Tunable and Robust Nanostructuring for Multifunctional Metal Additively Manufactured Interfaces.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Metal additive manufacturing (AM) enables novel micro-/nanostructures due to unique processing phenomena and diverse alloys.
• Tailoring AM surface morphology and chemistry is crucial for advanced applications.
• Understanding grain formation mechanisms in AM is key to surface engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile method for tuning micro-/nanostructures on AM surfaces.
• To optimize surface morphology for low surface adhesion applications.
• To explore potential applications in water droplet adhesion, icing delay, and heat transfer.

Main Methods:

• Utilized understanding of grain formation mechanisms during AM.
• Developed a method for tuning micro-/nanostructures of a common AM alloy.
• Optimized surface morphology for specific functional requirements.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated reduced adhesion of water droplets on optimized AM surfaces.
• Significantly delayed icing time on functionalized AM surfaces.
• Achieved enhanced heat transfer performance for jumping-droplet condensation compared to conventional alloys.

Conclusions:

• Optimized AM surfaces offer tunable properties for reduced adhesion and improved heat transfer.
• The developed strategy provides guidelines for surface structuring applicable to other AM metals.
• Functionalized AM surfaces present significant potential for diverse engineering applications.