Radiation Defects in Metals and Metal-Oxide Functional Materials: Mechanisms, Control, and Applications

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metallic Functional Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 248

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Centre for Nuclear Research, Otwock, Poland
Interests: radiation defects; ion implantation; β-Ga2O3; defect engineering; rare-earth doping; irradiation effects; luminescence; crystal lattice recovery; semiconductor materials; functional materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Radiation-induced defects significantly influence the structural, mechanical, and functional properties of metals and metal-oxide materials, affecting their performance in a wide range of technological applications, ranging from structural components to devices of energy production and storage, environmental remediation, sensing, and biomedicine, as well as advanced micro- and optoelectronic technologies such as displays, plasmonics, light-emitting devices, photodetectors, and high-performance supercapacitors, which can be used in space systems or nuclear power plants. The formation of vacancies, interstitials under irradiation, and their accumulation in clusters or dislocations can lead to microstructural flaws such as voids, dislocation loops, and stacking faults, which in turn degrade material properties at the macroscopic scale. Understanding the nature of formed defects in such materials, their generation mechanisms, evolution, and interaction under irradiation or temperatures is essential for designing materials with enhanced radiation tolerance and for developing defect engineering.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for disseminating recent advances in the study of radiation defects in metals and metal-oxide functional materials. Contributions are welcome on experimental, theoretical, and computational investigations that explore defect formation mechanisms, microstructural evolution under irradiation, and strategies to control or mitigate radiation damage. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, radiation effects on structural and functional properties, defect-engineering approaches, advanced characterization techniques, simulation and modeling of defect dynamics, and the development of technology for manufacturing radiation-resistant alloys and composites.

By bringing together research spanning fundamental mechanisms to applied solutions, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of radiation effects and to provide guidelines for the design of materials capable of operating reliably in extreme radiation environments. We invite authors to contribute high-quality original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that address the challenges and opportunities associated with radiation defects in metals and metal-oxide functional materials.

Dr. Renata Ratajczak
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-blind 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

  • radiation-induced defects
  • metals
  • metal-oxides
  • defect transformation
  • phase transitions
  • defect engineering
  • material degradation
  • material recovery
  • radiation tolerance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop