Surface interactions and modifications have become increasingly critical for a broad range of manufacturing technologies. Applications can be in traditional manufacturing sectors and in manufacturing processes for microelectronics, optics, and micro-/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). Many applications demand engineered surfaces at different length scales that will function under extreme conditions. The goal of this book is to advance understanding of these diverse applications. In the field of tribological coatings, the increasing sophistication of coating processes to provide control over materials and composition gradients is being exploited to tailor properties such as adhesion, stresses, thermal barrier and wear resistance. Understanding the influence of nanostructure in coatings has become pivotal in the development of hard and wear-resistant materials. Modeling and simulation continue to make contributions to the understanding and predication of surface properties and surface interactions. Advances in this field have focused on the microstructure and organization of organic thin films. In tribology, the combination of modeling, with experimental probe techniques, is increasing our understanding of erosion and wear mechanisms.
