Xiaoyu (Rayne) Zheng (Advisor)

Research Advised by Professor Xiaoyu (Rayne) Zheng

Zheng Group:  List of Projects | List of Researchers

BPNX1029: Multi-Mode Multi-Direction High-Resolution Tactile Haptics and Sensing Duo-Functional Device using Piezoelectric Metamaterial (New Project)

William Dong
Zac Gwennap
Brandon Anthony
Cole Dunn
2024

Tactile haptics and sensing technology plays a crucial role in the AR/VR and medical robotics fields by providing touch input and feedback for human-computer interactions. However, many existing haptics technologies offer limited feedback— only in one direction (normal stress), very coarse resolution, and only on/off control. These limitations hinder the accurate recreation of touch sensations, particularly on sensitive areas like fingertips, due to restricted degrees of freedom and inadequate stress density. This device addresses these issues by offering tactile haptics and sensing with...

BPNX1019: 3D Printing of Piezoelectric Materials and their US Transducers & Sensor Applications

Haotian Lu
Victor Couedel
2024

The performance of ultrasonic transducers is largely determined by the piezoelectric properties and geometries of their active elements. Due to the brittle nature of piezoceramics, existing processing tools for piezoelectric elements only achieve simple geometries, including flat disks, cylinders, cubes and rings. While advances in additive manufacturing give rise to free-form fabrication of piezoceramics, the resultant transducers suffer from high porosity, weak piezoelectric responses, and limited geometrical flexibility. We introduce optimized piezoceramic printing and...

BPNX1017: 3D Printing of Functional Materials

Zhen Wang
2024

3D printing enables the fabrication of 3D functional materials with complex structures associated to various functionalities. Developing 3D printing resins with different properties promises to fabricate a myriad of complex functional devices with e.g., self-sensing, actuation, and structural elements assembled in a designed 3D layout. In this project, we explore the achievable property space and the material-performance correlation of 3D printing by designing a series of photo-curable resins. We unveil how the functional groups of the resins synergistically impact the...

BPNX1013: 3D Printing of Architected Hydrophones

Victor Couedel
Haotian Lu
2024

Piezoelectric hydrophones are crucial for underwater applications such as communication and seafloor mapping. Limited by the brittleness of piezoelectric ceramics, conventional manufacturing methods restrict hydrophones’ shapes to simple geometries such as disks, cylinders, or spheres, which limits the sensitivity, directivity pattern, and working frequency bandwidth of the device.


We are developping a new class of high-performance 3D printed piezoelectric hydrophones consisting of rationally designed micro-architectures. Using a high-
...

BPNX1014: Data-Driven Design of Metamaterials

Marco Maurizi
David Hahn
Anish Satpati
Desheng Yao
2024

The rapid development of additive manufacturing technologies has enabled the fabrication of truss metamaterials, i.e., a novel class of lightweight-yet-strong materials with engineered complex hierarchical structures. Manipulating the architecture over chemical composition dramatically expands the achievable materials design space, allowing to largely control the mechanical response of metamaterials. Despite the great advances made in this area, designing three-dimensional (3D) truss metamaterials under complex or extreme conditions with programmable response is still a...

Victor Couedel

Graduate Student Researcher
Mechanical Engineering
Professor Rayne Zheng (Advisor)
Ph.D. 2026 (Anticipated)

Mechanical Engineering Ph.D Student in Dr. Xiaoyu 'Rayne' Zheng's Additive Manufacturing and Metamaterials laboratory.
Interested in new additive manufacturing processes and printable materials.

Currently working on 3D printing of piezoelectric architected ceramics for underwater acoustic applications.

Haotian Lu

Graduate Student Researcher
Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering
Professor Rayne Zheng (Advisor)
Ph.D. 2026 (Anticipated)

As a fourth-year Ph.D. student majoring in Mechanical Engineering, I am deeply immersed in the cutting-edge field of Piezo 3D printing, a discipline that sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering, acoustic physics, and material science. My research primarily focuses on the application and advancement of Piezo 3D printing techniques, leveraging the unique properties of piezoelectric materials to innovate in acoustic physics and device fabrication.

I have a particular interest in underwater device research, exploring the potential of advanced materials and fabrication methods...

Scientists Advance Affordable, Sustainable Solution for Flat-Panel Displays and Wearable Tech

January 22, 2024
New 3D-printable material could enable cheaper manufacturing processes for next-gen OLED televisions, smartphones, light fixtures, and wearable devices

A research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed “supramolecular ink,” a new technology for use in OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays or other electronic devices. Made of inexpensive, Earth-abundant elements instead...

Desheng Yao

Postdoctoral Researcher
Materials Science & Engineering
Professor Rayne Zheng (Advisor)