Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 6838

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: oxide thin films; magnetron sputtering technique; hybrid solar cells; functional coatings; plasma medicine
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to a Special Issue on “Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering”, which aims at the publication of both theoretical and experimental studies related to the properties of thin films produced by magnetron sputtering for advanced technological applications. Nanostructured coatings play a key role in the development of materials with novel properties. Moreover, progress in physical vapor deposition techniques, where magnetron sputtering is included, has potentiated a wide range of technological breakthroughs in many industrial areas, such as the semiconductor, optical/optoelectronic, photovoltaic, biomedical, aerospace industries, among others. Additionally, magnetron sputtering is of particular interest since it is an environmentally friendly industrial process which can be applied to large-area substrates or even when large-scale production is required, allowing to prepare high-quality thin films with advanced technological applications.

For this Special Issue, we invite researchers to present original research papers, review articles, or short communications on the latest experimental and theoretical developments in the field of magnetron sputtering deposition of nanostructured coatings, which will foster the continuous development of advanced concepts for the benefit of both the scientific community and industrial sectors. The topics of interest for this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

  • Production and characterization;
  • Tribological coatings;
  • Coatings related to energy conversion;
  • Electrical, magnetic, and optical coatings;
  • Functional thin films, e.g., photocatalytic coatings;
  • Biomedical applications of thin films;
  • Thin film devices, e.g., sensors.

Dr. Susana Sério
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

  • magnetron sputtering
  • thin film properties
  • functional coatings
  • thin films devices
  • nanostructured coatings

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 168 KiB  
Editorial
Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering: Innovations, Applications, and Future Prospects
by Susana Sério
Coatings 2024, 14(8), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14081041 - 15 Aug 2024
Viewed by 935
Abstract
The development of advanced nanostructured thin films produced by magnetron sputtering has resulted in significant progress in materials science and engineering [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

13 pages, 7636 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Bias Voltage on the Structure and Properties of TiZrNbMo Coating Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering
by Svitlana Romaniuk, Katarzyna Nowakowska-Langier, Grzegorz Witold Strzelecki, Katarzyna Mulewska and Roman Minikayev
Coatings 2024, 14(7), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14070844 - 5 Jul 2024
Viewed by 739
Abstract
TiZrNbMo coatings have been deposited using the direct current pulsed magnetron sputtering method in an argon atmosphere. The synthesis processes have been conducted under various process parameters. The structure (chemical and phase composition) and mechanical properties of the obtained multicomponent coatings are investigated [...] Read more.
TiZrNbMo coatings have been deposited using the direct current pulsed magnetron sputtering method in an argon atmosphere. The synthesis processes have been conducted under various process parameters. The structure (chemical and phase composition) and mechanical properties of the obtained multicomponent coatings are investigated as a function of plasma modulation frequency (10 Hz and 1000 Hz) and substrate bias (0 to −150 V). It is the case that an increase in the substrate bias decreases the deposition rate and alters the coating’s chemical composition. The latter leads to a Ti concentration decrease and a simultaneous increase in Mo and Nb concentrations in the final coating material. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate a single-phase BCC structure, with grain size decreasing as substrate bias increases. This ultimately forms an amorphous–nanocrystalline structure at −150 V. The mechanical properties of the multicomponent TiZrNbMo coatings have been determined using the nanoindentation method. The maximum values of hardness (13.45 GPa) and elastic modulus (188.6 GPa) are achieved at a substrate bias of −150 V. We also show that the minimum elastic modulus (41.8 GPa) is achieved at an intermediate substrate bias of −100 V. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering)
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18 pages, 5682 KiB  
Article
Growth of Nanostructured TiO2 Thin Films onto Lignocellulosic Fibers through Reactive DC Magnetron Sputtering: A XRD and SEM Study
by Telmo Eleutério, Susana Sério and Helena C. Vasconcelos
Coatings 2023, 13(5), 922; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13050922 - 14 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1406
Abstract
TiO2 thin films were deposited on ginger lily (Hedychium gardnerianum) fibers using a custom-made DC reactive magnetron sputtering system with Ar/O2 mixture at two O2/(O2 + Ar) ratios (50% O2 and 75% O2) [...] Read more.
TiO2 thin films were deposited on ginger lily (Hedychium gardnerianum) fibers using a custom-made DC reactive magnetron sputtering system with Ar/O2 mixture at two O2/(O2 + Ar) ratios (50% O2 and 75% O2) and sputtering powers (500 and 1000 W), and their effects on the structure and surface morphology of TiO2 films were investigated. XRD analysis showed the presence of the mainly anatase phase in the deposited films, with a small fraction of rutile phase detected for TiO2 deposited with the higher oxygen percentage and sputtering power. SEM imaging revealed that the films exhibited distinct surface features depending on the deposition conditions. Specifically, films deposited with 50 O2 % and 1000 W exhibited porosity, while the films deposited under other conditions appeared either dense with a cauliflower-like appearance or displayed surface features resembling lines and mountain ranges of coalesced particles. The grain size of dense films increased with increasing sputtering power. The deposition conditions significantly affected the resulting surface topography, with an increase in surface roughness parameters observed for both power levels when the oxygen concentration in the deposition atmosphere was increased from 50% to 75%. The adhesion tests conducted using sonication and EDS analysis revealed that almost all of the studied films exhibited good adhesion, as evidenced by the atomic content (at. %) of Ti remaining intact after sonication, indicating good adhesion. However, the porous film exhibited a slightly lower adhesion grade, suggesting that the porous structure may have influenced the adhesion properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering)
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22 pages, 6184 KiB  
Article
The Amorphous Carbon Thin Films Synthesized by Gas Injection Magnetron Sputtering Technique in Various Gas Atmospheres
by Rafal Chodun, Lukasz Skowronski, Marek Trzcinski, Katarzyna Nowakowska-Langier, Krzysztof Kulikowski, Mieczyslaw Naparty, Michal Radziszewski and Krzysztof Zdunek
Coatings 2023, 13(5), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13050827 - 25 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1926
Abstract
This work presents the potential for using pulsed gas injection to produce amorphous carbon films. In this experiment, the frequency of injecting small amounts of gas was used to control the pressure amplitudes, thus achieving the conditions of plasma generation from stationary, through [...] Read more.
This work presents the potential for using pulsed gas injection to produce amorphous carbon films. In this experiment, the frequency of injecting small amounts of gas was used to control the pressure amplitudes, thus achieving the conditions of plasma generation from stationary, through quasi-stationary, to pulsed oscillations of pressure. In addition, we used various gases and their mixtures, an alternative to argon. In the experiment, we studied the energy state of the plasma. The films were examined for phase and chemical composition, surface morphology, and optical and mechanical properties. We determined low-frequency pulsed gas injections to be conditions favorable for C(sp3)C(sp3) bond formation. The plasma generated by gas injections is better ionized than that generated by static pressure. Pulsed conditions favor the plasma species to retain their kinetic energy, limiting the probability of intermolecular collision events. Since helium has a relatively high ionization energy, it is a practical addition to sputtering gas because of the increasing sp3 content in the films. The electrons created by helium ionization improve the plasma’s ionization degree. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering)
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Review

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37 pages, 2592 KiB  
Review
Recent Applications and Future Trends of Nanostructured Thin Films-Based Gas Sensors Produced by Magnetron Sputtering
by Pedro Catalão Moura and Susana Sério
Coatings 2024, 14(9), 1214; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14091214 - 20 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1103
Abstract
The field of gas sensors has been developing for the last year due to the necessity of characterizing compounds and, in particular, volatile organic compounds whose detection can be of special interest in a vast range of applications that extend from clinical evaluation [...] Read more.
The field of gas sensors has been developing for the last year due to the necessity of characterizing compounds and, in particular, volatile organic compounds whose detection can be of special interest in a vast range of applications that extend from clinical evaluation to environmental monitoring. Among all the potential techniques to develop sensors, magnetron sputtering has emerged as one of the most suitable methodologies for the production of large-scale uniform coatings, with high packing density and strong adhesion to the substrate at relatively low substrate temperatures. Furthermore, it presents elevated deposition rates, allows the growth of thin films with high purity, permits a precise control of film thickness, enables the simple manufacturing of sensors with low power consumption and, consequently, low costs involved in the production. This work reviewed all the current applications of gas sensors developed through magnetron sputtering in the field of VOCs assessment by gathering the most relevant scientific works published. A total of 10 compounds were considered for this work. Additionally, 13 other compounds were identified as promising targets and classified as future trends in this field. Overall, this work summarizes the state-of-the-art in the field of gas sensors developed by magnetron sputtering technology, allowing the scientific community to take a step forward in this field and explore new research areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering)
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