Ekuase Pioneers Hybrid Nanofiller Strategy to Tackle Additive Manufacturing Challenges
Okunzuwa Austine Ekuase, a graduate student at Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has pioneered a novel hybrid nanofiller strategy aimed at overcoming the long-standing mechanical limitations associated with advanced additive manufacturing technologies.
Ekuase recently received a highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Award, which supported his participation at the International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) one of the worlds foremost engineering conferences where he presented his research findings.
A postgraduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, his research focuses on the development of next generation materials using additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies to address critical engineering challenges. For his masters thesis, he developed a novel nanocomposite material using Digital Light Processing (DLP), an advanced 3D printing technique, to significantly enhance the mechanical performance of printed components.
Although additive manufacturing offers notable advantages such as design flexibility and cost efficiency, its adoption in high-performance applications has been constrained by the relatively poor mechanical properties of printed parts. Ekuase noted that addressing this limitation is crucial to expanding the industrial relevance of 3D printing technologies.
While earlier studies explored the reinforcement of photopolymer materials using carbon nanotubes (CNTs), their opaque nature often restricts ultraviolet (UV) light penetration during curing, limiting their effectiveness. To overcome this challenge, Ekuase introduced a hybrid nanofiller system* combining carbon nanotubes and basalt nanofibers (BNFs) in an optimized ratio.
According to his findings, the hybrid nanocomposite significantly outperformed mono filler systems, achieving superior mechanical integrity. This improvement was attributed to enhanced UV light penetration, deeper curing, and reduced porosity, enabled by the translucent properties of basalt nanofibers.
The innovation earned Ekuase selection for the NSF Travel Award following the acceptance of his research abstract by IMECE. Reflecting on the achievement, he described the competition as highly rigorous.
The NSF competition attracted top innovators from over 1,000 accredited universities across the United States. Only 65 participants were selected nationwide, and I am deeply honoured to be among them, he said, while expressing gratitude to the NSF for the support and opportunity to present his work on a global platform.
Ekuase expressed confidence that sharing his research with the international scientific community would contribute meaningfully to the advancement of additive manufacturing and materials engineering. He disclosed plans to further develop the work during his doctoral studies, with a long term goal of commercialising the technology for applications in the aerospace and energy sectors.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and a Master of Science in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Lancaster University, United Kingdom. His professional experience spans roles as a Manufacturing and Operations Engineer at Simmal Ltd., UK, Production Supervisor at Castletile Roofing Products Industries, Nigeria, and Senior Research Engineer at a Federal Government research agency in Nigeria.
Driven by a commitment to impact-driven innovation, Ekuase said he is passionate about bridging the gap between academia and industry through the development of solution oriented materials and manufacturing processes that can be readily adopted by industry to enhance productivity, efficiency, and sustainable industrial growth.
