Associate Professor
University of Michigan - Shanghai Jiao Tong University (UM-SJTU) Joint Institute - Shanghai China

Title: "Programmable Mechanical Metamaterials - Mechanical, Thermal, and Pneumatic"

Abstract:
Metamaterials are rationally designed artificial materials whose properties are not observed in nature. Their properties are mainly derived from geometric architecture, rather than chemical composition. The unique properties include negative Poisson's ratios, negative thermal expansion, negative stiffness, electromagnetic and acoustic band gaps, the negative permittivity of electromagnetic materials, etc. A recent emerging research on programmable materials has drawn another attention for the development of novel intelligent materials. This technology is for the conversion of external stimuli into mechanical motion on command. Combining metamaterials with the programmable function may open a new avenue - programmable metamaterials. During the talk, Prof. Ju will introduce some programmable metamaterials that can give mobility to the 3D microstructure, providing various physical properties at each transformation stage, which is often called 4D printing. It will revolutionize thematerials design and expedite intelligent materials and structures in the future. During the talk, he will introduce the two programmable tools - i) thermos-mechanical and ii) pneumatic control for the active metamaterials design. Starting with the design of compliant porous structures (CPS), he will further introduce metamaterials with i) motion structures and soft robotics-based mesostructures.

Host: Dr. Arup Neogi