Advanced Manufacturing of Functional Materials and Structures

Devices with pre-programmed or programmable properties are highly desired in various applications, such as soft robots, autonomous devices, and sensors. In particular, objects with multimaterial patterns integrated with hierarchical structures arranged on different scales (nano- and micro- to meso-) could provide enhanced or even new functionalities. Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques have emerged as an effective tool for fabricating such multimaterial and multiscale structures directly from a digital design. Yet several crucial challenges still remain in the design and manufacturing process control, including low geometry/material complexity, limited material choices, sustainability, and difficulty in controlling material and geometry simultaneously at the nano-/micro-/meso-scale. As a result, the localized property engineering capability and practical applications of these manufacturing technologies are still limited. In this talk, I will present my research on developing novel multimaterial multiscale photopolymerization-based AM technologies (MM-PAM) based on projection stereolithography and two-photon polymerization. I will discuss the fundamental principles and experimental correlation between process parameters and printability of spatially-varied material composition together with multiscale hierarchical features. Next, I will demonstrate the six-dimensional (6D) design and manufacturing of functional materials and structures to realize pre-programmed or programmable properties, including mechanical deformation/adhesion, tunable hydrodynamic properties, hierarchical porosity, and biocompatibility. Finally, I will show some interesting applications in multidisciplinary fields that can take advantage of the multifunctionality generated by the joint effect of material distribution and multiscale features. The devices fabricated using the MM-PAM process can achieve reversible, site-specific, multiple functionalities, and autonomous task performing without needing an external power source.

Ms. Ketki M. Lichade is a Ph.D. candidate (expected graduation: Spring 2023) in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her research interests are in the intersection of Additive Manufacturing, Material Science, Surface Engineering and Bioinspired Design approaches with a focus on multimaterial, multiscale and multifunctional objects. Ms. Lichade has received several awards and honors for her service and research excellence, including Faydor Litvin Honor Award, Three Minute Thesis Competition Finalist Award, National Science Foundation (NSF) Travel Award, Student Presenter Award, and UIC Graduate Student Council Conference Award. She also received seed funding from the UIC graduate college as Award for Graduate Research, Provost’s Graduate Research Award, and Grants in Aid of Research from the Sigma Xi Grants.