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Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films and Interfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 11065

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science, Transilvania University of Brasov - Romania, 29 Eroilor blvd., 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: surface engineering (diffusion processes, coatings and thin-films deposition, surfaces tribology); solid-phase transformation; heat treatment; materials characterization
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Guest Editor
Centre of Physics (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: physics; condensed matter; plasma; materials science; thin films

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We kindly invite you to submit your recent works for a forthcoming Special Issue on “Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications”. Research works providing insights on coatings and thin films regarding their preparation and characterization are the main targets of this Special Issue, namely in what concerns physical, chemical, electrical, optical, electrochemical, mechanical, tribological, and magnetic properties. Research works on protection, sensing, catalytic, and bio-related behaviors and responses are welcome in this issue. Contributions on physical, chemical, and biological processes and phenomena at surfaces and/or interfaces are also welcome.

With the progress of nanotechnology and production methods, coatings today are becoming incredibly attractive materials due to the possibility for them to have a unique combination of very different properties, which may respond to a wide variety of demands and requirements, but also to an attractive set of characteristics that are economically desirable, e.g., being lighter, cheaper, more durable, and more versatile than most bulk materials. Excellent biocompatibility and thermal, electrical, chemical, and mechanical properties, together with tribological response optimization, are among some of the most attractive properties that it is possible to tailor into different kinds of coating systems and synthesis methods.

The achievement of these properties in a single coating system is the motivation behind several on-going research activities, with the combination of some of them being the driving force behind the improvement of several materials or devices and the focus of several ongoing research projects to develop what one may call new materials or multifunctional coating materials.

Several attractive multifunctional properties can be further improved and tailored by nanostructuring the coating’s structural and morphological features. Nanostructured coating materials are emerging as potential candidates to be used as multifunctional materials in applications such as decorative, protective, biomaterials, (bio)sensing, nanoelectronics, etc. In recent years, considerable research has been focused on the design and production of these nanoscale materials, focusing on the control of the particular composition and morphological and structural features in order to tailor their physical, chemical, and other properties, which may allow new and/or improved responses to a set of requirements for a given application or device.

Synthesis methods such and physical- and/or chemical-based vapor deposition methods are well-known techniques that are commonly used, but recently, several other methods, including hybrid ones, have been used to prepare these multifunctional coating materials, allowing a wide range of possibilities to tailor a particular coating system to respond to a desired set of requirements. By creating new properties, functional and multifunctional coatings can meet the most difficult standards of users, especially in high-tech industries.

Considering this growing need for multifuctionality in order to respond to the increasing demands of industry and materials/device responses, this Special Issue aims to collect articles reporting on recent developments dealing with preparative methods, design, properties, structure, characterization, as well as promising applications of multifunctional coatings.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Munteanu
Prof. Dr. Filipe Vaz
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • multifunctional coatings and thin films
  • synthesis
  • simulation and modeling
  • structure, morphology, and properties
  • materials engineering
  • characterization tools and techniques
  • multilayered and composite 2D materials
  • hybrid structures
  • applications
  • nanostructures and nanomaterials
  • energy harvesting
  • multifunctionality
  • surface plasmons and plasmonics
  • sensors
  • decorative coatings
  • graphene

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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15 pages, 4817 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of Thermally Treated Ti-6Al-7Nb Dental Alloy
by Iosif Hulka, Nestor R. Florido-Suarez, Julia C. Mirza-Rosca and Adriana Saceleanu
Materials 2022, 15(11), 3813; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15113813 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1754
Abstract
Ti and its alloys have the most satisfactory properties for biomedical applications due to their specific strength, high corrosion resistance, and high biocompatibility. Ti-6Al-7Nb has been approved for clinical use, proving to be a viable replacement for the Ti-6Al-4V alloy that has been [...] Read more.
Ti and its alloys have the most satisfactory properties for biomedical applications due to their specific strength, high corrosion resistance, and high biocompatibility. Ti-6Al-7Nb has been approved for clinical use, proving to be a viable replacement for the Ti-6Al-4V alloy that has been used for many decades in medical applications. In our study, the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy underwent heat treatment, was cooled in various cooling media such as mineral oil and water, and was then quenched in the oven. The microstructure was investigated, and the mechanical characterization was carried out by Vickers microhardness test. Young’s modulus measurements and tensile tests were performed in order to study the effect of cooling media on the material. To study the corrosion behavior, in vitro studies were performed on the Ti-6Al-7Nb samples in simulated body conditions by using artificial saliva. It was observed that the martensitic phase changed as a function of cooling media, and a less intensive cooling medium decreases strength properties’ indicators as well as hardness values. The results emphasize that the use of heat treatment improves the passive layer’s resistance in the presence of artificial saliva. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications)
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17 pages, 7135 KiB  
Article
Wettability and Surface Roughness Analysis of Laser Surface Texturing of AISI 430 Stainless Steel
by Edit Roxana Moldovan, Carlos Concheso Doria, José Luis Ocaña, Liana Sanda Baltes, Elena Manuela Stanciu, Catalin Croitoru, Alexandru Pascu, Ionut Claudiu Roata and Mircea Horia Tierean
Materials 2022, 15(8), 2955; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15082955 - 18 Apr 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3257
Abstract
Due to its wide applicability in industry, devising microstructures on the surface of materials can be easily implemented and automated in technological processes. Laser Surface Texturing (LST) is applied to modify the chemical composition, morphology, and roughness of surfaces (wettability), cleaning (remove contaminants), [...] Read more.
Due to its wide applicability in industry, devising microstructures on the surface of materials can be easily implemented and automated in technological processes. Laser Surface Texturing (LST) is applied to modify the chemical composition, morphology, and roughness of surfaces (wettability), cleaning (remove contaminants), reducing internal stresses of metals (hardening, tempering), surface energy (polymers, metals), increasing the adhesion (hybrid joining, bioengineering) and decreasing the growth of pathogenic bacteria (bioengineering). This paper is a continuation and extension of our previous studies in laser-assisted texturing of surfaces. Three different patterns (crater array-type C, two ellipses at 90° overlapping with its mirror-type B and 3 concentric octagons-type A) were applied with a nanosecond pulsed laser (active medium Nd: Fiber Diode-pumped) on the surface of a ferritic stainless steel (AISI 430). Micro texturing the surface of a material can modify its wettability behavior. A hydrophobic surface (contact angle greater than 90°) was obtained with different variations depending on the parameters. The analysis performed in this research (surface roughness, wettability) is critical for assessing the surface functionality, characteristics and properties of the stainless steel surface after the LST process. The values of the surface roughness and the contact angle are directly proportional to the number of repetitions and inversely proportional to the speed. Recommendations for the use of different texturing pattern designs are also made. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications)
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12 pages, 4736 KiB  
Article
Improving the Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in ZnO and Low-Doped ZnO:Ag Films Using GLAD Sputtering
by Marcio A. Correa, Armando Ferreira, Raphael M. Tromer, Leonardo D. Machado, Matheus Gamino, Sergio A. N. França Junior, Felipe Bohn and Filipe Vaz
Materials 2021, 14(18), 5337; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185337 - 16 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2174
Abstract
ZnO and doped ZnO films with non-ferromagnetic metal have been widely used as biosensor elements. In these studies, the electrochemical measurements are explored, though the electrical impedance of the system. In this sense, the ferromagnetic properties of the material can be used for [...] Read more.
ZnO and doped ZnO films with non-ferromagnetic metal have been widely used as biosensor elements. In these studies, the electrochemical measurements are explored, though the electrical impedance of the system. In this sense, the ferromagnetic properties of the material can be used for multifunctionalization of the sensor element using external magnetic fields during the measurements. Within this context, we investigate the room-temperature ferromagnetism in pure ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO films presenting zigzag-like columnar geometry. Specifically, we focus on the films’ structural and quasi-static magnetic properties and disclose that they evolve with the doping of low-Ag concentrations and the columnar geometry employed during the deposition. The magnetic characterization reveals ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature for all studied samples, including the pure ZnO one. By considering computational simulations, we address the origin of ferromagnetism in ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO and interpret our results in terms of the Zn vacancy dynamics, its substitution by an Ag atom in the site, and the influence of the columnar geometry on the magnetic properties of the films. Our findings bring to light an exciting way to induce/explore the room-temperature ferromagnetism of a non-ferromagnetic metal-doped semiconductor as a promising candidate for biosensor applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications)
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13 pages, 3024 KiB  
Article
Structural, Mechanical, and Decorative Properties of Sputtered TiN and Ti (N, C) Films for Orthodontic Applications; an In Vitro Study
by Victor Suciu, Armando Ferreira, Marcio A. Correa, Filipe Vaz and Daniel Munteanu
Materials 2021, 14(18), 5175; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185175 - 9 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1929
Abstract
In this paper, we explore and modify the structural, mechanical, and decorative properties of films composed by TiN and Ti (N, C) with a wide range of N2 gas flow during the deposition in order to be used on orthodontic systems. The [...] Read more.
In this paper, we explore and modify the structural, mechanical, and decorative properties of films composed by TiN and Ti (N, C) with a wide range of N2 gas flow during the deposition in order to be used on orthodontic systems. The films were grown using reactive DC magnetron sputtering from a pure Ti target and customized with C pellets onto Si and stainless steel 316L substrates. The structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, while the mechanical ones were obtained through hardness, elastic modulus, and friction coefficient. Moreover, the wear rate has been measured under an artificial saliva medium to simulate the oral cavity. The color of the films deposited onto stainless steel 316 L substrate was characterized through CIELab color code. Our findings show that the addition of N2 and C in the Ti matrix improves the mechanical properties of the films. With the increase in the amount of N2 and C, the hardness reaches a value of 739 HV, higher than the one reported in the literature (600 HV), a low value of the coefficient of elasticity (8.0 GPa), and also a low friction coefficient (0.30). Moreover, with the addition of N2 and C in the Ti films, the color of the films changes from metallic aspect until “with” gold, which means that our coatings exhibit versatile mechanical and color characteristics to be used in orthodontic wires applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications)
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