Blog posts

A fully supported Ph.D. position is available starting Jan 2021 in Advanced Hierarchical Materials by Design Lab at the University of Alabama on multiscale modeling of materials and processes. The objective of this project is to model the synthesis of 2D materials to design new processes to improve synthesis efficiency, as well as synthesis by the design of these materials, and to use machine learning algorithms to design materials and their synthesis process. 

Stiffening of graphene oxide films by soft porous sheets, Mao, et. Al., Espinosa, Han, Nguyen, Huang, Nature Communications, 2019

Novelty/impact/significance:

Counter-intuitively, adding some porous graphene oxide (GO) sheets can significantly enhance the modulus of the bulk multilayer GO films compared with those constructed by pristine ones (twice the tensile modulus), although the individual porous GO sheets are drastically weaker than the pristine ones.

Damage-tolerant architected materials inspired by crystal microstructure, Pham, Liu, Todd, Lertthanasarn, Nature, 2019

Novelty/impact/significance:

Unlike most architected materials with periodic identical units and thus immediate collapse upon yielding, novel crystal-inspired structures by utilizing the toughening/strengthening mechanisms of crystalline metals (e.g., grain boundaries, precipitates and phases) are developed to possess superior robustness and damage-tolerance.

Tribological behavior of graphene layers has been a focus of intensive research interest since its crystal lattice structure can be exploited to achieve incommensurate contact, leading to nearly zero friction, namely structural superlubricity. However, wrinkling undulations are omnipresent on graphene and difficult to be completely eliminated, which inevitably resists superlubricity in reality. Here, we explore how the presence of surface wrinkles affects nanotribological behavior of graphene sliding systems.

PhD positions are available in the field of 3D printed composite materials for impact mitigation and acoustic attenuation. The research work will have both computational and experimental components. Individuals interested in 3D printed polymer composites, multiscale material modelling, performance of composites under high strain rates and experimental mechanics are encouraged to apply. The position starts early  January 2021. The students will be enrolled in the Department of Civil and environmental Engineering at the University of Rhode Island.