Advanced Materials

Research Overview

Building on our expertise in high-resolution additive manufacturing, we are developing next-generation advanced materials, such as carbon and ceramics derived from 3D-printed polymer precursors. Through controlled high-temperature pyrolysis, printed polymer architectures can be converted into conductive carbon or ceramic structures while retaining their precisely architected microscale geometries. Our research focuses on understanding how resin chemistry, precursor composition, printed geometry, and heat-treatment conditions influence porosity, mechanical integrity, conductivity, shrinkage and final material composition (JACS Au, 2024). We are using these insights to design micro-architected materials with high surface-area-to-volume ratios and precisely controlled transport pathways. Current efforts include carbon lattice electrodes with low-tortuosity channels for improved electrolyte and active-material distribution in batteries (Carbon, 2026) and inertial fusion fuel targets, as well as ceramic structures for thermal management, heterogeneous catalysis, and the electrification of thermochemical processes. We are also exploring microphase-separating and additive-containing resin systems as well as polymer composites that enable control over nanoscale porosity, composition, and multifunctionality after pyrolysis (Chemistry of Materials, 2025). A major application area is the development of 3D-printed ceramic supports for heterogeneous catalysis and inductively heated reactors. These architected components can mitigate loaded metal catalyst sintering and can couple efficiently with electromagnetic fields while providing tailored flow paths and catalyst-support geometries, offering a route toward compact and energy-efficient chemical processing. Related work investigates modular and single-component architectures for reactors, aerospace systems, energy storage, and electrocatalysis. We are additionally applying 3D printing and pyrolysis to the fabrication of precisely engineered deuterium-tritium fuel targets for inertial confinement fusion. These efforts include deterministic spherical capsules and triply periodic minimal-surface architectures designed to support repeatable, symmetric implosion, predictable fuel containment, and controlled material response under extreme conditions. Together, this work integrates polymer chemistry, additive manufacturing, thermal conversion, and multiscale materials characterization to create advanced materials whose composition and architecture are designed simultaneously for applications in sustainable energy, electrification, catalysis, aerospace, and fusion energy. Students: Philip Onffroy, Jacob Dobson, Fareen Mehnaz, Vedika Shenoy Collaborators: Matteo Cargnello, Jonathan Fan, Nitash Balsara (UC Berkeley), Jennifer Lu (UC Merced), Arianna Gleason (SLAC)