Gao research group in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University works on interdisciplinary problems in solid mechanics and materials science. Combining multiscale modeling, machine learning and experiments, we aim to advance the fundamental understanding of mechanical and multifunctional behavior of materials and to make a transformative impact on materials design and discovery for diverse applications. Our research has plentiful applications in renewable energy, micro- and nano-electromechanical devices, additive manufacturing, and biomedical engineering. We are hiring postdoc and graduate students.
Research Highlights
Two-Photon Polymerized Shape Memory Microfibers: A new experimental method is reported for testing the mechanical properties of TPP-printed microfibers in liquid. By controlling the TPP writing parameters, the mechanical properties of the microfibers can be tailored over a wide range to meet a variety of mechanobiology applications. In addition, it is found that, in water, the plasticly deformed microfibers can return to their predeformed shape after tensile strain is released (Adv. Fun. Mater., 2022).
Phase Transition in 2D material: Monolayer MoTe2 exhibits two stable structural phases: semiconducting 2H phase and metallic 1T′ phase. This study quantitatively elucidates the atomistic, thermodynamic and kinetic mechanism of the phase transition under applied stress. The results shed light on the phase engineering of 2D TMD materials with stress at the atomic level (EML, 2020).
FD-Bell Theory: Stress can be applied to modulate solid–solid phase transitions because the stress changes the transition energy barrier which determines the phase transition rate. The lower the barrier, the higher the rate and more likely the phase transition occurs. This study presents a new theoretical method – finite deformation Bell theory, for predicting transition barriers as a function of the applied stress field (JMPS, 2020).
FD-NEB Method: A finite deformation Nudged Elastic Band method is developed to determine the pathway of a solid-solid transition process subjected to external stress fields. It provides more accurate prediction for minimum energy path as compared to previous methods when solids undergo large deformation during transitions (J. Chem. Phys, 2019).
Deciphering Beetle Exoskeleton: One of the common architectures in natural materials is the helicoidal (Bouligand) structure, where fiber layers twist around a helical screw. In this study, nanomechanics is used to identify the geometry and material properties of the fibers that comprise a beetle's exoskeleton. This work could guide the design and manufacturing of new and improved artificial materials through bio-mimicry (Adv. Fun. Mater., 2017).
Nanowire's Brittle-to-ductile Transition: The mechanical behavior of nanomaterials under high strain rates is critical to understand their suitability for dynamic applications. In this study, silver nanowires are in situ tested inside scanning electron microscope at strain rates up to 2/s. A brittle-to-ductile failure mode transition was observed at a threshold strain rate of 0.2/s (Nano Letters, 2016).
Graphene's Entropic Elasticity: One-atom thick graphene displays significant thermal rippling at finite temperatures. Thermomechanical properties of monolayer graphene with thermal fluctuation are studied by both statistical mechanics analysis and molecular dynamics simulations, which suggest considerable entropic contribution to the thermomechanical properties of graphene, and as a result thermal rippling is intricately coupled with thermal expansion and thermoelasticity (JMPS, 2014).
