Osteoblast Behavior on Hierarchical Micro-/Nano-Structured Titanium Surface

In the present work, osteoblast behavior on a hierarchical micro-/nano-structured titanium surface was investigated. A hi- erarchical hybrid micro-/nano-structured titanium surface topography was produced via Electrolytic Etching （EE）. MG-63 cells were cultured on disks for 2 h to 7 days. The osteoblast response to the hierarchical hybrid micro-/nano-structured titanium surface was evaluated through the osteoblast cell morphology, attachment and proliferation. For comparison, MG-63 cells were also cultured on Sandblasted and Acid-etched （SEA） as well as Machined （M） surfaces respectively. The results show signifi- cant differences in the adhesion rates and proliferation levels of MG-63 cells on EE, SLA, and M surfaces. Both adhesion rate and proliferation level on EE surface are higher than those on SLA and M surfaces. Therefore, we may expect that, comparing with SLA and M surfaces, bone growth on EE surface could be accelerated and bone formation could be promoted at an early stage, which could be applied in the clinical practices for immediate and early-stage loadings.

Preparation of micro/nano-structured ceramic coatings on Ti6Al4V alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation process

In order to improve the osseointegration and antibacterial activity of titanium alloys,micro/nano-structured ceramic coatings doped with antibacterial element F were prepared by plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)process on Ti6Al4V alloy in NaF electrolyte.The influence of NaF concentration(0.15-0.50 mol/L)on the PEO process,microstructure,phase composition,corrosion resistance and thickness of the coatings was investigated using scanning/transmission electron microscopy,energy dispersive spectroscopy,atomic force microscopy,X-ray diffractometer,and potentiodynamic polarization.The results demonstrated that Ti6Al4V alloy had low PEO voltage(less than 200 V)in NaF electrolyte,which decreased further as the NaF concentration increased.A micro/nano-structured coating with 10-15μm pits and 200-800 nm pores was formed in NaF electrolyte;the morphology was different from the typical pancake structure obtained with other electrolytes.The coating formed in NaF electrolyte had low surface roughness and was thin(<4μm).The NaF concentration had a small effect on the phase transition from metastable anatase phase to stable rutile phase,but greatly affected the corrosion resistance.In general,as the NaF concentration increased,the surface roughness,phase(anatase and rutile)contents,corrosion resistance,and thickness of the coating first increased and then decreased,reaching the maximum values at 0.25 mol/L NaF.

Effect of Micro-Dimples on Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Textured Sinusoidal Roughness Surfaces

Surface texturing has been applied to improving the tribological performance of mechanical components for many years. Currently, the researches simulate the film pressure distribution of textured rough surfaces on the basis of the average flow model, and however the influence of roughness on the film pressure distribution could not be precisely expressed. Therefore, in order to study the hydrodynamic lubrication of the rough textured surfaces, sinusoidal waves are employed to characterize untextured surfaces. A deterministic model for hydrodynamic lubrication of microdimple textured rough surfaces is developed to predict the distribution of hydrodynamic pressure. By supplementing with the JFO cavitation boundary, the load carrying capacity of the film produced by micro-dimples and roughness is obtained. And the geometric parameters of textured rough surface are optimized to obtain the maximum hydrodynamic lubrication by specifying an optimization goal of the load carrying capacity. The effect of roughness on the hydrodynamic pressure of surface texture is significant and the load carrying capacity decreases with the increase of the roughness ratio because the roughness greatly suppresses the hydrodynamic effect of dimples. It shows that the roughness ratio of surface may be as small as possible to suppress the effect of hydrodynamic lubrication. Additionally,there are the optimum values of the micro-dimple depth and area density to maximize the load carrying capacity for any given value of the roughness ratio. The proposed approach is capable of accurately reflects the influence of roughness on the hydrodynamic pressure, and developed a deterministic model to investigate the hydrodynamic lubrication of textured surfaces.

Robustness and precision evaluation of the form error of micro-structured surfaces using real coded genetic algorithm

To obtain the form error of micro-structured surfaces robustly and accurately, a form er- ror evaluation method was developed based on the real coded genetic algorithm （RCGA）. The meth- od employed the average squared distance as the matching criterion. The point to surface distance was achieved by use of iterative method and the modeling of RCGA for the surface matching was also presented in detail. Parameter selection for RCGA including the crossover rate and population size was discussed. Evaluation results of series simulated surfaces without form error show that this method can achieve the accuracy of root mean square deviation （ Sq ） less than 1 nm and surface pro- file error （ St ） less than 4 nm. Evaluation of the surfaces with different simulated errors illustrates that the proposed method can also robustly obtain the form error with nano-meter precision. The e- valuation of actual measured surfaces further indicates that the proposed method is capable of pre- cisely evaluating micro-structured surfaces.

Shape gradient and classical gradient of curvatures:driving forces on micro/nano curved surfaces

Recent experiments and molecule dynamics simulations have shown that adhesion droplets on conical surfaces may move spontaneously and directionally. Besides, this spontaneous and directional motion is independent of the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the conical surfaces. Aimed at this important phenomenon, a gen- eral theoretical explanation is provided from the viewpoint of the geometrization of micro/nano mechanics on curved surfaces. In the extrinsic mechanics on micro/nano soft curved surfaces, we disclose that the curvatures and their extrinsic gradients form the driving forces on the curved spaces. This paper focuses on the intrinsic mechanics on micro/nano hard curved surfaces and the experiment on the spontaneous and directional motion. Based on the pair potentials of particles, the interactions between an isolated particle and a micro/nano hard curved surface are studied, and the geometric foundation for the interactions between the particle and the hard curved surface is analyzed. The following results are derived： （a） Whatever the exponents in the pair potentials may be, the potential of the particle/hard curved surface is always of the unified curvature form, i.e., the potential is always a unified function of the mean curvature and the Gaussian curvature of the curved surface. （b） On the basis of the curvature-based potential, the geometrization of the micro/nano mechanics on hard curved surfaces may be realized. （c） Similar to the extrinsic mechanics on micro/nano soft curved surfaces, in the intrinsic mechanics on micro/nano hard curved surfaces, the curvatures and their intrinsic gradi- ents form the driving forces on the curved spaces. In other words, either on soft curved surfaces or hard curved surfaces and either in the extrinsic mechanics or the intrinsic mechanics, the curvatures and their gradients are all essential factors for the driving forces on the curved spaces. （d） The direction of the driving force induced by the hard curved surface is independent of the hydrophilieity and hydrophobicity of the curved surface, explaining the experimental phenomenon of the spontaneous and directional motion.

The 18.3% Silicon Solar Cells with Nano-Structured Surface and Rear Emitter

A nano-structured surface is formed on the pyramid structure of n-type silicon solar cells by size-controlled silver nano-particle assisted etching. Such a nano-structure creates a front average weighted reflectance of less than 2.5% in the 300-1200nm range due to the broadband reflection suppression. The sodium hydroxide is used to obtain the low-area surface by post-etching the nano-structure, thus the severe carrier recombination associated with the nano-structured surface could be reduced. After emitter forming, screen printing and firing by means of the industrial fabrication protocol, an 18.3%-efficient nano-structured silicon solar cell with rear emitter is fabricated. The process of fabricating the solar cells matches well with industrial manufacture and shows promising prospects.

Modelling of the In uence of Tool Runout on Surface Generation in Micro Milling

Micro milling is a flexible and economical method to fabricate micro components with three-dimensional geometry features over a wide range of engineering materials. But the surface roughness and micro topography always limit the performance of the machined micro components. This paper presents a surface generation simulation in micro end milling considering both axial and radial tool runout. Firstly, a surface generation model is established based on the geometry of micro milling cutter. Secondly, the influence of the runout in axial and radial directions on the surface generation are investigated and the surface roughness prediction is realized. It is found that the axial runout has a significant influence on the surface topography generation. Furthermore, the influence of axial runout on the surface micro topography was studied quantitatively, and a critical axial runout is given for variable feed per tooth to generate specific surface topography. Finally, the proposed model is validated by means of experiments and a good correlation is obtained. The proposed surface generation model o ers a basis for designing and optimizing surface parameters of functional machined surfaces.

Stainless steel anisotropic superhydrophobic surfaces fabrication with inclined cone array via laser ablation and post annealing treatment

Metal superhydrophobic surfaces with anisotropic wettability and adhesion have become more and more important due to their promising applications. Herein, we report a new fabrication strategy through a combination of pulsed laser ablation and low-temperature annealing post-processing. An inclined cone structure array is made on stainless steel surfaces, and then 120 °C low-temperature annealing is applied. Such surface displays excellent mechanical durability and anisotropic superhydrophobicity. It is demonstrated experimentally that the contact angle of water droplets on the surface is different along the parallel(167° ±2°) and perpendicular directions(157° ±2°) of the inclined cone structure. The sliding behaviors of water droplets and mechanical durability of the inclined cone structures are studied. These surfaces obtained in a short time with environmentally friendly fabrication can be applied in industries for water harvesting, droplet manipulation, and pipeline transportation.

Frequency equations of nonlocal elastic micro/nanobeams with the consideration of the surface effects

A nonlocal elastic micro/nanobeam is theoretically modeled with the consideration of the surface elasticity, the residual surface stress, and the rotatory inertia,in which the nonlocal and surface effects are considered. Three types of boundary conditions, i.e., hinged-hinged, clamped-clamped, and clamped-hinged ends, are examined. For a hinged-hinged beam, an exact and explicit natural frequency equation is derived based on the established mathematical model. The Fredholm integral equation is adopted to deduce the approximate fundamental frequency equations for the clamped-clamped and clamped-hinged beams. In sum, the explicit frequency equations for the micro/nanobeam under three types of boundary conditions are proposed to reveal the dependence of the natural frequency on the effects of the nonlocal elasticity, the surface elasticity, the residual surface stress, and the rotatory inertia, providing a more convenient means in comparison with numerical computations.

Simple Fabrication of Hierarchical Micro/Nanostructure Superhydrophobic Surface with Stable and Superior Anticorrosion Silicon Steel via Laser Marking Treatment

To improve the weak corrosion resistance of silicon steel to acid solution and alkaline solution with high temperature,a stable hierarchical micro/nanostructure superhydrophobic surface with myriad irregular micro-scale hump and sheet-like nanostructure was successfully prepared on silicon steel by a simple,efficient and facile operation in large-area laser marking treatment.The morphology,composition,wettability of the as-prepared surface were studied.The superhydrophobic performance of the surface was investigated as well.Additionally,the corrosion resistance of the superhydrophobic surface to acidic solutions at room temperature and alkaline solutions at high temperature (80 ℃) was carefully explored.The corrosion resistance mechanism was clarified.Moreover,considering the practical application of the surface in the future,the hardness of the hierarchical micro/nanostructure superhydrophobic surface was studied.The experimental results indicate that the hierarchical micro/nanostructure surface with texture spacing of 100 μm treated at laser scanning speed of 100 mms/ presents superior superhydrophobicity after decreasing surface energy.The contact angle can be as high as 156.6°.Additionally,the superhydrophobic surface provide superior and stable anticorrosive protection for silicon steel in various corrosive environments.More importantly,the prepared structure of the surface shows high hardness,which ensures that the surface of the superhydrophobic surface cannot be destroyed easily.The surface is able to maintain great superhydrophobic performance when it suffers from slight impacting and abrasion.

Surface finish of micro punch with ion beam irradiation

Ion beam irradiation was adopted for surface treatment of the micro punch manufactured by precision machining.Ar plasma was used for the ion irradiation process,which was generated by the electron cyclotron resonance(ECR)equipment.The surface finish processes of micro punch were carried out at irradiation angles of 45°and 10°,respectively.The surface roughness and topography were measured to estimate the quality of surface finish.The results show that the ion irradiation is very effective to reduce the surface roughness,which can be improved more significantly at irradiation angle of 10°than at 45°.The technology of surface finish with ion beam irradiation is suitable for the surface treatment of micro die.

Modeling of rough surfaces with given roughness parameters

Modeling of rough surfaces with given roughness parameters is studied,where surfaces with Gaussian height distribution and exponential auto-correlation function(ACF) are concerned.A large number of micro topography samples are randomly generated first using the rough surface simulation method with FFT.Then roughness parameters of the simulated roughness profiles are calculated according to parameter definition,and the relationship between roughness parameters and statistical distribution parameters is investigated.The effects of high-pass filtering with different cut-off lengths on the relationship are analyzed.Subsequently,computing formulae of roughness parameters based on standard deviation and correlation length are constructed with mathematical regression method.The constructed formulae are tested with measured data of actual topographies,and the influences of auto-correlation variations at different lag lengths on the change of roughness parameter are discussed.The constructed computing formulae provide an approach to active modeling of rough surfaces with given roughness parameters.

Generating micro/nanostructures on magnesium alloy surface using ultraprecision diamond surface texturing process

The lightness and high strength-to-weight ratio of the magnesium alloy have attracted more interest in various applications.However,micro/nanostructure generation on their surfaces remains a challenge due to the flammability and ignition.Motivated by this,this study proposed a machining process,named the ultraprecision diamond surface texturing process,to machine the micro/nanostructures on magnesium alloy surfaces.Experimental results showed the various microstructures and sawtooth-shaped nanostructures were successfully generated on the AZ31B magnesium alloy surfaces,demonstrating the effectiveness of this proposed machining process.Furthermore,sawtooth-shaped nanostructures had the function of inducing the optical effect and generating different colors on workpiece surfaces.The colorful letter and colorful flower image were clearly viewed on magnesium alloy surfaces.The corresponding cutting force,chip morphology,and tool wear were systematically investigated to understand the machining mechanism of micro/nanostructures on magnesium alloy surfaces.The proposed machining process can further improve the performances of the magnesium alloy and extend its functions to other fields,such as optics.

Study on manufacturing freeform surface parts in micro EDM based on skin effect theory

Micro fabrication of freeform surface parts made of hard and brittle materials is always a tough job in micro machining field. This paper tries to fabricate freeform surface feature by using smooth surface of tool electrode after tool wear in micro EDM. According to the skin effect theory, the tool end shape in the stage of uniform wear can be changed by adjusting the frequency of discharge pulse. The electrical energy distributing rule of tool electrode section in RC circuit has been investigated under the influence of skin effect, and the law of spark location change has been summarized. The experimental studies demonstrate that different shapes of tool ends can be achieved by varying the pulse frequencies of discharge power supply. Additionally, a micro part of freeform surface feature with high precision and good surface quality has been successfully obtained by micro EDM through adopting the smooth surface after tool wear.

Modeling and Evaluating of Surface Roughness Prediction in Micro-grinding on Soda-lime Glass Considering Tool Characterization

The current research of micro-grinding mainly focuses on the optimal processing technology for different materials. However, the material removal mechanism in micro-grinding is the base of achieving high quality processing surface. Therefore, a novel method for predicting surface roughness in micro-grinding of hard brittle materials considering micro-grinding tool grains protrusion topography is proposed in this paper. The differences of material removal mechanism between convention grinding process and micro-grinding process are analyzed. Topography characterization has been done on micro-grinding tools which are fabricated by electroplating. Models of grain density generation and grain interval are built, and new predicting model of micro-grinding surface roughness is developed. In order to verify the precision and application effect of the surface roughness prediction model proposed, a micro-grinding orthogonally experiment on soda-lime glass is designed and conducted. A series of micro-machining surfaces which are 78 nm to 0.98 ~tm roughness of brittle material is achieved. It is found that experimental roughness results and the predicting roughness data have an evident coincidence, and the component variable of describing the size effects in predicting model is calculated to be 1.5x 107 by reverse method based on the experimental results. The proposed model builds a set of distribution to consider grains distribution densities in different protrusion heights. Finally, the characterization of micro-grinding tools which are used in the experiment has been done based on the distribution set. It is concluded that there is a significant coincidence between surface prediction data from the proposed model and measurements from experiment results. Therefore, the effectiveness of the model is demonstrated. This paper proposes a novel method for predicting surface roughness in micro-grinding of hard brittle materials considering micro-grinding tool grains protrusion topography, which would provide significant research theory and experimental reference of material removal mechanism in micro-grinding of soda-lime glass.

Microscopic degradation mechanism of polyimide film caused by surface discharge under bipolar continuous square impulse voltage

Polyimide （PI） film is an important type of insulating material used in inverter-fed motors. Partial discharge （PD） under a sequence of high-frequency square impulses is one of the key factors that lead to premature failures in insulation systems of inverter-fed motors. In order to explore the damage mechanism of PI film caused by discharge, an aging system of surface discharge under bipolar continuous square impulse voltage （BCSIV） is designed based on the ASTM 2275 01 standard and the electrical aging tests of PI film samples are performed above the partial discharge inception voltage （PDIV）. The chemical bonds of PI polymer chains are analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and the dielectric properties of unaged and aged PI samples are investigated by LCR testers HIOKI 3532-50. Finally, the micro-morphology and micro-structure changes of PI film samples are observed through scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that the physical and chemical effects of discharge cut off the chemical bonds of PI polymer chains. The fractures of ether bond （C-O-C） and imide ring （C-N-C） on the backbone of a PI polymer chain leads to the decrease of molecular weight, which results in the degradation of PI polymers and the generation of new chemical groups and materials, like carboxylic acid, ketone, aldehydes, etc. The variation of microscopic structure of PI polymers can change the orientation ability of polarizable units when the samples are under an AC electric field, which would cause the dielectric constant e to increase and dielectric loss tan ~ to decrease. The SEM images show that the degradation path of PI film is initiated from the surface and then gradually extends to the interior with continuous aging. The injection charge could result in the PI macromolecular chain degradation and increase the trap density in the PI oolvmer bulk.

Study on Surface Roughness in Micro Milling of Single Crystal Materials

Micro milling is a machining method of high precision and efficiency for micro components and features.In order to study the surface quality of single crystal materials in micro milling,the two-edged cemented carbide tool milling cutter with 0.4 mm diameter was used,and the orthogonal experiment was completed on the micro-milling of single crystal aluminum material.Through the analysis of statistical results,the primary and secondary factor which impacting on surface quality were found as follows:spindle speed,feed rate,milling depth.The ideal combination of optimized process parameters were obtained,when the spindle speed was 36000 r/min,the milling depth was 10μm,the feed rate was 80μm/s,which made the milling surface roughness is 0.782μm and minimal.Single crystal materials removal mechanism were revealed,and the influence of cutting parameters on micro-milling surface were discussed,the reason of tool wear was analyzed.Those provide a certain theoretical and experimental basis for micro milling of single crystal materials.

Effects of Loading Rate on Flexural-tension Properties and Uniaxial Compressive Strength of Micro-surfacing Mixture

The major objective of this research was to discuss the effects of loading rate on the flexural-tension properties and uniaxial compressive strength of micro-surfacing mixture using three-point bending test and uniaxial compressive test respectively. As a preventive maintenance surface treatment on asphalt pavement, micro-surfacing was formed on the basis of the ISSA recommendation of an optimum micro-surfacing design. Tests were conducted over a wide range of temperature to investigate the difference of properties from low loading rate to a relatively high loading rate. Three-point bending test was used to study the flexural strength, strain and modulus of micro-surfacing mixture, and uniaxial compressive test was carried out to obtain the relationship between strength and the loading rate as well as temperature. The experimental results showed that flexural strength at high loading rate was larger than that at low loading rate. The flexural strength difference between low and high loading rate enlarged when the temperature rose. The flexural strain at high loading rate increased compared with results of the low loading rate. Results of the flexural modulus revealed that micro-surfacing mixture exhibited better anti-cracking characteristic at low temperature when given a relatively low loading rate. Results of uniaxial compressive test revealed that the strength difference of micro-surfacing among different loading rates increased with the increase of temperature. The logarithm relationship between the strength and loading rate over a wide range of temperature was obtained to compare the experimental and predicted values, which resulting in a reasonable consistency.

Compounded Surface Modification of ZK60 Mg Alloy by High Current Pulsed Electron Beam+Micro-plasma Oxidation

In this study, compounded surface modification technology-high current pulsed electron beam （HCPEB） ＋ micro-plasma oxidation （MPO） was applied to treat ZK60 Mg alloys. The characteristics of the microstructure of ZK60 Mg alloy after single MPO and HCPEB＋MPO compounded treatment were investigated by SEM. The results showed that the density of the ceramic layer of HCPEB＋MPO-treated ZK60 Mg alloy was improved and defects were reduced compared to that under MPO treatment alone. Surface modified layer of ZK60 Mg alloys treated by HCPEB＋MPO was divided into three zones, namely the top loose ceramic zone, middle compact zone and inside HCPEB-induced melted zone. Corrosion resistance of ZK60 Mg alloy before and after the compounded surface modification was measured in a solution of 3.5% NaCl by potentiodynamic polarization curves. It was found that the corrosion current density of ZK60 Mg alloys could be reduced by about three orders of magnitude, from 311μA/cm^2 of the original sample to 0.2μA/cm^2 of the HCPEB＋MPO-treated sample. This indicates the great application potential of the HCPEB＋MPO compounded surface modification technology in improving the corrosion resistance of ZK60 Mg alloys in the future.

Rutting Resistance of HMA Rehabilitated with Micro-Surfacing

The work presented here is a study on the measurement and prediction of the rutting resistance of previously rutted asphalt mixes rehabilitated with a layer of micro-surfacing manufactured with virgin and recycled aggregates at different stages of aging. The experimental procedure consisted of rutting tests on hot mix asphalt slabs already degraded and repaired with virgin and recycled micro-surfacing. Then, the evolution of the behavior of micro-surfacing cast on the hot mix asphalt slabs is observed according to loading cycles of the pavement rutting tester MLPC. Before rutting tests, slabs are subjected to 24 hours at 50&degC and aged for 2 days and 5 days at 85&degC in the oven. The results showed rutting percentages of 6.3% for hot mix asphalt slabs aged for 2 days and 7.2% for 5 days. These hot mix slabs repaired with virgin micro-surfacing have rutting percentage of about 9.2 % for 2 days of aging and 6.5% for 5 days of aging. While, the HMA slabs repaired with recycled micro-surfacing have rutting percentage of about 8.1% for 2 days of aging and 5.9% for 5 days of aging. These results allowed the development of a prediction model based essentially on three predictor variables including cycle number, rutting state and percentage of water in the micro-surfacing material. The developed model shows a strong correlation between the predicted rutting values and the rutting values measured with the MLPC rut tester. Thermal aging in oven has a positive impact on the resistance to permanent deformation of new asphalt mixes and those rehabilitated with micro-surfacing. The parameters of rutting state and contribution water are significant in the rutting prediction model, while the cycle number remains a non-significant parameter in the model but determinant.