27th IFHTSE CONGRESS & EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON HEAT TREATMENT 2022

Surface Engineering has a long history and is one of the very few fields that has an extremely rich heritage coupled with ongoing evolution and adaptation and expansion into new areas and application. This process has evolved through many empirical trials and practices and some as an intricate art form. Surface engineering has been practiced by artisans for many centuries and by many civilizations with their own unique signatures. However, the concepts, approaches and the execution have never been well documented or commercially exploited; primarily because it was treated as the work of a single creator. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the significant implications that Surface Engineering has had in society and the most recent impact it has had technologically along with several significant contributions from chemistry Some examples of how nature has adapted and provided inspiration for many applications and the new technologies available to characterize and replicate them through various engineering methods will provide optimism for the challenges that lie ahead. Finally, I will attempt to show my view of where surface engineering can go, its vast and untapped potential, the tremendous impact it can have on growing economies and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the future generations of scientists and engineers