Materials science has been central to human advancement since time immemorial. There has always been curiosity around studying the processes required to extract materials, examine their structure, and ultimately tailor their properties to meet human needs. Over the last few centuries, the ability to tailor material properties was driven by...
This dissertation explores the fundamental science of flexoelectricity and its implications using a combined experimental and theoretical approach. I begin by introducing the flexoelectric effect and formalizing the basics of strain gradients, polarization, and flexoelectric coefficients. Next, I describe the development of a flexoelectric characterization system based upon three-point bending...
Polymer and polymer/ceramic composites known as bone cements are commonly used in musculoskeletal reconstructive surgeries where bone tissue fixation, reinforcement, or void filling may be needed. Polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA, was the initial (and currently only) FDA-approved bone cement for bone-void filling applications yet faces many inherent material-based challenges that impacts its...
Discrete molecules, linear and branched polymers, and disordered cross-linked networks are well studied objects of chemical synthesis. However, two-dimensional polymers (2DPs) have been long missing from this continuum of molecular architectures, both in chemical synthesis and in Nature. Recently, new polymerization strategies and characterization methods have enabled the unambiguous realization...
Additive manufacturing is a promising process that has the capability to build components with complex geometries for structural and biomedical applications. Due to the rapid and localized directional solidification of molten metallic alloys, unique phase transformations occur at the melt pool that can provide for components with greater strength and...
This thesis describes a series of fundamental studies that address the role of electrostatic interactions in modulating i) the permeability of the ligand shell of a colloidal quantum dot (QD) to an anionic redox probe; ii) the resulting yield of photoinduced electron exchange within the QD ‒ redox probe complex;...
Single-use plastic waste pollution will cause significant harm to the environment if left unaddressed. One possible mitigation strategy is to develop processes, e.g. catalytic hydrogenolysis, that can convert (i.e. upcycle) waste plastics into value-added products capable of participating in a circular economy. Platinum (Pt) catalysts on strontium titanate nanocuboid supports...
Thermoelectric devices convert between temperature gradients and electricity, implying numerous applications, such as powering exploratory space vehicles, industrial waste-heat recovery, and solid- state refrigeration. Thermoelectric devices consist of doped p-type and n-type semiconductor legs, and the overall device efficiency depends on the transport properties of these semiconductor materials. High-performing thermoelectric...
Dilute Al-Sc-Zr-Si-based aluminum alloys retain their strength for long periods of time at elevated temperatures due to a dispersion of nanometric, coherent, and coarsening-resistant Al3(Sc,Zr) (L12 structure) nanoprecipitates that are formed upon aging. These alloys are attractive for replacement of dense steels and costly Ti alloys in the 250–400 °C...
Engineering heat transport in materials is essential for thermal management in a wide range of technologies, from batteries to thermoelectrics. Materials host a wide spectrum of heat-carrying phonons, which vary in their frequency, spatial extent, and degree of plane-wave character. This diversity in phonon properties leads to complex behavior, especially...