Hierarchical Materials Through 3D Printing and Molecular Design

• Prof. Emily Davidson, Princeton University
• Sponsored by Golden Gate Polymer Forum
• April 22nd, 5:30-6:30 pm; Online, Free/$5 donation, Registration required by April 21^st at 1pm

Nature creates remarkable material by controlling the hierarchical assembly of molecules that are broken down at the end of their useful life. Inspired by natural systems, my group’s research combines molecular design with directed assembly via extrusion-based 3D printing to program the structure and function of polymer-based materials across length scales. First, I will describe how in both liquid crystalline polymers and block copolymers we can control the extent of nanostructure alignment and functional anisotropy via the flow history the material undergoes during 3DP. By tailoring flow history and microstructural layout, we are able to encode ‘multiple properties’ in structures composed of a single material. I will also discuss our contributions to developing liquid crystal elastomers with tailored network structures that allow us to probe the interplay of network structure with liquid crystalline phase transitions.

Speaker Background

Emily Davidson is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University. She leads a research group that works at the intersection of polymer synthesis, polymer physics, self-assembly, and additive manufacturing to develop hierarchically defined functional materials. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT, her PhD from UC Berkeley, and performed postdoctoral research at Harvard University. She has been recognized with a 2019 Scientista ‘Young Professional’ Award, a 2022 DOE Early Career award, and the 2023 Princeton School of Engineering Alfred Rheinstein Faculty Award.