Research scientist uses 3D printing to make energetic materials safer and more efficient
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — At the Purdue Energetics Research Center (PERC), the world’s preeminent academic research laboratory focused on energetic materials, it’s not just faculty who are making a difference in the field. Research scientist Diane Collard is working toward improving the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of energetic materials, such as explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics, through 3D printing.
Collard specializes in the customization of energetic materials for and with additive manufacturing — or 3D printing. The ability to customize energetic materials is important because the factors that determine a material’s optimal performance, such as blast power, sensitivity, burn rate and energy release, will be different depending on the application and the environment in which the materials are used.
“Diane Collard is an outstanding researcher who plays a critical role leading and contributing to several research projects, including advanced propellants, high-energy batteries and explosives casings,” said Steve Son, the Alfred J. McAllister Professor of Mechanical Engineering. “She’s a great colleague, and we are fortunate to have her at Purdue.”
Collard began her time at Purdue as a graduate student. She earned her PhD in mechanical engineering in 2021 and immediately transitioned into her current role. Unlike faculty members, who balance teaching, service and research duties, research scientists like Collard work solely in the lab, conducting experiments and mentoring students through the research process.
“Stepping into this role was a chance for me to branch out and expand my expertise,” Collard said. “Before I became a staff member, I was mostly focused on propellants and pyrotechnics, but now I’m able to work on explosives and battery projects. I also really like how Purdue is set up where I don’t have to tie funding to a professor. I can go after my own grants and be the primary investigator on a research project.”
In fact, Collard is currently leading a project that studies how blast power can be enhanced through reactive casings that surround energetic materials with varying internal structures. These materials, developed in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, are printed using additive manufacturing techniques that allow for multiple materials to be printed at once, creating unique combinations that could alter how a material fragments or delivers energy.
“These materials are tailorable for different use cases, which is the great thing about additive manufacturing. It’s really meant for a case-by-case basis,” Collard said. “If you have a specific mission set in mind or a specific performance requirement, traditional or standardized manufacturing may not be the best fit, as it is better for pumping out parts and designs at volume.”
The reactive cases that surround the energetic material can help to further control the performance of the material. For instance, if the mission requires a blast with a small footprint, the cases can be designed to be absorbed within the reaction, which in turn enhances safety and diminishes the materials’ environmental impact.
Kelsea Miller, AFRL research mechanical engineer and Collard’s primary collaborator on this project, is interested in developing energetic materials that are functionally graded, meaning that the materials have varying properties throughout their structure to meet performance requirements. She thinks Collard’s research will enable the AFRL to develop a system for modeling, designing and manufacturing these types of materials at scale.
“My work at AFRL has pertained to developing processing strategies for reactive materials,” Miller said. “How do we manufacture them? How do we transition those technologies into something that’s scalable but also still tailorable from a reactivity and energetic standpoint? Diane is making great strides here, and I think there’s going to be a lot of meaningful data from it.”
This project is funded by the AFRL Regional Network — Midwest, a science and technology ecosystem that bolsters the U.S. Air Force’s research and development initiatives through innovative collaborations, translation and workforce development. Stacy Manni, Purdue director of the AFRL Regional Network — Midwest, has strived to cultivate teams with diverse professional experiences who develop meaningful relationships while engaging in research side by side.
“At the Midwest Regional Network, we seek to foster leadership and innovation from every part of our ecosystem — from small startups to inspired staff members at universities” Manni said. “We are excited to see how Diane Collard’s research pushes boundaries in the field of energetics and contributes to the Air Force mission.”
Although Collard loves her research, her favorite aspect of her position is the amount of time she gets to spend in the lab working directly with students. She has the freedom to really dive into an experiment and mentor students through the entire process.
“I get to be in the lab, on the ground, helping students understand the concepts and learn from their mistakes in order to continually improve their experiments,” Collard said. “It can be a lot harder to witness those experiences if you’re at a higher level and are only just seeing the final product rather than all the iterations. Being able to actually tinker and get to that point is one of the joys of the lab.”
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Media contact: Lindsey Macdonald, macdonl@purdue.edu