Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.4
2.8
Journals
Coatings
Special Issues
Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and...
share announcement

Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 3539

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Neringa Petrašauskienė

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: thin films; coatings; polymers; surface modification of dielectrics; electrically conductive chalogenide layers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ingrida Ancutiene

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: metal chalcogenide thin films; coatings; semiconductors; supercapacitors; modification of dielectrics; synthesis and characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thin films are an important area of materials science, electrical engineering and applied solid-state physics. Advances in thin films over the past century have enabled a wide range of technological breakthroughs in surface engineering, corrosion, biomaterials, energy harvesting and storage, computer fabrication and physical devices.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a collection of selected articles on "Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications". We aim to publish research articles and comprehensive reviews on recent experimental and theoretical results for thin films and surfaces, as well as to disseminate new findings and discuss future directions in the field of thin films and surfaces.

We welcome a wide range of contributions (original or review manuscripts) dealing with the deposition, synthesis and characterization of thin films on rigid or flexible substrates and their applications in various fields. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Synthesis and fabrication;
  • Characterization and applications;
  • Surfaces and interfaces;
  • Thin film properties;
  • Thin film devices.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for inclusion in this Special Issue. Full papers, communications and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Neringa Petrašauskienė
Prof. Dr. Ingrida Ancutiene
Guest Editors

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

  • thin films and coatings
  • thin film structures and materials
  • deposition techniques of thin films
  • thin film devices
  • surface and interface characterization and applications

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 2423 KB  
Article
Precision-Tuned Magnetron Sputtering for High-Performance Metallized Copper Films
by Ying Yang, Xiaoyu Hao, Liuyan Zhang, Jicheng Ding, Lanfang Geng and Jun Zheng
Coatings 2025, 15(9), 1089; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15091089 - 17 Sep 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
In the present study, copper (Cu) films were deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates using direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering technology. A systematic investigation was conducted on the effects of process parameters, such as target power, gas flow rate, and substrate temperature, on the [...] Read more.
In the present study, copper (Cu) films were deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates using direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering technology. A systematic investigation was conducted on the effects of process parameters, such as target power, gas flow rate, and substrate temperature, on the microstructure and properties of copper films. The results showed that an increase in the target power resulted in enhanced film grain size, accompanied by a reduction in resistivity and an improvement in adhesion strength. Furthermore, resistivity increased monotonically with elevated gas flow rates, whereas the adhesion strength was found to achieve its maximum at a flow rate of 350 mL/min. In addition, substrate temperature variations had negligible influence on the film grain size and resistivity; nevertheless, the adhesion progressively decreased with increasing substrate temperature. A set of optimal parameters (3 kW, 350 mL/min, −15 °C) was determined based on the comprehensive evaluation of deposition efficiency, conductivity and adhesion performance. The Cu film prepared under these conditions exhibited low resistivity (8.37 × 10−8 Ω·m) and improved adhesion strength (166 gf/mm). Therefore, it is concluded that high performance of metallized Cu films could be achieved by fine-tuning deposition parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3999 KB  
Article
Effect of Different N2 Partial Pressures on the Corrosion Properties and Conductivity of NbNx Coated Titanium Bipolar Plates for PEMFCs
by Bo Dang, Yu Han, Kai Yang, Dong Chen, Mengling Zhan, Feng Ding, Shuqin Li and Pingze Zhang
Coatings 2025, 15(8), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15080973 - 20 Aug 2025
Viewed by 540
Abstract
Metal nitride coatings have been considered as a promising approach to improve the performance of metal bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this study, NbNx coatings with three different ratios of N2/Ar (1:2, 1:1 and 3:1) [...] Read more.
Metal nitride coatings have been considered as a promising approach to improve the performance of metal bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this study, NbNx coatings with three different ratios of N2/Ar (1:2, 1:1 and 3:1) were prepared on TC4 alloy substrates using the double glow plasma alloying technology. The NbNx coatings are homogeneous and dense, and the phase of the coating transforms from hexagonal β-Nb2N to δ′-NbN phase as the nitrogen content increases. All coatings demonstrate high protective efficiency, with the coating (N2/Ar ratio of 3:1) displaying the lowest current density of 8.92 × 10−6 A/cm2 at a working voltage of 0.6 V. The EIS results also show that this coating has the best corrosion resistance. Notably, it also presents the lowest interfacial contact resistance of 7.29 mΩ·cm2 at 1.5 MPa and good hydrophobicity. More importantly, this study provides a new idea and method for corrosion-resistant coatings of metal bipolar plates for PEMFC applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 7035 KB  
Article
Microstructure Evolution Mechanism and Corrosion Resistance of FeCrNi(AlTi)x Medium Entropy Alloy Prepared by Laser Melting Deposition with Al and Ti Content Changes
by Kai Wang, Mingjie Liu, Chuan Liu, Xiaohui Li and Guanghui Shao
Coatings 2025, 15(7), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15070851 - 19 Jul 2025
Viewed by 605
Abstract
In order to improve the microstructure and corrosion resistance of entropy alloy in the FeCrNi system, laser melting deposition technology was used as a preparation method to study the effects of different contents of Al and Ti on the microstructure and corrosion resistance [...] Read more.
In order to improve the microstructure and corrosion resistance of entropy alloy in the FeCrNi system, laser melting deposition technology was used as a preparation method to study the effects of different contents of Al and Ti on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of entropy alloy in FeCrNi(AlTi)x (x = 0.17, 0.2, and 0.24). The results show that the addition of Al and Ti elements can change the phase structure of the alloy from a single FCC phase structure to an FCC + BCC biphase structure. The BCC phase volume fraction of FeCrNi(AlTi)0.2 is the highest among the three alloys, reaching 37.5%. With the addition of Al and Ti content, the grain of the alloy will be refined to a certain extent. In addition, the dual-phase structure will also improve the corrosion resistance of the alloy. In 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, the increase of Al and Ti content can effectively improve the protection of the passivation film on the surface of the entropy alloy in FeCrNi(AlTi)x, effectively inhibit the large-scale corrosion phenomenon on the alloy surface, and thus improve the corrosion resistance of the alloy. In a certain range, increasing the content of Al and Ti elements in the FeCrNi(AlTi)x system can improve the corrosion resistance of the alloy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5085 KB  
Article
Multiscale Simulation of Graphene Growth on Cu(111): Insights from DFT, MD, KMC, and Thermodynamic Analyses
by Yadian Xie, Xu Tang, Yujia Zhang, Guangxu Yang, Hanqing Yu, Bo Yang and Gang Xie
Coatings 2025, 15(6), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060656 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 938
Abstract
In chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-mediated graphene growth, copper foil serves as both a catalyst for methane decomposition and as a substrate for graphene nucleation and growth. Due to the low solubility of carbon in copper and the ease of transferring graphene from its [...] Read more.
In chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-mediated graphene growth, copper foil serves as both a catalyst for methane decomposition and as a substrate for graphene nucleation and growth. Due to the low solubility of carbon in copper and the ease of transferring graphene from its surface, copper—particularly the Cu(111) facet—is widely favored for high-quality, monolayer graphene synthesis. In this article, the thermodynamic processes involved in methane dissociation and graphene nucleation on the Cu(111) surface were investigated using density functional theory (DFT). Molecular dynamics simulations were performed for structural optimization and to evaluate the reaction energies. Additionally, the average adsorption energies (ΔEad) of carbon clusters with varying atomic numbers on the Cu(111) surface were calculated. The graphene growth process was further modeled using the kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method to simulate carbon atom migration and nucleation dynamics. Thermodynamic analysis based on equilibrium component data was conducted to examine the influence of key operational parameters—temperature, pressure, and the CH4/H2 partial pressure ratio—on the graphene deposition rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 6891 KB  
Article
Influence of Different Chemical Methods Used for the Deposition of CdSe/ZnO Layers
by Gediminas Jakubauskas, Edita Paluckiene, Egle Usoviene and Neringa Petrasauskiene
Coatings 2025, 15(4), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15040415 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 616
Abstract
The present study employed the spin-coating method for the preparation of nanostructured crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on FTO glass substrates. Subsequently, cadmium selenide (CdSe) layers were deposited on the surfaces using two distinct chemical methods: successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction [...] Read more.
The present study employed the spin-coating method for the preparation of nanostructured crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on FTO glass substrates. Subsequently, cadmium selenide (CdSe) layers were deposited on the surfaces using two distinct chemical methods: successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and chemical bath deposition (CBD). The obtained films were then characterized by a variety of analytical methods, including XRD, SEM, AFM, EDX spectroscopy, UV–vis spectrophotometry, and linear sweep voltammetry. The XRD and SEM studies demonstrated that all of the films exhibited a polycrystalline nature, with the crystallinity of the cadmium selenide thin films prepared using the SILAR method exceeding that obtained by the CBD method. The SEM and AFM images revealed the uniformity of the cadmium selenide films on the FTO substrates, with no visible cracks or pores. The EDX spectra confirmed the presence of the expected elements in the thin films. The optical band gaps (Eg) for CdSe prepared with the SILAR or CBD method were determined to be 1.85 and 1.97 eV, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Thin Films and Surfaces: Deposition, Characterization and Various Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop