Research
Research Overview
In the framework of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) and the processing–structure–property–performance paradigm, our research focuses primarily on the structure–property–performance relationship. We leverage micromechanics and continuum mechanics to understand and design material behavior across multiple scales. Our work spans both designing “THE” materials and designing “WITH” materials. On one hand, we engineer material microstructures to achieve tailored or optimal effective properties (e.g., stiffness, strength, and toughness). On the other hand, we spatially design material properties within structures to enhance structural integrity or enable advanced functionalities, such as prescribed deformation, thermal cloaking, and energy concentration.
We investigate a broad class of materials, including polymers and metals with interests on composites and emerging metamaterials. Experimentally, we utilize advanced additive manufacturing techniques. For polymers, these include PolyJet, fused deposition modeling (FDM), and stereolithography (SLA). For metals, we employ powder bed fusion (PBF) and are exploring emerging methods such as molten metal jetting (MMJ).
Structural Integrity
Structural Functionality
Book
“Love Nature has an amazing team of hard working professionals. It has been a pleasure to meet them.”
Emily Davis
