About

Philippe Geubelle is the Bliss Professor and Executive Associate Dean at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Grainger College of Engineering, specializing in Aerospace Engineering. His research interests encompass computational design of self-healing and microvascular biomimetic materials, modeling of damage and failure in thin films and MEMS, high-performance computing, computational aeroelasticity, and the development of novel numerical methods. He focuses on faster, energy-efficient manufacturing processes for thermoset composites, multi-scale and multi-physics modeling and design of advanced materials, and theoretical and computational solid mechanics. Geubelle has contributed to the field through his leadership roles, including co-director of the Discovery Partner Institute and executive associate dean, and has an extensive publication record in aerospace materials, combustion, and propulsion, as well as in computational modeling and materials engineering.

Research topics

• Composite material
• Computer Science
• Materials science
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Biological system
• Physics
• Statistical physics
• Combinatorics

Selected publications

• Thermo-Chemo-Mechanical Model and Variational Multiscale Framework for Material and Geometric Evolution in Frontal Polymerization

  2024

  • Computer Science
  • Materials science
  • Statistical physics
  DOI

• Frontal Polymerizations: From Chemical Perspectives to Macroscopic Properties and Applications

  Chemical Reviews · 2023 · 204 citations

  • Chemistry
  • Polymer chemistry
  • Chemical engineering

  The synthesis and processing of most thermoplastics and thermoset polymeric materials rely on energy-inefficient and environmentally burdensome manufacturing methods. Frontal polymerization is an attractive, scalable alternative due to its exploitation of polymerization heat that is generally wasted and unutilized. The only external energy needed for frontal polymerization is an initial thermal (or photo) stimulus that locally ignites the reaction. The subsequent reaction exothermicity provides local heating; the transport of this thermal energy to neighboring monomers in either a liquid or gel-like state results in a self-perpetuating reaction zone that provides fully cured thermosets and thermoplastics. Propagation of this polymerization front continues through the unreacted monomer media until either all reactants are consumed or sufficient heat loss stalls further reaction. Several different polymerization mechanisms support frontal processes, including free-radical, cat- or anionic, amine-cure epoxides, and ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The choice of monomer, initiator/catalyst, and additives dictates how fast the polymer front traverses the reactant medium, as well as the maximum temperature achievable. Numerous applications of frontally generated materials exist, ranging from porous substrate reinforcement to fabrication of patterned composites. In this review, we examine in detail the physical and chemical phenomena that govern frontal polymerization, as well as outline the existing applications.

  DOI

• Designing fracture-resistant structures: A new approach based on topological derivatives

  2020

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Materials science
  • Mathematics
  • Composite material
  DOI

Frequent coauthors

• Eric Loth

  University of Virginia

  6 shared

• Brett Wood

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  4 shared

• Dhirendra V. Kubair

  Johns Hopkins University

  4 shared

• Rajeev K. Jaiman

  2 shared

• W. G. Knauss

  California Institute of Technology

  2 shared

• Stephen McIlwain

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  2 shared

• Daniel J. Bodony

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  2 shared

• Mahesh M. Sucheendran

  Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

  2 shared

Labs

• Aerodynamics Research LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  1990

• M.S., Aerospace Engineering

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  1985

• B.S., Aerospace Engineering

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  1983

Awards & honors

• Alumni Awards and Endowments
• Alumni Loyalty Award
• Distinguished Alumnus Award
• Alumni Award for Distinguished Service

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