The surface morphologies of different soft material systems comprise various ruga phases (wrinkle, crease, fold or ridge). In the past a few decades, despite that …
We discover a new, curvature-localizing, subcritical buckling mode that produces a shallow-kink configuration in multi-layer graphene. Our density functional theory (DFT) analysis reveals the mode …
Mechanical integrity of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) plays an important role in determining the long-term reliability and performance of advanced high capacity anode materials. Failure …
In this thesis, we studied the dynamic toughening mechanisms of a hierarchically nanostructured copolymer, polyurea. We first quantitively measured the dynamic fracture toughness as well …
Energy storage is a crucial aspect of integrating renewable energy sources in power grids, portable electronic devices and vehicle applications, making the development of efficient …
The mechanical integrity of passivation films and electrodes plays a crucial role in the long-term performance of Li-ion batteries. This has been challenged due to …
The aim of this thesis is to investigate how grain boundary (GB) strength and separation mechanisms affect strength and ductility of nanocrystalline materials. Such nanoscale …
The Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) forms in most Li-ion batteries, but properties such as its formation mechanism are a mystery. The goal of this dissertation …
Despite being composed of weak and brittle constituents, some structural biological materials, such as shell and bone, have relatively high strength and toughness. These materials …
Advanced high strength steels with a lath martensitic microstructure (MS-AHSS) and tensile strengths > 1 GPa are of interest for automotive applications but are susceptible to …
Both interfaces and spatial gradients in engineering structures exhibit distinct mechanical properties in contrast to their bulk counterparts. The demands of both the aerospace and …
Three ceramic matrices with different carbon-nanostructures, viz: (i) silicon nitride and reduced graphene oxide (Si3N4/rGO), (ii) alumina oxide and reduced graphene oxide (Al2O3/rGO), and (iii) …
There is great interest in protective applications of two-dimensional nanomaterial films. These films are formed of hundreds or more layers of nanosheets held together by …