Advances in Electrically Conductive Coatings: Materials, Preparation and Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 May 2026 | Viewed by 9

Special Issue Editor

1. Jiangxi Provincial Engineering Research Center for Waterborne Coatings, Nanchang 330038, China
2. Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics, Nanchang 330063, China
3. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: functional coating; organic semiconductor; optoelectronic film; bionic electronics; flexible electronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrically conductive coatings (ECCs) have found broad applications across electronics, energy storage, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, anticorrosion, aerospace, as well as emerging wearable electronics, smart sensors, and biomedical fields, etc., driven by their ability to impart electrical functionality to diverse substrates while maintaining structural integrity.

In terms of the material components of ECCs, recent studies have been conducted in four major categories, which include film-forming substances (synthetic resins, rubbers, conducting polymers, etc.), conductive fillers (metal powders, metal fibers/nanowires, metal oxides, carbon-based fillers (carbon black, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), conducting polymers, composite conductive fillers, etc.), dispersion media (organic solvents, water, or mixed phase), and various additives. Each component plays a different role in the coating and jointly determines the coating’s electrical, mechanical, and other properties. Regarding preparation methods, various techniques have been explored and refined, from solution-based methods (e.g., spin-coating, dip-coating, and spray-coating, etc.) to chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), electrodeposition and screen-printing techniques, etc. The composition and preparation of ECCs needs to be designed based on specific application scenarios (such as conductivity requirements, substrate type, cost budget, environmental protection standards, etc.). The combined effect of them ultimately determines the performance and application scope of the final coating.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances, challenges, and future prospects of the ECCs covering broad aspects, especially emphasizing recent breakthroughs in conductive fillers, film-forming matrices, preparation, and applications. It is believed that the integration of material science with advanced manufacturing techniques from continuous material innovation to preparation methodologies and innovative application expansion will open up new opportunities for ECCs in future industries. Both comprehensive review articles and innovative research papers are welcome.

Dr. Shuai Chen
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Coatings 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

  • conductive coating
  • carbon-based material
  • optoelectronic film
  • electromagnetic shielding
  • flexible electronics

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