Recent Advances and Emerging Challenges in Functional Coatings (2nd Edition)
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films and Interfaces".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: thermal spray; cold spray; additive manufacturing; fiber-reinforced composites; metal matrix composites; metal foams; material testing; functional materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Increasingly, advanced technological applications have led to the development of new classes of materials whose properties are fully tailored to the requirements of utilization. Above all, the necessity for components, whose characteristics vary from the bulk to the surface, has arisen. As a result, the functionalization of surfaces has become a prominent challenge in both academic research and the industrial landscape. The term “surface functionalization” refers to the act of changing the biological, chemical, or physical qualities of a surface, enhancing its ability to interact with its surrounding environment. While conventional coatings merely protect or alter a surface’s appearance, the requisite of multiple synergistic properties has led to the development of “functional coatings”.
In order to push the boundaries of knowledge concerning the present techniques, materials, and applications of functional coatings, this Special Issue will address the obstacles and critical topics related to advancing the state of the art of theoretical, numerical, and experimental methodologies. Topics that could be covered include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Advancements in coating processes and technologies;
- Novel coating application techniques;
- Deployment of analytical instruments in coating manufacturing;
- Development of novel coatings materials.
Dr. Alessia Serena Perna
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 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. 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 treatments technologies
- functional coatings
- sustainable coatings
- cold spray
- HVAF
- HVOF
- weld arc
- oxidation
- plasma spray
- surface modification
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