Coatings are the basis of surface treatment and surface finishing to apply many functions, such as hardness, conductivity, adhesiveness, wettability, and anti-corrosion. Coating technology consists of thin and thick films, as well as surfaces and interfaces. Coating materials can consist of metal, ceramic, polymer, composite, and nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotube. Coating for materials can be processed via a dry process using a vacuum, spray or via a wet process using a solution such as plating. The applications of coating vary widely, e.g., airplane, ship, automobile, electronics, batteries, sensors, building, environmental, biofouling, and health medical devices, and it is believed that coating technology can play a significant role in improving our quality of life.

As you know, metallic or non-metallic coatings are increasingly used in a variety of fields, in order to obtain functional surfaces characterized by: high hardness, wear resistance, electrical and thermal properties, anti-friction, anti-microbial, bio-compatibility, chemical stability, etc. The use of some innovative installations for some adequate materials introduced directly into the process, or through using different techniques, as well as rigorous control of process parameters allows for obtaining of qualitative coatings with excellent physical, chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties. This fact allows for the use of the obtained coatings in the following industries: automobiles, aeronautics and aerospace, chemicals, nuclear, mining, textiles, and energy, as well as in medical applications, in energy conversion, and in storage processes.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest news and to promote additional research in the fields of coatings that are obtained by cold spraying, thermal spraying including experimental characterization and theoretical calculations. All original papers, case studies, review articles, and communications are welcome.

In particular, the topic of interest includes but is not limited to

(1) Fundamentals and new concepts of a coating technologies;

(2) Modelling and simulation of processes for obtaining metallic or non-metallic coatings;

(3) Relations between process parameters and deposit properties;

(4) Theoretical and experimental studies on the phenomena that are developing at the coating-substrate interface;

(5) The effect of the coatings on the properties of the substrate;

(6) New directions in the design and production of hard coatings, resistant to wear and corrosion, type thermal barrier coatings (TBC), layers used in medical applications (biocompatible) or in energy production or storage phenomena;

(7) New coatings used to control and minimize the friction phenomenon (self-lubricating);

(8) Tribological coatings used for extreme operating conditions, for example, for high / low temperatures, aggressive environments etc.;

(9) Study of the phenomena of friction and wear of tribological deposits;

(10) Biomaterials coatings applied, but not limited, to Ti-based alloys, CoCr alloys, and stainless steels;

(11) Functional coatings obtained by different deposition processes: cold spray, chemical, electro-chemical, thermal spraying, PVD, CVD, Spin-coating etc.;

(12) The behavior in operation of the functional coatings obtained by various new deposition techniques (case studies)

(13) New methods of investigation, testing and characterization of coatings;

(14) Techniques for post-processing the surface of the coatings, in order to improve the properties of the coatings, such as: heat treatment, severe plastic deformation, thermo-mechanical treatment, etc.

(15) Any other aspects related to the functional coatings obtained by different techniques (chemical, electro-chemical, thermal spraying, PVD, CVD, Spin-coating etc.).