We connect nano to macro – creating the scientific basis for the design and synthesis of advanced materials for sustainable development
Materials enable civilization
Archeologists have named ages after materials, illustrating the significance of the ability to create and use materials to enable modern civilization. Facing major environmental challenges, new materials that implement new paradigms are critical to sustain civilization on Earth, in harmony with Nature.
Our research group consists of an interdisciplinary combination of structural engineers, chemists, material scientists and physicists that work on understanding advanced materials at difference scales, from their molecular building blocks at nanoscale up to their application in large-scale structures and buildings.
We refer the reader to a recent commentary article (download article here...).
Fundamental research enables new nanotechnologies
Our research provides the scientific and engineering fundamentals to develop and maintain the infrastructures to enable, evolve and sustain modern civilization. We study and create natural and biological materials, inspired by Nature, with improved properties, utilizing hierarchical designs.
Theoretical and experimental methods elucidate the nanoscopic details of materials, allowing designing new kinds of materials, with molecular precision, reaching materials with optimal properties. We build bridges from biological systems to man-made environments, nurturing seamless integration and sustainable development. Protein materials provide a particularly intriguing frontier of materials science research in which the merger of structure and material is a key concept in defining their properties.
The role of our group in various teaching activities at MIT helps to foster the role of advanced computation in education of a new generation of students. The integration of research and teaching is an important component of the work in our lab. This is also reflected by the various undergraduate students who participate in our research projects. These activities are also supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation. |
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Nanomechanics of tropocollagen molecules
Atomistic and molecular simulations provide insight into the molecular and supermolecular deformation mechanisms of biological tissues. This is important to understand diseases (e.g. genetic diseases such as osteogenis imperfecta), injuries, as well as the development of biomaterials.
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Selection of current research projects and research themes
Here is a sampler of questions that motivate much of our research:
- What are the opportunities of nanoscience for sustainable engineering?
- How can bio-/nanomaterials help to solve the energy crisis and resolve our dependancy from fossil fuels?
- How does Nature design materials that are environmentally friendly, lightweight and yet tough and robust and can serve multiple objectives?
- What are the best numerical strategies to simulate the role of water in very small confinement? How does confined water influence the mechanics of natural and biological materials?
- Instability dynamics of cracks: What role plays hyperelasticity, the elasticity of large strains, on the instability dynamics of cracks?
- Fracture and adhesion mechanisms in natural and biological materials
- Atomistic modeling of collagen: What role plays the hierarchical design of collagen on its mechanical properties?
- Cracks at interfaces: What is the dynamics of cracks at interfaces between extremely soft and very hard materials?
- Fracture at small scales: How do fracture mechanisms change at ultra small scales?
- Mechanics of thin films: How do properties of materials change once deposited on substrates?
- Chemo-mechanical coupling: How do chemicals in the environments of cracks influence the dynamics of cracks?
- One-dimensional model of fracture: Can we find analytical models for the dynamics of one-dimensional fracture, as relevant in the detachment processes of biomolecules on surfaces?
- Mechanical properties of collagen: From brittle to ductle behavior
- Development of coatings to shield high impact
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Atom-by-atom simulation of cracks forming and spreading may help explain how materials fail in nanoscale devices, airplanes, buildings and even in the Earth itself during a quake
We use ultra-large scale supercomputing facilities that enable us to understand the motion of individual atoms during deformation and fracture of materials. A movie of this interfacial fracture process can be downloaded here (link to movie...). |
Atomistic and multi-scale study of protein materials
This figure shows the structure of a beta-sheet protein, Z1-Z2 telethonin complex, in the giant muscle protein titin. The inset shows the orientation of the protein backbone of three beta strands (in purple) with hydrogen bonds (yellow) holding the assembly together. We have found that hydrogen bonds in beta-sheet structures break in clusters of three or four, even in the presence of many more bonds.
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