**About the Editors**

**Bozena Pietrzyk ˙** , PhD DSc is a professor at the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering of the Lodz University of Technology, Poland. She obtained a PhD in 2000 at the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences where she conducted research on the electron properties of thin films of amorphous materials prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. In 2013, she obtained her habilitation at the Lodz University of Technology. Her research interests include methods of producing thin coatings of ceramic materials, such as sol–gel or hybrid plasma-assisted sol–gel methods. She conducts research on functional properties of ceramic and composite (layered and with the participation of particles) coatings, such as anticorrosive, antibacterial, photocatalytic and antifriction properties. She is an author and co-author of over 60 scientific journal articles and numerous conference announcements and presentations, as well as three patents. Bozena Pietrzyk is an active academic teacher conducting classes and ˙ supervising BSc, MSc and PhD students. She is also a coordinator of two study programs. She acts as a member of the Polish Materials Science Society (PTM) and Polish Society for Biomaterials (PSB).

**Sebastian Miszczak**, PhD Eng is a materials scientist specializing in thin ceramic coatings. He is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Lodz University of Technology (LUT), Poland. After he received an MSc Eng degree in materials science, he started working at the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, LUT. His work focused on the study of sol–gel coatings deposited in order to improve the heat resistance of metal substrates. He obtained a PhD on the basis of a dissertation entitled "Multilayer heat-resistant oxide coatings produced by the sol–gel method". Following the results obtained in previous research work, he continued his study on extending the functional properties of oxide coatings. His latest work concerns the properties of composite oxide coatings produced by the sol–gel method and modified with molybdenum disulfide and graphene in order to reduce dry friction. To date, Sebastian Miszczak has authored more than 20 journal publications, multiple articles and posters in conference proceedings.
