Ilya Avros
MIT Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Faculty Mentor: Brian Wardle
Undergraduate Institution: City College of New York
Hometown: Staten Island, New York
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Ilya Avros is a rising senior at Macaulay Honors College at The City College of New York (CCNY) majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Growing up in NYC has fueled his commitment to making technology more environmentally friendly, specifically in the aerospace field. His research journey began in a data science lab, where he developed a tool to optimize NYC building emissions. This led him to an NSF fellowship in a complex fluids and soft materials lab, focusing on developing microfluidic devices for more efficient pharmaceutical processes. Simultaneously, Ilya pursued his interest in aerospace by achieving his L1 high-powered rocketry certification and completing NASA’s L’Space Academy. In recent times, his work in CCNY’s wind tunnel has involved developing self-excited fluidic oscillators. At MIT, his research focuses on characterizing multifunctional nanocomposite materials for aerospace and electronics applications. Ilya hopes to earn a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, focusing on novel applications of materials to make aviation more sustainable.
Abstract
Quantification of Alignment in Vertically Aligned Boron Nitride Nanotube Polymer Nanocomposites
Ilya Avros1, Shaan Anand Jagani2, Jingyao Dai2, Brian Wardle2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The City College of New York
2Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Extensive research conducted on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has driven their widespread industrial adoption for electronics, aerospace vehicles, biomedicine, and many other fields. This growing foundation of knowledge has inspired the development of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), which hold promise as next-generation multifunctional materials offering a range of advantageous properties, including optical transparency, piezoelectricity, and high mechanical strength. The characterization of BNNTs remains nascent, as past works have predominantly explored randomly aligned BNNTs. In this study, vertically aligned BNNTs (VA-BNNTs) were synthesized via a template-assisted chemical vapor deposition process wherein aligned CNTs were coated with BN, followed by thermal oxidation to remove the CNT scaffolding. The resultant VA-BNNTs were incorporated into a polymer nanocomposite (PNC) using aerospace-grade epoxy (EPON 862) and Epikure W hardener. FTIR and Raman spectra were then gathered to verify the chemical composition of the specimens. Herman’s factor was obtained through small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) to quantify nanotube alignment. Alignment of the synthesized VA-BNNTs mirrors the alignment of the CNTs used as scaffolding. Reliable synthesis and continued development of aligned BNNT composites will enable future investigation into the multifunctional capabilities of engineering structures using these materials.
