Wen Chen

Assistant Professor

I completed my Ph.D degree in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Yale University. My Ph.D thesis focused on understanding microstructure-property-processing relationships in metallic glasses by artificial microstructures approach. After my Ph.D, I worked as a postdoctoral research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where I developed direct ink writing based technology for additive manufacturing of metals. My research interests primarily lie in mechanical behavior of materials, materials design, and additive manufacturing.

Current Research

My main research thrust revolves around the interface of materials science and advanced manufacturing. We are particularly interested in understanding the fundamental microstructure-property-processing relationships in advanced materials and integrating control over materials on different length scales (atomic structure, microstructure, architecture) through materials processing and additive manufacturing (or 3D printing), to eventually arrive at optimized, multi-functional engineering components. Specific research activities include, but are not limited to:

1. Microstructure-property-processing relationships in structural metals (e.g., metallic glasses, steels, etc)
2. Development of cost-effective and highly flexible metal 3D printing technologies
3. Design and fabrication of architectured materials (e.g., cellular materials, composites, functionally graded materials) with engineered microstructures through hybrid manufacturing based on thermoplastic forming, direct ink writing, selective laser melting, projection stereolithography, silicon photolithography, powder metallurgy, electro- and electroless deposition, etc.

Learn more at: https://wenchenumass.weebly.com/

Publications

C. Zhu, Z. Qi, V.A. Beck, M. Luneau, J. Lattimer, W. Chen, M.A. Worsley, J. Ye, E.B. Duoss, C.M. Spadaccini, C.M. Friend, J. Biener, Toward digitally controlled catalyst architectures: Hierarchical nanoporous gold via 3D printing, Science Advances, 4 (2018): eaas9459.

J. Ketkaew, W. Chen, H. Wang, A. Datye, M. Fan, G. Pereira, U.D. Schwarz, Z. Liu, R. Yamada, W. Dmowski, M.D. Shattuck, C.S. O’Hern, T. Egami, E. Bouchbinder, J. Schroers, Mechanical glass transition revealed by the fracture toughness of metallic glasses, Nature Communications 9 (2018) 3271. ure

M.A. Gibson, N.M. Mykulowycz, J. Shim, R. Fontana, P. Schmitt, A. Roberts, J. Ketkaew, L. Shao, W. Chen, P. Bordeenithikasem, J.S. Myerberg, R. Fulop, M.D. Verminski, E.M. Sachs, Y.-M. Chiang, C.A. Schuh, A.J. Hart, J. Schroers, 3D printing metals like thermoplastics: Fused filament fabrication of metallic glasses, Materials Today, 2018.

Y. M. Wang, T. Voisin, J.T. McKeown, J.C. Ye, N.P. Calta, Z. Li, Z. Zeng, Y. Zhang, W. Chen, T.T. Roehling, R.T. Ott, M.K. Santala, P.J. Depond, M.J. Matthews, A.V. Hamza, T. Zhu, Additively-manufactured hierarchical stainless steels with high strength and ductility, Nature Materials, 2017. doi:10.1038/nmat5021.

C. Zhu, T. Kou, F. Qian, W. Chen, S. Chandrasekaran, B. Yao, Y. Song, J.D. Kuntz, E.B. Duoss, C.M. Spadaccini, M.A. Worsley, Y. Li, 3D Printed Functional Nanomaterials for Electrochemical Energy Applications: a Review, Nano Today, 15, 2017.

W. Chen, L. Thornley, H.G. Coe, C. Zhu, E.B. Duoss, R.M. Hunt, M.J. Wight, D. Apelian, A.J. Pascall, J.D. Kuntz, C.M. Spadaccini, Direct metal writing: Controlling the rheology through microstructure, Applied Physics Letters, 110 (2017) 094104.

Wen Chen

Institute for Applied Life Sciences