Recent Advances in Colloids, Interfaces, and Interfacial Activities

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Colloids, interfaces, and interfacial activities underpin a very wide variety of both fundamental and applied sciences with significant implications in applied aspects of engineering processes and industrial applications including: oil recovery and separation, biomaterials and nanomedicine, drug delivery, energy conversion and storage, polymer technologies, adsorption separations, environmental technologies, catalysis, electrochemistry, food industry, pharmaceutical, cosmetic products, and many others. These concepts are fundamental to understanding and manipulating available materials at nanoscale for designing and developing novel nanoplatforms and nano-systems for different applications. From this perspective, the main scope of this Topic is creating an agenda, encompassing all aspects of colloids and interfaces science for disclosing their current related achievements and addressing associated issues. The ultimate goal of this project is improving the current knowledge, for the development and application of novel nanomaterials, leading to breakthroughs in various fields.

We are particularly interested in articles and reviews that explore all features of colloids, interfaces, and interfacial activities and their possible contribution in the sectors above mentioned. Moreover, papers on the analysis of their performance, on how managing their functions and on the possible improving integrations to enhance their application efficiency, with associated advances and challenges, are also of special interest.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to the following:

• Synthesis, characterization, and properties of colloidal nanomaterials and physicochemical properties of the assembled systems.
• Structural design and optimization, and application of novel colloidal materials and systems.
• Emerging technologies, processes and materials in colloid and interface science.
• Industrial applications of colloids and interfaces and understanding of their underlying mechanisms in each application.
• Experimental techniques for testing, characterization, monitoring of interfacial phenomena and diagnosis of their related technological issues.
• Fluid dynamics, modelling and experimental validation of multi-phase flows.
• Performance analysis and operational management of colloidal and nanomaterials and related technologies.
• Control and tuning of the assembly of colloids at fluid interfaces.
• Foam and foam stability.
• Application of AI methods and optimization algorithms in surface and colloid sciences.
• Electrochemistry and electrode/electrolyte interfacial activities.
• Understanding of the interfacial activities in energy storage/conversion technologies.
• Colloidal and nanomaterials integration to improve the overall performance of colloidal systems and related technologies.
• Colloids and interfaces in oil recovery and oil/water separation.
• Their techno economic analysis and market analyses.

Prof. Dr. Mojtaba Mirzaeian
Prof. Dr. Saule Aidarova
Prof. Dr. Nurxat Nuraje
Prof. Dr. Paul Takhistov
Prof. Dr. Jaroslav Katona
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Gels gels	5.3	7.6	2015	12.5 Days	CHF 2100	Submit
Materials materials	3.2	6.4	2008	15.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Nanomaterials nanomaterials	4.3	9.2	2010	15.4 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Polymers polymers	4.9	9.7	2009	14 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Surfaces surfaces	2.9	3.4	2018	17.3 Days	CHF 1600	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Gels Materials Nanomaterials Polymers Surfaces

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15 pages, 2807 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Syngas Production over Nanosized Multicomponent Co-Fe-Containing Catalysts

by Kuralay T. Tilegen, Sholpan S. Itkulova, Makpal A. Zhumash, Yerzhan A. Boleubayev and Arlan Z. Abilmagzhanov

Nanomaterials 2025, 15(23), 1814; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15231814 - 30 Nov 2025

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Abstract

Carbon dioxide reforming of methane is a promising technology to recycle and reduce greenhouse gases (CH₄, CO₂) into valuable chemicals and fuels. The Co-Fe catalysts modified with a small amount of Pt and supported on alumina were designed to [...] Read more.

Carbon dioxide reforming of methane is a promising technology to recycle and reduce greenhouse gases (CH₄, CO₂) into valuable chemicals and fuels. The Co-Fe catalysts modified with a small amount of Pt and supported on alumina were designed to be explored in dry reforming (DRM) and combined CO₂-steam reforming (bireforming, BRM) of methane to produce syngas. The catalysts were characterized by physico-chemical methods (i.e., BET, XRD, TEM, SEM, and TPR-H₂). The synthesized catalysts are the X-ray amorphous nanosized materials with particle sizes of less than 30 nm. The processes were carried out using a feed of CH₄/CO₂/H₂O = 1/1/0–0.5 at varying temperature (400–800 °C) at atmospheric pressure and GHSV = 1000 h⁻¹. The combination of Co and Fe in varying ratios with Pt allowed for high activity and selectivity to be maintained. Extents of methane and CO₂ conversion are varied within a range of 79.5–97.5 and 64.2–85.2%, respectively, at 700–800 °C, while the H₂/CO ratio in the resulting syngas ranged from 0.98 to 1.30, depending on the catalyst and feed composition. Stability tests conducted for up to 80 h on stream showed no loss of activity of the 10%Co-Fe-Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts in BRM. We believe that high activity of the synthesized catalysts occurs due to synergy in the Co-Fe-Pt system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Recent Advances in Colloids, Interfaces, and Interfacial Activities)

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14 pages, 1733 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Anisotropic Resistive Switching in NiO Thin Films Deposited on Stepped MgO Substrates

by Tolagay Duisebayev, Mergen Zhazitov, Muhammad Abdullah, Yerbolat Tezekbay, Askar Syrlybekov, Margulan Ibraimov, Bakyt Khaniyev, Timur Serikov, Nurxat Nuraje and Olzat Toktarbaiuly

Nanomaterials 2025, 15(22), 1703; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15221703 - 11 Nov 2025

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Abstract

Thin films of nickel oxide (NiO) were deposited on a 5° miscut magnesium oxide (MgO)(100) substrate using electron-beam evaporation to pursue morphology-directed resistive switching. The atomic force microscope (AFM) confirmed a stepped surface with a terrace width of ~85 nm and a step [...] Read more.

Thin films of nickel oxide (NiO) were deposited on a 5° miscut magnesium oxide (MgO)(100) substrate using electron-beam evaporation to pursue morphology-directed resistive switching. The atomic force microscope (AFM) confirmed a stepped surface with a terrace width of ~85 nm and a step height of ~7 nm. After deposition, the film resistance decreased from 200 MΩ to 25 MΩ by annealing under ambient air at 400 °C, attributed to the increase in the p-type conductivity through nickel vacancy formation. Top electrodes of Ag (500 nm width, 180 nm gap) were patterned parallel or perpendicular to the substrate steps using UV and electron-beam lithography. Devices aligned parallel to the step showed reproducible unipolar switching with 100% yield between forming voltages 20–70 V and HRS/LRS~10² at ±5 V. In contrast, devices formed perpendicular to the steps (8/8) subsequently failed catastrophically during electroforming, with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showing breakdown holes on the order of ~100 nm at the step crossings. The anisotropic electrodynamic response is due to step-guided electric field distribution and directional nickel vacancy migration, illustrating how substrate morphology can deterministically influence filament nucleation. These results highlighted stepped MgO as a template to engineer the anisotropic charge transport of NiO, exhibiting a reliable ReRAM as well as directional electrocatalysis for energy applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Recent Advances in Colloids, Interfaces, and Interfacial Activities)

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