Research on the Performance of Metal Composite Electrodes
A Special Issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701) belonging to the section "Metallic Functional Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 132
Editors
Interests: high-performance composites; degradation mechanisms; application of plasma torches; in-space assembly and manufacturing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Composite electrodes are critical components in plasma-facing, arc-facing, and high-current electrical discharge systems, where they operate under extreme combinations of current density, thermal loading, plasma interaction, reactive atmospheres, erosion, evaporation, oxidation, and cyclic mechanical stresses. These conditions are encountered in a wide range of demanding technologies, including plasma torches for waste treatment and gasification, metallurgical plasma processing, cutting and welding systems, arc heaters, high-current switching devices, electrical contacts, and aerospace plasma systems such as electric propulsion cathode–anode assemblies. In many of these applications, electrode lifetime, stability, and degradation resistance remain key limiting factors for industrial scalability, operational reliability, and system efficiency.
This Special Issue aims to collect original research and review papers addressing the design, processing, characterization, modelling, and application of metal composite electrodes for demanding plasma, arc, and high-power electrical environments. Relevant material systems include Cu-, W-, Mo-, Ag-, refractory-metal-, oxide-, carbide-, and dispersion-strengthened composites, as well as functionally graded, infiltrated, coated, and self-protective electrode concepts. Contributions on metal–conductive ceramic composite systems, including metallic matrices reinforced with TiB₂, ZrB₂, or related ultra-high-temperature ceramic additions, as well as metal-infiltrated conductive ceramic skeletons, are also welcome.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, composite electrode fabrication, microstructure–property relationships, arc erosion and degradation mechanisms, oxide-layer formation, cathode and anode behaviour, thermal fatigue, oxidation and evaporation resistance, lifetime testing, numerical modelling of electrode–plasma interaction, and performance evaluation under realistic operating conditions. The Special Issue particularly encourages studies (but not limited) to
- material design,
- processing route,
- microstructural stability,
- functional electrode performance in advanced plasma, arc, aerospace,
- other non-electrochemical high-power systems.
Dr. Marek Gebura
Dr. Tomáš Dvorák
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals 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
- metal composite electrodes
- plasma-facing materials
- arc erosion
- high-current electrical discharge
- plasma torches
- electric propulsion electrodes
- conductive ceramics
- electrode degradation mechanisms
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