An international journal devoted to the science and application of advanced surface treatments for improvement of material properties

Surface and Coatings Technology is an international archival journal publishing scientific papers on significant developments in surface and interface engineering to modify and improve the surface properties of materials for protection in demanding contact conditions or aggressive environments, or for enhanced functional performance. Contributions range from original scientific articles concerned with fundamental and applied aspects of research or direct applications of metallic, inorganic, organic and composite coatings, to invited reviews of current technology in specific areas. Papers submitted to this journal are expected to be in line with the following aspects in processes, and properties/performance:

A. Processes: Physical and chemical vapour deposition techniques, thermal and plasma spraying, surface modification by directed energy techniques such as ion, electron and laser beams, thermo-chemical treatment, wet chemical and electrochemical processes such as plating, sol-gel coating, anodization, plasma electrolytic oxidation, etc., but excluding painting.

B. Properties/performance: friction performance, wear resistance (e.g., abrasion, erosion, fretting, etc), corrosion and oxidation resistance, thermal protection, diffusion resistance, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, and properties relevant to smart materials behaviour and enhanced multifunctional performance for environmental, energy and medical applications, but excluding device aspects.

Articles must go beyond the technical recipe format and gain substantial new understanding and insight based on detailed characterization of coatings and processes. Experimental papers should provide complete information on the process parameters and an appropriate microstructural characterization. Also, papers which include test data should provide full details of the test equipment and parameters. Such papers should report on the synthesis-characterization-properties-performance relationships.

Manuscripts must be written in good English and contain a balanced and up-to-date reference list formatted according to the guide-for-authors.

Special Issue on Invited paper of The 2nd Indo-European Symposium on Surface Engineering
Día de Entrega: 2025-04-30

Special issue of invited talks on Indo European Symposium on Surface Engineering.

Guest editors:

Dr. Manish Roy
Defence Research and Development Organization, India

Prof. Albano Cavaleiro
University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Special issue information:

One of the most suitable ways to optimize the performance of materials, particularly making them more useful, with a higher number of functionalities, more durability in harsh environments (high-temperature, high-pressure, corrosive, etc.) and/or more cost-effective is through the modification of their surface. Surface engineering, which is a sub-discipline of materials science, has enormous applications in multidisciplinary areas like automotive, aerospace, defence, power, electronic, biomedical, textile, petroleum, petrochemical, chemical, steel, cement, machine tools, construction industries etc.
In the 2nd Indo-European Symposium on Surface Engineering, the current scientific and technological progress in traditional and cutting-edge coating and thin film processes, as well as surface modification treatments or techniques, will be addressed; there will be a fruitful discussion, exchange of ideas, and research collaboration among the participants.

The 2nd Indo-European Symposium on Surface Engineering will focus on the recent developments in the area of surface engineering, surface treatment processing of innovation, functional coatings, advanced methods for the deposition of new materials, surface treatments, coatings for various industrial and strategic applications, advanced characterization techniques, and development of multilayer systems and devices.

Original, unpublished research contributions areinvited from academia/industry and R&D
establishments, Research Students and Consultants on the topics mentioned below. Please note that the papers presented in the symposium will be considered for publication.

S.1. Functional coatings
S.2. Coatings and Thin Films for industrial applications
S.3. Coatings and Thin Film for strategic applications
S.4. Coatings for power sectors
S.5. Advanced methods of materials deposition and surface functionalization treatments
S.6. In-situ and in-operando characterization techniques

Manuscript submission information:

    Submission Open Date: 27 January 2025
    Submission Deadline: 30 April 2025

Special Issue on MXenes and their hybrids for sustainable applications
Día de Entrega: 2025-04-30

A quite large group of early transition metal carbides and/or carbonitrides named as MXenes have been recently added to the family of 2D materials. Currently more than 40 Mxene compositions exist, and in time they may develop into the largest family of 2D materials known. Their potential applications include energy storage (e.g. lithium-ion batteries, electrochemical capacitors, fuel cells), coatings for tribological (biocompatible) interfaces and catalysis, among many others. Since the overall field is still emerging and in its early stages related to many applications, we have identified a gap in literature regarding applied research using MXenes and their hybrids.

Guest editors:

Dr. Antonio Cammarata, Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Control Engineering, Prague, Czech Republic;
Dr. Andreas Rosenkranz, University of Chile, Chile;
Dr. Carlos Figueroa, University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil

Manuscript submission information:

Therefore, our special issue aims at collecting the inputs from experts on the status, directions, and recent experimental/computational research on synthesis, fabrication and application of MXenes and their hybrids.

Important Dates:

Submission Open Date: 31/10/2024
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 30/04/2025

Keywords:

2D, materials, MXenes, hybrid materials, energy efficiency, catalysis, energy harvesting, biomedical applications, energy storage, coatings, tribology

Special Issue on Coatings and Surface Engineering for Sustainable Tribological Applications
Día de Entrega: 2025-07-15

Through the use of coatings and other surface modifications, surface engineering aims to functionalize and improve the resistance to wear and corrosion of materials used in a wide field of applications, and therefore to increase the useful life of parts, saving the energy that would be used to manufacture and replace damaged components. In tribological systems, surface phenomena such as wear, corrosion, friction and solid or liquid lubrication have a critical role to ensure the proper functioning of the system, whether it is an engine or a wind turbine. The development of new solutions to increase the energy efficiency of mechanical systems and reduce environmental impact requires the advancement of research in surface engineering and coatings, with appropriate thermal, corrosion and wear resistance for each application. Other types of coatings with low friction coefficient or functionalization to interact with lubricants for boundary lubrication have been demanded. Surface engineering and functionalized coating will be critical to reach sustainability. This Special Issue is open to everyone in the field, and includes a selection of works presented at the X National Symposium and III Latin American Meeting on Surface Engineering and Tribology, October 7 -11 2024, Queretaro, México.

Guest editors:

Martín Flores, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México;
Stephen Muhl, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Manuscript submission information:

Important Dates:

Submission Open Date: 15/07/2024
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15/07/2025

Keywords:

● Coatings for sustainability
● Hard Coatings
● Thin films to improve corrosion resistance
● Surface analysis of surface modification
● Functionalized surfaces for lubrication
● Nitriding and Boriding
● Surface deterioration by corrosion or wear phenomena
● Surface engineering and coatings for tribological applications
● Surface treatments for nonferrous alloys
● Anodizing
● Plasma assisted surface treatments

Keywords:

● Coatings for sustainability
● Hard Coatings
● Thin films to improve corrosion resistance
● Surface analysis of surface modification
● Functionalized surfaces for lubrication
● Nitriding and Boriding
● Surface deterioration by corrosion or wear phenomena
● Surface engineering and coatings for tribological applications
● Surface treatments for nonferrous alloys
● Anodizing
● Plasma assisted surface treatments

Special Issue on Women Leaders in Surface and Coatings Technology
Día de Entrega: 2025-09-30

Submissions are invited from R&D groups or labs led by female scientists, with a particular focus on promoting young female scientists, potentially as first authors.

Guest editors:

Prof. Dr. Sonia P. Brühl
Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN), Argentina, sbruhl@gmail.com 

Dr. Darina Manova
Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM), Leipzig, Germany, darina.manova@iom-leipzig.de 

Prof. Dr. Ana Sofia Clímaco Monteiro D´Oliveira
Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba/ Brazil, sofmat@ufpr.br 

Special issue information:

This initiative aims to promote gender equity in science and technology and supports the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) - to "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls." According to the latest UNESCO Institute for Statistics data, women make up less than 30% of the world's researchers, and the gender gap in patenting persists in technology and innovation.SCT Editors are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This special issue offers a chance to convey an important message to the community, not only through publication but also by opening avenues for mentoring and partnerships, encouraging young scientists to strive for ambitious goals. Promoting gender equity in science can significantly aid countries in addressing and solving complex problems.

Submissions are invited from R&D groups or labs led by female scientists, with a particular focus on promoting young female scientists, potentially as first authors. Male scientists can also contribute as co-authors. Contributions related to surface modification technologies, coatings, surface testing, modeling surface phenomena, and surface characterization, applicable to various industries, are encouraged.

Manuscript submission information:

    Submission Open Date: 18 Feburary 2025
    Submission Deadline: 30 September 2025

Manuscripts must be submitted via Surface and Coatings Technology online submission system (Editorial Manager®): Please select the article type “VSI: Women in SCT_Research Article” or "VSI: Women in SCT_Review Article" when submitting the manuscripts online.