Thin Film Coatings: Fundamentals and Advancements (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781032804507)

Lokeswar Patnaik is an Assistant Professor (Grade II) in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the National Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (NIAMT), Ranchi, India. He obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Silchar, India, where his research focused on advanced materials and tribology, following an M.E. from Osmania University, India and a B.Tech from NIT Silchar. His research interests lie in surface engineering, thin films, mechanical characterization, and the tribological performance of materials. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and has also secured several patents on innovative machine designs, polishing attachments, and material testing devices.

Sunil Kumar is an Assistant Professor (Senior Grade) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Chennai campus, India. He holds a Diploma, B.Tech, M.E., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and has cultivated academic and professional experience through both teaching and industry engagements. His research interests include surface modification, thin films, tribology, additive manufacturing of tool steels, machining of hard materials, as well as advanced methodologies such as multi-criteria decision-making, optimization, and fuzzy systems. He has published extensively in reputed journals, contributed book chapters, and actively reviews for international scientific journals. Dr. Kumar is also an inventor, holding multiple Indian patents that reflect his focus on practical innovation in mechanical engineering and manufacturing technologies.

Magdalena Lępicka is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Materials and Production Engineering in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Bialystok University of Technology, Poland. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Nanodevices Research Group at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Braga, Portugal, before advancing through teaching and research roles at her current institution. Her research focuses on tribology, surface engineering, and the performance of advanced materials, with applications spanning composites, coatings, and dental biomaterials. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on topics such as functional fillers in glass-ionomer cements and the effects of hydrothermal fatigue on restorative dental materials. In recognition of her innovative work, Dr. Lępicka received nearly PLN 1.3 million in funding from the National Science Centre under the prestigious SONATA 20 competition to advance her research. Beyond her academic contributions, she serves as a topic and guest editor for various reputed journals.

Saikat Ranjan Maity is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Jamshedpur, India, and is also associated with NIT Silchar, India. He holds a PhD in Engineering from Jadavpur University, India, along with an M.Tech. in Materials Engineering and a B.Tech. in Production Engineering. Dr. Maity's academic and research career spans advanced manufacturing processes, industrial engineering, materials science, optimisation, and the application of decision-making and soft computing techniques in engineering problems. He has published extensively in reputed international journals, conferences, and edited volumes, contributing significantly to the field of mechanical and production engineering. Before joining NIT Silchar, he worked as a Lecturer and later Assistant Professor at the Haldia Institute of Technology and also served as a Research Scientist on a collaborative project sponsored by the Ministry of Steel and TATA Steel, focusing on fatigue behaviour of welded and bonded high-strength steel joints.