Dissertation
Design, manufacturing, and characterization of advanced ceramics
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Spring 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007835
Abstract
Advanced ceramics are at the forefront of materials research due to their exceptional mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. This dissertation presents the design, manufacturing, and characterization of advanced ceramics, focusing on geopolymer-based memristors for neuromorphic computing and spatially tailored Ti-TiB composites for applications in extreme environment.
The first part of this study explores geopolymer-based memristors, which are low-cost, eco-friendly ceramic materials that exhibit memristive properties due to electroosmosis within their porous structures. These materials demonstrate key synaptic functionalities, including short-term plasticity, long-term plasticity, spike-timing-dependent plasticity, and spike-rate-dependent plasticity, making them promising candidates for neuromorphic computing applications. Further improvements were achieved through micron-scale fabrication and ionic liquid functionalization, enhancing memory retention and scalability. Additionally, a geopolymer-based physical reservoir computing system was developed, demonstrating pattern recognition capabilities with significant accuracy in tasks such as binary digit and handwritten digit classification. The observed multifunctional properties of geopolymers pave the way for their applications in energy-efficient and intelligent structural health monitoring with edge computing capabilities.
The second part of this dissertation focuses on the manufacturing and characterization of spatially tailored Ti-TiB composites. These composites leverage functionally graded material principles to achieve superior mechanical properties tailored for specific applications. By utilizing vacuum sintering techniques at ultra-low pressure, Ti-TiB composites with varying reinforcement distributions were fabricated and analyzed using multiscale characterization techniques. Nanoindentation, nano scratch, and microhardness tests revealed enhanced mechanical properties, while scanning probe microscopy and thermal imaging provided insights into their structural stability under extreme conditions. The experimental findings validate computational models predicting improved strength, microhardness, and nano-ductility of these composites, paving the way for their application in aerospace, biomedical, and structural components.
Overall, this dissertation advances the field of advanced ceramics by introducing novel material designs, fabrication, and characterization methodologies. The findings contribute to the development of cost-effective, high-performance materials for neuromorphic computing and structural applications, addressing key challenges in energy efficiency, scalability, and mechanical resilience.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Design, manufacturing, and characterization of advanced ceramics
- Creators
- Mahmudul Alam Shakib
- Contributors
- Caterina Lamuta (Advisor)Shaoping Xiao (Committee Member)Syed Mubeen (Committee Member)Yuliang Xie (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Mechanical Engineering
- Date degree season
- Spring 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007835
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xviii, 179 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Mahmudul Alam Shakib
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/25/2025
- Description illustrations
- Illustrations, graphs, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 136-159).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- This thesis explores the development of advanced ceramics for two key applications: brain- inspired computing and high-strength aerospace materials. The first part focuses on geopolymer-based memristors, manufactured from low-cost, inorganic materials that mimic the way biological brain learns and stores information. These devices exhibit adaptive electrical behavior, making them promising candidates for brain-inspired computing. A physics-based model is developed to explain their resistive switching mechanism. Further improvements using ionic liquids enhance stability and performance, enabling their use in artificial intelligence tasks such as handwritten digit recognition, achieving 88.4% accuracy. This work highlights their potential for energy-efficient computing and structural health monitoring. The second part of this thesis examines Ti-TiB composites, engineered to achieve high strength and durability in aerospace applications. By refining processing techniques such as vacuum sintering and gas-assisted methods, the material’s microstructure is precisely controlled, enhancing mechanical properties. Advanced testing methods, including nanoindentation and X-ray analysis, are conducted to experimentally characterized Ti-TiB composites. The findings pave the way for the development of cost-effective, high-performance ceramic materials for neuromorphic computing and structural applications.
- Academic Unit
- Mechanical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984831123702771
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