Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio and hierarchical micro/nanostructure arrays by a novel piezoelectrically actuated cutting system

Micro/nanostructure arrays have been broadly applied in numerous industrial fields, such as optics, antibacterial fields, and anti-corrosion. However, the highly efficient fabrication of micro/nanostructure arrays, especially the high-aspect-ratio and hierarchical micro/nanostructure arrays, remains a challenge. Motivated by this, the study designs a novel piezoelectrically actuated (PA) cutting system for fabricating this kind of micro/nanostructure array. First, the mechanical structure of the PA cutting system is designed based on the circular flexure hinge. Then, a finite element model is established to analyze its resonant frequencies and mode shapes. Next, to determine the working performances of the PA cutting system, a performance test platform is built. Finally, various micro/nanostructure arrays with two features of the high-aspect-ratio and the multilayer are fabricated, demonstrating the effectiveness and flexibility of the PA cutting system. Besides, the function of machined micro/nanostructure arrays about the corrosion property was investigated. This study provides a new approach for fabricating high-aspect-ratio and hierarchical micro/nanostructure arrays, which can be applied in industrial manufacturing and corrosion protection fields.