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The COATINGS 2026 Conference, jointly organised by EXELISIS and MDPI, was successfully concluded in Athens, Greece, and took place from 20 to 22 April 2026. The conference brought together the international coatings community for three days of scientific exchange, networking, and discussion on recent advances and future directions in coatings science, sustainable materials, and high‑performance surface technologies.
The conference was chaired by three distinguished experts:
– Prof. Dr. Luca Magagnin, “Giulio Natta” Department of Chemistry, Materials & Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
– Prof. Dr. Eugenia (Éva) Valsami‑Jones, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
– Dr. Alexandros Zoikis Karathanasis, Creative Nano, Greece
Their leadership helped ensure a high scientific standard and a balanced, interdisciplinary programme throughout the event.
COATINGS 2026 welcomed over 120 participants from academia, industry, and policy, featuring a comprehensive scientific programme with more than 50 oral presentations and over 50 poster presentations, organised across 10 thematic sessions. These sessions covered a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from metallic and metal‑matrix composite coatings, organic and hybrid systems, and surface finishing for additive manufacturing, to thin‑film technologies, AI‑driven tools and simulations, Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approaches, and the phase‑out of substances of concern from the surface‑finishing industry.
In addition to the oral programme, the conference featured two full days of poster sessions, providing an interactive forum for in‑depth discussion and knowledge exchange. The scientific agenda was complemented by a series of networking and social activities, including a welcome cocktail on 20th of April and a gala dinner on 21st of April, which created an open and engaging environment for strengthening professional relationships and fostering collaboration across projects and sectors.
COATINGS 2026 offered a vibrant platform for interdisciplinary dialogue, highlighting emerging research trends, industrial challenges, and innovation opportunities while reinforcing the importance of sustainability and SSbD principles in the future of surface technologies.
The full Conference Programme and Conference Book are available at: https://sciforum.net/event/Coatings2026?section=#conference_book
EXELISIS and MDPI sincerely thank all speakers, participants, and partners whose contributions made COATINGS 2026 a successful and impactful event.
