Engineering Commons^™

Functional Bottlebrush Polymer Additives For Thin Films And Coatings, Travis S. Laws

Doctoral Dissertations

Bottlebrush polymers are a class of highly branched polymers consisting of polymeric side chains that are densely grafted to a linear backbone. Their highly branched architecture results in surface enrichment across a broad range of materials. The goal of my research has been centered around the design of functional bottlebrush polymers and their use as surface active additives in blend films and coatings.

In the first chapter, we examine the segregation behavior of polystyrene bottlebrushes that are blended with linear polystyrene. We systematically vary the lengths of the bottlebrush backbone (Nb), side-chain (Nsc), and the linear matrix (Nm) in order …

Citric Or Acetic Acid Effects On The Crosslinking Of Pvoh, Samuel Carr, Erika Szaldobagyi

Materials Engineering

Transportation and shipping processes are the most dangerous times for food due to harsh handling and frequent temperature changes. Plain corrugated boxes cannot withstand the damp environment caused by melting ice that is used to keep foods cold and fresh. To minimize damage, a protective polymer film coating can be applied. These coatings can be unsafe when used with food and will lead to excess waste by limiting the recyclability of the boxes. The purpose of this project was to produce nontoxic crosslinked PVOH films to determine suitability for a cost effective, biodegradable, and repulpable corrugated box coating. Polyvinyl alcohol …

Controlling The Emission Of Volatile Platinum Oxides To The Vapor Phase In Diesel Oxidation Catalysts, Arnab Ghosh

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Pt-based catalysts are used for the treatment of emissions from vehicles, particularly in Diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs). Three-way catalysts are treated at temperatures ranging from 950℃-1050℃ while DOCs are aged at 800℃ for 50 hrs. At 800°C, Pt reacts with O₂ to form PtO₂ which has a high vapor pressure and can be transported through the vapor phase. These accelerated aging conditions lead to the formation of large Pt particles causing a loss of catalytic activity. In this thesis, we used model thin-film catalysts that made it possible to quantify the emission of Pt to the vapor phase …

Influence Of Saturation Nonequilibrium And Variable Operation Conditions On The Electromechanical Performance Of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuator Architectures, Allison Maria Arnold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Electroactive polymers (EAPs) continue to gain attention for their potential to offer unique and versatile solutions in the soft robotic and flexible electronic industries. Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites (IPMCs) are a class of ionic-type EAPs which can be configured as capacitor actuators with very low voltage requirements (≤ 5 V AC or DC). Their compact, portable, and lightweight properties, coupled with a biomimetic bending actuation response make them ideal for human-machine integrated technologies such as medical implants, active skins, and artificial muscles. The Nafion-based IPMC can be described as a layered composite capacitor containing an ionic polymer core, sandwiched between chemically …

Analysis Of Combustion In Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (Peo) Coatings Of The Piston Surface In Spark Ignition Engines, Brendon Bain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the global effort to “green” the transportation industry, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is required to reduce its carbon footprint and can do so by increasing efficiency. Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) coatings confer properties of high wear and corrosion resistance, high hardness, excellent adhesion and a superior thermal barrier to their substrate, suggesting that coating of ICE components has the potential to greatly improve the combustion efficiency. The primary objective of this thesis is to analyze the effects of PEO coating on the surface of pistons in a spark ignition ICE, with the goal of increasing efficiency, to address …

Corrosion Resistance Performance Investigation Of Mild Steel Bar Coated With Magnesium Phosphate Cement Paste, Fan Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this research study, the anti-corrosion mechanism of reinforcement embedded in magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) is explored. In addition, one type of additives, metakaolin, and one type of retarder, boric acid, are employed in MKPC to modify its properties in order to further investigate corrosion resistance and to achieve mass-production coating reinforcement at the work site. This coating method may be practical for some underwater construction and some traditional reinforcement concrete structures to reduce the reinforcement corrosion rate and to eventually extend service life in both repair and new construction applications.

By comparing the electrochemical properties of bare ribbed …