IMX Seminar Series - Additive manufacturing of bio-inspired materials

Materials in nature exhibit heterogeneous architectures that are tuned to fulfill the functional demands
of the surrounding environment. Examples range from the cellulose-based organic structure of plants
to highly mineralized skeletal parts like bone. Because they are often utilized to combine opposing
properties such as strength and low-density, the heterogeneous architecture of natural materials can
potentially address several of the technical limitations of artificial homogeneous composites. However,
current man-made manufacturing technologies do not allow for the level of composition and fiber
orientation control found in natural heterogeneous systems. In this talk, I will show that additive
manufacturing (AM) routes might offer an exciting new pathway for the fabrication of materials with
unprecedented architectures. The talk will explain our recent work a variety of material classes,
enabled through nanoscale self-assembly and 3D printing. Proof-of-principle examples will be
presented to illustrate the potential of AM technologies for the fabrication of biologically inspired
materials with widely tunable properties and functionality.
Bio: Dr. Kunal Masania is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering (Twitter, Google
Scholar, Researchgate, linkedin). After studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of
Loughborough, Kunal carried out his PhD at Imperial College London on size effects and nanoscale
toughening of thermosetting polymers. At the University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern (FHNW)
Switzerland he developed a variety of advanced processing approaches for high-performance
composites, such as rheo-kinetic control, compression RTM, highly reactive polymers, discontinuous
composites and natural-fibre thermoplastic composites. Then Kunal joined the Complex Materials
Group at ETH Zürich, to develop new bio-inspired materials, 3D printing of biological materials and
nacre-like composites.
His group at TU Delft now re-imagine how composites are made today, by structuring hierarchical
materials using design inspiration from the natural world. His group that works on topics from material
synthesis, additive manufacturing of bio-inspired and living composite materials and their structures -
from mechanics and mechanical behavior. Having co-founded two startups, he very much likes to
push breakthrough science to applications that can impact society.