The International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF) is recognized as the premier international conference on thin film deposition, characterization, and advanced surface engineering. It provides a forum and networking venue for scientists, engineers, and technologists from academia, government laboratories, and the private sector. Attendees from around the world gather to present their findings, exchange ideas, share insights, make new friends, renew old acquaintances, and establish collaborations. ICMCTF typically attracts over 500 attendees, featuring approximately 35 oral technical sessions and a well-attended Thursday evening poster session.
ICMCTF 2026 will have seven technical symposia covering synthesis processes, materials (four symposia), advanced characterization, modeling, digitalization, and industrial applications, and three topical sessions featuring materials, methods, and applications that focus our attention on ‘Surface Engineering: Shaping Future materials’, which is the overarching theme of ICMCTF 2026. The conference will open on Monday morning with Professor Pulickel M. Ajayan from Rice University, Texas, US, delivering a plenary lecture entitled “Nano-Engineered Materials: Heterostructures and Composites.” Other notable highlights of the meeting will include our Keynote Lectures, which highlight the importance of surface engineering for industrial motion components and biomedical applications.
In addition to the technical program, the conference features a two-day industrial exhibition showcasing the latest equipment, materials, and services used for the deposition, monitoring, and characterization of coatings and thin films. The exhibition, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21-22, will be open to the public. Additionally, a Career Center will be available, where organizations can post job openings and conduct interviews with candidates for positions throughout the week. An educational program of Short Courses (ICMCTF Academy) will be offered throughout the week.
Each year, the R.F. Bunshah and Bill Sproul Award Laureates, along with three outstanding Graduate Student Award winners, are celebrated during a special convocation ceremony held on Wednesday, April 22, in the late afternoon, followed by a festive reception in the evening. Additionally, we hope to see many of the major leaders from previous years’ conferences.
ICMCTF will again publish excellent scientific and technical work, after peer review, in the Elsevier journals Surface and Coatings Technology (IF = 6.1) and Vacuum (IF = 3.9). We encourage authors to submit manuscripts by July 2026. The papers will be open access for 12 months after publication.
The Town and Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center, located in sunny San Diego, California, will serve as the official conference venue, providing a relaxing atmosphere for discussions and networking among attendees.
We welcome your participation and look forward to receiving your abstract by the submission deadline, October 27, 2025!
Sandra E. Rodil Peter Kelly
2026 Program Chair 2026 General Chair
