ICMCTF 2026 Session TS3-TuA: Circular Strategies for Surface Engineering

The continuing expansion of thin-film technologies across diverse industries is intensifying the demand for reliable supply chains of high-quality target materials. At the same time, targets are frequently manufactured from scarce, geopolitically restricted, precious or energy-intensive materials, rendering conventional extract–produce–dispose supply models increasingly unsustainable. In addition, technological limitations such as an inefficient utilization of sputter targets – often at levels of only 20-40% – necessitate process innovations and direct recycling strategies to retain valuable material of spent targets in a closed loop.

This presentation explores how innovative approaches contribute to enhancing circularity across the life-cycle of target materials, reduce environmental impacts and support stable supply. We evaluate powder-technological processes with respect to repurposing industrial waste into valuable target materials or the feasibility to directly recycle and re-use spent targets in the production process. Furthermore, efficiency improvements of geometry-driven target optimization through detailed magnetic field and erosion simulations are highlighted. Finally, we present conversion technologies such as laser-ablation-based nanoparticle formation as alternative processing routes for high-value scrap material.

Selected case studies from industry and research demonstrate both the technical and ecological potential of integrating circular strategies into target production, while maintaining stringent performance requirements for advanced thin-film applications. Together, these approaches underline that improving circularity is not only feasible and impactful for target materials, but also an important aspect to future-proof thin-film manufacturing against volatility in raw material supply and environmental constraints.

Magnesium-based lightweight structural materials exhibit potential for energy savings. However, the state-of-the-art quest for novel compositions with improved properties through conventional bulk metallurgy is time, energy, and material intensive. Here, the opportunities provided by combinatorial thin film materials design for the sustainable development of magnesium alloys are evaluated. To characterize the impurity level of (Mg,Ca) solid solution thin films within grains and grain boundaries, scanning transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography are correlatively employed. It is demonstrated that control of the microstructure enables impurity levels similar to bulk-processed alloys. In order to substantially reduce time, energy, and material requirements for the sustainable development of magnesium alloys, we propose a three-stage materials design strategy:

(1) Efficient and systematic investigation of composition-dependent phase formation by combinatorial film growth.

(2) Correlation of microstructural features and mechanical properties for selected composition ranges by rapid alloy prototyping.

(3) Establishment of synthesis–microstructure–property relationships by conventional bulk metallurgy.

This work describes an extensive Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) study into the Product Life Cycle (PLC) of sustainable, recyclable, mono-material, flexible food packaging solutions for a circular economy. Comparison is drawn to existing, non-sustainable solutions. The LCA process, and in particular the establishment of life cycle inventory is discussed, drawing on primary source data and trial data from across the industry and comparing to published inventory data. The end of life of the packaging solutions will be evaluated against industry legislations and standards with improvements to be suggested.

A major aim of this work is to provide academia and industry an evaluation and best practice on how to undertake an LCA for packaging to address the overall lack of knowledge in this area.

The design of coatings for steam turbines have been based in the past on the testing different chemical compositions. In the recent years, the application of computational tools to predict most favorable chemical compositions have been applied. In this way the role of the themodynamic calculations to simulate the interaction at high pressure steam with alloy surfaces have been a successful tool to know the liquid, solid and gas phases formed in the equilibrium of the high temperature corrosion conditions. From those results the first approach of the chemical compositions of coatings have been done. Moreover, in order to validate the volatile oxyhidroxydes species formed, TG-Mass spectrometry have been applied in order to validate the computational results and to optimize the coatings compositions. At the end a LCA-Life Cycle Analysis have been perfomed in order to know the CO2-foot print and the environmental impact of the final coatings design. In order to know the combination of computational tools with experimental advanced characterization techniques, the application to uncoated and coated steels by metallic and ceramic coatings will be show.