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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Sample Preparation Techniques For Grain Boundary Characterization Of Annealed Triso-Coated Particles, M. L. Dunzik-Gougar, I. J. Van Rooyen, C. M. Hill, T. Trowbridge, J. Madden, J. Burns Oct 2016

Sample Preparation Techniques For Grain Boundary Characterization Of Annealed Triso-Coated Particles, M. L. Dunzik-Gougar, I. J. Van Rooyen, C. M. Hill, T. Trowbridge, J. Madden, J. Burns

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Crystallographic information about layers of silicon carbide (SiC) deposited by chemical vapor deposition is essential to understanding layer performance, especially when the the layers are in nonplanar geometries (e.g., spherical). Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to analyze spherical SiC layers using a different sampling approach that applied focused ion beam (FIB) milling to avoid the negative impacts of traditional sample polishing and address the need for very small samples of irradiated materials for analysis. The mechanical and chemical grinding and polishing of sample surfaces can introduce lattice strain and result in the unequal removal of SiC and the surrounding …


High-Temperature Corrosion Testing Of Uranium Silicide Surrogates, B. J. Jaques, G. Alanko, D. P. Butt Oct 2016

High-Temperature Corrosion Testing Of Uranium Silicide Surrogates, B. J. Jaques, G. Alanko, D. P. Butt

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The corrosion resistance of cerium silicide, a surrogate of uranium silicide, is investigated to gain insight into the reaction of uranium silicide with water. As-received and proton-irradiated Ce3Si2, CeSi2, and CeSi1.x monolithic pellets are subjected to corrosion tests in water at 300°C and 9 MPa for up to 48 h. Results show that an oxide layer composed of Ce4.67 (SiO4)3O forms on the surface of all samples, and it grows thicker with extended exposure times. Irradiated samples corrode to a greater extent than their unirradiated counterparts, which is …


Partial Oxidation Of Surrogate Jet-A Fuel Over Sio2 Supported Moo2, Shreya Shah, Oscar G. Marin-Flores, Chinnathambi Karthik, M. Grant Norton, Su Ha Sep 2016

Partial Oxidation Of Surrogate Jet-A Fuel Over Sio2 Supported Moo2, Shreya Shah, Oscar G. Marin-Flores, Chinnathambi Karthik, M. Grant Norton, Su Ha

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A SiO2-supported MoO2 nanoparticle catalyst was synthesized by a sol-gel method and tested as catalytic material for the partial oxidation of n-dodecane. MoO2 nanoparticles supported on SiO2 are °C, which is a typical reforming temperature for n-dodecane. The formation of Mo O Si bonds at the interface between MoO2 nanoparticles and SiO2 support appear to be responsible for the enhanced stability to sintering displayed by the nanoparticles. As a result of this particle size stabilization, SiO2 supported MoO2 nanoparticles show an improved reforming activity in terms of syngas generation …


Nonlinear Machine Learning And Design Of Reconfigurable Digital Colloids, Andrew W. Long, Carolyn L. Phillips, Eric Jankowski, Andrew L. Ferguson Sep 2016

Nonlinear Machine Learning And Design Of Reconfigurable Digital Colloids, Andrew W. Long, Carolyn L. Phillips, Eric Jankowski, Andrew L. Ferguson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Digital colloids, a cluster of freely rotating “halo" particles tethered to the surface of a central particle, were recently proposed as ultra-high density memory elements for information storage. Rational design of these digital colloids for memory storage applications requires a quantitative understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of the configurational states within which information is stored. We apply nonlinear machine learning to Brownian dynamics simulations of these digital colloids to extract the low-dimensional intrinsic manifold governing digital colloid morphology, thermodynamics, and kinetics. By modulating the relative size ratio between halo particles and central particles, we investigate the size-dependent configurational …


High-Performance And Flexible Thermoelectric Films By Screen Printing Solution-Processed Nanoplate Crystals, Tony Varghese, Courtney Hollar, Joseph Richardson, Nicholas Kempf, Chao Han, Pasindu Gamarachchi, David Estrada, Yanliang Zhang Sep 2016

High-Performance And Flexible Thermoelectric Films By Screen Printing Solution-Processed Nanoplate Crystals, Tony Varghese, Courtney Hollar, Joseph Richardson, Nicholas Kempf, Chao Han, Pasindu Gamarachchi, David Estrada, Yanliang Zhang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Screen printing allows for direct conversion of thermoelectric nanocrystals into flexible energy harvesters and coolers. However, obtaining flexible thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit ZT through printing is an exacting challenge due to the difficulties to synthesize high-performance thermoelectric inks and the poor density and electrical conductivity of the printed films. Here, we demonstrate high-performance flexible films and devices by screen printing bismuth telluride based nanocrystal inks synthesized using a microwave-stimulated wet-chemical method. Thermoelectric films of several tens of microns thickness were screen printed onto a flexible polyimide substrate followed by cold compaction and sintering. The n-type films demonstrate …


Controlling The Corrosion And Cathodic Activation Of Magnesium Via Microalloying Additions Of Ge, R. L. Liu, M. F. Hurley, A. Kvryan, G. Williams, J. R. Scully, N. Birbilis Jun 2016

Controlling The Corrosion And Cathodic Activation Of Magnesium Via Microalloying Additions Of Ge, R. L. Liu, M. F. Hurley, A. Kvryan, G. Williams, J. R. Scully, N. Birbilis

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The evolution of corrosion morphology and kinetics for magnesium (Mg) have been demonstrated to be influenced by cathodic activation, which implies that the rate of the cathodic partial reaction is enhanced as a result of anodic dissolution. This phenomenon was recently demonstrated to be moderated by the use of arsenic (As) alloying as a poison for the cathodic reaction, leading to significantly improved corrosion resistance. The pursuit of alternatives to toxic As is important as a means to imparting a technologically safe and effective corrosion control method for Mg (and its alloys). In this work, Mg was microalloyed with germanium …


The Impact Of Volunteering At A Girls Outreach Activity On Community Formation, Donna C. Llewellyn, Janet Callahan, Amy J. Moll, Catherine Rose Bates Jun 2016

The Impact Of Volunteering At A Girls Outreach Activity On Community Formation, Donna C. Llewellyn, Janet Callahan, Amy J. Moll, Catherine Rose Bates

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper is focused on exploring the motivation for volunteering at an engineering outreach activity. The outreach activity itself involved a two day, overnight experience for 9th and 10th grade girls that started in 2005, and which has been held annually since that time. The outreach event takes place in Boise, Idaho, and at the time of its onset was the only outreach or camp activity in the state focused on girls or young women. Across ten years, 510 total girls have participated, with approximately 85% of them coming from the immediate metropolitan area. The program was developed with a …


Microgalvanic Corrosion Behavior Of Cu-Ag Active Braze Alloys Investigated With Skpfm, Armen Kvryan, Kari Livingston, Corey M. Efaw, Kyle Knori, Brian J. Jaques, Paul H. Davis, Darryl P. Butt, Michael F. Hurley Apr 2016

Microgalvanic Corrosion Behavior Of Cu-Ag Active Braze Alloys Investigated With Skpfm, Armen Kvryan, Kari Livingston, Corey M. Efaw, Kyle Knori, Brian J. Jaques, Paul H. Davis, Darryl P. Butt, Michael F. Hurley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The nature of microgalvanic couple driven corrosion of brazed joints was investigated. 316L stainless steel samples were joined using Cu-Ag-Ti and Cu-Ag-In-Ti braze alloys. Phase and elemental composition across each braze and parent metal interface was characterized and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM) was used to map the Volta potential differences. Co-localization of SKPFM with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) measurements enabled spatially resolved correlation of potential differences with composition and subsequent galvanic corrosion behavior. Following exposure to the aggressive solution, corrosion damage morphology was characterized to determine the mode of attack and likely initiation areas. When exposed to 0.6 …


Integrating Computational Modeling Modules Into Undergraduate Materials Science And Engineering Education, Lan (Samantha) Li Jan 2016

Integrating Computational Modeling Modules Into Undergraduate Materials Science And Engineering Education, Lan (Samantha) Li

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To meet national workforce need, we integrated computational modeling training into undergraduate materials science and engineering (MSE) courses, including Thermodynamics, and Structure of Materials. We also flipped the courses, requiring students to self-study topics outside the class. In the class, the instructors focused on demonstrating real-world materials problems and guiding the students to solve the problems using different computational modeling techniques. Learning the computational modeling concepts within a short period of time was challenging to the students. Another challenge was that the students had various STEM backgrounds, such as MSE, mechanical engineering, and physics. In order to foster student learning, …


Micro/Nano-Structural Examination And Fission Product Identification In Neutron Irradiated Agr-1 Triso Fuel, I. J. Van Rooyen, T. M. Lillo, H. M. Wen, C. M. Hill, T. G. Holesinger, Y. Q. Wu, J. A. Aguiar Jan 2016

Micro/Nano-Structural Examination And Fission Product Identification In Neutron Irradiated Agr-1 Triso Fuel, I. J. Van Rooyen, T. M. Lillo, H. M. Wen, C. M. Hill, T. G. Holesinger, Y. Q. Wu, J. A. Aguiar

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Advanced electron microscopic and micro-analysis techniques were developed and applied to study irradiation effects and fission-product behavior in selected low-enriched uranium-oxide/uranium-carbide tristructural-isotropic (TRISO)-coated particles from fuel compacts in four capsules irradiated to burnups of 11.2 to 19.6% fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA) consisting of Baseline, Variant 1, and Variant 3 fuel types. Trend analysis shows precipitates were mostly random in their distribution along the perimeter of the inner pyrolytic carbon-silicon carbide (IPyC-SiC) interlayer with only weak association with kernel protrusion and buffer fractures. Pd is dominantly found in most precipitates in both intra and intergranular locations. Nano-sized Ag is …


Support Model For Transfer Students Utilizing The Stem Scholarship Program, Lynn Olson, Amy J. Moll, Doug Bullock, Amit Jain, Janet Callahan Jan 2016

Support Model For Transfer Students Utilizing The Stem Scholarship Program, Lynn Olson, Amy J. Moll, Doug Bullock, Amit Jain, Janet Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes how the College of Engineering at Boise State University utilized a National Science Foundation S-STEM award from 2011 to 2016 to support transfer students in their path toward graduation. The need for this support was a result of both Boise State University College of Engineering’s transition from a 2-year pre-engineering program to the establishment of Bachelors of Science in Engineering Degree programs in 1997 as well as the establishment of the College of Western Idaho as a regional community college in 2007. Both of these factors led to an increase in the numbers of incoming engineering students …


Listening And Negotiation, Janet Callahan, Mary E. Besterfield-Sacre, Jenna P. Carpenter, Kim Lascola Needy, Cheryl B. Schrader Jan 2016

Listening And Negotiation, Janet Callahan, Mary E. Besterfield-Sacre, Jenna P. Carpenter, Kim Lascola Needy, Cheryl B. Schrader

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Negotiation is an important skill for faculty at all stages of their career, but one that research suggests is often uncomfortable for women faculty to employ. This paper focuses on the topic of negotiation, with an emphasis on providing practical ideas and strategies relevant to academic professionals at both entry-level and mid-career who find that they need to negotiate a career opportunity. The paper will review negotiation basics, as well as discuss what can be negotiated, how one might proceed to discuss these, and how listening is critical to negotiation. By viewing negotiation as a "wise agreement"1 that seeks …


Revealing Student Misconceptions And Instructor Blind Spots With Muddiest Point Formative Feedback, Cindy Waters, Stephen J. Krause, Janet Callahan, Barry Dupen, Mary B. Vollaro, Peggie Weeks Jan 2016

Revealing Student Misconceptions And Instructor Blind Spots With Muddiest Point Formative Feedback, Cindy Waters, Stephen J. Krause, Janet Callahan, Barry Dupen, Mary B. Vollaro, Peggie Weeks

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Of interest to all engineering disciplines, well-designed formative feedback has the potential to enhance both instructor teaching and student learning. Delivering fundamental courses year after year, can ultimately lead faculty to use stale notes or slides from past years. This approach may save time, but does not meet the shifting needs of our students who have high expectations from their instructors. One simple method to improve teaching is to employ muddiest point reflections. Muddiest point reflections involve simply asking students to anonymously reflect on what was “muddy”, i.e. confusing, during class and to rank their level of confusion which not …