Modulating crack propagation in a multilayer stack with a super-layer
Quantitative characterization of interface adhesion and fracture properties of thin film materials is of fundamental and technological interests in modern technologies. Sandwich beam specimens used in fracture mechanics techniques, such as four-point bending and double-cantilever beam have been widely adopted, including the semiconductor industry.
Constructive and Destructive Interplay between Piezoelectricity and Flexoelectricity in Flexural Sensors and Actuators
Flexoelectricity is an electromechanical effect coupling polarization to strain gradients. It fundamentally differs from piezoelectricity because of its size-dependence and symmetry. Flexoelectricity is generally perceived as a small effect noticeable only at the nanoscale. Since ferroelectric ceramics have a particularly high flexoelectric coefficient, however, it may play a significant role as piezoelectric transducers shrink to the sub-micrometer scale. We examine this issue with a continuum model self-consistently treating piezo- and flexoelectricity.
Open University of Turkish Aeronautical Association (UTAA) faculty positions in Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Computer, Industrial, Electronics, Aeronautical and Astronautical)
The Department of Engineering at UTAA (http://www.thk.edu.tr/) invites applications for a faculty appointment at the senior and junior level. UTAA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty. It welcomes nominations of and applications from all nations, members of minority groups, individuals with disabilities, etc. If you have any queries, please contact Dr.
Ph.D. position(s) in the Atomistic and Multiscale Mechanics Group at the Iowa State University
Graduate student applications are invited for PhD positions in the Atomistic and Multiscale Mechanics Group in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Iowa State University. Self-motivated students in the area of theoretical, computational and applied mechanics, computational materials science, or condensed matter physics are encouraged to apply. Research topics cover multiscale simulation of dislocation, fracture, phase transformation and heat transfer in materials. Individuals who have research experience in one or more of the following areas are especially desired:
Amplifying the response of soft actuators by harnessing snap-through instabilities
Engineering actuators with capabilities that match and even exceed those found in nature, is a long-standing challenge. While traditional actuators are built with hard materials, it has been recently shown that elastomeric materials enable the design of fluidic actuators that are lightweight, inexpensive, easy to fabricate, and able to undergo large deformation and complex motions. However, these actuators typically rely on large volumes for their actuation.
Ultra-stretchable and skin-mountable strain sensors using carbon nanotubes–Ecoflex nanocomposites
Super-stretchable, skin-mountable, and ultra-soft strain sensors are presented by using carbon nanotube percolation network–silicone rubber nanocomposite thin films. The applicability of the
strain sensors as epidermal electronic systems, in which mechanical compliance like human skin and high stretchability (e > 100%) are required, has been explored. The sensitivity of the strain
"Imperfection" in graphene oxide invites surprising properties in a mechano-chemical way
In an article published in the August 20 issue of Nature Communications, we report a mechanochemical phenomenon in graphene oxide membranes, covalent epoxide-to-ether functional group transformations that deviate from epoxide ring-opening reactions, discovered through nanomechanical experiments and density functional-based tight binding calculations.
