**About the 4FMFDUJPO Editors**

Dr. Alessandro Lavacchi

Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici (ICCOM-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy

Prof. Dr. Massimo Innocenti Department of Chemistry, Universita` di Firenze, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy

Prof. Dr. Steve Bull School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University, Bedson Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK

Prof. Dr. Philippe Dubois Center of Innovation and Research in Materials & Polymers, University of Mons, Place du Parc, 23 7000 Mons, Belgium

Dr. Michele Fedel Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Via Sommarive n. 9, 38123 Trento (TN), Italy

### **Preface to "Advances in Coatings Deposition and Characterization"**

Coatings offer the unique opportunity to create architectures that combine the functionality of two or more materials, conferring unique properties to objects with an extremely large palette of solutions. For this flexibility, thick and thin films have terrific impacts on the most relevant societal challenges. Computers, food packaging, airplanes, and cars, to mention a few familiar objects from everyday life, rely heavily on coatings.

To celebrate the key role that coatings have in society, and in science and technology, this book collects a selection of relevant reviews and original research articles published in "Coatings" in 2017 and 2018. Papers have been selected based on their broad impact and balancing between the two major aspects of coatings science and technology: deposition and characterization.

**Alessandro Lavacchi**
