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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrés Nistal

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Guest Editor

University of Almeria, Carr. Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada, Almería, Spain
Interests: surface modifications and coatings; surface treatments; multifunctional materials; study and modification of the matrix-reinforcing phase interface in polymeric; glassy; ceramic composites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coatings and surface treatments have been applied for centuries to protect a material from the environment and/or to enhance its aesthetic appearance. From these basic applications, advances in surface science and engineering have allowed developing new multifunctional coatings with applications in a wide variety of industries. Depending on the application, a different combination of properties can be desired. Coatings and surface treatments can provide many different properties, such as self-cleaning, antibacterial, anti-icing, electrical or thermal conductivity, and can enhance wear resistance and the performance of a material in biological environments or under extreme temperatures, such as thermal barrier coatings. It is a scientific and engineering challenge to enhance some of those properties or to combine them with others for a specific application.

The scientific interest in surface science and the industrial demand of advanced materials for engineering applications are the main reasons for this Special Issue in “Surface Modifications and Coatings: Processing, Characterization, and Applications”. Contributions related to surface modifications or coatings to provide a combination of several desired properties or to enhance mechanical, optical, electrical, or thermal properties are welcome. Multifunctional materials and nanomaterials are specifically welcome.

We look forward to receiving your manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Andrés Nistal
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. Materials 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 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

nanocomposite coatings
multifunctional materials
anti-icing
superhydrophobic
superhydrophilic
anti-reflective
self-healing
anticorrosion
thermal barrier coatings
biocompatible materials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

14 pages, 3671 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Loss of Oxygen Atoms on Well-Oxidized Cobalt by Heterogeneous Surface Recombination

by Domen Paul, Miran Mozetič, Rok Zaplotnik, Jernej Ekar, Alenka Vesel, Gregor Primc and Denis Đonlagić

Materials 2023, 16(17), 5806; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16175806 - 24 Aug 2023

Viewed by 727

Abstract

Calorimetry is a commonly used method in plasma characterization, but the accuracy of the method is tied to the accuracy of the recombination coefficient, which in turn depends on a number of surface effects. Surface effects also govern the kinetics in advanced methods such as atomic layer oxidation of inorganic materials and functionalization of organic materials. The flux of the reactive oxygen atoms for the controlled oxidation of such materials depends on the recombination coefficient of materials placed into the reaction chamber, which in turn depends on the surface morphology, temperature, and pressure in the processing chamber. The recombination coefficient of a well-oxidized cobalt surface was studied systematically in a range of temperatures from 300 to 800 K and pressures from 40 to 200 Pa. The coefficient increased monotonously with decreasing pressure and increasing temperature. The lowest value was about 0.05, and the highest was about 0.30. These values were measured for cobalt foils previously oxidized with oxygen plasma at the temperature of 1300 K. The oxidation caused a rich morphology with an average roughness as deduced from atomic force images of 0.9 µm. The results were compared with literature data, and the discrepancy between results reported by different authors was explained by taking into account the peculiarities of their experimental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings: Processing, Characterization, and Applications)

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16 pages, 7468 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Composite Fe-Cr-V-C Coatings Prepared by Plasma Transferred-Arc Powder Surfacing

by Xin Zhang, Yong Liu, Huichao Cheng, Kun Li, Cheng Qian and Wei Li

Materials 2023, 16(14), 5059; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16145059 - 18 Jul 2023

Viewed by 712

Abstract

In this study, we developed composite Fe-Cr-V-C coatings by plasma transferred-arc (PTA) powder surfacing on a 42CrMo steel substrate. The effects of arc current and ion gas flow rate on the coatings’ microstructure, hardness, and bonding performance were investigated. During the surfacing process, [...] Read more.

V_{x} C_{y}, {M_{7} C}_{3} (M = F e, C r)

and other hard phases are in-situ generated throughout the entire PTA powder surfacing. These phases are uniformly distributed in the Fe matrix through precipitation and dispersion strengthening, yielding a surface hardness of up to 64.1 HRC. Also, the bonding performance between the substrate and coatings was evaluated by measuring the tensile strength, revealing that strong metallurgical bonds are formed, reaching a strength greater than 811 MPa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings: Processing, Characterization, and Applications)

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Review

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47 pages, 7700 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

On the Durability of Icephobic Coatings: A Review

by Andrés Nistal, Benjamín Sierra-Martín and Antonio Fernández-Barbero

Materials 2024, 17(1), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17010235 - 31 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1804

Abstract

Ice formation and accumulation on surfaces has a negative impact in many different sectors and can even represent a potential danger. In this review, the latest advances and trends in icephobic coatings focusing on the importance of their durability are discussed, in an attempt to pave the roadmap from the lab to engineering applications. An icephobic material is expected to lower the ice adhesion strength, delay freezing time or temperature, promote the bouncing of a supercooled drop at subzero temperatures and/or reduce the ice accretion rate. To better understand what is more important for specific icing conditions, the different types of ice that can be formed in nature are summarized. Similarly, the alternative methods to evaluate the durability are reviewed, as this is key to properly selecting the method and parameters to ensure the coating is durable enough for a given application. Finally, the different types of icephobic surfaces available to date are considered, highlighting the strategies to enhance their durability, as this is the factor limiting the commercial applicability of icephobic coatings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modifications and Coatings: Processing, Characterization, and Applications)

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