Personnel

Section Contents
Florence Sanchez

Florence Sanchez

Associate Dean for Graduate Education
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
282 Jacobs Hall
615-322-5135
Email

Overview

The Sanchez group is dedicated to advancing sustainable construction materials with minimal environmental impact, focusing on performance, durability, and leveraging emerging technologies. We explore pioneering concepts like integrating nanotechnology into concrete and advancing 3D printing for concrete structures. Our research investigates the intricate interplay between material chemistry and mechanics, emphasizing the role of interfaces and interfacial processes in enhancing structural integrity and overall performance. By delving into fundamental chemo-mechanical mechanisms at the atomistic- to micro-scale to understand the evolution of material engineering properties in response to internal and external stressors, our goal is to engineer resilient, durable, and energy efficient infrastructure materials. Ultimately, our overarching objective is to innovate materials and construction solutions that meet sustainability goals and promote a carbon-neutral future.

Awards

-National Science Foundation CAREER Award
-French Ministry of Higher Education and Research Fellowship, 1993-1996

Selected Publications

Effect of Carbon Nanofiber Clustering on the Micromechanical Properties of a Cement Paste. Brown L, Stephens CS, Allison PG, Sanchez F, Nanomaterials, 12, , (2022) View Abstract

Traction-separation response of bilayer graphene interfaces: The role of an intercalated single atomic layer of water molecules and hydroxyl groups. Al-Muhit B, Sanchez F, Applied Surface Science, 540, 148280, (2021) View Abstract

Nano-engineering of the mechanical properties of tobermorite 14Å with graphene via molecular dynamics simulations. Al-Muhit B, Sanchez F, Construction and Building Materials, 233, , (2020) View Abstract