Three-dimensional numerical investigation of dendritic self-organizational structure growth on a nanopost surface

Nanopost arrays are generally used in applications of reflection gratings and in changing material surface wettability. Nanopost arrays can be used as a passive component to induce dendritic self-organized hierarchical architectures. In this study, through the use of a phase-field model, we performed a three-dimensional numerical simulation to demonstrate that nanopost structures affect the expanding speed of the surface of a dendritic self-organized structure in the growing path of a hierarchical structure. Additionally, we demonstrated that the nanopost array arrangement on the surface changed the hierarchical structure branching. Finally, introducing an externally applied force to the system enabled the use of a nanopost as an active component. Nanopost surroundings were determined to significantly affect the final distribution of dendritic structures and induce hierarchical structures after an external force was introduced to the system.