Publications related to Harnessing Poisson Effect to Realize Tunable Tunneling Nanogap Electrodes on PDMS Substrates for Strain Sensing

Strain engineering and strain measurement by spring tethers on suspended epitaxial GaN-on-Si photonic crystal devices

Suspended epitaxial gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon (Si) photonic crystal devices suffer from large residual tensile strain, especially for long waveguides, because fine structures tend to crack due to large stress. By introducing spring-like tethers, des ...

Iop Publishing Ltd2024

Edible Soft Actuators based on Konjac Glucomannan for Underwater Operation

Dario Floreano, Jun Shintake, Ryo Kanno, Bokeon Kwak, Markéta Pankhurst

Soft robots are being increasingly developed and deployed for underwater applications such as exploration, monitoring, and rescue owing to their innate compliance, mechanical and chemical stability, and waterproof properties. However, they are still predom ...

2024

Influence of model uncertainty and long term deformations in action effects calculation in reinforced concrete structures

Xhemsi Malja

Most codes of practice adopt a semi probabilistic design approach for the dimensioning and assessment of structures. Accordingly, structural safety is ensured by performing limit state verifications using design values determined with adequately calibrated ...

EPFL2024

Multi-scale characterization and modeling of notched strength and translaminar fracture in hybrid thin-ply composites based on different carbon fiber grades

Guillaume Clément Broggi

Owing to their high specific stiffness and strength, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites (CFRP) are ideal candidates for the development of lightweight high-performance structures. Within this family, thin-ply composites allow for wider design freedom and p ...

EPFL2023

Bringing casting to microfabrication: processing and deformation of microcastings

Luciano Borasi

This work extends the range of pathways for the production of metallic microcomponents by downscaling metal casting. This is accomplished by using either of two different molding techniques, namely femtosecond laser micromachining or lithographic silicon m ...

EPFL2023

Reinforced Supramolecular Networks of End Functionalized Polymers for Tailored Thermomechanical Property Profiles

Yevhen Hryshunin

Thermoset rubbers give rise to elastomers with tunable stiffness and high resilience but are not recyclable. Thermoplastic elastomers can address this problem but their broad applicability is impeded by either limited operating temperatures or inferior ela ...

EPFL2023

Nanoindentation of embedded particles

Andreas Mortensen, Alejandra Inés Slagter, Joris Pierre Everaerts

We address the effect of elastic inhomogeneity on elastic modulus and hardness determinations made by depth-sensing indentations performed on individual particles embedded within a matrix of different elastic modulus. Finite element simulations and nanoind ...

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG2023

Incorporation of Lignin in Bio-Based Resins for Potential Application in Fiber-Polymer Composites

Mário Alexandre De Jesus Garrido, Mateus De Assunção Hofmann

Bio-based resins, obtained from renewable raw materials, are a more sustainable alternative to oil-based resins for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The incorporation of lignin in those resins has the potential to enhance their performance. This ...

MDPI2023

Engineering extracellular electron transfer for enhanced energy harvesting in microbial electrochemical devices

Mohammed Mouhib

Microorganisms known as exoelectrogens evolved the ability of transporting electrons across insulating biological membranes. In a physiological context, this enables respiration on extracellular electron acceptors and electron transfer to other organisms. ...

EPFL2023

Tailor-made Piezoelectric Elastomer Materials

Francis Owusu

Recent advancements in miniature devices with higher computational capabilities and ultralow power consumption have accelerated the development of wearable sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters everywhere. The ultimate aim of such a technological revol ...

EPFL2023

Simple shear extrusion versus equal channel angular pressing: A comparative study on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an Mg alloy

Cyril Cayron, Roland Logé, Aryan Rezaei Rad

Two severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques of simple shear extrusion (SSE) and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were employed to process an extruded Mg -6Gd -3Y -1.5Ag (wt%) alloy at 553 K for 1, 2, 4 and 6 passes. The microstructural evolutions ...

KEAI PUBLISHING LTD2023

Atomic-scale Characterization of Strain and Gate effects on Two-dimensional Materials by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Jz -Yuan Juo

Strain is an inevitable phenomenon in two-dimensional (2D) material, regardless of whether the film is suspended or supported. Moreover, strain is known to alter the physical and chemical properties, such as the band gap, charge carrier effective masses, d ...

EPFL2023

Strained crystalline nanomechanical resonators with quality factors above 10 billion

Tobias Kippenberg, Sergey Fedorov, Nils Johan Engelsen, Alberto Beccari

In strained mechanical resonators, the concurrence of tensile stress and geometric nonlinearity dramatically reduces dissipation. This phenomenon, called dissipation dilution, is employed in mirror suspensions of gravitational-wave interferometers and at t ...

NATURE PORTFOLIO2022

Precise Capillary‐Assisted Nanoparticle Assembly in Reusable Templates

Giovanni Boero, Jürgen Brugger, Olivier Martin, Henry Shao-Chi Yu, Hsiang-Chu Wang, Ana Conde Rubio

Capillary-assisted particle assembly (CAPA) in predefined topographical templates is a scalable method for the precise positioning of nanoscale objects on various surfaces. High-resolution CAPA templates are typically fabricated by expensive electron-beam ...

2022

Scalable fabrication of functional nanostructures on stretchable substrates by capillary-assisted particle assembly and adhesion lithography

Henry Shao-Chi Yu

The fabrication of metallic nanostructures on stretchable substrates enables specific applications that exploit the combination of the nano-scale phenomena and the mechanical tunability of the physical dimensions of the nanostructures. Due to the large dif ...

EPFL2022

Optically Triggered Neel Vector Manipulation of a Metallic Antiferromagnet Mn2Au under Strain

Alexey Sapozhnik

The absence of stray fields, their insensitivity to external magnetic fields, and ultrafast dynamics make antiferromagnets promising candidates for active elements in spintronic devices. Here, we demonstrate manipulation of the Neel vector in the metallic ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2022

Weakening effect of various pore fluids on the tensile strength of granite

Guanyi Lu

Laboratory three-point bending experiments are carried out to evaluate the effect of various fluids on the tensile strength of granite. The granite specimens were tested under both dry and saturated conditions. The fluids used to saturate the granite inclu ...

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG2022

Deformation twinning mechanism in magnesium at the microscale: strain rate, temperature and orientation effects

Nicolò Maria Della Ventura

The project aims to validate some recent theoretical developments on the deformation twinning nucleation mechanism in HCP metals through small-scale mechanic experiments. To this end, a systematic investigation of the mechanical response of pure magnesium ...

EPFL2022

Strong silicon oxide inclusions in iron

Andreas Mortensen, Léa Deillon, Alejandra Inés Slagter, Joris Pierre Everaerts

Oxide inclusions are ubiquitous in steel and are known to affect, generally in a negative sense, the mechanical performance of steel products. Micromechanical properties of those phases are therefore important, yet they have remained largely unexplored. We ...

2022

Strengthening mechanisms in dilute and random solid solution high-entropy BCC alloys

Alireza Ghafarollahi

Tuning the mechanical properties of metals, including strength, through adjusting the type and/or concentration of added solute elements, has been recognized as an effective way to design and produce materials with desired or optimized mechanical propertie ...

EPFL2022