Christopher S. Lynch, Ph.D.

Dean, Bourns College of Engineering
William R. Johnson Jr. Family Chair
Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
University of California Riverside

Fri., Nov. 22, 3:00 pm
Sidney & Marian Green Classroom (3550 MEK)

Free & Open to the Public

Abstract: Multifunctional composite structures are enabling a broad range of new applications.  In this work, composite magnetic heterostructures were developed to produce arrays of magnets on the micron length scale with the magnetization out of plane.  This was accomplished using Co/Ni multilayer structures that exhibit strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and large tunability of saturation magnetization, Ms. Computational modeling was used to design the geometry and material properties of the magnetic heterostructures to optimize the magnetic properties. The results indicate varying the Co/Ni relative thickness significantly changes the value of Ms and thus the magnetic capture force. Based on the modeling results, repeating Co/Ni (0.2 nm)/(0.4 nm) layers were fabricated into disk structures of 4-7 μm diameter and tested in a microchannel with fluorescent magnetic beads. Fluorescent magnetic beads were passed over the array of magnets and imaged with a fluorescent microscope. The results demonstrated capture of beads localized along the edge of the disks as predicted by simulations. This approach is directed at providing a pathway towards more precise cell manipulation in lab-on-a-chip devices.

Bio: Prof. Lynch performed his MS, PhD, and Post Doctoral work at UC Santa Barbara.  He joined the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1995 and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA in 2007 where he served as director of the #2 ranked MS Online program and as the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department chair.  On September 1, 2018 he moved to UC Riverside to serve as Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering.

His research focuses on ferroelectric and magnetostrictive materials. He has contributed to the development of constitutive models, micromechanics, and phase field modeling; and to improving material reliability.  His recent work is on magnetoelectric coupling at the nanoscale.  He leads the modeling thrust of the NSF TANMS NERC.  Details of his publications can be found on his Google Scholar profile.

Prof. Lynch has served as chair of the ASME aerospace division.  He founded the conference on smart materials and adaptive structures, ASME SMASIS, and served as the general chair of the annual SPIE Smart Structures conference for 2014-2015.  He has been honored with receipt of the NSF CAREER award, the ONR Young Investigator award, an ASEE educator award, as Fellow of ASME, Fellow of SPIE, the ASME Smart Structures Prize, the SPIE Smart Materials and Structures Lifetime Achievement Award, several teaching awards, serves as an associate editor of a new journal Multifunctional Materials, and as the editor-in-chief of the journal Smart Materials and Structures.