Patent ID: 7722923

Claim:
A method for producing multifunctional materials, characterized in that the method comprises thermally treating a substrate in which at least a surface layer thereof is formed of titanium, titanium oxide, a titanium alloy, or a titanium alloy oxide by applying a combustion flame directly to a surface of the substrate so that the temperature of the surface layer is raised to 600° C. or higher, or thermally treating a surface of the substrate in an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere so that the temperature of the surface layer is raised to 600° C. or higher, to thereby provide, in the interior of the surface layer, a layer formed of forest microcolumns of titanium oxide or a titanium alloy oxide; and subsequently cutting the layer formed of the forest microcolumns in parallel with the surface layer, to thereby yield a material including the substrate and a layer formed of the titanium-oxide- or titanium-alloy-oxide-formed forest microcolumns exposed on at least a portion of the substrate, as well as a material including a thin film, numerous continuous small-width protrusions which are provided thereon, and forest microcolumns formed on the protrusions, wherein the protrusions and microcolumns are formed of titanium oxide or a titanium alloy oxide and exposed on the thin film.