Abstract:         Electroplating and surface finishing, which belongs in the category of electrochemical industry, is an ancient science having a long history and playing an important role in many fields of the national economy, for instance, machinery manufacturing, power electronics, instrumentation and aerospace. However, researches and developments in electroplating and surface finishing have been significantly impeded due to the resources constraints and environmental concerns. It is, therefore, urgent for the general electroplating scientists and engineers with unremitting efforts to develop new technologies and new processes to meed the new demands in order to relieve the pressures in resources and environments.
　　The disciplinary of electroplating and surface finishing covers a variety of fields including electroplating, electroless plating, anodizing, phosphating, passivation, and electrolysis. The common developing directions toward new technologies related to those areas are: (1) the preparation of surface layers with more excellent performances, namely, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, conductivity, weldability, stability; (2) the use of solutions containing less complex, lower toxic or nontoxic, and less expensive chemical compositions; (3) the application of more simplified operation process for achieving more convenient maintenance and management; (4) the decrease in production costs, and consumptions of power and heat; (5) the reduction or suppression in the production process for the emissions of waste water, waste gas and waste residue as far as possible to make an environment more friendly.
        In recent years, the researches in electroplating and surface finishing technology have been developed rapidly. From the aspects of green and environmental protections, new technologies such as trivalent chromium electroplating, cyanide free electroplating and chromium free passivation have been explored. In addition, electrodepositions of rare metals and their alloys from molten salts electrolytes and electrodepositions of special functional materials from ionic liquids electrolytes have also been studied. In terms of research methods, besides the traditional electrochemical techniques and surface analysis technologies, quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations have been applied to optimize compositions of electrolytes and to predict the properties. Electroplating and surface finishing technologies have already broken through the traditional realm, making more and more wide applications in the manufactures of functional materials and nano materials.　　
　　Combining with the above research directions, I am glad to present in this special issue the latest publications, which are written by six distinguished professors in the fields. These publications include: two papers related to electroplating titled “Deposition Mechanism and Coating Characterization for the Trivalent Chromium Electrodeposition in Sulphate Electrolyte” and “Preparation and Characterization of Titanate-Phosphate Passivation Film on Tinplate", one paper related to metal surface modification titled “Superhydrophobic Surface on Aluminum Alloy by Hydrothermal Method and Its Electrochemical Performance”, two papers related to electroplating of nano materials titled “Preparation and Properties of Nanocrystalline Nickel by Pulse Electrodeposition on Glassy Carbon” and “Electrodeposition of CIGS Thin Film with Special Structure Using Laser Etching Template”; and one paper related to ionic liquid electroplating titled “Surface Ehancement of Nickel Ions on Cyanide Free Immersion Gold Deposited from a Chloroauric Acid-Choline Chloride Solution on Medium-Phosphorus Nickel”.
       I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the participants, authors, reviewers, and editorial staffs of Journal of Electrochemistry for their excellent and professional contributions to this special issue.