Date of Award

2025-12-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor(s)

Yirong Lin

Abstract

Chapter I:This chapter investigates Barium Titanate (BTO)-epoxy composites reinforced with 3D-printed zirconia triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) scaffolds. Gyroid and Primitive lattices fabricated by digital light processing (DLP) were compared with a bulk composite. The Primitive architecture showed the greatest improvement, with an elastic modulus ~ 20% higher than the Gyroid and ~ 5% higher than the bulk. Normalized piezoelectric coefficients increased substantially, with d33 enhanced by ~ 2750% and g33 enhanced by ~ 120% relative to the bulk. Under cyclic loading, the Primitive lattice generated specific voltages ~ 575% greater than the bulk and ~ 60% greater than the Gyroid. These findings demonstrate that TPMS-reinforced composites can effectively couple mechanical stiffness with amplified electromechanical response. Chapter II: This chapter demonstrates how additive manufacturing enables architected piezoelectric materials with tunable geometry and enhances capacitive response. It introduces Field’s Metal (32.2% Bi, 51% Indium, 16.5% Tin) infiltration as a means to enhance electrical conductivity and charge transport in 3D-printed barium titanate (BTO) lattices. A 40 vol% BTO resin (BT40) was developed for digital light processing of gyroid architectures with controlled porosity. After debinding, sintering to 96% theoretical density, and thermal poling (d33 ≈ 180 pC/N), the lattices were infiltrated with molten Field’s Metal below the Curie temperature, forming interconnected metal pathways. Rheological and curing analyses confirmed shear-thinning behavior and adequate curing depth, while thermal and microstructural characterization verified complete binder removal and tetragonal phase formation.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

75 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Joshua Zahn Renaldo Dantzler

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