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Surface Modification of Materials for Multifunctional Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1406

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: surface modification of flexible materials; surface functionalization of flexible materials; plasma deposition and plasma treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, China
2. National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, National Institute of Advanced Medical Device, Shenzhen, China
Interests: membrane separation; advanced biomedical separation membranes (ECMO, blood purification, in vitro diagnostics); multiscale (nano/mesoporous) control of membrane structure; membrane distillation; vapor permeation; superhydrophobic membrane; membrane modification

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the creation of a Special Issue dedicated to the exploration of the "Surface Modification of Materials for Multifunctional Applications", aiming to gather the latest research and advancements in the field.

Surface modification plays a crucial role in enhancing the properties and performance of materials, opening up new possibilities in the electronics, automotive, aerospace, and biomedical industries, among others. We invite contributions that focus on novel techniques, processes, and technologies for modifying material surfaces, as well as investigations into the resulting changes in physical, chemical, and mechanical properties.

The topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

  • Surface coating and thin-film deposition;
  • Chemical and electrochemical surface treatments;
  • Plasma surface modification;
  • Nanotechnology for surface engineering;
  • Surface functionalization;
  • Adhesion and bonding on modified surfaces;
  • Characterization techniques for surface-modified materials.

We encourage researchers and practitioners from all relevant disciplines to submit high-quality original research papers, review articles, and short communications. All submissions will be subject to a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the highest standards of scientific quality.

The deadline for submissions is [20 Jan 2025].

Dr. Ming Gao
Dr. Wei Jia
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. 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
  • materials
  • coating
  • thin-film
  • chemical treatment
  • electrochemical treatment
  • plasma treatment
  • nanotechnology
  • functionalization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3439 KiB  
Article
Electrospun Parallel, Crossed Fibers for Promoting Cell Adhesion and Migration
by Xiang Gao, Jingjun Peng, Linjie Huang, Xiaoquan Peng, Yanjun Cheng, Wei Zhang and Wei Jia
Materials 2025, 18(14), 3224; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143224 - 8 Jul 2025
Viewed by 292
Abstract
Electrospun fibers, possessing biomimetic characteristics similar to fibrous extracellular matrices, have attracted widespread attention as scaffold materials for skin tissue engineering. The topographical structure of electrospun fibers plays a critical role in determining cell behavior. However, the effects of fiber topography on human [...] Read more.
Electrospun fibers, possessing biomimetic characteristics similar to fibrous extracellular matrices, have attracted widespread attention as scaffold materials for skin tissue engineering. The topographical structure of electrospun fibers plays a critical role in determining cell behavior. However, the effects of fiber topography on human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) remain unclear. In this study, electrospinning technology was employed to investigate how parallel and crossed fiber architectures influence the spreading morphology, proliferation, and migration of HSFs. The results demonstrated that cells exhibited spindle-shaped elongation along single fibers; on closely spaced parallel fibers, cells formed cross-adhesions between adjacent fibers, with a fiber spacing of 30–60 μm serving as the threshold range for distinguishing individual cell behaviors. At fiber intersections, a characteristic spacing of 100 μm distinguished three distinct cellular responses: anchoring, turning, and bridging. The probability of a cell altering its preexisting migration path depended on its ability to extend laterally and reach adjacent fibers, which was constrained by the upper limit of the cell body’s minor axis. This study elucidated the unique role of the electrospun fiber topography in guiding cellular decision-making in complex microenvironments, provided important insights into topography-triggered cell migration, and highlighted the practical significance of material-guided strategies in tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Materials for Multifunctional Applications)
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16 pages, 8151 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of Acid Etching and SLA Surface Modification for Titanium Implants
by Gabriel M. Vieira, Tatiane C. S. Almeida, Fernanda P. Oliveira, Patrícia C. Azzi, Caio F. Rodrigues, Rafael L. Souza, Samyra Maria S. N. Lacerda, Frederico S. Lages and Maximiliano D. Martins
Materials 2025, 18(7), 1632; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071632 - 3 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 732
Abstract
The dust generated during the sandblasting process of the sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA) method, commonly used to treat the surface of Ti dental implants, poses significant challenges in maintaining a clean manufacturing environment and ensuring safe working conditions. Nevertheless, surface modification remains crucial [...] Read more.
The dust generated during the sandblasting process of the sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA) method, commonly used to treat the surface of Ti dental implants, poses significant challenges in maintaining a clean manufacturing environment and ensuring safe working conditions. Nevertheless, surface modification remains crucial for improved performance of Ti dental implants. To address this problem and propose a clean and simple surface modification process to potentially replace SLA modification, this study aimed to characterize the surfaces of commercially pure Ti (cp-Ti) samples treated by acid etching and compare them with SLA-treated samples in terms of surface roughness (Rq), wettability (assessed through contact angle measurements), mineralized matrix deposition (evaluated through simulated body fluid [SBF] soaking), cell viability, cell differentiation (assessed based on alkaline phosphatase activity), and mineralization (assessed using MTT assay). Acid-etched surfaces exhibited nano- and micro-roughness and higher hydrophilicity than SLA surfaces, which is conducive to forming a highly bioactive TiO2 surface. Moreover, acid-etched samples exhibited earlier hydroxyapatite deposition after SBF soaking than SLA samples. Furthermore, the acid-etched surfaces were nontoxic and displayed significantly higher cell viability and differentiation after seven days than SLA surfaces. These findings suggest that acid etching is a viable alternative to the SLA method, likely offering superior surface bioactivity and biocompatibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Materials for Multifunctional Applications)
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