I-Corps: Translation Potential of Functionally Graded Nickel/Titanium-Based Shape Memory Alloys and Devices with Tunable Properties

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of advanced materials and devices that can actively respond to changes in temperature, mechanical stress, and environmental conditions. By using a specialized 3D printing process, this technology enables precise control over the local properties of metallic components. The approach creates materials with tailored responses within a single, seamless component, eliminating the need for complex assemblies or extensive finishing processes. The adaptable materials and devices have the potential to benefit industries such as healthcare, aerospace, automotive, and energy, by providing reliable, compact, and customizable solutions. For instance, this technology can improve medical implants for spinal surgeries, reducing surgical invasiveness and enhancing patient outcomes, and can create robust pipe couplers that replace less reliable connections currently used in aerospace, automation, and oil and gas industries. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of functionally-graded shape memory alloys featuring precise local chemical compositions, microstructure, and mechanical behavior. The solution leverages a controlled evaporation phenomenon during the laser powder bed fusion 3-D printing process, allowing exact control of certain elemental concentrations within shape memory alloys. This precision enables the deliberate adjustment of solid-state phase transformations and mechanical properties, achieving tailored superelasticity, thermal actuation temperatures, and tunable stiffness within a single component. Unlike existing manufacturing approaches, this method avoids extensive post-processing and complex component assembly, offering scalable and reproducible material behavior across a wide temperature range. The technology provides enhanced reliability, reduced component complexity, and better multifunctionality. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.