I/UCRC FRP: Advanced design and novel In-situ synthesis of self-cleaning and wear resistant metallic surfaces for water industry components

该提案为位于威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校（UWM）的水设备和政策中心（WEP）寻求资金。基础研究的资金申请由NSF批准的征求授权，NSF 11-570。本次招标邀请I/ ucrc提交支持行业定义基础研究的提案。关于表面微观结构与水和油润湿性之间关系的信息有限。本研究将发展微观/纳米结构特征（如晶粒尺寸、取向、织构、相组成和形态）与金属材料表面润湿性之间的关系，并规定具有最高接触角的最佳表面微/纳米结构，潜在地减少水工业中使用的部件的腐蚀、结垢和磨损。该项目对铝、黄铜、铸铁和不锈钢的表面微观结构和润湿性的了解将适用于其他合金、复合材料、聚合物和陶瓷。这项工作可能会导致成本更低的合金，只需在常规加工过程中对其表面进行修饰，而不是使用大块昂贵的合金，如不锈钢。该项目将为工业提供最佳表面微纳米结构的建议，以减少腐蚀。这项研究工作的结果将传播给水设备制造商和工业，以便他们合成这些微观结构，并在常规制造过程中使用这些部件的表面进行水运输、储存和处理。本研究成果将被纳入基础材料科学课程，包括组织性能关系和高级课程，包括腐蚀，复合材料，金属铸造，热处理和流体流动。拟议的项目工作还将培养研究生和本科生在水行业的职业生涯，这是一个日益重要的社会关注领域。

This proposal seeks funding for the Center for Water Equipment and Policy (WEP) located at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM). Funding Requests for Fundamental Research are authorized by an NSF approved solicitation, NSF 11-570. The solicitation invites I/UCRCs to submit proposals for support of industry-defined fundamental research. Limited information is available on the relationship between surface microstructure and wettability by water and oil. This research will develop relationships between micro/nanostructural features such as grain size, orientation, texture, phase composition and morphology, and the surface wettability in metallic materials, and prescribe optimum surface micro/nanostructure with highest contact angle, potentially reducing corrosion, fouling, and wear of components used in the water industry. The understanding of surface microstructure and wettability generated by this project using aluminum, brasses, cast iron and stainless steels will be applicable to other alloys, composites, polymers and ceramics. The proposed work could lead to lower cost alloys with only their surface modified during conventional processing instead of using bulk expensive alloys like stainless steels. This project will make recommendations to industry for optimum surface micro and nanostructure to minimize corrosion. The result of this research work will be disseminated to the manufacturers of water equipment and industries for them to synthesize these microstructures and use the surfaces of these components for water transport, storage and treatment during conventional manufacturing. The results of this research will be incorporated in basic materials science courses dealing with structure property relationships and advanced courses including corrosion, composites, metal casting, heat treatment and fluid flow. The proposed project work will also train graduate and undergraduate students for careers in the water industry, an increasingly important area of social concern.