Researcher to Study Nanomaterials’ Reliability With NSF CAREER Award

Dr. Rodrigo Bernal Monotoya, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, received a $625,000 National Science Foundation CAREER award to support his research to predict the reliability of nanomaterials when they are used to make wearable medical devices, electronics and lightweight materials. The CAREER award is a significant honor and it supports promising early-career faculty to lead as teachers and researchers as they advance in their fields.

Bernal’s work focuses on developing methods to determine whether nanomaterials — materials as small as 1/10,000th of the diameter of a human hair — can maintain their outstanding properties when used in large quantities for consumer products. For example, will stretchable nanomaterials that conduct electricity continue to stretch without failure in a device that requires billions of them? And if so, for how long?

“When you use nanomaterials at scale to manufacture a product, is it going to survive a year, or is it going to break in 10 days? We know individual nanomaterials are very strong, but we also know this strength can vary. We haven’t yet understood the implications of this variance,” said Bernal, who is the principal investigator in the Nanomechanical Multiphysics Lab at UTD.

The research is particularly important for next-generation electronics that will integrate multiple unique functions and sensors that are critical for cyberphysical systems, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Cyberphysical systems include both digital and physical components, so ongoing monitoring through reliable sensors is essential.

Bernal uses nanotechnology tools, including scanning probe microscopy and microfabrication, as well as other interdisciplinary techniques to study the long-term effectiveness of these new materials that may allow for greater efficiency and lower costs. He will study the underlying factors that lead to material failure such as voids and cracks, enabling the improvement of nanomaterial manufacturing, more accurate predictions of lifetime in products that include nanomaterials and more reliable designs.

As part of the award, which typically includes provisions for both research and education components, Bernal plans to promote mechanical engineering among local high school students through tutoring, lectures, hands-on experiences and mentorship. He will also pilot the introduction of mechanical engineering (ME) problems to ME students in general engineering courses.

“Students should be exposed to major-specific problems early in their careers, even in an introductory general engineering course, so they maintain engagement with their major,” Bernal said.

Bernal, who is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, completed a BS in mechanical and electronics engineering at the University of the Andes in Bogotá and a PhD in mechanical engineering at Northwestern University. Prior to joining UT Dallas in 2017, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.