The innovation engine for new materials

Emily Chin

Emily Chin

Major: 

Mechanical Engineering

University: 

University of California, Berkeley

Mentor(s): 

Keith Johnson

Faculty Sponsor(s): 

Matthew Begley

Faculty Sponsor's Department(s): 

Materials
Mechanical Engineering

Project Title: 

Acoustic Patterning in Chambers with Two and Three Non-orthogonal Walls

Project Description: 

Acoustophoresis is the manipulation of micro-scale particles in a fluid using standing waves and can be used to control the microstructure of composites. Motivated by the application of Lithium-ion battery electrodes, a study on acoustophoresis of hollow and solid microparticles is presented with analytical derivations, numerical simulations, and confirming experiments. Previous research investigated patterns created in two-dimensional orthogonal chambers, while the present study focuses on two-dimensional non-orthogonal and simple three-dimensional chambers. For the calculations of the acoustic forces, the Gor’kov potentials of both the parallelogram and three-dimensional orientations were derived. Using the equations, MATLAB simulations of possible microstructures were created. The results were experimentally verified for two-dimensional acoustics using a variety of particles, and future work will aim to experimentally verify the patterns in three-dimensional space. This project works towards creating a scalable Additive Manufacturing to rapidly print high-energy and high-power Li-ion battery packs.