- Award ID(s):
- 1701983
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10314516
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- AIAA 2021 Regional Student Conference, April 2021.
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
The future of aerospace structures is highly dependent on the advancement of reliable and high-performance materials, such as composite materials and metals. Innovation in high resolution non-invasive evaluation of these materials is needed for their qualification and monitoring for structural integrity. Aluminum oxide (or α-alumina) nanoparticles present photoluminescent properties that allow stress and damage sensing via photoluminescence piezospectroscopy. This work describes how these nanoparticles are added into a polymer matrix to create functional coatings that monitor the damage of the underlying composite or metallic substrates. Different volume fractions of α-alumina nanoparticles in the piezospectroscopic coatings were studied for determining the sensitivity of the coatings and successful damage detection was demonstrated for an open-hole tension composite substrate as well as 2024 aluminum tensile substrates with a subsurface notch.more » « less
-
Abstract Printing functional devices on flexible substrates requires printing of high conductivity metallic patterns. To prevent deformation and damage of the polymeric substrate, the processing (printing) and post-processing (annealing) temperature of the metal patterns must be lower than the glass transition temperature of the substrate. Here, a hybrid process including deposition of a sacrificial blanket thin film, followed by room environment nozzle-based electrodeposition, and subsequent etching of the blanket film is demonstrated to print pure and nanocrystalline metallic (Ni and Cu) patterns on flexible substrates (PI and PET). Microscopy and spectroscopy showed that the printed metal is nanocrystalline, solid with no porosity and with low impurities. Electrical resistivity close to the bulk (~2-time) was obtained without any thermal annealing. Mechanical characterization confirmed excellent cyclic strength of the deposited metal, with limited degradation under high cyclic flexure. Several devices including radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, heater, strain gauge, and temperature sensor are demonstrated.
-
Abstract In recent years, the excitation of surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) in van der Waals materials received wide attention from the nanophotonics community. Alpha-phase Molybdenum trioxide (
α -MoO3), a naturally occurring biaxial hyperbolic crystal, emerged as a promising polaritonic material due to its ability to support SPhPs for three orthogonal directions at different wavelength bands (range 10–20μ m). Here, we report on the fabrication, structural, morphological, and optical IR characterization of large-area (over 1 cm2size)α -MoO3polycrystalline film deposited on fused silica substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Due to the random grain distribution, the thin film does not display any optical anisotropy at normal incidence. However, the proposed fabrication method allows us to achieve a singleα -phase, preserving the typical strong dispersion related to the phononic response ofα -MoO3flakes. Remarkable spectral properties of interest for IR photonics applications are reported. For instance, a polarization-tunable reflection peak at 1006 cm−1with a dynamic range of ΔR = 0.3 and a resonanceQ -factor as high as 53 is observed at 45° angle of incidence. Additionally, we report the fulfillment of an impedance matching condition with the SiO2substrate leading to a polarization-independent almost perfect absorption condition (R < 0.01) at 972 cm−1which is maintained for a broad angle of incidence. In this framework our findings appear extremely promising for the further development of mid-IR lithography-free, scalable films, for efficient and large-scale sensors, filters, thermal emitters, and label-free biochemical sensing devices operating in the free space, using far-field detection setups. -
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) of composites with compliant high-strength fibers could expand opportunities for the design and fabrication of complex flexible structures, but this topic has received limited attention. This study pursued the development of filaments consisting of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene yarn (UHMWPE) embedded in a matrix of polycaprolactone (UPE/PCL) and successful 3D printing. The physical characteristics and printability of the filament were evaluated in terms of key parameters including spooling speed, temperature, fiber distribution (consolidated vs dispersed), and fiber volume fraction (4≤ Vf ≤30 %). An evaluation of the microstructure and tensile properties of the UPE/PCL was performed after processing and printing. Prior to printing, the filament exhibited an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 590±40 MPa with apparent fiber strength of 2.4 GPa. For the printed condition, the UTS reached 470±60 MPa and apparent fiber strength of 1.9 GPa. Fiber dispersion in the filament plays an important role on the printed properties and the potential for fiber degradation. Nevertheless, the strength of the UPE/PCL represents a new performance benchmark for compliant composites printed by FFF. This new material system can support applications where strength and toughness are key performance metrics in addition to flexibility.more » « less
-
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) of composites with compliant high-strength fibers could expand opportunities for the design and fabrication of complex flexible structures, but this topic has received limited attention. This study pursued the development of filaments consisting of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene yarn (UHMWPE) embedded in a matrix of polycaprolactone (UPE/PCL) and successful 3D printing. The physical characteristics and printability of the filament were evaluated in terms of key parameters including spooling speed, temperature, fiber distribution (consolidated vs dispersed), and fiber volume fraction (4≤ Vf ≤30 %). An evaluation of the microstructure and tensile properties of the UPE/PCL was performed after processing and printing. Prior to printing, the filament exhibited an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 590±40 MPa with apparent fiber strength of 2.4 GPa. For the printed condition, the UTS reached 470±60 MPa and apparent fiber strength of 1.9 GPa. Fiber dispersion in the filament plays an important role on the printed properties and the potential for fiber degradation. Nevertheless, the strength of the UPE/PCL represents a new performance benchmark for compliant composites printed by FFF. This new material system can support applications where strength and toughness are key performance metrics in addition to flexibility.more » « less