Multifunctional Materials

Designing materials to accomplish multiple performance objectives in a single system. Encompassing traditional systems, such as firehardened structural composite armor, to newer systems that include blast, sensors and actuators, power harvesting, communications, and electro-optical capabilities.

• Electro-Optical Structures
• Shear-Thickening Fluids
• Nano-Composites
• Mechanics

Electro-Optical Structures

• Fabrication of 3-D Opal and Inverse-Opal Structures for Photonic-Crystal Devices
• Fiber-Prism-Waveguide Coupling and Packaging
• Optical Communications in Composites
• Organic Photovoltaics
• Design of Large Area PLEDs on Flexible Substrates
• Self-Diagnostic, Self-Healing Multifunctional Fiber Optic Networks for Composite Structures
• Hybrid Integration Using Conductive Polymer-Based Flip Chip Interconnections
• Processing and Mechanical Aspects of Lightweight Epoxy Encapsulants (undergraduate)

Shear-Thickening Fluids

• Liquid Body Armor Based on Shear-Thickening Fluid
• The Use of Anisotropic Particle Dispersions for the Fabrication of Flexible Shear-Thickening Fluid/Kevlar Fabric Composites
• Ballistic Performance of Kevlar/Shear-Thickening Fluid Composites
• Ballistic Performance of Kevlar®/Shear-Thickening Fluid Composites (undergraduate)
• Flexibility Characterization of Liquid Body Armor Using Shear-Thickening Fluid (undergraduate)

Nano-composites

• Synthesis and Characterization of Clay Nanocomposites from Plant Oils
• Design of Large Area PLEDs on Flexible Substrates
• Flow Behavior in Electrostatically Driven Jets
• Left-Handed Materials Based on Magnetic Nanocomposites
• Left-Handed Materials in Magnetic Nanocomposites
• Synthesis and Properties of Nanotube/Epoxy Composite
• The Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube/Thermoplastic Composites
• Ballistic Performance of Kevlar/Shear-Thickening Fluid Composites Propagation in Continuously Nonhomogeneous Materials
• Fabrication of 3-D Opal and Inverse-Opal Structures for Photonic-Crystal Devices
• Investigating the Nanoscale Structural Properties of Colloid-Polymer Systems Using Microrheology Techniques
• Carbon Nanotube Composites with Chemically Functionalized Plant Oils
• Healing Strategies for Fiber Damage in Composite Materials
• Self-Diagnostic, Self-Healing Multifunctional Fiber-Optics Networks for Composite Structures - Part 1 (undergraduate)
• Organic Photovoltaics
• Properties of Carbon Nanotube Composites (undergraduate)
• Automated Calibration of Optical Tweezers (undergraduate)
• Multiple Particle Tracking Microrheology (undergraduate)
• Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Nanocomposites (undergraduate)

Mechanics

• Use of Graded Finite Elements to Model Wave Dispersion
• Functionally Graded Composites for Improved Armor
• Investigating the Nanoscale Structural Properties of Colloid-Polymer Systems Using Microrheology Techniques
• Minimization of Induced Stress in a Multilayered Medium Subjected to Impact Using Pareto Genetic Algorithm
• Optimization of Periodic Electromagnetic Absorbers using Pareto Genetic Algorithms
• Preliminary Study: Multi-functional Composites: An Enabling Material for the Future
• Smart Fins: Experimental Validation of Active Cantilevered Beam
• Stress Wave Propagation in Multilayer Materials
• Electroactive Polymer Actuators (undergraduate)

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