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ECE SEMINAR: Understanding the Self-Assembly of CNT Forests

Maschmann Matt
Friday, October 21, 2022
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Matt Maschmann, Associate Professor in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department at University of Missouri & Co-Director of the MU Materials Science and Engineering Institute

Abstract:
Thirty years after their discovery, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have not achieved widespread adoption in engineering applications despite superior mechanical, thermal, electrical, and optical properties. The technological bottleneck impeding their implementation resides not with the material itself but in their reliable, controlled synthesis. Precision control over parameters such as CNT placement, diameter, chirality, growth rate, and wall structure has yet to be demonstrated for isolated CNTs or for dense, vertically oriented CNT films, known as CNT forests. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques facilitate the synthesis of CNT forests over large areas; however, the resulting CNT forest ensemble properties often fall short of those predicted from volumetric scaling. The reduction is believed to originate from the wavy, interconnected CNT morphology induced by self-assembly. We seek to understand CNT forest self-assembly kinetics and mechanics using in-situ SEM CVD synthesis, complementary numerical simulation, and machine learning tools. This talk will provide our preliminary results with these tools and an outlook for their integration to better understand and control the assembly of CNT forests.

Biography:
Matt Maschmann is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department at University of Missouri Department and is co-director of the MU Materials Science and Engineering Institute, founded in 2022. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award, the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, and the University of Missouri College of Engineering Junior Faculty Excellence in Research Award and Excellence in Teaching Award. His research has been funded by the NSF, AFOSR, ARO, ARMY ERDC, and ORAU. He has published 90 journal and conference papers in the fields of nanomanufacturing, thermal transport, and nanoenergetic material. Prior to joining the University of Missouri, he was a research engineer at the Air Force Research Lab and a Senior Thermal Test Engineer at Intel Corporation.

Host: Aaron Franklin

ZOOM LINK: https://duke.zoom.us/j/95377266101?pwd=YUdDL1dQd3VoSVJTMHVvclkyc3YrQT09
PASSCODE: 449625

Contact: Matthew Novik