AIM: To promote research on Surface Engineering at the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral levels;  create a centre for excellence in this area; and promote collaboration with other institutions and industry.

Objectives:

• Promote surface engineering as a tool to better the performance of components and systems

• Consolidate characterization and testing support

• Support sustainability of research by generating funds

• Promoting networking

• Promote postgraduate research

• Promote collaboration with industry

• Improve accessibility of literature

• Promote multidisciplinarity

• Dr Bertram Mallia (Group leader)
• Dr Joseph Buhagiar
• Dr Ing. Stephen Abela
• Prof Maurice Grech
• Dr Glenn Cassar 
• Mr Daniel Vella
• Ing. Ann Zammit

Student members:

• Mr Clayton D' Amato (PhD Student)
• Mr Malcolm Caligari Conti (PhD Student)
• Ms Jessica Aquilina (B.Eng. undergraduate student)
• Mr Mark Anthony Callus (B.Sc Chemistry with Materials undergraduate student)
• Mr Mattea Said Conti B.Sc. (B.Sc Chemistry with Materials undergraduate student)
• Mr Clayton Farrugia (BSc Chemistry with Materials undergraduate student)
• Mr Alistair Zammit (B.Eng. undergraduate student)
• Mr Clinton Tabone (B.Eng. undergraduate student)
• Mr Claude Busuttil (B.Eng. undergraduate student)
• Ms Bonnie Attard (B.Eng. undergraduate student)
  

• Prof Peter Dearnley (University of Southampton) 
• Mr Ralph Hunger (Bodycote Hardiff GmbH)
• Prof Hanshan Dong (The University of Birmingham)
• Dr Pierre Schembri-Wismayer (The Department of Anatomy)
• Dr Emmanuel Sinagra (Department of Chemistry)
  

• Abela, S. & Grech, M. (2002) The development of hard coatings for light alloys. 1st International Surface Engineering Congress and the 13th IFHTSE Congress. Columbus, Ohio.

• Abela, S. & Grech, M. (2007) IBAD crystalline alumina coatings for magnesium alloys. 16th IFHTSE Congress. Brisbane, Australia.

• Mallia, B., Dahm, K. L., Ogwu, A., Dearnley, P. A. (2007) The structure and properties of magnetron sputtered Fe-Cr-Ni coatings containing sigma phase. Plasma Processes and Polymers, 4, S113-S119
  

• Buhagiar, J., Dong, H. & Bell, T. (2007) Low Temperature Plasma Surface Alloying of Medical Grade Austenitic Stainless Steel with C & N. Surf. Eng., 23, 313-317.

• Mallia, B., Dearnley, P. A. (2007) The corrosion–wear response of Cr–Ti coatings. Wear, 2007, 263, 1-6, 679-690
  

• Buhagiar, J. P. & Dong, H. (2008) Low-Temperature Plasma Surface Modification of Medical Grade Austenitic Stainless Steel to Combat Wear and Corrosion. Key. Eng. Mat., 373-374, 296-299.

• Abela, S. & Grech, M. (2008) RIBAD deposition of TiN, on Magnesium Alloy. Key. Eng. Mat., 373-374, 100-103.

• Buhagiar, J., Li, X. Y. & Dong, H. (2009) Formation and microstructural characterisation of S-phase layers in Ni-free austenitic stainless steels by low temperature plasma surface alloying. Surf. Coat. Technol. , 204, 330-335.

• Liu, J., Qian, L.-M., Dong, H. & Buhagiar, J. (2009) Effect of surface treatment on the fretting wear behaviour of medical grade austenitic stainless steels. Journal of Tribology (In Chinese), 29, 163-167.

• Mallia, B., Stuber, M., Dearnley, P. A. (2010) The structure, properties and corrosion-wear response of magnetron sputtered Cr-B-(N) coatings. Surface modifications technology XXIII, 669-683, Chennai, India
  

• Li, X. Y., Buhagiar, J. & Dong, H. (2010) Characterisation of a dual S-phase layer on plasma carbonitrided biomedical austenitic stainless steels. Surf. Eng., 26, 72-78.

• Buhagiar, J. and H. Dong, Low-Temperature Plasma Carbonitriding of ASTM F138 and ASTM F1586 Biomedical Stainless Steels Surface Engineering. Surf. Eng., 2010. 26(4): 256-264.

• Buhagiar, J., Qian, L. & Dong, H. (2010) Surface property enhancement of Ni-free medical grade austenitic stainless steel by low-temperature plasma carburising,  Surf. Coat. Technol. , 205, 388-395.

• Abela, S. (2010) Physical vapour deposition of magnesium alloys, in: Dong, H. (Eds.), Surface engineering of light alloys: Aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge.

• Abela, S., Azzopardi, D. & Buhagiar, J. (2010) Plasma Anodizing of Magnesium Alloys, in Surface Modification Technologies, Volume 23, T.S. Sudarshan, M. Kamachi and B. Raj Editors. 2010, Valar Docs: Chennai, India, 659-668

• Buhagiar, J., Bell, T., Sammons, R. & Dong, H. (2011) Evaluation of the biocompatibility of S-phase layers on medical grade austenitic stainless steels,  Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 22(5): 1269-1278

• Abela, S. (2011)Protective Coatings for Magnesium Alloys,-Magnesium Alloys - Corrosion and Surface Treatments,, Publisher: InTech,  ISBN 978-953-307-972-1

• Zammit, A., (2011) Fatigue Performance of Shot Peened Austempered Ductile Iron, CLT 2011, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany