Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Thermomechanics Of Semiconducting Polymers And Their Morphological Phenomena, Luke Galuska

Dissertations

In contrast to conventional silicon-based electronics, semiconducting polymers show great promise for emerging applications in soft, flexible, and ductile electronic technologies. This is due to their polymeric nature, tailorable structure, and sub-100 nm device thickness. Despite this mechanical novelty, there remains a poor understanding of their structure-property-processing relationships, which has hindered growth within the field. This dissertation elucidates these relationships through investigation of their thermomechanics, and morphological phenomena. This was accomplished through the following projects:

1) To demonstrate the impact of backbone rigidity on semiconducting polymer thermomechanics, we varied the backbone rigidity of an NDI-based polymer by inserting flexible methylene …

Polarization-Sensitive Optical Responses From Natural Layered Hydrated Sodium Sulfosalt Gerstleyite, Ravi P. N. Tripathi, Xiaodong Yang, Jie Gao

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-element layered materials have gained substantial attention in the context of achieving the customized light-matter interactions at subwavelength scale via stoichiometric engineering, which is crucial for the realization of miniaturized polarization-sensitive optoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. Herein, naturally occurring hydrated sodium sulfosalt gerstleyite is introduced as one new multi-element van der Waals (vdW) layered material. The mechanically exfoliated thin gerstleyite flakes are demonstrated to exhibit polarization-sensitive anisotropic linear and nonlinear optical responses including angle-resolved Raman scattering, anomalous wavelength-dependent linear dichroism transition, birefringence effect, and polarization-dependent third-harmonic generation (THG). Furthermore, the third-order nonlinear susceptibility of gerstleyite crystal is estimated by the probed …

Optimization Of A Novel Nipam-Based Thermoresponsive Copolymer For Intramuscular Injection As A Myoblast Delivery Vehicle To Combat Peripheral Artery Occlusive Disease, Quentin R. Klueter

Master's Theses

There is a need for a minimally invasive delivery method to enable cell therapies to combat peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) in end stage patients. Myoblasts show promise as a cell mediated therapy but warrant an improved delivery method to increase cell retention in the region of interest because of their adherent nature, relative to previously used BM-MNC’s that are non-adherent. Contemporary issues with achieving successful cell therapies of vasculature can be mainly characterized by the lack of clinical translation from promising animal studies and absence of cell delivery scaffolding. Naturally, polymers have been widely experimented with as grafts to …

Advances In Mechanical Metamaterials For Vibration Isolation: A Review, Mohammed Al Rifaie, Hasanain Abdulhadi, Ahsan Mian

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The adverse effect of mechanical vibration is inevitable and can be observed in machine components either on the long- or short-term of machine life-span based on the severity of oscillation. This in turn motivates researchers to find solutions to the vibration and its harmful influences through developing and creating isolation structures. The isolation is of high importance in reducing and controlling the high-amplitude vibration. Over the years, porous materials have been explored for vibration damping and isolation. Due to the closed feature and the non-uniformity in the structure, the porous materials fail to predict the vibration energy absorption and the …

Predicting The Near Field Underwater Explosion Response Of Coated Composite Cylinders Using Multiscale Simulations, Experiments, And Machine Learning, Sumeru Nayak, Gideon A. Lyngdoh, Arun Shukla, Sumanta Das

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Prediction of underwater explosion response of coated composite cylinders using machine learning (ML) requires a large, consistent, accurate, and representative dataset. However, such reliable large experimental dataset is not

readily available. Besides, the ML algorithms need to abide by the fundamental laws of physics to avoid non- physical predictions. To address these challenges, this paper synergistically integrates ML with high- throughput multiscale finite element (FE) simulations to predict the response of coated composite cylinders

subjected to nearfield underwater explosion. The simulated responses from the multiscale approach correlate very well with the experimental observations. After validation of the multiscale approach, a …

Investigation Of Mechanical Properties Of Parts Fabricated With Gas- And Water-Atomized 304l Stainless Steel Powder In The Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process, M. Hossein Sehhat, Austin T. Sutton, Chia Hung Hung, Joseph William Newkirk, Ming-Chuan Leu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of gas-atomized powder as the feedstock material for the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process is common in the additive manufacturing (AM) community. Although gas-atomization produces powder with high sphericity, its relatively expensive production cost is a downside for application in AM processes. Water atomization of powder may overcome this limitation due to its low-cost relative to the gas-atomization process. In this work, gas- and water-atomized 304L stainless steel powders were morphologically characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The water-atomized powder had a wider particle size distribution and exhibited less sphericity. Measuring powder flowability using the Revolution Powder …

Formulation And Characterization Of Fast-Curing Plastic Scintillators With High-Z Loading, Theodore W. Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

Development of novel fast-curing plastic scintillators is highly advantageous due to their potential to be manufactured via 3D printing. Several formulations were developed that exhibit enhanced photon sensitivity, producing modest but discernible photopeaks at an incident gamma energy of 122 keV. The photon sensitivity is achieved via bismuth high-Z loading; however, this practice typically results in diminished light yields. Subsequent formulations, which varied the photoinitiator concentration and curing time, demonstrated successful curing with sufficient plastic hardness, reduced purple discoloration, reduced heat buildup during curing, and resulted in less cracking during the curing process, all of which were correlated with lower …

Analysis Of Microscopic Carbon Fiber Fragments, Zachary R. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon Fiber (CF) has different tensile strengths and transverse moduli depending on how they are fabricated. Some CF is export controlled as it can be used for weapons, spacecraft, or gas centrifuges for enriching nuclear fuel. This research project explored a new way to prepare micron sized single CF threads to measure their transverse modulus and compare the moduli of non-export controlled CF to that of an export controlled CF. Five total polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were used in this project, one of which was an export controlled fiber.

Thermal Considerations For Film Cooling Materials With Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity, Carol E. Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

Higher performance requirements and reduced core sizes are driving increases in turbine inlet temperature in gas turbine engines, surpassing the melting point of advanced materials. Newer materials, such as composites, are being introduced into the hot sections of gas turbine engines. Components in the hot section use film cooling to prevent melting. One unique aspect of some high-temperature composites is they have a bulk anisotropic thermal conductivity, therefore heat flow differs relative to traditional metallic components. Film cooling designs can be revolutionized by leveraging anisotropy in high-temperature materials. The purpose of this research is to examine thermal considerations for using …

Determination Of Nonlinear Optical Properties For Gallium Arsenide Phosphide Ternary Compounds And For Tin Thiohypodiphosphate, Peter F. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense and the commercial sector rely on coherent light sources to emit light that transmits through the atmosphere. Nonlinear optical effects in crystalline materials can be used to generate the laser waves, but certain nonlinear effects negatively impact the performance of laser generating materials. This thesis focuses on characterizing nonlinear optical properties for gallium arsenide phosphide ternary compounds and for tin thiohypodiphosphate. The Maker Fringe experiment is used to determine the d-coefficients of the materials, which describe the magnitude of the nonlinear response of the material. The Z-Scan experiment is used to calculate the nonlinear refractive …

Manufacturing Of A Ceramic Turbine Rotor For A Compact Jet Engine, Bryan T. Leicht

Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this study was to develop a low-cost, timely, scalable manufacturing method that produced a ceramic turbine that can be tested as a drop-in replacement on a JetCat P400 small scale gas turbine engine. This research compared two processes for manufacturing a ceramic turbine utilizing a pour casting method and 3D printing using stereolithography ceramic manufacturing (SLCM). The pour casting method used Silicon Nitride to create a cast turbine using a sacrificial 3D printed mold. The SLCM method evaluated producing an alumina turbine using an ADMATEC Admaflex 300 SLCM printer to directly print a ceramic turbine. This …

Potential Solution To Meet Growing Demands Of Refractory Metal: Selective Laser Melting Of Molybdenum-Tungsten Alloy, Jae Yu

Theses and Dissertations

Selective laser melting (SLM) of refractory metals has been of high interest in research due to the metals’ potential desirable characteristics in aeronautical and space applications. In particular, molybdenum and tungsten have been the focus of several studies in the search for high temperature and high strength purposes in applications like supersonic aircraft, re-entry vehicles, nuclear fission, power generation, and other space systems. However, there is still a significant knowledge gap to process defect-free alloys and making use of them in practical engineering functions. The aim of this study is to characterize the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties …

4,6-O-Phenylethylidene Acetal Protected D-Glucosamine Carbamate-Based Gelators And Their Applications For Multi-Component Gels, Pooja Sharma, Guijun Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The self-assembly of carbohydrate-based low molecular weight gelators has led to useful advanced soft materials. The interactions of the gelators with various cations and anions are important in creating novel molecular architectures and expanding the scope of the small molecular gelators. In this study, a series of thirteen new C-2 carbamates of the 4,6-O-phenylethylidene acetalprotected D-glucosamine derivatives has been synthesized and characterized. These compounds are rationally designed from a common sugar template. All carbamates synthesized were found to be efficient gelators and three compounds are also hydrogelators. The resulting gels were characterized using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, …

Recent Advances In Electrochemical Kinetics Simulations And Their Applications In Pt-Based Fuel Cells, Ji-Li Li, Ye-Fei Li, Zhi-Pan Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Theoretical simulations of electrocatalysis are vital for understanding the mechanism of the electrochemical process at the atomic level. It can help to reveal the in-situ structures of electrode surfaces and establish the microscopic mechanism of electrocatalysis, thereby solving the problems such as electrode oxidation and corrosion. However, there are still many problems in the theoretical electrochemical simulations, including the solvation effects, the electric double layer, and the structural transformation of electrodes. Here we review recent advances of theoretical methods in electrochemical modeling, in particular, the double reference approach, the periodic continuum solvation model based on the modified Poisson-Boltzmann …

Structural Degradation Of Ni-Rich Layered Oxide Cathode For Li-Ion Batteries, Jia-Yi Wang, Sheng-Nan Guo, Xin Wang, Lin Gu, Dong Su

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nickel(Ni)-rich layered oxide has been regarded as one of the most important cathode materials for the lithium-ion batteries because of its low cost and high energy density. However, the concerns in safety and durability of this compound are still challenging for its further development. On this account, the in-depth understanding in the structural factors determining its capacity attenuation is essential. In this review, we summarize the recent advances on the degradation mechanisms of Ni-rich layered oxide cathode. Progresses in the structure evolution of Ni-rich oxide are carefully combed in terms of inner evolution, surface evolution, and the property under thermal …

Mass Loading Optimization For Ethylene Glycol Oxidation At Different Potential Regions, Sheng-Nan Sun, Zhi-Chuan Xu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Designing and fabricating the electrocatalysts is attracting more and more attention in recent years due to a global interest in developing techniques for electrochemical energy conversion and storage, as well as elelectro-synthesis of valuable chemicals. The activity is one of the key performance parameters for electrocatalysts, while the observed activity can be affected by mass loading of electrocatalysts. Here, we take cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄)/graphite paper electrode (Co₃O₄/GPE) as a model electrode to demon-strate how the mass loading of Co₃O₄ catalyst influences ethylene glycol (EG) oxidation in alkaline (KOH) by …

Recent Advances In Structural Regulation On Non-Precious Metal Catalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction In Alkaline Electrolytes, Xue Wang, Li Zhang, Chang-Peng Liu, Jun-Jie Ge, Jian-Bing Zhu, Wei Xing

Journal of Electrochemistry

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolytes is an important electrochemical process for metal-air batteries and anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). However, the sluggish kinetics spurs intensive research on searching robust electrocatalysts. Non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) that can circumvent the cost and scarcity issues associated with platinum (Pt)-based materials have been pursued and the challenges lie in the performance improvement to rival Pt-based benchmarks. As the composition and structure of the NPMCs have a significant impact on the catalytic performance, precise regulation on the catalyst structure holds great promise to bridge the activity gap between NPMCs and Pt-based benchmarks. …

Magnetic Resonance In Metal-Ion Batteries: From Nmr (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) To Epr (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance), Bing-Wen Hu, Chao Li, Fu-Shan Geng, Ming Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Metal-ion batteries have changed our quotidian lives. The research on the electrode materials for metal-ion battery is the key to improve the performance of the battery. Therefore, understanding the structure-performance relationship of the electrode materials can help to improve the energy density and power density of the materials. Magnetic resonance, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), has been continuously improved during the past three decades, and has gradually become one of the important technologies to study the structure-performance relationship of electrode materials. This paper summarizes the progress of magnetic resonance research from our group on several …

Facet Dependent Oxygen Evolution Activity Of Spinel Cobalt Oxides, Li-Hua Zhang, Hong-Yuan Chuai, Hai Liu, Qun Fan, Si-Yu Kuang, Sheng Zhang, Xin-Bin Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

Water splitting is a promising technology to produce clean hydrogen if powered by renewable energies, where oxygen evolution is the rate determining step at an anode. Here we adjust the different crystal planes of the cobalt oxides catalyst to expose more effective active sites through a hydrothermal process, so as to improve the reaction activity for oxygen evolution. The samples were well characterized by TEM, SEM and XRD. Among the three synthetic crystal planes (100), (111) and (110) of spinel cobalt oxides, the (100) crystal plane has the highest intrinsic activity. Combining in-situ infrared and DFT calculations, we …

Selective Co2 Reduction To Formate On Heterostructured Sn/Sno2 Nanoparticles Promoted By Carbon Layer Networks, Xue Teng, Yanli Niu, Shuaiqi Gong, Xuan Liu, Zuofeng Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Tin (Sn)-based materials have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for selective reduction of CO₂ to formate, but their overall performances are still limited by electrode structures which govern the accessibility to active sites, the electron transfer kinetics, and the catalytic stability. In this study, the heterostructured Sn/SnO₂ nanoparticles dispersed by N-doped carbon layer networks (Sn/SnO₂@NC) were synthesized by a melt-recrystallization method taking the low melting point of Sn (m.p. 232oC). The N-doped carbon layer networks derived from polydopamine could attract more electrons on the electrocatalyst, serve as conductive agents and protect the ultrafine nanoparticles from agglomeration and …