The focus of the symposium is to provide a forum for the dissemination and discussion of materials research in the area of mechanically-coupled functional systems. Electro-mechanical, magneto-mechanical, thermo-mechanical, opto-mechanical material properties (i.e. “piezo-“ and “–strictive”) as well as stress-induced phase transformations and shape-memory behavior are all examples of the phenomena that are of interest for this symposium. Furthermore, recent developments in synthesis, fabrication and characterization have enabled testing and probing of a wide variety of small-scale and low-dimensional systems. The methods for experimental investigations are of high importance because they serve as the foundation for the enablement of new discoveries in the area of mechanically coupled properties.
Materials of interest are not restricted to any specific class so long as they exhibit the properties of interest. Submissions to this symposium are expected to focus on experimental research (synthesis, fabrication, characterization, testing), but theoretical (simulation, modeling) efforts will also be considered. Engineered dots, wires, and films all constitute relevant geometries to this symposium although the coupled properties need not be restricted to small scale systems if they have application in bulk materials. Methods may include those based on tensile and compressive testing, nanoindentation, beam- and cantilever- techniques, as well as those that apply to data analysis.
In the post-information age, Internet-of-Things era, a key limiting factor to enabling new sensor technologies is the ability to monitor environmental conditions in real-time with extreme systematic efficiency. Often classified as ‘smart-materials’ the specific class of materials with mechanical-coupled properties has direct implementation capabilities into many emerging and existing devices. Strain-induced phase changes can be accompanied by tremendous changes in material properties, making them very interesting to future applications. Furthermore, repeated mechanical stress (vis a vis fatigue) can have severe impacts on the functional integrity of materials over time, leading to untold complications related to device reliability. The broader aim of this symposium is to gather the scientists and engineers working across many different disciplines under this theme into a common forum for sharing their work.