Scalable Technique for Creating Patterned Aluminum Surfaces

A team of engineers has developed a scalable technique for fabricating topography-patterned aluminum surfaces with enhanced liquid transport properties. These surfaces are critical for anti-icing systems, self-cleaning technologies, and electronics cooling. The findings were published in Langmuir.

The research, conducted as part of the Rice-Edinburgh Strategic Collaboration Awards program, involved teams from Rice University and the University of Edinburgh. The study demonstrated the use of low-cost vinyl masking techniques to create surfaces with high-resolution wettability contrast, enabling improved phase-change heat transfer performance.

The method integrates scalable physical and chemical surface treatments with commercially available lacquer resin and blade-cut vinyl masking to produce patterned aluminum surfaces. The resulting wettability contrasts significantly improve droplet shedding during condensation.

The patterns, with feature sizes as small as 1.5 mm, exhibit a range of wettability behaviors, from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic, depending on the applied treatment.

This method represents an important step in tailored surface engineering. By enabling precise control over surface wettability and thermal properties, we are opening new doors for scalable manufacturing of advanced heat transfer surfaces.

Daniel J. Preston, Study Co-Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Rice University

The patterned aluminum surfaces were fabricated and analyzed using a multistep process. Vinyl masks were applied to polished metal surfaces, followed by two etching steps to create micro- and nanotextured regions. The resolution and wettability properties of the patterns were characterized using advanced imaging techniques.

Condensation visualization tests demonstrated enhanced droplet shedding on the patterned surfaces compared to homogeneous ones, highlighting their improved performance. Thermal emissivity mapping using infrared thermography further revealed distinct differences in emissivity between smooth and textured regions, underscoring their potential for advanced thermal management applications.

Aluminum is widely used in thermal management devices like heat exchangers due to its high conductivity, low density and low cost. Our method adds a new dimension to its functionality by integrating surface patterning that is both cost-effective and scalable, allowing engineers to fine-tune the condensation heat transfer. This work brought together expertise from Edinburgh and Rice to develop and characterize these advanced surfaces.

Geoff Wehmeyer, Study Co-Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Rice University

These findings have significant implications for industries reliant on phase-change heat transfer. In electronics cooling, enhanced droplet shedding reduces thermal resistance caused by large droplets during condensation, enabling more effective cooling solutions for data centers and electronic devices where efficient heat dissipation is critical.

Tailored thermal emissivity patterns optimize heat dissipation in high-temperature environments, benefiting applications such as automotive engines and aircraft components. Additionally, superhydrophobic zones facilitate rapid water removal, mitigating ice formation on critical surfaces such as airplane wings, wind turbines, and power lines in freezing conditions.

These advancements provide practical solutions to enhance the performance and reliability of technologies used in everyday applications.

Preston added, “Traditional methods like photolithography are typically expensive and limited to small areas. Our technique uses affordable, accessible materials to create intricate patterns on larger surfaces, making it suitable for industrial applications and a promising technique for designing next-generation condensers and heat exchangers.”

Trevor Shimokusu (Rice mechanical engineering doctoral graduate, now a faculty member at the University of Hawaii) and Hemish Thakkar (Rice graduate with a double degree in chemistry and mechanical engineering, now a doctoral student at Princeton University) are the study’s lead authors.

The Rice-Edinburgh Strategic Collaboration Award program, a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities award, and National Science Foundation grants funded this study.

Journal Reference:

Shimokusu, T. J. et. al. (2025) Mask-Enabled Topography Contrast on Aluminum Surfaces. Langmuir. doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c03891