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 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.