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Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) has been an interesting and growing field in recent years since its beginnings in the mid-1990s. During that time, nanoimprinting has undergone significant changes and developments and nowadays is a technology used in R&D labs and industrial production processes around the world. One of the exciting things about nanoimprinting process is its remarkable versatility and the broad range of applications. This reprint includes ten articles, which represent a small glimpse of the challenges and possibilities of this technology. Six contributions deal with nanoimprint processes aiming at specific applications, while the other four papers focus on more general aspects of nanoimprint processes or present novel materials. Several different types of nanoimprint processes are used: plate-to-plate, roll-to-plate, and roll-to-roll. Plate-to-plate NIL here also includes the use of soft and flexible stamps. The application fields in this reprint are broad and can be identified as plasmonics, superhydrophibicity, biomimetics, optics/datacom, and life sciences, showing the broad applicability of nanoimprinting. The sections on the nanoimprint process discuss filling and wetting aspects during nanoimprinting as well as materials for stamps and imprinting.

Technology: general issues --- nanoimprint lithography --- polymer --- formulation development --- surface chemistry --- click chemistry --- plasmons --- Bragg SPPs --- angle of incidence --- grating --- organic solar cell --- ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography --- durability --- anisotropy --- contact angle --- line and space --- high aspect ratio micro-structure --- roll-to-plate nanoimprint lithography --- superhydrophobic --- oleophobic --- biomimetic surface --- large-area patterning --- negligible residual layer --- partial cavity filling --- guiding chart --- defect avoidance --- hydrodynamic instabilities --- T-NIL --- UV-NIL --- el-UV-NIL --- el-T-NIL --- optical planar waveguides --- roll-to-plate R2P nanoimprinting --- UV-curable polymers --- inorganic-organic hybrid polymer --- optical losses --- SmartNIL --- R2R UV-NIL --- neuronal cell assay --- nanoimprint lithography (NIL) --- undercut features --- master --- Blu-Ray patterning --- reactive ion etching --- biomimetics --- morpho butterfly --- n/a

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Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) has been an interesting and growing field in recent years since its beginnings in the mid-1990s. During that time, nanoimprinting has undergone significant changes and developments and nowadays is a technology used in R&D labs and industrial production processes around the world. One of the exciting things about nanoimprinting process is its remarkable versatility and the broad range of applications. This reprint includes ten articles, which represent a small glimpse of the challenges and possibilities of this technology. Six contributions deal with nanoimprint processes aiming at specific applications, while the other four papers focus on more general aspects of nanoimprint processes or present novel materials. Several different types of nanoimprint processes are used: plate-to-plate, roll-to-plate, and roll-to-roll. Plate-to-plate NIL here also includes the use of soft and flexible stamps. The application fields in this reprint are broad and can be identified as plasmonics, superhydrophibicity, biomimetics, optics/datacom, and life sciences, showing the broad applicability of nanoimprinting. The sections on the nanoimprint process discuss filling and wetting aspects during nanoimprinting as well as materials for stamps and imprinting.

Technology: general issues --- nanoimprint lithography --- polymer --- formulation development --- surface chemistry --- click chemistry --- plasmons --- Bragg SPPs --- angle of incidence --- grating --- organic solar cell --- ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography --- durability --- anisotropy --- contact angle --- line and space --- high aspect ratio micro-structure --- roll-to-plate nanoimprint lithography --- superhydrophobic --- oleophobic --- biomimetic surface --- large-area patterning --- negligible residual layer --- partial cavity filling --- guiding chart --- defect avoidance --- hydrodynamic instabilities --- T-NIL --- UV-NIL --- el-UV-NIL --- el-T-NIL --- optical planar waveguides --- roll-to-plate R2P nanoimprinting --- UV-curable polymers --- inorganic-organic hybrid polymer --- optical losses --- SmartNIL --- R2R UV-NIL --- neuronal cell assay --- nanoimprint lithography (NIL) --- undercut features --- master --- Blu-Ray patterning --- reactive ion etching --- biomimetics --- morpho butterfly --- nanoimprint lithography --- polymer --- formulation development --- surface chemistry --- click chemistry --- plasmons --- Bragg SPPs --- angle of incidence --- grating --- organic solar cell --- ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography --- durability --- anisotropy --- contact angle --- line and space --- high aspect ratio micro-structure --- roll-to-plate nanoimprint lithography --- superhydrophobic --- oleophobic --- biomimetic surface --- large-area patterning --- negligible residual layer --- partial cavity filling --- guiding chart --- defect avoidance --- hydrodynamic instabilities --- T-NIL --- UV-NIL --- el-UV-NIL --- el-T-NIL --- optical planar waveguides --- roll-to-plate R2P nanoimprinting --- UV-curable polymers --- inorganic-organic hybrid polymer --- optical losses --- SmartNIL --- R2R UV-NIL --- neuronal cell assay --- nanoimprint lithography (NIL) --- undercut features --- master --- Blu-Ray patterning --- reactive ion etching --- biomimetics --- morpho butterfly

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This book contains the articles collected for the Special Issue entitled "Micro-nano Surface Functionalization of Materials and Thin Films for Optical Applications" in the journal Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). These selected articles provide a meaningful overview of recent advances and concepts beyond the state-of-the-art regarding surface functionalization of materials and deposition of thin films to be used in optical applications. The aim was to cover all relevant aspects of the topic (simulation, design, fabrication, characterization and applications) with a special emphasis on non-conventional methods for surface modification of materials, combinations of mature fabrication routes with emerging technologies (i.e., additive manufacturing) and large-area fabrication concepts to pave the way to an industrial utilization of the developed materials. This overview comprises the recent work of reputed scientists from Germany, Austria, Spain and India on: - New developments on the scale-up deposition of transparent conductive materials by magnetron sputtering,- Design of hierarchical surface structures at different scale lengths for nanoimprinting of optical nano- and micro-structures, - Non-conventional preparation of rutile-type TiO2 films at room temperature for optical applications on heat-sensitive substrates, - Design of spectrally selective solar absorber coatings based on computational simulation and ellipsometry measurements.

Research & information: general --- reactive magnetron sputtering --- transparent conductive oxide --- electronic transport --- doping efficiency --- tin dioxide --- Nanoimprint lithography --- UV-NIL --- reversal NIL --- liquid transfer imprint lithography --- hierarchical structures --- optical micro- and nanostructures --- ITO thin films --- magnetron sputtering --- low temperature deposition --- oxygen flow --- microstructure --- optoelectronic properties --- transparent heaters --- titanium oxide films --- filtered cathodic vacuum arc --- rutile --- optical coatings --- spectrally selective absorber --- multilayer stack --- spectroscopic ellipsometry --- optical constants --- simulation --- reactive magnetron sputtering --- transparent conductive oxide --- electronic transport --- doping efficiency --- tin dioxide --- Nanoimprint lithography --- UV-NIL --- reversal NIL --- liquid transfer imprint lithography --- hierarchical structures --- optical micro- and nanostructures --- ITO thin films --- magnetron sputtering --- low temperature deposition --- oxygen flow --- microstructure --- optoelectronic properties --- transparent heaters --- titanium oxide films --- filtered cathodic vacuum arc --- rutile --- optical coatings --- spectrally selective absorber --- multilayer stack --- spectroscopic ellipsometry --- optical constants --- simulation

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Despite its limitation in terms of surface covered area, the PLD technique still gathers interest among researchers by offering endless possibilities for tuning thin film composition and enhancing their properties of interest due to: (i) the easiness of a stoichiometric transfer even for very complex target materials, (ii) high adherence of the deposited structures to the substrate, (iii) controlled degree of phase, crystallinity, and thickness of deposited coatings, (iv) versatility of the experimental set-up which allows for simultaneous ablation of multiple targets resulting in combinatorial maps or consecutive ablation of multiple targets producing multi-layered structures, and (v) adjustment of the number of laser pulses, resulting in either a spread of nanoparticles, islands of materials or a complete covering of a surface. Moreover, a variation of PLD, known as Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation, allows for deposition of organic materials, ranging from polymers to proteins and even living cells, otherwise difficult to transfer unaltered in the form of thin films by other techniques. Furthermore, the use of laser light as transfer agent ensures purity of films and pulse-to-pulse deposition allows for an unprecedented control of film thickness at the nm level. This Special Issue is a collection of state-of-the art research papers and reviews in which the topics of interest are devoted to thin film synthesis by PLD and MAPLE, for numerous research and industry field applications, such as bio-active coatings for medical implants and hard, protective coatings for cutting and drilling tools withstanding high friction and elevated temperatures, sensors, solar cells, lithography, magnetic devices, energy-storage and conversion devices, controlled drug delivery and in situ microstructuring for boosting of surface properties.

Technology: general issues --- thin films --- matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation --- shellac --- enteric coatings --- PLD --- ITO --- nanoimprint lithography --- coatings --- nanostructure --- iron oxide --- pulsed laser deposition --- aluminum nitride --- nanoindentation testing --- TEM imaging --- FTIR spectroscopy --- ellipsometry --- complex refractive index --- composite coatings --- MAPLE --- Lactoferrin --- macrophage interactions --- animal-origin calcium phosphate coatings --- natural hydroxyapatite --- doping --- high adherence --- pulsed laser deposition technique --- biomimetic applications --- target preparation --- room temperature ferromagnetism --- dilute magnetic semiconductor --- Indium oxide --- (InFe)2O3 --- PLD films --- energy storage --- thin-film electrodes --- thin-film solid electrolyte --- lithium microbatteries --- calcium phosphate-based coatings --- synthetic and natural hydroxyapatite --- in vivo testing --- biomedical applications --- n/a

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Despite its limitation in terms of surface covered area, the PLD technique still gathers interest among researchers by offering endless possibilities for tuning thin film composition and enhancing their properties of interest due to: (i) the easiness of a stoichiometric transfer even for very complex target materials, (ii) high adherence of the deposited structures to the substrate, (iii) controlled degree of phase, crystallinity, and thickness of deposited coatings, (iv) versatility of the experimental set-up which allows for simultaneous ablation of multiple targets resulting in combinatorial maps or consecutive ablation of multiple targets producing multi-layered structures, and (v) adjustment of the number of laser pulses, resulting in either a spread of nanoparticles, islands of materials or a complete covering of a surface. Moreover, a variation of PLD, known as Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation, allows for deposition of organic materials, ranging from polymers to proteins and even living cells, otherwise difficult to transfer unaltered in the form of thin films by other techniques. Furthermore, the use of laser light as transfer agent ensures purity of films and pulse-to-pulse deposition allows for an unprecedented control of film thickness at the nm level. This Special Issue is a collection of state-of-the art research papers and reviews in which the topics of interest are devoted to thin film synthesis by PLD and MAPLE, for numerous research and industry field applications, such as bio-active coatings for medical implants and hard, protective coatings for cutting and drilling tools withstanding high friction and elevated temperatures, sensors, solar cells, lithography, magnetic devices, energy-storage and conversion devices, controlled drug delivery and in situ microstructuring for boosting of surface properties.

Technology: general issues --- thin films --- matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation --- shellac --- enteric coatings --- PLD --- ITO --- nanoimprint lithography --- coatings --- nanostructure --- iron oxide --- pulsed laser deposition --- aluminum nitride --- nanoindentation testing --- TEM imaging --- FTIR spectroscopy --- ellipsometry --- complex refractive index --- composite coatings --- MAPLE --- Lactoferrin --- macrophage interactions --- animal-origin calcium phosphate coatings --- natural hydroxyapatite --- doping --- high adherence --- pulsed laser deposition technique --- biomimetic applications --- target preparation --- room temperature ferromagnetism --- dilute magnetic semiconductor --- Indium oxide --- (InFe)2O3 --- PLD films --- energy storage --- thin-film electrodes --- thin-film solid electrolyte --- lithium microbatteries --- calcium phosphate-based coatings --- synthetic and natural hydroxyapatite --- in vivo testing --- biomedical applications --- thin films --- matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation --- shellac --- enteric coatings --- PLD --- ITO --- nanoimprint lithography --- coatings --- nanostructure --- iron oxide --- pulsed laser deposition --- aluminum nitride --- nanoindentation testing --- TEM imaging --- FTIR spectroscopy --- ellipsometry --- complex refractive index --- composite coatings --- MAPLE --- Lactoferrin --- macrophage interactions --- animal-origin calcium phosphate coatings --- natural hydroxyapatite --- doping --- high adherence --- pulsed laser deposition technique --- biomimetic applications --- target preparation --- room temperature ferromagnetism --- dilute magnetic semiconductor --- Indium oxide --- (InFe)2O3 --- PLD films --- energy storage --- thin-film electrodes --- thin-film solid electrolyte --- lithium microbatteries --- calcium phosphate-based coatings --- synthetic and natural hydroxyapatite --- in vivo testing --- biomedical applications