Dr. Sanhita Das’s research lies at the intersection of computational mechanics, materials modeling, and structural reliability, with emerging applications to foldable solar panels. Her work focuses on developing continuum-scale models that capture the mechanics of damage, fracture, and self-healing in advanced materials, particularly thin films and flexible substrates used in deployable energy systems. By employing geometrically inspired frameworks, she investigates the folding, unfolding, and long-term durability of origami-inspired solar panel architectures, where repeated mechanical cycling often induces micro-cracking, delamination, and stress concentration. She couples thermodynamically consistent damage-healing models with finite element simulations to predict performance under realistic environmental and loading conditions. This approach enables the design of solar panels that are lightweight, compact, and resilient, making them suitable for aerospace, defense, and off-grid renewable energy applications. Her research thus bridges fundamental mechanics with practical innovation, contributing to the future of reliable, portable, and sustainable solar power technologies.

Key Publications:

• A geometrically inspired constitutive framework for damage and intrinsic self-healing of elastomers Sanhita Das, Nivedita Kumari European Journal of Mechanics - A/Solids, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechsol.2025.105800
• FeynKrack: A continuum model for quasi-brittle damage through Feynman-Kac killed diffusion Ved Prakash, Upadhyayula M. M. A. Sai Gopal, Sanhita Das, Ananth Ramaswamy, Debasish Roy, Proceedings of Royal Society/A August 2025, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2024.0930
• Geometric thermodynamics of collapse of gels Raza A., Das S., Roy D.. Rev. E, 004102 October 2024 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.110.044102
• The dynamics of crack front waves in 3D material failure, Das S., Lubomirsky Y., Bouchbinder E. Phys. Rev. E, L043002 October 2023 https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.108.L043002
• Geometric Thermodynamics of Strain-Induced Crystallisation in Polymers Das, S., Raza A., Roy, D. Journal Physical Review E, July 2022 https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.106.015005