Non-Equilibrium Growth of Thin Films: Metastability, Defect Engineering and Emergent Functionalities

Thin film growth under non-equilibrium conditions has become a key strategy for engineering materials with properties that cannot be achieved under thermodynamic equilibrium. Advanced deposition techniques such as pulsed laser deposition, magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, and plasma-assisted processes enable precise control over energetic species, deposition kinetics, and surface processes. These conditions frequently promote the stabilization of metastable phases, unconventional crystallographic orientations, and high concentrations of defects or dopants that are otherwise difficult to achieve in bulk materials.As a consequence, thin films synthesized far from equilibrium often display unique structural, optical, electronic, and magnetic properties. Understanding how kinetic processes during growth influence the resulting structure and functionality has therefore become a central topic in modern materials science and thin film engineering.The goal of this Research Topic is to explore how non-equilibrium growth processes can be harnessed to design and control advanced functional thin films. Despite significant progress in thin film deposition techniques, a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between growth kinetics, defect formation, and resulting material properties remains a major challenge.Non-equilibrium synthesis offers unique opportunities to stabilize metastable phases, engineer defect structures, control dopant incorporation, and tailor microstructural features that strongly influence the physical properties of materials. These effects are particularly relevant for semiconductors, oxides, nitrides, chalcogenides, magnetic materials, and emerging multifunctional systems.This Research Topic aims to provide a platform for discussing recent advances and new perspectives in non-equilibrium thin film synthesis and its impact on next-generation materials and devices. We welcome articles addressing the synthesis, characterization, and theoretical understanding of thin films grown under non-equilibrium conditions.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Non-equilibrium thin film deposition techniques (PLD, sputtering, MBE, plasma-assisted growth, laser processing)• Stabilization of metastable phases and unconventional crystal orientation• Defect engineering and dopant incorporation during growth• Plasma-surface interactions and energetic particle effects• Growth kinetics and microstructural evolution in thin films• In situ diagnostics and advanced characterization techniques• Modeling and simulations of non-equilibrium growth processes• Functional properties of thin films for electronics, photonics, energy and environmental Topic editors: José Quiñones, Inam Mirza Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81948/non-equilibrium-growth-of-thin-films-metastability-defect-engineering-and-emergent-functionalities