ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY/JUNE 2025 1 1 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY NEW METHOD MAKES ALUMINUM TRANSPARENT Researchers at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines are exploring new ways to make transparent aluminum oxide (TAlOx) because current methods are expensive and complicated, requiring high-powered lasers, vacuum chambers, or large acid vats. TAlOx is extremely hard and scratch-resistant, so it is often used as a protective coating on electronics, optical sensors, and solar panels. Instead of immersing sheets of metal into acidic solutions, the scientists and that is not something you can physically see—you kind of infer it based on how it interacts with its neighbors or how it interacts in its environment,” says researcher Paul Chiarot. “With electrospray, the material it spits out has a high electric charge, and that charge accumulates on the surface as the material is depositing. Measuring the accumulation and decay of that charge is very difficult to do experimentally.” A $517,969 grant from the National Science Foundation will bring together faculty from Binghamton and the University at Buffalo to integrate experiments, computational modeling, and machine learning methods to develop a comprehensive framework for the electrospray deposition process. Current use of electrospray deposition involves what Chiarot jokingly calls a “shakeand-bake process” to narrow down results until an optimal product is produced. “Right now, we have to do some trial and error to get the ideal characteristics for the film,” he explains. “We’d like to use the AI tools and modeling to know exactly how we need to operate our process to achieve those desirable characteristics.” If successful, Chiarot believes the models could be used for more than electrospray. binghamton.edu. placed microdroplets of an acidic solution onto small aluminum surfaces and applied an electric current. Just two volts of electricity was all that was needed to transform the metal into glass-like TAlOx. This droplet-scale anodization pro- cess is simpler than existing methods and also more environmentally friendly. The technique relies on electrowetting in which an electric field changes the properties of a liquid droplet, allowing precise control over the anodization process. The new approach could make TAlOx cheaper and more accessible for applications in everything from touchscreens and lenses to highly durable coatings for vehicles and buildings. The researchers say it could also lead to advances in miniaturized electronics, as scientists now have a way to convert metal surfaces into insulating and transparent layers on a microscopic scale. ateneo.edu. MAKING MICROSCOPICALLY THIN FILMS Researchers at Binghamton University, New York, are trying to perfect the low-cost method of electrospray deposition to make microscopically thin polymer films. They say the process could have applications in everything from electronics manufacturing to healthcare, for example by eliminating corrosion in mobile phone components or preventing bacterial buildup on medical implants. However, one obstacle limiting the adoption of electrospray is the difficulty in consistently applying it to the required specifications. Studying the process at a microscopic scale is also difficult. “The role of electric charge in the process is really important, A research team led by City University of Hong Kong is building on their work on the first-ever supranano magnesium alloy, showing how supranano engineering can lead to higher strength and ductility in bulk structural materials. doi.org/10.1126/ science.adr4917. BRIEF Transparent aluminum oxide was made by researchers in their lab in the Philippines. Courtesy of Budlayan et al., 2025. Microscopic view of a polyimide coating applied with electrospray deposition on bond wire used in electronics packaging. Courtesy of Binghamton University.
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