blowing pretreatment. In the analysis of electropolishing solutions used for niobium superconducting cavities and stainless steel products, emission lines of niobium and of iron and chromium were successfully detected after blowing the respective microdroplet samples on porous silicon, and linear correlations were observed between the spectral line intensity and the polished amounts. The present results provide a basis for future on-site application of LIBS to highly corrosive electropolishing solutions in the metal finishing industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials)
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15 pages, 5710 KB  
Article
Effect of Gradient Layer Induced by Laser Shock Peening on Adhesion and Wear Resistance of AlCrN Coatings on TC4 Titanium Alloy
by Ying Xu, Wenqian Yu, Xinlong Liao, Yuxuan Zhu and Boyong Su
Materials 2026, 19(3), 608; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19030608 - 4 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 604
Abstract
To address the inherent defects in the fabrication of AlCrN titanium alloy coatings and enhance interfacial bonding strength as well as tribological performance, an AlCrN coating was employed as an absorption layer and subjected to laser shock processing to form an AlCrN/TC4 transition [...] Read more.
To address the inherent defects in the fabrication of AlCrN titanium alloy coatings and enhance interfacial bonding strength as well as tribological performance, an AlCrN coating was employed as an absorption layer and subjected to laser shock processing to form an AlCrN/TC4 transition layer. Subsequently, a secondary AlCrN coating was deposited to construct a gradient coating architecture. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies and elemental distributions under varying laser energies were systematically investigated, and the influence of laser energy on the adhesion and wear resistance of the gradient coatings was analyzed. The results demonstrate that with increasing laser impact energy, the thickness of the AlCrN/TC4 transition layer gradually decreases from 3.75 μm to 1.32 μm, accompanied by significant changes in elemental distribution across the surface and cross-section. The interfacial bonding strength of the gradient coating increases substantially from 13.6 N to 43.3 N, while the average friction coefficient rises from 0.436 to 0.507. Concurrently, the wear track depth is reduced, and the wear rate decreases from 86.46 × 10−5 mm3/(N·m) to 7.67 × 10−5 mm3/(N·m). Laser shock peening promotes elemental diffusion, enabling the formation of a diffusion-aided interlayer. The incorporation of this diffused zone facilitates the successful construction of a high-quality TC4 titanium alloy gradient coating, effectively broadening the film–substrate interface, enhancing surface hardness, and significantly improving both interfacial adhesion and wear resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials)
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15 pages, 2889 KB  
Article
Hardness Prediction of MoNbTaW Alloy Films Based on Machine Learning and Interpretability Analysis
by Yan-Han Yang, Tian-You Zhu, Wei Ren and Wei-Li Wang
Materials 2026, 19(3), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19030543 - 29 Jan 2026
Viewed by 591
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) offers a powerful paradigm for accelerating performance prediction of high-entropy alloys (HEAs). The present study proposed an ML framework based on the ridge regression algorithm for predicting the hardness of MoNbTaW HEA films. By comparing various feature-screening strategies, an optimized [...] Read more.
Machine learning (ML) offers a powerful paradigm for accelerating performance prediction of high-entropy alloys (HEAs). The present study proposed an ML framework based on the ridge regression algorithm for predicting the hardness of MoNbTaW HEA films. By comparing various feature-screening strategies, an optimized feature set comprising three features, namely δG, Λ, and Ω, was selected from 20 candidate physical features. The model based on this feature set exhibited strong predictive performance. In 10-fold cross-validation, R2 was 0.86, RMSE was 0.41 GPa and MAE was 0.31 GPa. On the reserved validation set, R2 was 0.88, RMSE was 0.37 GPa, and MAE was 0.31 GPa. The model further revealed the influence trends of constituent elements and key features on hardness. By using ML to mine useful information from a dataset of HEA film samples prepared via magnetron sputtering, this work provides an approach for rapid and cost-effective design of HEAs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials)
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10 pages, 2847 KB  
Article
Hydrogen-Free Plasma Nitriding Process for Fabrication of Expanded Austenite Layer on AISI 316 Stainless Steel Surface
by Mitsuhiro Hirano, Koyo Miura and Naofumi Ohtsu
Materials 2025, 18(1), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18010140 - 1 Jan 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2771
Abstract
The addition of hydrogen to nitrogen facilitates the formation of nitride phases in the plasma nitriding processes of stainless steels, though it also induces the deterioration of their mechanical properties. This study presents a hydrogen-free plasma nitriding process for fabricating a nitrogen-expanded austenite [...] Read more.
The addition of hydrogen to nitrogen facilitates the formation of nitride phases in the plasma nitriding processes of stainless steels, though it also induces the deterioration of their mechanical properties. This study presents a hydrogen-free plasma nitriding process for fabricating a nitrogen-expanded austenite phase (γN) on an AISI 316 stainless steel surface. The steel substrate was nitrided in N2-Ar plasma with various gas compositions discharged by radio frequency (RF) and direct current (DC) modes. The process using the RF mode enabled the fabrication of a layer composed of a γN phase with a thickness of approximately 3 μm on the steel surface regardless of the gas composition, thereby enhancing its surface hardness. In contrast, such a layer was not observed in the DC mode, and the steel’s hardness was similar to that of the untreated surface. This difference in layer formation was attributed to the mitigation of surface etching by the Ar active species using the RF mode because of the lower bias voltage compared with that of the DC mode. This phenomenon suppresses the removal of the nitride phase formed during the process, which is a key factor contributing to nitrogen penetration. In conclusion, an N2-Ar plasma nitriding process using the RF mode is demonstrated to be a hydrogen-free process for fabricating a layer of a γN phase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings for Metallic Materials)
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