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Daniel Alves Heinze

Ph.D. Student in Macromolecular Science and Engineering

Daniel obtained his bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the Federal University of ABC (UFABC) in Brazil. During this time, he also studied abroad for a year at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where he did undergraduate research in Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski's group in the synthesis and characterization of smart materials composed of block copolymers of PEG-PDMAEMA. This work was published in 2017 in the Journal of Macromolecular Science. Back in Brazil, he joined Dr. Danilo Carastan’s group and did research in the processing and characterization of nanocomposites of SEBS with carbon nanotubes, focusing on understanding the effects of alignment of block domains/nanoparticles caused by processing on the electrical and mechanical properties of these materials. This work was published in 2023 in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

He then continued in Dr. Carastan’s group to obtain a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from UFABC. During this time, he worked on understanding the rheology and storage/time stability of shear-thickening fluids made of PEG with fumed silica. This work was published in 2020 in the journal Rheologica Acta. During his master’s, he also worked with the rheological characterization of hydrogels for direct ink write additive manufacturing in Dr. Mathilde Champeau’s group and he collaborated with them on a review paper about 4D printing of hydrogels that was published in 2020 in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

In 2021, Daniel moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is co-advised by Dr. Michael Bortner in the Polymer Composite and Materials Laboratory and Dr. Christopher Williams in the DREAMS lab. His research focuses on connecting structure-processing-property relationships in extrusion-based additive manufacturing of filled polymers. 

Outside of work, Daniel enjoys spending time with friends, playing volleyball and tennis, and staying active through running and working out.  

 

  • Rheological Characterization of Functional Hydrogels for Direct Ink Write Additive Manufacturing

  • High-speed Medium-format Extrusion-based Additive Manufacturing of Filled Isotactic Polypropylene

  • Influence of Fillers and Processing using Medium-format Extrusion-based Additive Manufacturing on the Morphology of Isotactic Polypropylene

Processes

  • Medium Format Material Extrusion - Fused Filament Fabrication