Advanced Materials for Extreme Environment Electronics

ABSTRACT: As modern electronic technology extends into harsh working conditions, there is a growing need for systems capable of uncompromising performance in extreme environments. This drives the search for advanced materials and electronics that enable high-throughput and rapid prototyping. Coupled with additive manufacturing, molecular decomposition metal alloys and ultrahigh temperature ceramics overcome the limitations of traditional material-limited and thermally initiated working, facilitating high-throughput and rapid prototyping of stoichiometry and composition-controlled materials. Here, we describe a new paradigm for the design and additive manufacturing of metallic conductor materials and ceramics by printing molecular decomposable materials. These materials are capable of withstanding thermo-mechanical loading and operating in extreme static and dynamic conditions. Our findings can be extended to other printable molecular decomposable materials, establishing a platform for rapid prototyping of high-temperature electronics suitable for harsh environments.

BIO: Dr. Shenqiang Ren is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park with research interests in materials design and assembly and transformative manufacturing of emerging materials. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park and then served as a postdoc fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He received the 2015 National Science Foundation – CAREER Award, 2014 Army Research Office – Young Investigator Award.