The quest for increased performance in the aeronautical and aerospace industries has provided the driving force and motivation for the research, investigation, and development of advanced ceramics. Special emphasis is therefore attributed to the ability of fine ceramics to fulfill an attractive, extreme, and distinguishing combination of application requirements. This is impelled by ensuring a suitable arrangement of thermomechanical, thermoelectric, and electromechanical properties. As a result, the reliability, durability, and useful lifetime extension of a critical structure or system are expected. In this context, engineered ceramic appliances consist of three main purposes in aeronautical and aerospace fields: thermal protection systems (TPS), thermal protection barriers (TBC), and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators. Consequently, this research provides an extensive discussion and review of the referred applications, i.e., TPS, TBC, and DBD, and discusses the concept of multifunctional advanced ceramics for future engineering needs and perspectives.

The paint shop plant, as the largest energy consumer in the automotive manufacturing process, requires special attention to optimize energy efficiency and thermal management, reduce environmental impact and diminish the total costs to improve marketability. The current review covers the description of the automotive paint shop, recognition of the paint film layers, characterization of the paint spray applicators, evolution of their technology's advancement, explanation of the coating processes development, and investigation of the curing ovens thermal procedure in an automotive production stage. After systematically recalling pioneering studies dealing with the coating techniques and opening strategies, this paper focuses on reviewing recent findings conducted with improved modern methods in this subject area for higher sustainability and efficiency. Critical performance factors in developing surface durability, corrosion protectivity, paint material consumption, and environmental pollution are discussed. Focus is brought to the electrostatic spray-painting procedure flow physics understanding, particularly the complicated three-dimensional behaviors of paint droplets formation, distribution, control, and deposition on the body in constructed spray plums. Then, the baking and drying process of the produced film layer in the curing oven is precisely reviewed. The review additionally aids in the identification of knowledge gaps in the literature that should be addressed in future research.

Ice accretion is a common issue on aircraft flying in cold climate conditions. The ice accumulation on aircraft surfaces disturbs the adjacent airflow field, increases the drag, and significantly reduces the aircraft’s aerodynamic performance. It also increases the weight of the aircraft and causes the failure of critical components in some situations, leading to premature aerodynamic stall and loss of control and lift. With this in mind, several authors have begun to study the thermal effects of plasma actuators for icing control and mitigation, considering both aeronautical and wind energy applications. Although this is a recent topic, several studies have already been performed, and it is clear this topic has attracted the attention of several research groups. Considering the importance and potential of using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators for ice mitigation, we aim to present in this paper the first review on this topic, summarizing all the information reported in the literature about three major subtopics: thermal effects induced by DBD plasma actuators, plasma actuators’ ability in deicing and ice formation prevention, and ice detection capability of DBD plasma actuators. An overview of the characteristics of these devices is performed and conclusions are drawn regarding recent developments in the application of plasma actuators for icing mitigation purposes.