Bottom-up Synthesis of Bio-inspired Hierarchical Materials via Three-Dimensional Ink-Jet Printing
Project Leader(s)
UC Santa Barbara
Research Focus Area
Micrographs show random alignment of particles of various types when there is no acoustic excitation, and strong particle alignment and packing when excited at frequencies in the MHz range: (a,b) glass spheres, (c,d) glass microrods, (e,f) microfabricated SU-8 bricks.
The proposed program will investigate acoustic focusing forces to align anisotropic particles in solution, and transport them through a microfluidic channel while preserving the ordering of those particles. This is an important step towards developing additive manufacturing techniques for two-phase, ordered composites that mimic biological (exoskeleton) material, which combine compliant and stiff materials to produce macroscopic properties that defeat traditional trade-offs between strength, weight and energy absorption.
Date Completed
