IRES: Track 1: Self-Healable Materials Development

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This IRES project is co-funded by Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).Part 1:This program will train a diverse group of U.S. students in interdisciplinary and global research settings at the Delft University of Technology (TU-Delft) in the Netherlands to conduct collaborative experimental and computational research on self-healing materials. Participating students will gain fundamental knowledge and international experience on new materials’ developments as well as appreciation of cultural and social aspects of conducting research abroad. While one objective is to advance the field of materials from which the entire society will benefit, an ultimate goal of this project is to enhance diversity and provide students with unique hands-on educational opportunities through international experience, thus enhancing future US global competitiveness. Eighteen U.S. students during a three year period will participate in the program who will gain research experience while facing challenges and opportunities of international research collaborations. Part 2: The proposed research projects aim at the development of self-healable materials with enhanced sustainability and durability in high-tech and commodity applications. The following cutting edge projects that students will conduct are: self-Healing ceramic composites and metallo-ceramics materials, the Influence of polymer molecular structure on self-healing, dynamics of self-healing biopolymer composites, self-healing construction concrete materials, self-healing of motorways, and modelling of self-healing of thermal barrier coatings. The proposed projects will lead to new advances that will guide developments of future materials in sustainable technologies. The overall goal of the program is to provide students with a global awareness how new generations of materials may impact environment and societal needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.