Advanced Materials

Zezhou Li

Zezhou Li is specializing in examining dynamic behavior of advanced materials such as nanocrystalline Ti, high-entropy alloys, and ultrafine-grained Ta, Fe. He mainly works on the microstructural characterization of various materials and building the constitutive model to understand the nano and microstructural changes in these alloys.

Joshua Pelz

Joshua studies the effects of hierarchical structuring on the ballistic performance of ceramic composites.  A custom 3D printer is used to direct ink write ceramic armor composites out of boron carbide and silicon carbide slurries.  Using CAD software, composite armor is designed with various levels of structuring. Through characterization of the nano-, micro-, and meso-structure and mechanical properties of the ceramic armor, a better understanding of the extrinsic toughening mechanisms is gained.  Ultimately, this research aims to develop next-generation body armor that offers better protection at a lower weight.