Name: Ning Xia
Year: 1st year Ph.D student
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
B.S. : Central South University (China), major in Applied Chemistry
M.S. : Texas A&M University (U.S.), major in Materials Science and Engineering
Current work:
-Synthesis and Characterization of ITO nanocomposite for transparent conductive electronics
Name : Youngho Jin
Year : 1st year Graduate Student
Major : MSE
Current work:
-Design and fabrication of polymer(ceramic) matrix conductive nanocomposite with segregated distribution of nanoparticles to dramatically increase electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of composites.
– Finite element analysis of nanocomposites with segregated distribution of nanoparticles.
Name: Tim Pruyn
Year: 5th year Graduate student
Major: Material Science and Engineering
DOD SMART Scholar
Current Work:
-My works focuses on the fabrication and characterization of inorganic glass composites that contain networks of nanoparticles that are electrically conducting. By using a novel processing technique, these percolated networks can form throughout the entire composite at very low volume fraction of nanoparticles. As a result many of the properties of the glass remain the same while it because much more electrically conducting.
Name: Justin Brandt
Year: 2nd Year Graduate student
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Current Work:
-The samples under inspection are a composite between Alumina (Al2O3) and Silicon Carbide whiskers (SiCw). This system is a composite between a generally insulating matrix with a conducting phase incorporated into it. The applications of such samples include a microwave cooking rack in which the alumina samples heat up efficiently due to the microwave frequencies emitted and proceed to leave nice grill marks upon the inserted food items such as a pizza or a Panini. An alternative application includes usage as cutting tools. Extruded rods of this ceramic composite have been studied through the length of the sample comparing electrical properties along the way. In addition samples prepared using Spark Plasma Sintering will be studied as well in order to understand the effects of sample processing methods upon the material properties.
Name: Thomas Rudzik
Year: 1st Year Graduate student
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Current Work:
– My research focuses on creating percolation networks of Indium Tin oxide (ITO) in borosilicate glass using hot pressing and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS)
Name: Rachel L. Muhlbauer
Year: 4th year Ph.D student
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
B.S.: Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Tech (2010)
Ph.D.: Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Tech (2014)
Current Work:
– Rachel’s dissertation research focuses on developing an understanding of the structure-property-processing relationships in multiwalled carbon nanotube and paper composite materials by using models obtained from impedance spectroscopy. By using structural information derived from these models and from traditional imaging techniques, the electronic behavior of MWNT networks on and in paper materials can be described.