Research
Area1: 3D Freeze Printing (3DFP) of Aerogel
3D printed pure, continuous, boundary free and truly 3D (e.g. with overhang structures) graphene aerogel with ultra-low density (0.5-10 g cm-3), high electrical conductivity (~ 15.4 S m-1) and high compressibility.
3DFP process.
Area2: Shock Wave-Graphene Interactions
Graphene can be aligned by the additive manufacturing process, such as vertical alignment in Step 1. Shock wave introduced by Step 2 will interact with vertically aligned graphene and generate stress concentration, thus nucleating nanotwins between graphene sheets under low shock pressure.
Step 1: laser sintering of graphene oxide/iron nanocomposite, 2D nanomaterials can be vertically aligned by the developed process.
Step 2: laser shock peening of graphene integrated iron matrix, introducing high density of nanotwins around graphene.
Area 3: Metal Additive Manufacturing: Laser Powder Bed Fusion & Directed Energy Deposition
Investigating laser scan strategies, beam shaping, and in-situ thermal monitoring to control microstructure and defect formation in LPBF and L-DED. Active projects include defect-free LPBF (Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center), laser stirring with elliptical scanning for on-demand alloying (in collaboration with NIST), and lattice-structured materials (Idaho National Laboratory).
Key alloys: Inconel 718, GRCop-84, IN625, 17-4 SS, copper alloys.
Area 4: Additive Manufacturing of Graded and Tailored Alloys for Aerospace
Co-led with Air Force Research Laboratory, developing functionally graded and compositionally tailored alloys for sustainment and new aerospace applications.
Area 5: Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics & Ceramic Matrix Composites
Direct ink writing and post-processing of SiC, ZrC, Si₃N₄, and SiC-SiC CMCs for hypersonic vehicles, aircraft engine noise reduction, nuclear thermal propulsion, and space applications. Sponsors include NASA, NETL, Army SBIR, and GOMACTech partners.
Area 6: Bio-Inspired Manufacturing of Metal-Graphene Composites (NSF CAREER)
NSF CAREER project (2020–2025) developing high-strength, high-toughness metal-graphene composites inspired by hierarchical natural structures.
Area 7: Additive Manufacturing of Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites
Laser-assisted and ultrasonic-assisted LOM, graphene-enhanced interlayer bonding, and mechanical/ultrasonic finishing of CFRP.
The Composite Structures review (Parandoush & Lin, 2017) is the #1 most-downloaded article in that journal since 2020.
U.S. Patent No. 11,254,048 (2022) licensed to HydroGraph.
Area 8: Sustainable & Bio-Based Manufacturing
Decentralized pelletization of agricultural and forestry residues for bioenergy (USDA-NIFA Sun Grant), lignin-based wearable triboelectric nanogenerators for health monitoring (USDA-NIFA), and bio-inspired nanocellulose aerogel acoustic materials.
