Committee

Prof. H. Jerry Qi – School of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor) 
Prof. Rampi Ramprasad – School of Materials Science and Engineering 
Prof. Karl Jacob – School of Materials Science and Engineering 
Prof. Yuhang Hu – School of Mechanical Engineering 
Prof. Will Gutekunst – School of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Abstract

Polymer additive manufacturing has advanced rapidly in geometric complexity, processing capability, and functional integration. However, important limitations remain in programming spatially varying properties within a single material and in improving the circularity of polymers used for 3D printing. My research addresses these challenges through two directions focused on grayscale digital light processing (g-DLP) and sustainable polymer systems for additive manufacturing. The first direction uses g-DLP to locally control photopolymerization and program variations in degree of cure, crosslink density, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity within a single resin. Grayscale-controlled curing produces conductivity differences of approximately three orders of magnitude, enabling direct fabrication of embedded circuits and mechanical sensors without material exchange during printing. Because these functions rely on partially cured regions, their stability after printing is a critical challenge.