Francis Y. Asare Baffour

Teaching assistant @University of Toledo|| Mechanical engineering Graduate Student(MSc)||Materials Science engineer|| Additive manufacturing

Meet Francis Y. Asare Baffour

I am a materials and mechanical engineering researcher with a strong interest in advanced materials, additive manufacturing, and process–structure–property relationships.

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. My undergraduate research focused on the development and characterization of natural-fibre-reinforced composite materials, providing me with foundational experience in materials processing, testing, and microstructural characterization.

I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toledo, USA. My research focuses on the additive manufacturing of NiTi-based shape memory alloys containing Cu and Hf using Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing. I investigate how powder characteristics, binder saturation, sintering conditions, and post-processing treatments influence densification, microstructure, phase evolution, and functional performance.

A major aspect of my work involves designing tailored heat-treatment cycles to control phase transformation behavior, improve superelasticity, reduce transformation hysteresis, and enhance the functional stability of NiTi-based shape memory alloys for advanced engineering and elastocaloric applications.

My broader research interests include:

•⁠ ⁠Additive manufacturing processes, including Binder Jetting, Selective Laser Melting, and Directed Energy Deposition

•⁠ ⁠Processing and characterization of metals, shape memory alloys, ceramics, and composite materials

•⁠ ⁠High-entropy and complex-concentrated alloys

•⁠ ⁠Refractory alloys and materials for extreme environments

•⁠ ⁠Heat treatment, sintering, densification, and phase transformations

•⁠ ⁠Microstructure–property relationships and alloy design

•⁠ ⁠Computational materials engineering, including CALPHAD, first-principles modelling, and microstructure simulation

Francis T. Asare Baffour
Current Institution: University of Toledo

Coordinator | fyabaffour@ubuntursp.com