The micro-dimples are a specific class of surface textures that are ubiquitous in a wide range of applications where functionalities such as wetting, hydrodynamic drag reduction, and sliding friction reduction are needed. However, fabrication of the micro-dimples through the existing manufacturing techniques involves the use of complex equipment and requires relatively long cycle times. Consequently, we report here proof-of-concept of a method that enables in fabricating micro-dimples in a facile and fast manner. The industrial sieve wire masks were employed to deform metallic sheets at discrete locations by the cold rolling process. The geometry of projections on the wire masks allowed the formation of ellipsoid shaped micro-dimples in two distinct patterns on metallic sheets. The finite element modelling of process-material interactions was accurately predicted the formation of micro-dimples under different reduction ratios. We also demonstrate that the micro-dimples can be easily replicated on polymer surfaces using textured metallic moulds, which facilitates low-cost mass production in microfluidic applications. The presence of micro-dimples on polymer surfaces has led to an increase in water contact angles and resulted in a substantial drag reduction in microchannels. From the tribological viewpoint, the obtained patterns and surface area fractions of the micro-dimples are attractive. These findings provide a promising way to create textured surfaces in an economical manner, with functionalities suitable for microfluidic and tribological devices.

中文翻译：

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线掩模辅助轧制作为高通量表面微纹理化的一种经济有效的方法

微凹坑是一类特殊的表面纹理，在需要润湿、减少流体动力阻力和减少滑动摩擦等功能的广泛应用中无处不在。然而，通过现有制造技术制造微凹坑涉及使用复杂设备并且需要相对较长的循环时间。因此，我们在此报告了一种方法的概念验证，该方法能够以轻松快速的方式制造微凹坑。工业筛网掩膜用于通过冷轧工艺在离散位置使金属板变形。线掩模上投影的几何形状允许在金属片上以两种不同的图案形成椭圆形微凹坑。工艺-材料相互作用的有限元建模准确预测了不同减速比下微凹坑的形成。我们还证明，微凹坑可以使用带纹理的金属模具轻松复制到聚合物表面，这有助于微流体应用中的低成本大规模生产。聚合物表面微凹坑的存在导致水接触角的增加，并导致微通道中的阻力显着降低。从摩擦学的角度来看，所获得的微凹坑的图案和表面积分数是有吸引力的。这些发现提供了一种以经济的方式创建纹理表面的有前途的方法，其功能适用于微流体和摩擦学设备。