The aim of this subproject is to functionalize thermally sprayed coatings beyond the conventional limits, to tailor their properties, and thus to expand the application range of thermal spray coatings considerably. This requires a profound understanding of the resulting cause-effect relationships in XHV-adequate atmospheres. Once the mechanisms of particle formation, splat formation, resulting coating morphology and residual stress states are sufficiently understood, the knowledge gained can be used for the transfer to technically relevant applications.