Research Areas

From Micro to Nano

By exploring processing-structure relationships in a variety of small-scale additive techniques, our group is enabling 3D printing of complex nanostructured materials. Primarily using Hydrogel Infusion Additive Manufacturing (HIAM) and Electrohydrodynamic Redox Printing (EHD-RP) processes, we are working to push the boundaries in…

  • Sustainable manufacturing of nanotechnologies by reducing energy, waste, and toxicity
  • Fundamental knowledge of materials and nanostructure formation under AM conditions
  • The materials design space form alloys and ceramics to semiconductors, glasses, and composites.

Additive Manufacturing

Current Projects

Multi-material Printing

This area focuses on developing new strategies for functionally graded materials at the nanoscale and spatial control of chemistry in nano-AM.

Projects in this area are currently ongoing.

Nucleation, Growth, and Microstructural Control

This area focuses on understanding how we go from metal ions to nanostructured materials.

Projects in this area are currently ongoing.

3D Printing Technology Development

To further push the bounds from resolution to speed, accuracy, and complexity, new technological development are critical in nanoscale AM. This engineering research area is focused on technological development and understanding the fundamental principals behind nanoscale AM device design.

This project is currently ongoing.

Grain Boundaries and Interfaces

Our group is interested in examining structure-property relationships in nanostructured materials to provide a deeper understanding of mechanical deformation and insights for future design of advanced structural materials. Focused at the intersection of AM and micro/nanomechanical characterization, we are investigating…

  • Solute and dopant contributions to mechanical behavior at grain boundaries and interfaces
  • Deformation mechanisms to enable robust, long-lasting materials which extend component lifetime
  • Size-based effects in nanocrystalline materials
  • AM-enable high throughput testing of device-relevant mechanical loading for complex, heterogeneous nanostructures

Micro/Nano-mechanics

Current Projects

Mechanical Behavior of Interfaces and Heterogeneous Nanostructures

This area will look at both AM enabled microstructures and bulk materials with nanostructural features. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the role of light elements and solute segregation in nanocrystalline materials.

Projects in this area are currently ongoing.

Size Effects in Ductility and Failure

These projects will focus on using AM techniques to probe the underlying physics of size effects in metals, ceramics, and alloys under tension and cyclic loading conditions.

Projects in this area are currently ongoing.

Relating Structure to Performance

To fully realize the potential of nanostructural materials, we work on implementation, integration, and application of nanostructural materials. Our group is particularly interested in using nanoscale AM and self-assembly methods to build spatially complex nanostructured materials. Goals in this area focus on…

  • Integration of nanostructured materials and 3D geometries with wafer-based manufacturing technologies and customized medical devices
  • Applying fundamental advancements in spatial control of nanostructural design to create new (multi-)functional devices for areas like catalysis, plasmonics, active materials, and more.

Nanostructured
(Multi-)Functional Devices

Current Projects

Thin Film Nanocomposites

This project focuses on ternary metal nitrides and exsolution in nitridic materials.

The project is currently ongoing.

Hierarchical and Nanoporous Structures

This topic focuses on using AM and dealloying processes to create materials that can be used as devices for plasmonics, catalysis, structural and thermal applications, and health.

Projects in this area are currently ongoing.

Dissecting Complex Interactions

Our group looks to use correlative methods and machine learning (ML) techniques like computer vision (CV) to develop critical new tools for discovering mechanistic relationships in complex, heterogeneous, and far-from-equilibrium microstructures. As this is a developing area of materials research, we take collaborative approached to tackling this challenge on topics like….

  • Materials with multi-mechanism interactions and which may contain a mixture of competitive and cooperative behaviors
  • New methods for extraction, identification, description, and prediction of dominant microstructural features or mechanisms

Our group also works on method development for nanomechanical testing to enhance our understanding of nanoscale phenomena and mechanically-coupled functional behavior.

Enhanced Characterization

Current Projects

While there are not current/open projects at this time, students (at all levels) who are interested in this topic should reach out directly.