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Surfaces, Volume 8, Issue 3

2025 September - 28 articles

Cover Story: To tackle climate change, photovoltaics is expanding rapidly, reaching 2.25 TW of installed capacity in 2024, which may exceed 17.4 TW by 2050. While silicon cells dominate with 92–95% of the market, thin-film CIGS modules (5%) are gaining interest for their light weight, flexibility, and translucent design. Their main components, gallium and indium, are scarce byproducts from limited reserves, raising supply and price risks. End-of-life CIGS modules thus offer a valuable secondary source, containing 5–16% Ga and 19–45% In. This study tests P507 impregnated mesoporous carbon for selective separation of both metals from aqueous solutions simulating end-of-life CIGS leachates, via fixed bed adsorption, and develops a Python simulation model in Jupyter Notebook, a useful tool, to further predict the behaviour of an adsorption bed in advance. View this paper
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Articles (28)

  • Article
  • Open Access
993 Views
20 Pages

The Mutual Influence of Elemental S and Cs on the Ni(100) Surface at Room and Elevated Temperatures

  • Aris Chris Papageorgopoulos,
  • Dimitrios Vlachos and
  • Mattheos Kamaratos

12 September 2025

The behavior of S and Cs during the alternate adsorption of each adsorbate on the Ni(100) surface is studied at room and elevated temperatures by means of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), thermal desorption s...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,107 Views
21 Pages

8 September 2025

Oily wastewater is a critical environmental concern, and the high costs and fouling of conventional membranes drive the search for low-cost, efficient alternatives. This study evaluates surface-modified quartz particles for oil–water separation...

  • Article
  • Open Access
884 Views
15 Pages

5 September 2025

Wood and bamboo products with log-term carbon storage, less energy consumption, and CO2 emission face the challenge of fungal infection. Their antifungal property can be enhanced by Cu-based nanoparticles. Herein, Cu2O-coated Cu (Cu2O@Cu) aggregates...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,245 Views
8 Pages

W/Si Multilayer Mirrors for Soft X-Ray Wavelengths < 2.4 nm

  • Denys Sevriukov,
  • Sergiy Yulin,
  • Sven Schröder and
  • Andreas Tünnermann

2 September 2025

W/Si multilayer mirrors are a promising candidate for soft X-ray applications at wavelengths below 2.4 nm. However, their optical performance is strongly affected by interface roughness and interlayer mixing, which limits reflectivity. One approach t...

  • Review
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,245 Views
27 Pages

Designing Emulsion Gels for 3D Food Printing: Structure, Stability, and Functional Applications

  • Bruna Silva de Farias,
  • Lisiane Baldez da Cunha,
  • Anelise Christ Ribeiro,
  • Débora Pez Jaeschke,
  • Janaína Oliveira Gonçalves,
  • Sibele Santos Fernandes,
  • Tito Roberto Sant’Anna Cadaval and
  • Luiz Antonio de Almeida Pinto

1 September 2025

The integration of emulsion gels in 3D food printing has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance both the structural fidelity and functional performance of printed foods. Emulsion gels, composed of proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and their comp...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,396 Views
15 Pages

29 August 2025

To study the adsorption of lanthanide (Ln) atoms on graphene containing a Stone–Wales defect, we used a cluster model (SWG) and performed calculations at the PBE-D2/DNP level of the density functional theory. Our previous study, where the above...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,954 Views
14 Pages

Interplay Between Membrane Adhesion and Distribution of Lipid Rafts

  • Iyad Bin Hussain Thalakodan and
  • Bartosz Różycki

27 August 2025

Adhesion of cell membranes is relevant to many biological processes and arises from the specific binding of membrane-anchored receptor proteins to their ligands present in the apposing membrane. Here, we employ a statistical–mechanical model an...

  • Review
  • Open Access
4 Citations
3,022 Views
21 Pages

26 August 2025

Organic and pharmaceutical pollution of water is a serious problem, particularly when it comes to drinking and groundwater. Although some evaluations indicate that these pollutants are unlikely to be at current exposure levels, they are often detecte...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,202 Views
11 Pages

Continuous Preparation of Carbon Nanotubes/Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Using Fe-Ni Bimetallic Catalyst

  • Yanying Zhu,
  • Yanxiang Wang,
  • Jianwei Zhang,
  • Jinghe Guo,
  • Yingfan Li,
  • Siao Xin,
  • Ziyi Xu,
  • Yanru Yuan and
  • Dong Zhang

24 August 2025

Surface modification of carbon fibers (CFs) is a critical step in preparing carbon fiber-reinforced composites. This study developed a continuous experimental process that integrates electrochemical anodic oxidation and chemical vapor deposition to f...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,212 Views
21 Pages

Fixed-Bed Adsorption of Gallium and Indium from EoL CIGS Leachates on Extractant-Mesoporous Carbon: Integrated Experimental Simulation Approach

  • Víctor Ramos,
  • Alejandra Vázquez Adán,
  • Arturo Jiménez,
  • Rubén Miranda,
  • Eduardo Díez and
  • Araceli Rodríguez

22 August 2025

Although the exponential increase in photovoltaic installations does contribute to mitigating climate change, it has posed the problem of photovoltaic (PV) residue. As PV panels contain strategic metals, their recovery has become a priority. This pap...

  • Review
  • Open Access
3,397 Views
43 Pages

Vat Photopolymerization of Additively Manufactured Zirconia Ceramic Structures from Slurries of Surface Functionalized Particles: A Critical Review

  • Jia-Hao Li,
  • Yun-Zhuo Zhang,
  • Jia-Jun Zhao,
  • Zi-Heng Wang,
  • Wei-Jian Miao,
  • Fan-Bin Wu,
  • Shu-Qi Wang,
  • Jia-Hu Ouyang,
  • Ya-Ming Wang and
  • Yong-Chun Zou

18 August 2025

Zirconia (ZrO2) ceramics and composites have attracted much attention in aerospace, biomedical and energy fields due to their high hardness, high wear resistance, excellent chemical stability and biocompatibility. However, the brittleness of ceramics...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,240 Views
11 Pages

14 August 2025

The array of regular square pyramid microstructures with zero-spacing features is an ideal structural topology for building superhydrophobic functional surfaces due to its excellent anti-wetting performance and low surface adhesion properties. In the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
1,040 Views
14 Pages

The Effect of the Metal Impurities on the Stability, Chemical, and Sensing Properties of MoSe2 Surfaces

  • Danil W. Boukhvalov,
  • Murat K. Rakhimzhanov,
  • Aigul Shongalova,
  • Abay S. Serikkanov,
  • Nikolay A. Chuchvaga and
  • Vladimir Yu. Osipov

In this study, we present a comprehensive theoretical analysis of modifications in the physical and chemical properties of MoSe2 upon the introduction of substitutional transition metal impurities, specifically, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, W, Pd, and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
861 Views
14 Pages

Thermal Modulation of Photonic Spin Hall Effect in Vortex Beam Based on MIM-VO2 Metasurface

  • Li Luo,
  • Jiahui Huo,
  • Yuanyuan Lv,
  • Jie Li,
  • Yu He,
  • Xiao Liang,
  • Sui Peng,
  • Bo Liu,
  • Ling Zhou and
  • Yuting Yang
  • + 3 authors

The photon spin Hall effect (PSHE) arises from the spin–orbit interaction of light. Metasurfaces enable precise control over the PSHE through their influence. Using electromagnetic simulations as its foundation, this work engineers a metal&ndas...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,194 Views
11 Pages

Laser Texturing of Tungsten Carbide (WC-Co): Effects on Adhesion and Stress Relief in CVD Diamond Films

  • Argemiro Pentian Junior,
  • José Vieira da Silva Neto,
  • Javier Sierra Gómez,
  • Evaldo José Corat and
  • Vladimir Jesus Trava-Airoldi

This study proposes a laser texturing method to optimize adhesion and minimize residual stresses in CVD diamond films deposited on tungsten carbide (WC-Co). WC-5.8 wt% Co substrates were textured with quadrangular pyramidal patterns (35 µm) usi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
970 Views
14 Pages

Layered Structures Based on Ga2O3/GaS0.98Se0.02 for Gas Sensor Applications

  • Veaceslav Sprincean,
  • Mihail Caraman,
  • Tudor Braniste and
  • Ion Tiginyanu

Efficient detection of toxic and flammable vapors remains a major technological challenge, especially for environmental and industrial applications. This paper reports on the fabrication technology and gas-sensing properties of nanostructured Ga2O3/G...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3,185 Views
22 Pages

Buffer pH-Driven Electrokinetic Concentration of Proteins in a Straight Microfluidic Channel

  • Diganta Dutta,
  • Xavier Palmer,
  • Debajit Chakraborty and
  • Lanju Mei

We present a buffer-pH-modulated electrokinetic concentration strategy in MEMS microchannels that harnesses simple pH shifts to neutralize and charge proteins, reversibly “pausing” them at a planar electric-gate electrode by tuning to the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3,661 Views
22 Pages

Morphological and Functional Evolution of Amorphous AlN Thin Films Deposited by RF-Magnetron Sputtering

  • Maria-Iulia Zai,
  • Ioana Lalau,
  • Marina Manica,
  • Lucia Chiriacescu,
  • Vlad-Andrei Antohe,
  • Cristina C. Gheorghiu,
  • Sorina Iftimie,
  • Ovidiu Toma,
  • Mirela Petruta Suchea and
  • Ștefan Antohe

Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited on SiO2 substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering at varying powers (110–140 W) and subsequently subjected to thermal annealing at 450 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. A comprehensive multi-techniqu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
1,410 Views
32 Pages

XPS Investigation of Sol–Gel Bioactive Glass Synthesized with Geothermal Water

  • Helena Cristina Vasconcelos,
  • Maria Meirelles and
  • Reşit Özmenteş

Bioactive glasses are known for their surface reactivity and ability to bond with bone tissue through the formation of hydroxyapatite. This study investigates the effects of substituting ultrapure water with natural geothermal waters from the Azores...

  • Review
  • Open Access
4 Citations
2,379 Views
22 Pages

Microbial Extracellular Polymeric Substances as Corrosion Inhibitors: A Review

  • Naima Sayahi,
  • Bouthaina Othmani,
  • Wissem Mnif,
  • Zaina Algarni,
  • Moncef Khadhraoui and
  • Faouzi Ben Rebah

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) are emerging as sustainable alternatives to conventional corrosion inhibitors due to their eco-friendly nature, biodegradability, and functional versatility. Secreted by diverse microorganisms inclu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,157 Views
13 Pages

It is widely recognized that fine surface structures found in nature contribute to surface functionality, and studies on the design of functional materials based on biomimetics have been actively conducted. In this study, polymer thin films with hier...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,254 Views
13 Pages

Understanding strain behavior near grain boundaries is critical for controlling structural distortions and oxygen vacancy migration in perovskite oxides. However, conventional techniques often lack the spatial resolution needed to analyze phase and d...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
1,334 Views
17 Pages

Co-Effect of pH Control Agent and pH Value on the Physical Properties of ZnO Thin Films Obtained by Chemical Bath Deposition for Potential Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

  • Alphonse Déssoudji Gboglo,
  • Mazabalo Baneto,
  • Komlan Segbéya Gadedjisso-Tossou,
  • Ognanmi Ako,
  • Ayayi Claude Ahyi,
  • Muthiah Haris,
  • Muthusamy Senthilkumar,
  • Kekeli N’konou,
  • Bruno Grandidier and
  • Milohum Mikesokpo Dzagli
  • + 2 authors

This study presents the influence of pH control agents and pH value on the physical properties of ZnO thin films obtained by chemical bath deposition. ZnO thin films were synthesized on glass substrates using precursor solutions of different pHs prep...

  • Article
  • Open Access
834 Views
13 Pages

An Exploration of SPS Fabrication and the Sliding Wear Properties of γ-TiAl-Ag Self-Lubrication Materials

  • Na Xiao,
  • Chenglong Yang,
  • Shengfei Zhou,
  • Yuliang Yin,
  • Dian Zhao,
  • Yulong Shi and
  • Kang Yang

To promote the optimization of the anti-friction and anti-wear behavior of lightweight TiAl alloys, γ-TiAl-10 wt.% Ag self-lubricating composites were fabricated, and their mechanical and tribological properties were tested. The results showed...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
1,290 Views
10 Pages

Electroless silver (Ag) plating has emerged as a simple yet effective surface modification technique, garnering significant attention in consumer electronics and composite materials. This study systematically investigates the influence of glucose dos...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,219 Views
15 Pages

Hierarchical Manganese-Doped Nickel–Cobalt Oxide Electrodes with Graphene for Use as High-Energy-Density Supercapacitors

  • Kuan-Ching Lee,
  • Guan-Ting Pan,
  • Thomas Chung-Kuang Yang,
  • Po-Cheng Shen,
  • Kuan Lun Pan,
  • Timm Joyce Tiong,
  • Aleksandar N. Nikoloski and
  • Chao-Ming Huang

Thin films of manganese–nickel–cobalt oxide with graphene (G@MNCO) were deposited on copper foam using electrochemical deposition. NiCo2O4 is the main phase in these films. As the proportion of graphene in the precursor solution increases...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,481 Views
12 Pages

Hydrophobic Boron Nitride Nanoflower Coatings on Mild Steel Surfaces

  • Aamir Nadeem,
  • Muhammad Faheem Maqsood,
  • Mohsin Ali Raza,
  • Syed Muhammad Zain Mehdi and
  • Shahbaz Ahmad

Growing demand for chemically resistant, thermally stable, and anti-icing coatings has intensified interest in boron nitride (BN)-based materials and surface coatings. In this study, BN coatings were developed on mild steel (MS) via chemical vapour d...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
1,841 Views
18 Pages

Polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymers inherently exhibit low surface activity, leading to poor adhesive bonding performance when using epoxy-based adhesives. In this study, low-temperature plasma surface modification was conducted on carbon fiber-reinf...

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Surfaces - ISSN 2571-9637