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Unconventional Manufacturing of 3D Micro- and Mesostructures: From Strain-Engineered Growth to Mechanically Guided Assembly

Speaker: Dr. Hangbo Zhao, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California

Abstract: The growing availability of methods for 3D manufacturing has implications across diverse areas ranging from energy systems to microelectronics, yet few techniques offer the necessary capabilities in geometric complexity, materials compatibility and design versatility. In this talk, I will discuss two novel manufacturing approaches to creating 3D functional material systems that are not feasible by conventional manufacturing methods: 1) strain-engineered growth of complex 3D carbon nanotube microarchitectures, and 2) mechanically guided 3D assembly of a broad range of functional materials and electronics. I will show how strain-engineered growth of carbon nanotubes enables the formation of hierarchically structured surfaces with tailorable mechanical and interfacial properties for controlling liquid wetting and adhesion. Next, I will describe novel manufacturing technologies that exploit structural buckling and local twisting to create morphable 3D micro- and mesoscale structures, and show their applications as optical metamaterials and as electronic scaffolds in tissue-on-chip systems.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Hangbo Zhao is an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at USC. His focus areas include micro/nano manufacturing, bio-integrated electronics, engineered surfaces, and active/smart materials. Prior to joining USC, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics at Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at MIT in 2017. His research has been published in journals including Advanced Materials, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Nano Today. His awards include the Materials Research Society Best Poster Award (2014) and Outstanding Poster Award for the International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society (2015).

Nov 20, 2020 10:00 AM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)