Metallic Coatings Synthesized by Magnetron Sputtering

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2026 | Viewed by 1700

Editor


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Guest Editor
National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics—INOE 2000, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Interests: magnetron sputtering; thin film deposition; process control; plasma diagnostics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The topic of metallic coatings obtained by the sputtering process dates back to the 19th century. Since the discovery of basic physical processes, there have been numerous developments and additions to the technological process. All these added over the years a wide variety of applications where metallic coatings can be applied successfully. This Special Issue intends to gather original and innovative research related to the fabrication processes of metallic coatings, their characterization, and evaluation for use in applications. The main processes to be covered are the PVD methods, including, but not limited to, the following: evaporation, either by resistive heating or electron beam; sputtering, with all the variants, including magnetron, ion assistance, HiPIMS, etc.; arc vapor deposition; pulsed laser deposition; etc. The exploration of hybrid techniques that incorporate variants of physical deposition and/or other complementary techniques is encouraged.

The main classes of applications that can be explored include the following:

  • Conductive coatings for interconnections, circuit elements, sensors, etc.;
  • Optical coatings that are used as reflectors, band pass filters, thermal control films, etc.;
  • Optoelectronic components, such as reflective coatings, transparent conductors, electrodes, etc.;
  • Metallic glasses;
  • Protective and/or decorative coatings;
  • Antibacterial and/or biocompatible coatings;
  • Precision alloying with a metallic component.

This Special Issue will cover all aspects of the following: deposition process design and optimization, process characterization, coatings characterization in relation to the process parameters and the intended applications, and functional testing and characterization of the coatings in real-life or simulated conditions.

Dr. Catalin Vitelaru
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • magnetron sputtering
  • HiPIMS
  • pulsed laser deposition
  • process optimization
  • metallic coatings
  • conductivity
  • optical properties
  • structural characterization
  • antibacterial coatings
  • biocompatible coatings

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 5606 KB  
Article
Effect of Deposition Angle and Arc Current on the Structure and Optical Properties of Ti Coatings Deposited by Cathodic Arc Evaporation
by Iulian Pana, Anca C. Parau, Mihaela Dinu, Adrian E. Kiss, Lidia R. Constantin, Nicolae C. Zoita, Alina Vladescu (Dragomir) and Catalin Vitelaru
Metals 2026, 16(1), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16010105 - 17 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1059
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of deposition angle and arc current on the surface morphology and optical response of Ti coatings obtained by unfiltered cathodic arc evaporation for spectrally selective solar-thermal applications. 100 nm-thick Ti films were deposited at normal (0°) and oblique [...] Read more.
This study investigates the effects of deposition angle and arc current on the surface morphology and optical response of Ti coatings obtained by unfiltered cathodic arc evaporation for spectrally selective solar-thermal applications. 100 nm-thick Ti films were deposited at normal (0°) and oblique (80°) angles of incidence, with arc currents of 65 A and 90 A, respectively. The SEM measurements revealed the characteristic arc-generated microdroplet population. At normal incidence (0°), droplets are predominantly spherical and relatively uniformly distributed, whereas at 80° incidence, many droplets exhibit elongated footprints aligned with the incoming flux from the Ti cathode. This behavior is consistent with oblique-angle deposition (OAD), where the arrival geometry can promote self-shadowing and transient droplet spreading before solidification. AFM confirms an increase in nanoscale roughness, whereas GIXRD indicates nanocrystalline α-Ti and cubic TiO, with maximum crystallinity for 0°/65 A. Contact-angle measurements demonstrate a transition from hydrophobic 316L (~103°) to moderately hydrophilic Ti-coated surfaces (~68–72°), with only minor dependence on deposition geometry. Optical reflectance in the 400–800 nm range is significantly lower for Ti-coated glass and is further reduced for OAD films, indicating enhanced solar absorptance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metallic Coatings Synthesized by Magnetron Sputtering)
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