Kunal Masania (Complex Materials, D-MATL)
Nature utilises hierarchy at multiple length scales to structure relatively weak building blocks into complex shapes with outstanding mechanical performance. Despite successful research aimed at implementing biological design principles in synthetic materials, man-made manufacturing technologies remain limited compared to the elegant directed self-assembly of living organisms to grow materials. We will share our work on combining bottom up self-assembly with top-down shaping during 3D printing of crystal polymers to generate recyclable lightweight structures with hierarchical architectures and unprecedented stiffness and toughness.