Mohammad Younis
Binghamton University, NY·Engineering
Imagine a tiny device that senses a dangerous gas and responds by itself, with no bulky electronics. This project studies how nonlinear dynamics can make that possible in electromechanical microsystems: tiny vibrating structures driven by electric forces.
- Fields
Engineering
Physics
- Topics
nonlinear dynamics
microelectromechanical systems
electrostatic actuation
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2029
What they work on
- Establish the dynamics of a two-stage amplification process in electrostatically actuated microsystems, where combined electrical and mechanical resonances amplify small disturbances that then trigger dynamic pull-in instability.
- Model nonlinear resonances, bifurcations and stability limits using analytical and computational methods, including continuation and shooting techniques, to find operating regimes that maximize sensitivity and repeatability.
- Determine how buckling and excitation at several frequencies at once change resonance interactions and instability thresholds in these coupled electromechanical systems.
- Validate the theory experimentally with hydrogen detection through heat-conduction-driven stiffness changes and carbon dioxide detection through adsorption-induced mass loading, then explore logic-gate-like autonomous warning functions.
More about the research
Nonlinear effects include sudden instabilities, resonances and snap-through switching. The goal is to learn how these effects can turn a weak physical signal into a decisive mechanical action. That could lead to compact, low-power warning systems. Hydrogen and carbon dioxide detection serve as test cases.
Why it matters
Hydrogen leaks threaten safety in emerging energy and manufacturing infrastructure. Carbon dioxide monitoring matters in biotechnology, breathing monitoring and medical diagnostics. Principles for microdevices that sense a gas and respond directly with a mechanical action could lead to compact, low-power warning systems for these settings.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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University of Florida, FL·Engineering
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Md Raf E Ul Shougat
Kennesaw State University, GA·Engineering
Develop adaptive mechanisms that tune nonlinear oscillators to stay near critical transitions between motion patterns. Use modeling, stability analysis and numerical continuation to find how this affects sensitivity, memory and robustness.
Jian Zhou
Binghamton University, NY·Engineering
Engineer a mechanical sensing element inspired by the orb-weaving spider's web that detects acoustic particle velocity, the air motion carried by sound, with near-maximum mechanical sensitivity and ultra-low thermomechanical noise.
The school
Binghamton University: 14 labs on PI Pages, $161M a year on research, 132 research doctorates a year.
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