Traditional multifunctional composite structures are produced by embedding parasitic parts, such as foil sensors, optical fibers and bulky connectors. As a result, the mechanical properties of the composites, especially the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), could be largely undermined. In the present study, we demonstrated an innovative aerosol-jet printing technology for printing electronics inside composite structures without degrading the mechanical properties. Using the maskless fine feature deposition (below 10µm) characteristics of this printing technology and a pre-cure protocol, strain sensors were successfully printed onto carbon fiber prepregs to enable fabricating composites with intrinsic sensing capabilities. The degree of pre-cure of the carbon fiber prepreg on which strain sensors were printed was demonstrated to be critical. Without pre-curing, the printed strain sensors were unable to remain intact due to the resin flow during curing. The resin flow-induced sensor deformation can be overcome by introducing 10% degree of cure of the prepreg. In this condition, the fabricated composites with printed strain sensors showed almost no mechanical degradation (short beam shearing ILSS) as compared to the control samples. Also, the failure modes examined by optical microscopy showed no difference. The resistance change of the printed strain sensors in the composite structures were measured under a cyclic loading and proved to be a reliable mean strain gauge factor of 2.2±0.06 which is comparable to commercial foiled metal strain gauge. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2011. / November 4, 2011. / aerosol-jet printing, direct write technology, multifunctional composites, strain sensor / Includes bibliographical references. / Ben Wang, Professor Directing Thesis; Mei Zhang, Committee Member; Tao Liu, Committee Member.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess extraordinary electrical properties including conductivity that is comparable to metals and breakdown current density that is orders of magnitude higher than copper. In order to take advantage of the electrical performance of CNTs in engineering applications, macroscopic carbon nanotube networks (NTN) are fabricated by entangling large amounts of CNTs into thin sheets. However, the electrical properties of these networks are much lower than those of individual nanotubes. Stretch-induced alignment of CNTs is an effective approach to enhance the electrical conductivity of the NTNs. However, the alignment mechanism of NTNs during the stretching process has not been fully investigated. This study employed in-situ X-ray and Raman scattering techniques to characterize the NTN structural evolution during stretch-induced alignment. The observed inhomogeneous alignment of NTNs prompts the need for a method that accurately determines the degree of nanotube alignment in bulk materials. A method that combines X-ray scattering and electrical anisotropy measurement was explored and proposed to determine the aligned fractions of nanotubes. Based on the characterization results, the structure-property relationship of NTNs and their electrical conductivity was studied through a 3D physics-based electrical model. The model was built in two stages. First, the structural model of NTNs was built using coarse-grained molecular dynamics, which provides high fidelity representation of the waviness, contacts and self-assembly of constituent nanotubes and ropes that originated from the van der Waals interactions. By applying tensile strains, the dynamics model also enabled the direct simulation of the dynamics of networks aligned through stretching. After the network structure was established, the simulated NTNs were translated into equivalent electrical circuits. The electrical model was developed based on the Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis, which allows us to directly conduct device design and analysis using NTNs. This model is able to capture the effects of alignment and contact changes on the electrical properties of NTNs. Based on the understanding of the unique contact resistance dominated transport mechanism of NTNs, sensor applications of the novel materials were explored. By manipulating the tunneling barrier through either polymer molecule insertion or increasing the tunneling distances, NTNs were studied for potential applications in detecting organic solvent leakage and sensing tensile strains. Scaling-up of sensor fabrication using aligned NTNs and advanced printing technology was also explored and demonstrated. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2012. / November 2, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Richard Liang, Professor Directing Thesis; Petru Andrei, University Representative; Arda Vanli, Committee Member; Chuck Zhang, Committee Member.

Due to both the advantageous mechanical and unique functionality properties of advanced composite materials, it has become common practice to replace traditionally metal alloy vehicle components, with components comprised of composite materials. Though the primary functionality is that of structure, composites can be custom-tailored to possess application-specific functionalities of their alloy counterparts, such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, or high thermal and electrical conductivities. In this study, a comprehensive software environment was selected and implemented for a case study involving the design, analysis, and manufacturing of a composite electronics enclosure, with particular emphasis on the integrated design and fabrication of composite products. Additionally, the multifunctional, hybrid composite materials for such an enclosure were investigated, using carbon fiber fabric and multiple-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) buckypaper thin film as the functional materials with a bismaleimide (BMI) thermoset matrix. A study of fabricating carbon fiber-buckypaper composites was performed along with the subsequent mechanical property testing of this hybrid composite material. While developing the hybrid material, the process for manufacturing of a resin-impregnated buckypaper thin film, or buckypaper prepreg," was also achieved. The advantages of a prepreg material over dry, thin-film buckypaper are substantially improved handleability and processability, and overcoming the challenge faced with the low permeability issues encountered when utilizing buckypaper in composite fabrication. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2012. / November 1, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Richard Liang, Professor Directing Thesis; Okenwa Okoli, Committee Member; Arda Vanli, Committee Member.

The discovery of carbon nanotubes brought on a whole new world of nanotechnology. Various forms of carbon materials were developed, including single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT), multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT), and carbon nanofiber (CNF). These carbon nanomaterials attract academic and industrial interests because of their exceptional mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. For electrical conductivity in particular, it is widely recognized that SWNTs have considerable potential as building blocks for future nanoscale electronics and conducting composites. The first objective of this thesis is to develop a comprehensive electrical resistivity measurement system which can measure the electrical resistivity of nanotube-based materials ranging from 1.0E-6 ''cm to 1.0E+17 ''cm. The test setup performance was examined using Gage R and R (Repeatability and reproducibility) analysis. The second objective is to characterize and analyze electrical conductive properties of different Buckypapers (thin film of nanotube network) and nanocomposites to demonstrate their performance and establish a database for future applications. Detailed characterizations of the electrical conductivities of SWNT, MWNT, and carbon fiber Buckypapers and their composites were conducted. The influential factors of resistivity of Buckypapers were discussed, including the effects of nanotube batches, processing methods, and surfactant types. In this study, the electrical resistivity properties of the mixed Buckypapers of SWNT/MWNT and SWNT/CNF were also investigated. The effects of nanoparticle types (SWNT, MWNT, and CNF) were examined. The results show that the low cost MWNT and nanofiber materials can still retain good electrical conductivity of the resultant mixed Buckypapers, creating excellent application potentials for developing cost effective multifunctional composites. The thesis also studied the electrical conductivity of functionalized SWNT Buckypapers. Functionalization of nanotubes was suggested to be an effective way to tune the electrical conductivity of CNTs. The functionalization methods included electron-beam irradiation and fluorinated grafting. The resistivities of the functionalized SWNT Buckypapers were experimentally investigated. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2007. / November 12, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / Zhiyong Liang, Professor Directing Thesis; Petru Andrei, Committee Member; Ben Wang, Committee Member; Chuck Zhang, Committee Member.

With the rapidly increasing deployment of polymer composites as the material of choice, environmentally benign methodologies for manufacturing and coating the resulting components are imperative. Several methodologies are currently in use to manufacture composites in 'closed' molds; however, the implementation of coatings is still for the most part, done using methods that provide for the release of harmful, volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the environment. The current work details the utilization of a thermo-formable polycarbonate paint film for the in-mold decoration (IMD) of composite materials manufactured using the novel Resin Infusion between Double Flexible Tooling (RIDFT) process. RIDFT is a vacuum driven process where resin infusion is performed between two reinforcement-filled flexible diaphragms. Upon completion of infusion, the flexible diaphragms are vacuum formed over a one-sided tool, providing for the rapid cost effective manufacture of composite components. In this process, in-mold decoration is achieved by including a thermo-formable polycarbonate paint film within the flexible diaphragms, over the reinforcing fabrics (fibers), prior to infusion. After infusion, the whole assembly (paint film, fibers and resin) is vacuum formed to the desired geometry, thus achieving in-mold decoration. The inclusion of a polycarbonate film to the RIDFT process required a comprehensive analysis on forming capability vs. surface quality finish of the composite assembly. With increasing temperature, better draw ability was achieved; however, print-through of the fibers through the film occurred. Several process parameters were optimized through sequential experimentation using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in terms of print-through, as the response variable. High and low levels of five controllable factors (temperature, mold type, time, fiber reinforcement, and vacuum pull) were tested. Light scatter, caused by irregular surfaces, was quantified through the use of Matlab, allowing for precise response input values. Statistical validation proved minimal print-through at a forming temperature of 147' C; however, at this temperature formability of the film was limited to subtle contours. At 160' C, the forming capability of the composite assembly was maximized, yet, surface finishes exhibited high print-through. This thesis describes achievements, difficulties, and future work in the utilization of polycarbonate films for RIDFT in-mold decoration. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2007. / November 15, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / Okenwa I. Okoli, Professor Directing Thesis; Young-Bin Park, Committee Member; Yaw A. Owusu, Committee Member; Samuel A. Awoniyi, Committee Member.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are composite materials that consist of carbon fibers embedded in a polymer matrix, a combination that yields materials with properties exceeding the individual properties of each component. CFRP have several advantages over metals: they offer superior strength to weight ratios and superior resistance to corrosion and chemical attack. These advantages, along with continuing improvement in manufacturing processes, have resulted in rapid growth in the number of CFRP products and applications especially in the aerospace/aviation, wind energy, automotive, and sporting goods industries. Due to theses well-documented benefits and advancements in manufacturing capabilities, CFRP will continue to replace traditional materials of construction throughout several industries. However, some of the same properties that make CFRP outstanding materials also pose a major problem once these materials reach the end of service life. They become difficult to recycle. With composite consumption in North America growing by almost 5 times the rate of the US GDP in 2012, this lack of recyclability is a growing concern. As consumption increases, more waste will inevitably be generated. Current composite recycling technologies include mechanical recycling, thermal processing, and chemical processing. The major challenge of CFRP recycling is the ability to recover materials of high-value and preserve their properties. To this end, the most suitable technology is chemical processing, where the polymer matrix can be broken down and removed from the fiber, with limited damage to the fibers. This can be achieved using high concentration acids, but such a process is undesirable due to the toxicity of such materials. A viable alternative to acid is water in the sub-critical and supercritical region. Under these conditions, the behavior of this abundant and most environmentally friendly solvent resembles that of an organic compound, facilitating the breakdown of the polymer matrix. To date, very few studies have been reported in this area and the studies thus far have only focused on small scale feasibility and have only shown the recovery of random fibers. The goal of this research is to advance the knowledge in the field of sub-critical and supercritical fluid recycling by providing fundamental information that will be necessary to move this process forward to an industrial scale. This dissertation work consists of several phases of studies. In the first phase of this research, the feasibility of recycling woven CFRP was established on a scale approximately 30 times larger than previously reported. The industrial relevance was also conveyed, as the process was shown to remove up 99% of a highly cross-linked resin from an aerospace grade composite system with 100% retention of the single filament tensile strength and modulus whilst also retaining the highly valuable woven fiber structure. The second phase of research demonstrated the power of this technology to recycle multi-layer composites and provide the ability to reuse the highly valuable materials. Up to 99% resin elimination was achieved for a woven 12-layer aerospace grade composite. The recycled woven fabric layers, with excellent retention of the fiber architecture, were directly reused to fabricate reclaimed fiber composites (RFC). Manufacturing issues associated with the use of the recycled fiber were investigated. Several fabrication technologies were used to fabricate the composite, and the composites show moderate short beam shear strength and may be suitable for certain industrial applications. Moreover, fresh composites were also recycled, recovered, and reused to investigate the retention of flexural properties of the fibers after recycling. Up to 95% of the flexural strength and 98% of the flexural modulus was retained in the reclaimed fiber composites. The recycled resin residual can be incorporated into fresh resin and cured, demonstrating a near complete recycling loop. After showing the feasibility and power of this technology, the third phase of the study was focused on the fundamentals on the degradation of highly cross-linked polymer network by sub- and near-critical water. A methodology framework was established to study the apparent kinetics of the degradation of epoxy in sub-critical water. The reaction rate was modeled by a phenomenological rate model of nth order, and the rate constant was modeled by taking into account of the contributions of important physical parameters, e.g., pressure, temperature and dielectric constants. The applicability of the established model to describe the degradation kinetics was confirmed by the validation runs. This model is a suitable starting point to gain the knowledge required for eventual industrial process design. The final phase of this research consisted of a preliminary foray into investigating the economic feasibility of this technology. A process model was designed around a reactor which was sized according to considerations of industrial relevancy. The simulation of the process was done using Aspen Plus, powerful and comprehensive process simulation software. Economic analysis of this pseudo-realistic process suggested that such technology was economically viable and competitive comparing to other recycling technologies. In summary, this dissertation work represents the first comprehensive investigation on recycling aerospace-grade, multilayer woven fabric composites using supercritical and sub-critical water. The fundamental knowledge gained and process technology developed during this research is anticipated to play an important role in advancing this recycling technology toward potential adoption and implementation by the recycling and composite industry. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Industrial Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 28, 2013. / Carbon, Composites, Fiber, Recycling, Supercritical, Woven / Includes bibliographical references. / Changchun Zeng, Professor Directing Dissertation; Chuck Zhang, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Ravindran Chella, University Representative; Richard Liang, Committee Member.

Individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess excellent piezoresistive performance, which is manifested by the significant electrical resistance change when subject to mechanical deformation. In comparison to individual CNTs, the CNT thin films, formed by a random assembly of individual tubes or bundles, show much lower piezoresistive sensitivity. Given the progress made to date in developing CNT ensemble based-piezoresistive sensors, the related piezoresistive mechanism(s) are still not well understood. The crucial step to obtain a better understanding of this issue is to study the effects of CNT structure in the dispersion on the piezoresistivity of CNT ensemble based-piezoresistive sensors. To reach this goal, my Ph.D. research first focuses on establishing the processing-structure-property relationship of SWCNT thin film piezoresistive sensors. The key accomplishment contains: 1) developing the combined preparative ultracentrifuge method (PUM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) method to quantitatively characterized SWCNT particle size in dispersions under various sonication conditions; 2) designing combined ultrasonication and microfluidization processing protocol for high throughput and large-scale production of high quality SWCNT dispersions; 3) fabricating varied SWCNT thin film piezoresistive sensors through spray coating technique and immersion-drying post-treatment; and 4) investigating the effect of microstructures of SWCNTs on piezoresistivity of SWCNT thin film sensors. This experimental methodology for quantitative and systematic investigation of the processing-structure-property relationships provides a means for the performance optimization of CNT ensemble based piezoresistive sensors. As a start to understand the piezoresistive mechanism, the second focus of my Ph.D. research is studying charge transport behaviors in SWCNT thin films. It was found that the temperature-dependent sheet resistance of SWCNT thin films could be explained by a 3D variable range hopping (3D-VRH) model. More importantly, a strong correlation between the length of SWCNTs and the VRH parameter T0, indicating the degree of disorder of the electronic system, has been identified. With the structure dependent transport mechanism study, a very interesting topic - how T0 changes when SWCNT thin film is under a mechanical deformation, would be helpful for better understanding the piezoresistive mechanism of SWCNT thin film sensors. As demonstrated in transport mechanism study, SWCNT thin film exhibits a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) of resistance. In contrast, another family of carbon nanomaterials, graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs), shows positive temperature coefficient (PTC) of resistance, attributed to their metallic nature. Therefore, upon a wise selection of mass ratio of SWCNTs to GNPs for fabrication of hybrid SWCNT/GNP thin film piezoresistive sensors, a near zero temperature coefficients of resistance in a broad temperature range has been achieved. This unique self-temperature compensation feature along with the high sensitivity of SWCNT/GNP hybrid sensors provides them a vantage for readily and accurately measuring the strain/stress levels in different conditions. With the unique features of SWCNT/GNP hybrid thin film sensors, my future work will focus on application exploration on SWCNT/GNP thin film sensor based devices. For example, we have demonstrated that it is potential for man-machine interaction and body monitoring when coating the hybrid sensor on highly stretchable nitrile glove. The structure health monitoring (SHM) of composite materials could also be realized by coating the thin film sensor on a glass fiber surface and then embedding the fiber sensor in composite structure. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Industrial Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 27, 2013. / carbon nanotubes, hybrid materials, sensors, strain gauge, structure health monitoring, thin films / Includes bibliographical references. / Tao Liu, Professor Directing Dissertation; James Brooks, University Representative; Chuck Zhang, Committee Member; Mei Zhang, Committee Member; Sachin Shanbhag, Committee Member.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) thin films exhibit great potential in various applications thanks to their extraordinary physical and mechanical properties. However, to fully take advantage of their superior properties there are still several barriers to be overcome. On one hand, SWCNTs are rarely found as isolated individual tubes, which makes them very difficult to exfoliate and disperse. On the other hand, SWCNTs are not with perfect defect-free chemical structure, which can severely degrade the intrinsic properties of the pristine SWCNTs and thus deteriorate the various SWCNT based applications. In many cases, when people perform chemical functionalization to SWCNTs, they have to find a balance between the improvement of the dispersability and compatibility of SWCNTs and the degradation of the intrinsic properties of SWCNTs. Therefore, it is crucial to have an easy-to-use and reliable way to characterize and quantify the corresponding structural information of SWCNT in dispersion such as bundle size, bundling state, defect density, etc. Two different techniques for in-situ structural characterization of SWCNTs in dispersion have been developed. The Preparative Ultracentrifuge Method (PUM) combined with dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique provides us an approach to investigate the bulk averaged SWCNT bundle size in dispersion. The Simultaneous Raman Scattering and Photoluminescence (SRSPL) technique allows us to study the bundling state/degree of exfoliation of SWCNT in dispersion. Based on the 1D exciton diffusion model, we can also use the SRSPL technique to estimate the defect density of SWCNTs in dispersion. The application of PUM and SRSPL has been demonstrated in studying the structural changes of SWCNT dispersion under different processing (sonication and ultracetrifugation) conditions. It revealed the exfoliation mechanism of SWCNT under sonication technique. Moreover, the developed PUM characterization techniques were further applied to study the interactions between SWCNT and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) homo- and copolymers. On the basis of the established PUM and SRSPL characterization methods, my proposed work focuses on an in-depth understanding of the effects of bundling states and defect density on the electrical and mechanical properties of SWCNT thin films. The detailed proposed tasks include: 1) improve the current physical model for quantifying defect density; 2) prepare and characterize the SWCNT dispersions with controlled bundle size and defect density; 3) fabricate and characterize the electrical and mechanical properties of SWCNT thin films to elucidate the effects of bundling state and defect density of SWCNTs in the dispersion. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Industrial Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 27, 2013. / carbon nanotube, charaterization, defect density, polyacrylonitrile, raman, thin film / Includes bibliographical references. / Tao Liu, Professor Directing Dissertation; Subramanian Ramakrishnan, University Representative; Zhiyong Liang, Committee Member; Jingjiao Guan, Committee Member; Mei Zhang, Committee Member.

There is a pressing need from a broad range of industries for high-performance energy storage devices with high power, high energy capacity, light weight, long lifetime, high efficiency, and low cost. A typical energy storage device, current electrochemical capacitors do not possess sufficient energy density to meet the needs. Recently utilization of oxide materials as pseudocapacitance materials has attracted a great deal of interest. However obtaining a high pseudocapacitance using an affordable oxide, while maintaining the high rate performance, remains elusive. This dissertation work aims to develop high-performance carbon nanotube (CNT) vanadium oxide hybrid nanostructured electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors. The CNT was in a form of freestanding thin film buckypaper (BP), which served as the current collector whilst providing double-layer capacitance, and vanadium oxide, coated on the CNT, was the pseudocapacitance material. Using a novel supercritical fluid deposition process, ultrathin vanadium oxide were uniformly deposited throughout the buckypaper with exceptional conformity at relatively low temperature, enabled by the unique properties of the supercritical fluids such as high solvation power, high diffusivity and zero surface tension. This overcame many of the transport limitations associated with the vanadium oxide material and indeed excellent electrode performance, particularly high rate performance, was achieved. The deposition process, the morphology and structure, and the capacitance behaviors of the composites were studied in detail, and the processing-morphology-electrochemical properties of the composites were elucidated. A high-pressure deposition system was constructed first for this dissertation research. Thereafter several deposition processes were investigated: physical adsorption - annealing, and in-situ reactive deposition. In the physical adsorption approach, the V2O5-buckypaper composite electrodes were fabricated by firstly physical adsorption of vanadium precursor in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), followed by oxidation in air under elevated temperature. This approach resulted in the conformal deposition of V2O5 of molecular thickness onto the CNT and uniformly distributed throughout the BP. The V2O5 specificpseudo-capacitance of more than 1000 F/g were realized, even at high working power. To improve the active materials loading in the composite electrodes, two strategies were explored. In the first strategy, based on the qualitative fundamental understanding of the adsorption process, important physical parameters were identified, and the adsorption process was optimized by synergic use of physical understanding and statistical experiment design methods. The study resulted in an estimated second order model, which facilitated the search for adsorption conditions for higher precursor loading and higher total capacitance. The second strategy aimed to increase the available surface area for adsorption by the use of high specific surface area substrate material. Thus binder-free single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-activated carbon (AC) composite substrate was studied in comparison with the traditional activated carbon electrode. Based on thermogravimetric investigation of the precursor oxidation behavior, a conversion process was designed to maximize oxide materials conversion whilst minimizing substrate perturbation and degradation. The loading in the SWCNT-AC was increased by several times, and the composite electrodes showed excellent capacitance. In-situ reactive deposition was explored to further increase the oxide materials loading whiling maintaining the conformity and uniformity. Oxygen was used as the oxidizer and oxidation took place within the reactor. Conformal thin film of V2O5 layer with thickness varying from a few atomic layers to a few nm, with weight loading ~60%, was achieved. Together with the high V2O5 loading and high specific pseudo-capacitance enabled by the ultrathin film structure, excellent high-rate total capacitance was achieved. For example, the composite electrode with a 40% V2O5 showed a total capacitance ~130 F/g at a scan rate of 100 mV/s. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 21, 2013. / Carbon nanotube, Conformal, Electrochemical capacitor, Supercritical fluid deposition, Vanadium pentoxide / Includes bibliographical references. / Changchun Zeng, Professor Directing Dissertation; Chuck Zhang, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jim P. Zheng, University Representative; Mei Zhang, Committee Member.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) is considered a promising engineering material because of its exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Buckypaper (BP), a thin sheet of assembled CNTs, is an effective way to handle CNTs in macro scale. Pristine BP is a fragile material which is held together by weak van der Waals attractions among CNTs. This dissertation introduces a modified filtration based manufacturing process which uses poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to treat BP. This treatment greatly improves the handleability of BP, reduces the spoilage during transferring, and shortens the production time. The multistage manufacturing process of PVA-treated BP is discussed in this dissertation, and process models are developed to predict the nanostructure of final products from the process parameters. Based on the nanostructure, a finite element based physical model for prediction of Young's modulus is also developed. This accuracy of this physical model is further improved by statistical methods. The aim of this study is to investigate and improve the scalability of the manufacturing process of PVA-treated BP. To achieve this goal, various statistical tools are employed. The unique issues in nanomanufacturing also motivate the development of new statistical tools and modification of existing tools. Those issues include the uncertainties in nanostructure characterization due to the scale, limited number experimental data due to high cost of raw materials, large variation in final product due to the random nature in structure, and the high complexity in physical models due to the small scale of structural building blocks. This dissertation addresses those issues by combining engineering field knowledge and statistical methods. The resulting statistics-enhanced physical model provides an approach to design the manufacturing process of PVA-treated BP for a targeting property and tailor the robustness of the final product by manipulating the process parameters. In addition, since the methodology of this study deals with the common issues in general nanomanufacturing processes, this work also serves as a case study of a potential framework of process modeling procedure for similar nanomanufacturing processes. Several related topics are also investigated in this dissertation work. Those topics include a possible way to monitor the CNT dispersion process by observing the change in vibration structures using time series models, and an alternative method to handle the discrepancy between computer simulation and experimental data. Those topics, although not indispensable to the final goal, provide new angles to view the problem and a better understanding of the nanomanufacturing process. Some possible extensions of future studies are discussed at the end of this dissertation, including an improvement of manufacturing process, a possible application of PVA-treated BP, and a further application of the prediction model. Those topics represent a broader impact of this work. Subsequent studies of this dissertation, both the manufacturing aspect and the application aspect, are meaningful and worthwhile. Only with continuous advances in every field of BP research can a full realization of the potential of CNTs be achieved. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / February 15, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Chuck Zhang, Professor Directing Dissertation; Wei Wu, University Representative; Ben Wang, Committee Member; Richard Liang, Committee Member; O. Arda Vanli, Committee Member.