Micro/nanoengineering

Researchers in Carnegie Mellon's Department of Mechanical Engineering are investigating transport phenomena and microscale processes to create efficient devices and nanomanufacture materials.

Micro/nanoengineering

Devices and material manipulation

MEMS devices and microscale processes are investigated from the design and modeling stages to the fabrication and testing stages. Researchers explore areas like nanomanufacturing, soft materials for robotics, micro-sized robots, DNA origami, and more.

Faculty involved: Maarten de Boer, Reeja Jayan, Carmel Majidi, Metin Sitti, Burak Ozdoganlar, Rahul Panat, Rebecca Taylor

Transport phenomena

Our faculty analyze experimental measurements and high-fidelity modeling of the transport of charge, heat, mass, and momentum.

They are building efficient fuel cells, creating droplets of medication less than a micrometer in size, and developing better technologies for solid state lighting and solar energy conversion. They use machine learning to predict the physical phenomena pertinent to mechanical engineering.

Faculty involved: Amir Barati Farimani, Shawn Litster, Jonathan Malen, Alan McGaughey, Sheng Shen

Micro/nanoengineering and the environment

Faculty investigate the characterization and modeling of small-scale phenomena that impact global systems. Microscale laboratory methods and computational modeling focus on developing and optimizing energy-related processes while monitoring the physicochemical properties of the atmosphere. Machine learning tools allow researchers to investigate efficient ways to clean and desalinate water.

Faculty involved: Amir Barati Farimani, Ryan Sullivan

Related news

Oct 14

Jon Cagan named head of Mechanical Engineering Opens in new window

Jon Cagan will be the new head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, effective November 1, 2022.

Oct 11

Microneedles unlock curcumin’s therapeutic potential Opens in new window

Researchers engineer a hybrid system that stabilizes curcumin to target skin diseases.

Research paper Opens in new window

Oct 07

Nanoprinting electrodes for customized treatments of disease Opens in new window

Researchers pioneer the CMU Array—a customizable, 3D nano-printed, ultra-high-density microelectrode array platform for next-generation brain-computer interfaces to treat neurological disorders.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

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Aug 24

Review of microfluidic tools shows flow of innovation

Collaborative research between doctoral students from Biological Sciences and Mechanical Engineering yields findings published in Nature Communications.

Aug 02

3D printing ice Opens in new window

3D printed ice isn’t as magical as in the movie Frozen, but it has wonderful potential for biomedical engineering and advanced manufacturing.

Research paper Opens in new window

Jul 25

Jayan project awarded $7.5 million

Jayan will lead the CMU team to learn about the effects of various types of energy radiation on electronic materials to potentially identify ways to engineer radiation hardened materials for use in space exploration vehicles.

Jun 27

Microscopic engineering, macroscopic value

From an apprenticeship in nanofabrication to a career with Intel, master's alumnus Alexander Kwakye focuses on process engineering and its emphasis on quality over quantity.

May 31

Drop by drop: MXene in complex 3D device architectures Opens in new window

3D architectures of MXene can increase the energy storage density of lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, but there hasn’t been a reliable manufacturing method to build these configurations.

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Mar 18

3D printing giant nanotech models Opens in new window

Caleigh Goodwin-Schoen and Rebecca Taylor are designing more affordable ways to print colorful 3D models of biological nanostructures, like proteins and DNA.

Jan 11

Faculty projects awarded DURIP funding Opens in new window

Three College of Engineering faculty members have been selected to receive funding for their projects through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP): Marc De Graef, Anthony Rollett, and Rebecca Taylor.

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Dec 07

Breaking barriers in medicine Opens in new window

A team of mechanical engineering researchers has used additive manufacturing and nanotechnology to detect increasingly tiny levels of biomarkers.

Research paper Opens in new window

Oct 20

Using AI to provide the world with drinking water Opens in new window

Amir Barati Farimani is seeking new possibilities in water purification through using AI agents in the desalination process.

Research paper Opens in new window

Sep 02

Releasing the heat

Researchers develop a universal model to predict the thermal boundary conductance of a multilayered-metal-dielectric interface. This model will help to streamline the development of thermally efficient devices.

Jul 27

Pushing through nanopores: Genetic sequencing with MXene Opens in new window

MXene—a single layer, two-dimensional nanomaterial—shows potential for solid-state, nanopore-based DNA sequencing. This could lead to efficient, rapid diagnostics and personalized medicine.

Research paper Opens in new window

Jul 16

Tantalizing tantalum actuators and sensors Opens in new window

Can this refractory metal be an efficient substitute material in microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thermal actuators?

May 26

Using DNA for tiny tech Opens in new window

Tito Babatunde and her advisors Rebecca Taylor and Jon Cagan are combining their expertise to optimize designs for DNA origami nanostructures.

Research paper Opens in new window

Apr 09

Virtually awarded

MechE graduate students earned accolades at the department’s annual research symposium poster sessions. This year's events were virtual through Gather Town, an interactive, video-chat world.

Mar 01

Scalable manufacturing for novel, painless vaccine delivery

Collaborators are developing a novel approach to inoculation that addresses both immunological effectiveness and manufacturing efficiency.

Jan 19

Improving a vaccine delivery system for COVID and beyond Opens in new window

To impact COVID-19 vaccination in the developing world, collaborators develop and test a new hybrid microneedle array platform capable of delivering vaccines directly into the skin.

Sep 28

Hot Stuff: Unusual thermal diode rectifies heat in both directions Opens in new window

Dual-mode thermal rectification could be a game changer for a range of industrial and medical applications.

Research paper Opens in new window

Sep 14

Imagine a 10-second COVID-19 antibody test—we’re on our way Opens in new window

Carnegie Mellon University researchers reveal fastest known COVID-19 antibody test with high sensitivity due to a unique, 3D printing technology and an electrochemical reaction.

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Research paper Opens in new window

Sep 01

Wildfires produce minerals that freeze clouds Opens in new window

Why do some biomass fuels create ice nucleating particles when they combust while others do not? Researchers at the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies make an unexpected discovery.

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Jul 20

At home with research

Despite the coronavirus shutdown, researchers and students were creative about continuing their work and joining the fight against COVID-19.

Jun 12

Unlocking PNA’s superpowers Opens in new window

Rebecca Taylor and her research team have developed a method for self-assembling nanostructures with gamma-modified peptide nucleic acid, a synthetic mimic of DNA.

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May 05

A new law for metamaterials

Sheng Shen and his student Jiayu Li have created a new scale law to describe the thermal emission from metasurfaces and metamaterials.

Apr 27

A big comeback for a little switch Opens in new window

Maarten de Boer and Gianluca Piazza are developing reliable, mechanical switches the size of a DNA molecule, thanks to a $2M LEAP-HI grant from the National Science Foundation.

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Apr 07

An alternative to the syringe Opens in new window

Carnegie Mellon University will provide microneedle drug delivery patches to support COVID-19 vaccination and treatment research.

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Feb 28

Engineering faculty receive CAREER awards Opens in new window

Four College of Engineering faculty members have been awarded CAREER awards by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Jan 13

Evolution in the air Opens in new window

Two new studies show how aerosol optical tweezing can allow scientists to scrutinize the components of the atmosphere with new precision.

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Dec 18

A more efficient way to turn saltwater into drinking water Opens in new window

Researchers are working on a way to transform seawater into fresh drinking water with a new, honeycombed-patterned membrane—only a few atoms thick—that uses less energy than existing methods.

Research paper Opens in new window

Dec 16

Creating an on-off switch for heat Opens in new window

This polymer thermal regulator can quickly transform from a conductor to an insulator, and back again. By switching between the two states, it can control its own temperature as well as the temperature of its surroundings, such as a refrigerator or computer.

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Jul 26

An elegant solution to the soft sensing challenge Opens in new window

Carmel Majidi’s team has developed a soft magnetic skin with a single sensing element that detects force and contact.

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Jul 16

Where mechanics meets artificial intelligence

Amir Barati Farimani is bringing state of the art machine learning algorithms to mechanical engineering and exploring research topics in physical phenomena, materials discovery, robotics, bioengineering, and more.

Jul 09

Polymers, printing, and pathways

A novel approach to 3D printing using a support bath can greatly expand the types of polymers that can be printed, enable chemical reactions of the printed materials to gain novel material properties, and increase the mechanical strength and reduce the print time of mechanical parts through design optimization.

Jul 05

The root of the matter Opens in new window

A team from the College of Engineering has used the natural architecture of the mangrove tree to unlock a better method of desalination.

Jun 25

Bergbreiter, Jayan win Army DURIP awards

Sarah Bergbreiter and B. Reeja Jayan have received Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) awards to purchase vital laboratory equipment for current research and the development of new ideas and techniques.

May 21

The future’s high-functioning materials—today

In a scientific breakthrough, researchers collaborating across engineering and polymer chemistry synthesize new materials with extraordinary properties.

Apr 11

Waste not, watt not

With a National Science Foundation award, Jonathan Malen is collaborating to develop a thermoelectric semiconductor to convert waste heat into energy.

Nov 06

Exploring high-entropy alloys

Collaborators De Boer, Poczos, and Webler receive a Manufacturing Futures Initiative (MFI) award to explore high-entropy alloys, a new class of metal alloy.

Aug 08

Sheng Shen’s spectacular supersolder Opens in new window

Mechanical Engineering’s Sheng Shen has created “supersolder,” an ultracompliant thermal interface material with twice the thermal conductivity of conventional solders.

Apr 19

Is 3-D printing the future for ceramics? Opens in new window

B. Reeja Jayan has been awarded the NSF CAREER Award and $500,000 to pursue research in creating 3-D printing ceramics, and create an integrated research and game-based education plan.

Mar 14

Measuring macro with micro Opens in new window

College of Engineering’s Rebecca Taylor earns funding from the U.S. Air Force’s Young Investigator Research Program to develop next generation sensors with DNA and PNA.

Feb 13

Engineering “thubber” Opens in new window

“Thubber,” a thermally conductive rubber material, is a breakthrough for creating soft, stretchable machines and electronics.

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Jan 17

Tweezing out the properties of particles Opens in new window

Assistant Professor Ryan Sullivan and his research team have developed a way to isolate a single particle to study the way it individually interacts with the atmosphere.

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