Title: The be-all and the end-all: hierarchical nature-inspired materials
Abstract:
Hierarchical porous materials with pores at multiple length scales are widespread in
nature. Although different compositions, textures, and physical properties of natural
porous materials have inspired researchers and engineers to design materials with
controllable pore structures, the hierarchical structure of natural porous materials poses
challenges in understanding damage and fracture in these complex systems. To be able
to design nature-inspired materials, a mechanistic understanding of materials ranging
from the macro- to the nanoscale is needed. In this talk, I will provide a brief overview
of the role of porous materials in our daily life, then I will discuss some of our recent
efforts in designing nano/micro porous structures. I will then highlight some in-situ
experiments and show how numerical modeling enables us to investigate the role of
underlying pore morphology on the mechanical and fracture behaviors of the porous
material across scales in an effort in designing nature-inspired materials.
Bio:
Pania Newell is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering and adjunct faculty positions at the School of Computing and Civil
Engineering Department at the University of Utah. Before joining The University of
Utah, she was a member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories. She
obtained her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico and the University of
Colorado-Boulder, respectively. Her research interest lies at the interface of mechanics
and material sciences. In particular, she is interested in multi-scale, multi-physics
phenomena in heterogeneous porous materials through developing theoretical,
computational, and experimental frameworks combined with data sciences. She is the
co-founder/co-host of an academic podcast called “This Academic Life”.
