Topic: Advanced Functional Thin Films for Energy Conversion, Storage, and Thermal Management

Thin films are key functional components in modern energy materials and devices, where interfacial engineering plays a critical role in determining overall performance, efficiency, and stability. They enable precise regulation of charge transport, thermal transport, optical response, and chemical stability, and are widely employed in batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, and thermal management–related energy systems. In recent years, rapid advances in infrared-transparent conductive thin films, low-emissivity coatings, multilayer architectures, gradient structures, and high-entropy designs have driven a significant transition of thin films from conventional structure-regulating layers to multifunctional, integrated energy materials, enabling increasingly important roles in energy conversion and storage technologies.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress in the design, fabrication, characterization, and application of advanced functional thin films for energy-related technologies. We particularly encourage contributions focusing on interfacial engineering, novel thin-film materials (including multicomponent, nanostructured, and hybrid systems), advanced deposition techniques, and computationally guided design strategies. By integrating fundamental understanding with practical device implementation, this issue seeks to advance the development of functional thin films toward high-performance and sustainable energy conversion, storage, and thermal management applications.

Energy conversion, energy storage, thermal management, interface engineering, thin films, infrared regulation