Processing, structure and properties of polycrystalline metal films; thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions and phase transformations in thin films; microstructural evolution in reacting and transforming polycrystalline thin films; modeling of thin film reactions and phase transformations, magnetic thin films; functionally and structurally graded coatings; sputter deposition; electrodeposition; transmission and analytical electron microscopy; calorimetry and x-ray diffraction.