To be considered, Parikh submitted a proposal for a bioinspired project. The objective of his work is to develop a synthetic mimic to spatially tailored natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites. They would be used for high-performance applications using additive manufacturing and rapid curing enabled by frontal polymerization.
“My goal is to expand the additive manufacturing toolbox to continuous fiber-reinforced composites with tailored functionality akin to natural composites,” Parikh said. “The research adopts a multidisciplinary approach to exploring unique composites materials. Manufacturing of fiber-reinforced polymer composites by additive manufacturing aims to explore the integration of digital design and multifunctional capabilities to improve the service life and performance of composite materials using tailored materials.”
Parikh works with AE Bliss Professor Philippe Geubelle and Swanlund Chair Professor Nancy Sottos from U of I’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.