This research explores a bottom-up synthesis approach to fabricate 3D nanostructured ceramics with an engineered 3D micro configuration. The fabrication process employs a template-assisted strategy that combines advanced polymer additive manufacturing technologies with conformal coating. The architected design specifically refers to the creation of periodic cellular structures with defined unit cells. This thesis comprises three main research components.

The first component focuses on the failure analysis of ultralight shell-based cellular structures. These nano-architected aerogels consist of an ultrathin ceramic film, making them susceptible to buckling failure under compressive loads. This section provides a comprehensive examination of the failure mechanisms, particularly the buckl...[ Read more ]

This research explores a bottom-up synthesis approach to fabricate 3D nanostructured ceramics with an engineered 3D micro configuration. The fabrication process employs a template-assisted strategy that combines advanced polymer additive manufacturing technologies with conformal coating. The architected design specifically refers to the creation of periodic cellular structures with defined unit cells. This thesis comprises three main research components.

The first component focuses on the failure analysis of ultralight shell-based cellular structures. These nano-architected aerogels consist of an ultrathin ceramic film, making them susceptible to buckling failure under compressive loads. This section provides a comprehensive examination of the failure mechanisms, particularly the buckling mode of failure, while analyzing the effects of constituent materials, loading conditions, and geometry. Additionally, we introduce surface constant mean curvature as a design variable to enhance the buckling strength of these ultralight cellular structures.

The second component involves the mechanical characterization of atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al₂O₃ nanofilms. Despite the limited study of the fracture properties of ALD ceramics, this section fabricates suspended membranes with thicknesses of 50 and 100 nm. These membranes are subjected to deflection using a conical Brinell indentation tip to investigate their Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength. Notably, the estimated values for ultimate tensile strength are significantly higher than those reported in the literature.

In the third section, we fabricate nano-architected ceramic aerogels and conduct a comprehensive study of their mechanical performance. This part focuses on experimentally investigating the buckling mode of failure in ultralight cellular structures and examining the effects of geometric deviations on the mechanical performance of the nanostructured ceramics. We analyze the nature and extent of geometric deviations that occur during the fabrication process by reconstructing the as-fabricated shells using a voxel-based 3D printing simulation, thoroughly studying the impact of these deviations on mechanical performance.