Agile Fabrication of Mesoscale Periodic Composites

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The broad objective of this interdisciplinary research project is to develop the fundamental knowledge required to reliably manufacture functional ceramic-polymer composites for ultrasonic sensor applications. A new approach for designing and rapidly screening functional materials referred to as combinatorial engineering has been developed. This approach involves producing mesoscale periodic structures with both composition and design variations. Its success hinges critically on exploiting recent advances in solid freeform (or additive) fabrication of materials, such as robotically controlled deposition (RCD) that offer the agility required to rapidly build complex 3D components. The RCD process utilizes concentrated colloidal gels (as inks) during the deposition process. The aim is to build and test the piezoelectric response of composites containing interpenetrating ceramic-polymer matrices connected in three dimensions. These components may find application as ultrasonic sensors in advanced medical imaging devices. Moreover, such architectures may find broad application as photonic lattices, substrates for catalyst supports, and scaffolds for biomaterials. Outreach to high school science teachers and their students will continue to be a focus of the research. The current web site created by this research team to introduce materials science and engineering to a broader audience will be augmented with a demonstration based on robotically controlled deposition processing. The research team will also include hands-on experiences for undergraduate students brought into the lab environment.