Researchers develop nano-structured aluminium surface having multiple applications: DST
New Delhi, July 28
A group of researchers have developed a nano-structured, self-cleaning, sustainable aluminium surface that can have multiple applications ranging from biomedical to aerospace and automobiles to household appliances, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Wednesday.
Aluminium is a light metal having multiple industrial applications as it can be easily cast, machined and shaped.
However, atmospheric degradation due to the accumulation of contaminants and humidity significantly limits its performance and sustainability. Besides, the leaching of aluminium also causes environmental and health-related issues.
To overcome these problems, Harpreet Singh Grewal, Harpreet Singh Arora and Gopinath Perumal, researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Sajal Kumar Ghosh and Priya Mandal from the Department of Physics of Shiv Nadar University have jointly developed the nano-structured aluminium surfaces that show immense mechanical, chemical, and thermal durability restricting corrosion and leaching effects.
A Raman spectrometer obtained through the Fund for Improvement of Science & Technology Infrastructure (FIST) project of the DST has been used to carry out this work. This result is reported in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
The researchers utilised “a simple and environment-friendly fabrication route” to develop it, the DST said in a statement. “It could have multiple applications ranging from biomedical to aerospace and automobiles to household appliances, and the process is easily scalable to industrial-level production,” the DST said.
“This self-cleaning surface is stable over a wide range of temperature, from minus 80 to 350 degrees Celsius, improving its corrosion resistance property. In fact, it shows 40 times reduction in the corrosion rate when compared to the existing surfaces developed by other processing routes,” Grewal said.
Because of their nano-structured morphology coated with hydrocarbons, these surfaces are capable of reducing bacterial adhesion and growth to a great extent and hence can be used in healthcare and medical devices, including dental implants and heart assistive devices, Ghosh explained. PTI
