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Instructor Information: Markus J. Buehler

Course Length: 1.5 Hours

This webinar is co-sponsored by ASCE's Engineering Mechanics Institute and ASCE Continuing Education  

Purpose and Background

Major challenges of our time include issues such as disease, energy, and mobility, which are deeply rooted in our understanding of how materials are designed, and how they fail to provide required functions at all length scales (from the nanoscale to the macroscale). Nanotechnology provides a powerful path to analyze, understand, and utilize materials in unimaginable ways. It can be used to develop novel solutions for sustainable and durable “green” materials, new insight into disease mechanisms and treatments, and the utilization of low-energy materials for high-volume applications. This webinar will provide an introduction to nanotechnology and outline its application to analyze, understand, and utilize materials more efficiently.

Primary Discussion Topics

The speaker will discuss:

• Challenges of our time: infrastructure, energy and sustainability
• History and impact of nanotechnology, in particular in the context of structural materials
• A bottom-up approach in civil engineering: from the nanoscale to the macroscale
• How materials provide function and how they fail
• Interface of biology and engineering: from molecules to structures and back
• Bioinspired materials and structures: turning weakness to strength and finding new forms and shapes for design
• Methods and tools to integrate nano to macro towards intelligent infrastructure
• Case studies and practical examples

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes have been established for webinar participants:

• Gain an introductory perspective on nanotechnology (history, state of the art, potential impact) methods such as nanomechanics, molecular simulation, etc.
• Understand the introductory biological principles of materials design and application to design novel materials for mechanical (structural) and thermal properties
• Understand case studies on bone, spider silk will be given, and paths to exploit biological design paradigms to technological applications will be outlined
• Determine precise methods to quantify material properties from a fundamental, molecular perspective

Webinar Benefits

• Find out latest developments in nanotechnology and related fields
• Take advantage of nanotechnology for civil engineering applications: current and future applications
• Learn new solutions to develop lighter, stronger, more durable and adaptable materials and structures
• Examine the possibilities for new materials design based on bioinspired and biomimetic methods
• Determine precise methods to quantify material properties from a fundamental, molecular, perspective

Intended Audience

• Structural engineers
• Materials engineers
• Environmental engineers
• Architects

Webinar Outline

• Introduction: challenges of our time: infrastructure, energy and sustainability
• History and impact of nanotechnology
• A bottom-up approach in civil engineering: from nano to macro
• How materials provide function and how they fail
• Interface of biology and engineering: from molecules to structures and back
• Bioinspired materials and structures: turning weakness to strength, and finding new forms and shapes for design
• Methods and tools to integrate nano to macro towards intelligent infrastructure
• Case studies: Bone, spider silk and carbon nanotube based fibers, including advanced manufacturing methods
• Discussion and conclusion