MURI Program: Engineering Compostable Plastic for Additive Manufacturing
DUE is home to IEL and the CRL which is administering the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute (MURI) both in the academic year and the summer, which creates and supports multidisciplinary research teams consisting of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, senior staff and faculty. The primary purpose of these teams is to provide undergraduates a unique opportunity to gain research skills by working with mentors on real world problems.
Overview of department:
The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology is the home of several research centers, institutes, and initiatives, including the Collaborative Additive Manufacturing Research Initiative (CAMRI). CAMRI's mission is to advance additive manufacturing practices and technologies, including the development of novel materials.
Project summary:
Students involved in this project are expected to perform several tasks:
- Review literature through databases
- Carry out experimental research leading to material discovery and process optimization
- Write technical reports and contribute to journal publications, conference publications, and/or posters
- Prepare and deliver formal presentations of research progress
- Contribute content to the group’s website.
Specific tasks that the MURI student will complete:
Duties of the position typically include the following:
Specific tasks include:
- The design of experiments leading to the discovery and formulation of a new compostable, bio-based plastic for additive manufacturing
- Process optimization to obtain a suitable plastic
- Mechanical characterization (tensile testing and hardness testing)
- Chemical characterization (XRD, FTIR, and GC/MS)
- Data analysis and derivation of empirical models
- Development of additive manufacturing methods to utilize the novel bio-based plastic.
Specific qualifications (knowledge, skills, class standing, etc) we desire the MURI student to have:
Any student is welcome to join this multi-disciplinary team, especially the ones with an interest in STEM+Art, e.g., chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, ceramics, and sculpture.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this position assignment, the student will meet the following learning objectives
- Students involved in this project will learn how to prepare bio-based, compostable plastic, specifically starch-based plastic.
- They will also learn how to characterize the mechanical properties and chemical characteristics of plastic.
- They will learn how to operate fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers.