ORCID Number
0009-0008-3383-8711
Date of Award
Summer 7-21-2026
Embargo Period
7-21-2036
Access Type
Dissertation - ERAU Login Required
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Committee Chair
Sandra K.S. Boetcher
Committee Chair Email
boetches@erau.edu
First Committee Member
Rafael Rodriguez
First Committee Member Email
rodri7d6@erau.edu
Second Committee Member
Mark Ricklick
Second Committee Member Email
ridlickm@erau.edu
Third Committee Member
Birce Dikici
Third Committee Member Email
dikicib@erau.edu
Fourth Committee Member
Yanir Maidenberg
Fourth Committee Member Email
maidenby@erau.edu
College Dean
James W. Gregory
Abstract
Vat photopolymerization additive manufacturing enables fabrication of highly complex geometries but remains underutilized for thermal and mass transfer applications because of limited functional printable materials and experimentally validated device designs. This dissertation advances the application of vat photopolymerization through the development of microencapsulated phase change material composites for latent thermal energy storage, zeolite-filled composites for carbon dioxide capture, and additively manufactured polymer heat exchangers for compact thermal energy storage. Experimental results demonstrated that the developed composite materials retained their intended thermal energy storage and adsorption functionality while maintaining reliable printability and dimensional fidelity. Heat exchanger testing further showed that increasing heat transfer surface area through geometric optimization produced greater improvements in thermal performance than reducing polymer wall thickness. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that vat photopolymerization can successfully integrate functional materials with complex geometries, providing practical design methodologies for next-generation thermal and mass transfer devices.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Morgan, Karl B., "Developing Additively-Manufactured Functional Materials for Heat and Mass Transfer Devices" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 1005.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/1005
