04/18/2023
By Danielle Fretwell

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, invites you to attend a Doctoral Proposal defense by Daniyal Shoukat on “Development of Multi-Functional Materials using 3D Printing and Microencapsulation.

Candidate Name: Daniyal Shoukat
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: April 24, 2023
Time: noon to 2 p.m.
Location: SOU-204

Those interested in attending should contact the student (daniyal_shoukat@student.uml.edu) and committee advisor (Nese_Orbey@uml.edu) at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee:

  • Advisor. Nese Orbey, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Zhiyong Gu, Professor, Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Jay Park, Assistant Professor, Plastics Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Ramaswamy Nagarajan, Professor, Plastics Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Ravi Mosurkal, Environmental Programs Lead, Soldier Protection Directorate, US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, Natick

Brief Abstract:
This proposal is made up of two different sections. In the first section we are studying interlayer adhesion of multi-material parts obtained using Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) printer. In the second part we are working on encapsulation and adhesion of the microcapsules onto fabrics to impart multifunctionality.

FFF is a cost and time-effective 3D printing process that is used to print three-dimensional complex geometries involving multi-materials which integrate the useful properties of two different materials into a single part. With a wide array of neat and reinforced thermoplastic materials present, FFF is used to 3D print composite structures with multi-materials having advanced functional properties especially in the electronics industry to print conductive devices such as electrodes and sensors. Printing two different materials, however, results in poor interlayer adhesion between the two materials causing problems such as geometrical inaccuracies, delamination between layers and poor mechanical behavior. Therefore, in this work we are studying the effects of print parameters and volume composition of the filaments on the interlayer adhesion between multi-materials to develop multi-functional parts. Standard ASTM testing methods including tensile tests are utilized to evaluate the interfacial bonding by determining the mechanical performance of FFF printed multi-materials at different printing conditions. We are collaborating with Professor Carson Meredith, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech for evaluation of our samples using High Throughput Mechanical Analysis (HTMECH) instrument to determine and compare the tensile properties of bilayer films with ASTM tensile test results.

In the second part of our proposal, we are chemically attaching insect repellent (IR) microcapsules previously developed in our lab on the military fabrics (camo NyCo) with the objective of developing multifunctional fabrics containing insect repellent and flame-retardant (FR) properties. This is done using two approaches. Firstly, insect repellent microcapsules are covalently attached to a Glycidyloxy-Propyl-Trimethoxy Silane (GPTMS) functionalized camo NyCo fabric, both with and without the FR present. This resulted in a robust and wash durable attachment of IR microcapsules to the fabric, where no loss in IR functionality is observed after rinsing the fabric multiple times. Professor Ram Nagarajan, Plastics Engineering at UMass Lowell has expertise in FR and silane treatment; hence, NyCo fabrics containing FR and silane functionalization are received from his group. Secondly, with extensive experience of our group in synthesizing IR microcapsules, we are also encapsulating FR and IR together, to develop a single coating procedure on the silane functionalized fabric that would result in IR and FR multifunctionality, instead of coating them separately.