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Polymers
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Functional Polymer Films for Surface Modification and Coating Applications
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Functional Polymer Films for Surface Modification and Coating Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Membranes and Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 3097

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mehmet Gürsoy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chemical Engineering Department, Konya Technical University, 42030 Konya, Turkey
Interests: polymer; CVD; thin film; 2D materials; fog harvesting; coating; functional surface

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer films play a vital role in a broad range of technologies where surface functionality is essential, including protective coatings, packaging, biomedical devices, filtration systems, and energy applications. Recent advances in polymer chemistry and deposition techniques have enabled the fabrication of polymer thin films with highly tunable surface properties such as wettability, adhesion, optical transparency, and chemical or biological responsiveness.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the design, fabrication, and application of functional polymer films developed via both vapor-based (e.g., chemical vapor deposition, plasma polymerization) and solution-based (e.g., spin-coating, dip-coating, layer-by-layer assembly, sol–gel processing) techniques.

We welcome contributions focusing on polymer films engineered for the following:

  • Controlled surface wettability (hydrophobic, hydrophilic);
  • Advanced surface functionalities;
  • Conductive, dielectric, or semiconducting behavior;
  • Stimuli-responsive or environmentally adaptive surfaces;
  • Surface patterning, texturing, or hierarchical structuring;
  • Theoretical modeling or simulation of surface-related phenomena.

Both experimental and theoretical studies are encouraged, ranging from fundamental investigations to application-oriented research with potential for real-world impact.

We invite researchers from across disciplines, including polymer science, materials chemistry, surface engineering, and nanotechnology, to contribute their latest findings. Your work will contribute to a deeper understanding of how polymer films can be tailored for advanced surface modification and coating applications.

Dr. Mehmet Gürsoy
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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • functional coating
  • thin film
  • hydrophobic
  • hydrophilic
  • conductive
  • responsive surface
  • antimicrobial
  • surface engineering
  • polymer fabrication techniques

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1807 KB  
Article
Planar ICP Assisted One-Step Synthesis of pH-Responsive PDEAEMA Polymer Thin Films
by Zahide Tosun
Polymers 2026, 18(3), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18030421 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 491
Abstract
Smart polymers have attracted significant scientific interest in recent years because of their capability to modify their physical and/or chemical properties in response to external stimuli, including temperature, pH, and electric or magnetic fields. Poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) is a pH-responsive polymer with significant [...] Read more.
Smart polymers have attracted significant scientific interest in recent years because of their capability to modify their physical and/or chemical properties in response to external stimuli, including temperature, pH, and electric or magnetic fields. Poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) is a pH-responsive polymer with significant potential for biomedical applications. Significant research has focused on the synthesis of PDEAEMA polymers given their potential in smart polymer applications. In this study, PDEAEMA thin films were synthesized via a planar inductively coupled plasma (ICP) system at 13.56 MHz in both continuous and pulsed modes. The effects of substrate temperature, plasma power, and plasma pulse off time on polymer surfaces were systematically studied. The deposited polymer films were analyzed for their chemical composition and structural properties using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, the plasma environment was analyzed using Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES). Results indicated that polymers prepared under pulsed plasma conditions more closely retained the structure of the monomer. Moreover, the deposition rate increased as the plasma pulse off time decreased in pulsed mode experiments. PDEAEMA-based copolymer films were deposited to investigate their behavior under different pH conditions. The results indicate that the films exhibited distinct responses in acidic and basic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films for Surface Modification and Coating Applications)
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14 pages, 1823 KB  
Article
Raster Orientation Effects on the Adhesion of iCVD-Deposited PSA Thin Films on FDM-Printed PLA
by Aydın Güneş, Kurtuluş Yılmaz, Mehmet Gürsoy and Mustafa Karaman
Polymers 2026, 18(3), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18030371 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 549
Abstract
The adhesion performance of pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) thin films on additively manufactured polymers is strongly governed by surface anisotropy induced during printing. In this study, PSA thin films based on 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) and acrylic acid (AA) were deposited by initiated chemical vapor [...] Read more.
The adhesion performance of pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) thin films on additively manufactured polymers is strongly governed by surface anisotropy induced during printing. In this study, PSA thin films based on 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) and acrylic acid (AA) were deposited by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) onto fused deposition modeling (FDM) printed PLA substrates with different raster orientations (0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°). The deposited films exhibited high optical transparency on glass, and thicknesses consistent with the targeted deposition. Adhesion performance was evaluated using tensile and three-point bending tests, revealing a strong dependence on raster orientation. The 0° raster orientation yielded the highest shear adhesion strengths, reaching 12.03 N/cm2 under tensile loading and 4.59 N/cm2 under bending, along with the largest failure displacements. In contrast, specimens printed at 90° exhibited an approximately 47% reduction in tensile shear adhesion strength and limited deformation prior to failure. SEM analysis showed that raster alignment parallel to the loading direction promoted extensive adhesive deformation and PSA fibrillation, whereas higher raster angles resulted in predominantly interfacial debonding. These results demonstrate that raster orientation is a critical design parameter for tuning PSA adhesion on FDM-printed PLA substrates without modifying adhesive chemistry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films for Surface Modification and Coating Applications)
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14 pages, 2782 KB  
Article
Process-Controlled Functional Polymer Films on Paper: Oxygen Barrier and Antimicrobial Performance of PVA–Amylose Coatings
by Korakot Charoensri, Dae Hyeon Kwon, Hong Seok Kim, Intatch Hongrattanavichit, Yang Jai Shin and Hyun Jin Park
Polymers 2026, 18(2), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020264 - 19 Jan 2026
Viewed by 595
Abstract
The development of functional polymer films on porous paper substrates is inherently constrained by substrate-induced defects that hinder film continuity and barrier performance. In this study, process-controlled amylose–Poly(Vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coatings incorporating ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were fabricated via aqueous deposition to investigate [...] Read more.
The development of functional polymer films on porous paper substrates is inherently constrained by substrate-induced defects that hinder film continuity and barrier performance. In this study, process-controlled amylose–Poly(Vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coatings incorporating ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were fabricated via aqueous deposition to investigate the process-structure-property relationship governing oxygen barrier behavior on paper. The moisture resistance of the coating was also evaluated. Single-layer coatings exhibited severe barrier failure due to insufficient film formation and pervasive pinhole defects. In contrast, systematic multi-layer deposition enabled the formation of continuous polymer films. A pronounced non-linear reduction in oxygen transmission rate was observed once the dry coating thickness exceeded approximately 5 µm. Under these conditions, the oxygen transmission rate decreased to approximately 15 cc/m2·day·atm at 20 °C and 65% relative humidity. This transition was correlated with the elimination of substrate-induced defects, as confirmed by morphological analysis. In addition to enhanced barrier performance, ZnO NP-loaded coatings demonstrated strong and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, indicating their multifunctional potential for active packaging applications. Supporting evaluations further indicated adequate mechanical flexibility and high repulpability, highlighting the suitability of the coating for sustainable paper-based packaging. Overall, this work identifies a quantitative critical film thickness that serves as process-specific design guideline for engineering high-performance functional polymer coatings on porous paper substrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films for Surface Modification and Coating Applications)
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14 pages, 2801 KB  
Article
Tuning Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Hydrophilization and Coating Stability via the Optimization of Polyethylene Glycol Molecular Weight
by Daniil Golubchikov, Konstantin Oleynichenko, Anton Murashko, Yuri Efremov, Sofia Safaryan, Frederico D. A. S. Pereira, Galina Nifontova, Anna Solovieva, Anastasia Shpichka and Peter Timashev
Polymers 2025, 17(24), 3296; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243296 - 12 Dec 2025
Viewed by 926
Abstract
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used in microfluidics and medical devices; however, its inherent hydrophobicity limits its applications. This can be resolved by the formation of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrophilic coatings. Here, we aimed to prove that PDMS surfaces modified with low molecular weight [...] Read more.
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used in microfluidics and medical devices; however, its inherent hydrophobicity limits its applications. This can be resolved by the formation of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrophilic coatings. Here, we aimed to prove that PDMS surfaces modified with low molecular weight PEG (400) provided a more stable hydrophilic surface. The lowest contact angle achieved via using PEG400 and the “grafting from” approach was 8.6 ± 3.5°. Under perfusion conditions, imitating arterial and capillary flows, such coatings were considerably stable, and the contact angle was kept at 45.5° after 3 days. Moreover, the applied surface modifications preserved surface roughness, elastic modulus, and optical transparency. Thus, these findings confirmed that the “grafting from” approach with low molecular weight PEG could be the most effective strategy to form hydrophilic PDMS coatings with optimal performance in biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films for Surface Modification and Coating Applications)
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