Applications of Multifunctional Materials and Novel Engineering Techniques

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 203

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan
Interests: semiconductor devices; nanomaterials; energy materials
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Guest Editor
Department of Communication Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan
Interests: RFIC design; semiconductor device reliability; ESD circuit design; antenna; wireless power transfer; RF energy harvesting; biosensor circuit

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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan
Interests: III-nitride optoelectronic devices; oxide semiconductor devices; perovskite optoelectronic devices; UVC/white LED package design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Multifunctional materials, which exhibit a combination of structural, mechanical, electrical, thermal, and chemical properties, have emerged as critical elements in modern scientific and industrial advancements. The development and integration of these materials have accelerated progress across diverse fields, including energy systems, aerospace, electronics, biomedicine, and environmental engineering. Simultaneously, novel engineering techniques—ranging from advanced manufacturing processes, computational simulations, and hybrid fabrication methods—are enabling the realization of cutting-edge applications and improved material performance.

This Special Issue aims to bring together innovative research and developments focused on the design, characterization, and application of multifunctional materials in conjunction with state-of-the-art engineering techniques. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Applications of nanostructured and multifunctional materials in energy storage, sensing, and electronics.
  • Advanced manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing, self-assembly, and precision engineering.
  • Hybrid material systems for multidisciplinary applications.
  • Novel engineering techniques for material synthesis, integration, and functional enhancement.
  • Computational simulations and modeling to optimize material properties and processes.
  • Environmental and biomedical applications of multifunctional materials.
  • New approaches for scaling material production while maintaining performance.

We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies that explore cutting-edge solutions and transformative applications for multifunctional materials and engineering methodologies. Contributions that bridge theory and practice, or present novel experimental and computational findings, are particularly welcome.

Dr. Jih-Hsin Liu
Dr. Chia-Hao Chen
Dr. Ching-Ho Tien
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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

  • multifunctional materials
  • advanced manufacturing
  • hybrid systems
  • computational modeling
  • energy applications
  • nanotechnology
  • biomedical engineering
  • environmental applications
  • process optimization
  • novel fabrication techniques

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4940 KiB  
Article
Substrate and Doping Effects on the Growth Aspects of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Developed on a GaN Substrate by the Sputtering Technique
by R. Perumal, Lakshmanan Saravanan and Jih-Hsin Liu
Processes 2025, 13(4), 1257; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13041257 - 21 Apr 2025
Viewed by 253
Abstract
A one-micron-thick pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and nitrogen-doped zinc oxide (N-ZnO) film were fabricated on p-type, pristine (non-porous), and porous gallium nitride (GaN) substrates using a radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique at room temperature. The doping medium was nitrogen gas, which has a [...] Read more.
A one-micron-thick pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and nitrogen-doped zinc oxide (N-ZnO) film were fabricated on p-type, pristine (non-porous), and porous gallium nitride (GaN) substrates using a radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique at room temperature. The doping medium was nitrogen gas, which has a flow rate that ranges from 0 to 10 sccm (0 sccm refers to pure ZnO). The photoelectrochemical etching process, using ultraviolet light, was employed to etch the wafer surface and create a porous GaN substrate. ZnO films were developed on GaN with ZnO powder as the target material under vacuum conditions. This research aimed to investigate how variations in substrate and doping influenced the structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of the resulting thin films. The SEM images indicated that the pores developed on the etched GaN surface had a spherical shape. The A1 (LO) phonon peak at 750.2 cm−1 was observed in the Raman spectrum of the etched porous GaN. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the films grown on GaN possessed a hexagonal wurtzite structure and the observed peak shift of (101) in all N-ZnO films suggested interstitial nitrogen doping. For the N-ZnO films, the UV-visible cut-off wavelength shifted towards the blue region. The root mean square (RMS) roughness of the N-ZnO films, measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM), was found to decrease with an increasing N-doping concentration. The 10 sccm sample exhibited the lowest roughness value of 1.1 nm, whereas the pure ZnO film showed the highest roughness of 3.4 nm. The N-ZnO thin films were found to exhibit p-type conductivity, as computed by Hall measurements using the van der Pauw method, and the higher value of carrier concentration obtained for the nitrogen gas flow rate of 8 sccm was 5.29 × 1021 cm−3. Full article
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