Materials by Design: 3-Dimensional Nano-Architected Meta-Materials

February 23, 2018

Dr. Julia Greer California Institute of Technology

Creation of extremely strong and simultaneously ultra lightweight materials can be achieved by incorporating architecture into material design. We fabricate three-dimensional (3D) nano-architectures, i.e. nanolattices, whose constituents vary in size from several nanometers to tens of microns to centimeters. These nanolattices can exhibit superior thermal, photonic, electrochemical, and mechanical properties at extremely low mass densities (lighter than aerogels), which renders them ideal for many scientific pursuits and technological applications. The dominant properties of such meta-materials, where individual constituent size at each relevant scale (atoms to nanometers to microns) is comparable to the characteristic microstructural length scale of the constituent solid, are largely unknown because of their multi-scale nature. To harness the beneficial properties of 3D nano-architected meta-materials, it is critical to assess properties at each relevant scale while capturing the overall structural complexity.

We describe the deformation, as well as the mechanical, biochemical, electrochemical, thermal, and photonic properties of nanolattices made of different materials with varying microstructural detail. Attention is focused on uncovering the synergy between the internal atomic-level microstructure and the nano-sized external dimensionality, where competing material- and structure-induced size effects drive overall response and govern these properties. Specific discussion topics include the nanofabrication and characterization of (often hierarchical) three-dimensional nanoarchitected meta-materials and their applications in chemical and biological devices, ultra lightweight energy storage systems, damage-tolerant fabrics, and photonic crystals.

Published on February 23rd, 2018

Last updated on February 23rd, 2018


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