Abstract

The emergence of micro-, nano-, and molecularly-tailored multimaterial systems, especially those made possible by additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, facilitates the design of new and enhanced functionalities. Building from advances in various disciplines, including decades-long work on bulk microfibre heterogeneous composites, multimaterial and multifunctional 3D and 4D printing technologies offer the possibility of cost-effective automation of the fabrication process and provide greater flexibility for locally tailoring the material architecture and/or properties in three-dimensions. This talk will provide an overview of the cross-disciplinary research activities of our group =: (i) tailored multilayers (compliance-tailoring, morphology-tailoring and surface-tailoring); (ii) nature-inspired materials (nacreous composites, and camouflage composites); (iii) nanocomposites and 4D printing (nano-biocomposites, piezoresistive self-sensing nanocomposites, and morphing structures); (iv) multiscale and multifunctional fibre composites (hierarchical/multiscale composites, and self-sensing cellular composites) and (v) architected materials and metamaterials (2D and 3D mechanical and multifunctional architected lattices for energy absorbing structures, smart medical devices, energy storage, thermal management, and EMI shields). Manipulating matter at relevant length scales, in 3D and 4D, enables strain-, stress-, and functional engineering towards enhanced performance, but also opens new possibilities in the realm of fabrication. The convergence of emerging micro- and nano-scale AM techniques, as well as the ability to design nano- and micro-architected hierarchical structures with more tightly controlled geometry, will pave the way for the creation of new classes of materials with unprecedented properties optimised for location-specific structural and/or functional requirements suitable for bio, defence, energy, automotive, and aerospace applications. Short Biography Prof. Kumar leads the Multifunctional Materials and Additive Manufacturing (M2AM) Laboratory at the James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow. He holds a PhD in Solid Mechanics and Materials Engineering from the University of Oxford. His research interests encompass Materials Innovation and Design, Mechanics and Additive Manufacturing, with a specific focus on the multiscale attributes relevant to multifunctional, energy-efficient, sustainable, and decarbonizing applications. He has received the ASPIRE Award for Research Excellence (A2RE) three times and serves on the editorial boards of Advanced Engineering Materials (Wiley), International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives (Elsevier), Scientific Reports (Nature), and MetalMat (Wiley). Additionally, he is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance (ASM International). He has edited a book and 2 Special Issues, contributed 7 book chapters, authored more than 110 journal articles, and is currently leading two Special Issue journal collections. He has advised/mentored over 45 higher degree research students (MS/PhD) and research staff (postdocs/research scientists) and delivered over 50 invited/keynote talks. Eleven of his mentees/students transitioned to faculty positions worldwide. He is a senior member of the AIAA , and a member of ASME , APS, ACS , MRS and Society for Adhesion and Adhesives, UK. He also serves on the ASME Structures and Materials TC.