Surface Engineering

Surface technology is a truly interdisciplinary topic in materials science. Nearly every component - no matter if it is made of steels, metals, alloys, ceramics or plastics - is coated prior to its application. Integration of protective coatings into the design of complex components becomes ever more important and there is a strong demand for novel coating processes, comprising surface modification and deposition. Modern coatings are under development, which can meet several functional requirements simultaneously, e.g. transparent and electrically conductive coatings for display applications. A special feature of this book is the part on laser surface treatment, which enhances surface properties of metals, polymers and ceramics.