Title: Developing Hierarchical Inorganic Biomaterials from Diatom Frustules
Department: Physics
Description: This project will explore the uses of the silica frustules of cultivated diatom microalgae in making new ceramic materials with favorable thermal and mechanical properties. Diatoms are single-celled algae that produce their own geometrically complex silica shells, or frustules. With the striking diversity of frustule geometries observed among species, they have fascinated researchers since the advent of microscopy. When harvested, combined with a chemical flux which allows them to fuse together, and fired in a furnace, they yield a novel, exciting ceramic material with a porous structure comparable to that of conventional nanostructured ceramics such as the insulation tiles used on the Space Shuttle. Through experimenting with frustule geometries, flux ratios, and the cell-to-ceramic production procedure, this project aims to optimize the behavior of frustule materials under thermal and mechanical stress, opening the door to new carbon-negative solutions for lightweight thermal insulation, heat shielding, and locally manufacturable structural materials.
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Advisor: Hannes Schniepp
Each William & Mary Honors Fellowships donation supports the whole Charles Center Honors Fellowships Fund. Donations inspired by specific research projects are distributed by the Charles Center in a way that benefits this project and others. To learn more about Honors Fellowships, please visit our website.