seed projects

Allen Jonathan Román: Flow-Induced Microstructures in Rotating-Nozzle Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

Overview of flow-induced microstructure development arising from rotating-nozzle extrusion and its influence on viscoelastic behavior in polymer composites.

Extrusion-based additive manufacturing produces complex flow histories that give rise to hierarchical microstructures across molecular, filler, and mesoscale length scales. These structures strongly influence viscoelastic and functional behavior, yet their formation mechanisms and contributions to material response remain poorly understood. The project leverages our patented rotating-nozzle extrusion platform as a materials science testbed for studying flow-induced microstructure and viscoelastic behavior. Using established extrusion-based processing conditions and advanced materials characterization, this work will relate internal microstructural descriptors to time-dependent mechanical response in filled polymer systems. By treating additive manufacturing as both a fabrication and scientific interrogation tool, this project will generate foundational insight into filler-driven viscoelasticity while informing future strategies for manufacturing complex hierarchical material architectures.

Funded by the National Science Foundation through the University of Minnesota MRSEC under Award Number DMR-2011401