Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Electrolyte Optimization Study For Tio2 Nanotube Electrode In Sodium Ion Batteries, Richard Wendel Cutler

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Batteries are ubiquitous in daily life. Sodium-ion batteries have the potential to become inexpensive alternatives to the current market products such as Lithium-ion batteries. TiO₂ nanotubes have proven potential as an anode for Na-ion batteries. Electrolytes made by NaClO₄ salt and carbonate-based solvents make up commonly used electrolytes in sodium ion battery research. We used electrochemical and physical characterization tests to evaluate the optimum electrolyte for this anode material in the Na system. We determined that the ClO₄^- ion decomposes at the TiO₂ surface and promotes the formation of an unstable solid electrolyte interphase. A …

Kinetic And Thermodynamic Modeling Of Long Term Phase Stability In Alloy 800h Subjected To Lwr Core Conditions, Wayne Ethan Pratt

Masters Theses

An in depth literature review of Incoloy Alloy 800H was conducted and presented to summarize the current understanding of microstructural evolution under irradiation and secondary phase precipitate stability. Due to a lack of radiation induced segregation (RIS) data for Alloy 800H, Isopleth sections varying Cr, Ni, Ti, and Si were generated from a computational thermodynamics approach using ThermoCalc and analyzed to compensate for knowledge related to radiation induced precipitates (RIP’s). These isopleths were analyzed for a composition range based off previous knowledge of RIS tendencies in austenitic stainless steels. Analysis of four major binary phase diagrams and complex phase diagrams …

Evaluation Of External Coating Performance On Buried Pipelines In The Oil And Gas Industry, Mohammed A. Alrudayni

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protective coatings is used to enhance the corrosion resistance of buried pipelines. However, the effectiveness of epoxy-coatings may be compromised due to inadvertent presence of surface damage and coating disbondment. Additionally, the disbonded coated panels is expected to be less effective than that of scratched or un-defected panels. This research was designed to evaluate the coating performance of FBE and hybrid epoxy in simulated Arabian Gulf water and synthetic Sabkha. The influence of coating damage and disbondment on corrosion resistance was also investigated.

Results of this research indicated a reduction in the adhesion bond between the coatings and substrate. The …

Evaluation Of Organic Protective Coatings As Corrosion Prevention For The Interior Of Subsea Pipelines In Sour Gas Service, Faris M. Alkordy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of several generic types of organic protective coatings as a corrosion protection method for the interior of subsea pipelines in sour gas media. The sour gas environment was simulated in the laboratory by the use of an Autoclave and the performance of the organic coatings was studied via the use of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) tests to determine the coatings resistance, capacitance and corrosion behavior before and after the exposure to sour gas environment. The coating degradation and the corrosion products formed were examined by …

Influence Of Carbon Nanofillers On The Curing Kinetics Of Epoxy-Amine Resin, Luigi Vertuccio, Salvatore Russo, Marialuigia Raimondo, Khalid Lafdi, Liberata Guadagno

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The cure kinetics of an epoxy resin based on the tetrafunctional epoxy precursor N,N′-tetraglycidyl methylene dianiline-(TGMDA) hardened with 4,4-diaminodiphenyl sulfone is investigated. The influence of carbon nanofillers (carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, and graphene based nanoparticles) on the cure kinetic is studied. Kinetic analysis is performed by dynamic and isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

In dynamic experiments, the activation energy was computed using an advanced isoconversional method while under isothermal conditions, the Kamal’s model of diffusion control was applied to simulate the systems throughout the curing process. The isothermal analysis shows that the introduction of the diluent decreases, …

The Role Of Biological Fluid And Dynamic Flow In The Behavior And Cellular Interactions Of Gold Nanoparticles, Emily K. Breitner, Saber M. Hussain, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Due to their distinctive physicochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) have proven to be extremely advantageous for product and application development, but are also capable of inducing detrimental outcomes in biological systems. Standard in vitro methodologies are currently the primary means for evaluating NP safety, as vast quantities of particles exist that require appraisal. However, cell-based models are plagued by the fact that they are not representative of complex physiological systems. The need for a more accurate exposure model is highlighted by the fact that NP behavior and subsequent bioresponses are highly dependent upon their surroundings. Therefore, standard in vitro models …

Three-Dimensional Confocal Microscopy Indentation Method For Hydrogel Elasticity Measurement, Donghee Lee, Md Mahmudur Rahman, You Zhou, Sangjin Ryu

Md Mahmudur Rahman

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Helium Ions Energy On Molybdenum Surfaces Under Extreme Conditions, Joseph Fiala, Jitendra K. Tripathi, Sean Gonderman, Ahmed Hassanein

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Plasma facing components (PFCs) in fusion devices must be able to withstand high temperatures and erosion due to incident energetic ion radiations. Tungsten has become the material of choice for PFCs due to its high strength, thermal conductivity, and low erosion rate. However, its surface deteriorates significantly under helium ion irradiation in fusion-like conditions and forms nanoscopic fiber-like structures, or fuzz. Fuzz is brittle in nature and has relatively lower thermal conductivity than that of the bulk material. Small amounts of fuzz may lead to excessive contamination of the plasma, preventing the fusion reaction from taking place. Despite recent efforts, …

Freeze-Drying Silica Based Aerogels Using Cryoprotectants And Eutectic Solvent Mixtures, Alyssa R. Bass, Shane Peng, Jeffrey Youngblood

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Silica based aerogels have unique properties, including good thermal insulation and convective inhibition. A sol-gel process can be used to produce semi-opaque, monolithic gels, which can then be dried to produce aerogels. Multiple drying methods are available industrially, however, these methods require high temperatures and pressures, specialized equipment, and are time consuming. This project aims to experimentally study the possibility of a new method for drying wet gels through a freeze-drying process, with the use of cryoprotectants, eutectics, and polymers to inhibit and control ice formation and growth during drying. Silica wet gels were produced using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), ethanol, water, …

Influence Of Warping On Stress For Restrained Concrete Slabs: For Application To Crcp, Corey M. Beck, W. Jason Weiss, Nathan T. Todd

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Continuously-reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is widely used in transportation system because of its low maintenance requirement. However, the need for large volumes of steel creates a high cost for new construction. The Illinois Tollway is preparing to substantially renovate highways in and around Chicago and this work seeks to understand how concretes of varying mixture designs can be made thinner by reducing the amount of built-in stress. The experiment examines warping in beams subjected to various degrees of restraint, in an effort to assess effectiveness at reducing warping in continuously reinforced concrete pavements. Value added methodologies such as internal curing …

Interactive Computer Aided Design Of Electrochemical Systems, Lucas D. Robinson Mr., R. Edwin García Dr., Aniruddha Jana Mr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The most popular and widely used rechargeable battery numerical model, the dualfoil, was developed in fortran by John Newman and coworkers1-3, and enables the user to describe the time-dependent electrochemical transport of lithium and charge, through the application of concentrated solution theory in porous media. Such a model has enabled the design of many advanced lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles that can operate under high current densities. Historically, however, the dualfoil and other subsequently derived models are cumbersome and unwieldy when used, and offer limited flexibility regarding parameter variability, integration into more sophisticated numerical descriptions, coupling to …

Nanomechanics Simulation Toolkit - Dislocations Make Or Break Materials, Michael N. Sakano, Alejandro Strachan, David Johnson, Mitchell Wood

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The goal of computational material science is to improve existing materials and design new ones through mathematical calculations. In particular, molecular dynamic simulations can allow for visualization of dislocations in a material, along with its resulting behavior when under stress. For example, plastic deformation and strain hardening result from the movement, multiplication and interaction of dislocations within the crystal structure. A simulation tool to study these phenomena was developed for the nanoHUB web resource as a part of the Network for Computational Nanotechnology at Purdue University and targets audiences ranging from undergraduate students to researchers. We created a user-friendly environment …

Exploring The Effect Of Sample Properties On Spark-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Michael J. Marino, Payson Dieffenbach, Liesl A. Krause, Prasoon Diwakar, Ahmed Hassanein

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Optical emission spectroscopy techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SIBS) provide portable and robust methods for elemental detection in real-time. Laser-produced emissions are then used for quantitative and qualitative analysis of a sample material with applications in explosives detection. For both techniques, the main obstacles have always been signal intensity, accuracy, and sensitivity of detection. The main advantage of the SIBS method is more safe operation, while still maintaining the portability of the technique. In this study, detailed characterization of spark induced plasma, analyte emission intensity, plasma temperature, electron density, and plasma persistence has been …

Examining The Hydration And Mechanical Properties Of Cement Paste Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals, Yvette Valadez-Carranza, Charles Y. Chiu, W. Jason Weiss, Pablo Zavattieri, Jeffrey P. Youngblood

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a nano-scaled particulae material that has been shown to improve strength in cementitious pastes. One advantage of CNCs compared to other nano-materials is that CNCs are renewable and sustainable. The objective of this investigation is to investigate the influence of additional alkali content on the behavior of CNCs in cement paste. This work evaluates flexural and compressive strength as a function of heat of hydration—which measures the extent of reaction. Previous mechanical tests on cement paste containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have shown CNCs to improve the flexural strength of cement paste by approximately 30%. Isothermal calorimetry …

Development And Improvement Of Cerium Activated Gadolinium Gallium Aluminum Garnets Scintillators For Radiation Detectors By Codoping, Fang Meng

Doctoral Dissertations

Ce doped Gd3Ga3Al2O12 [gadolinium gallium aluminium oxides] is considered as a promising candidate for the next generation Positron Emission Tomography material due to its high light yield in theory. This dissertation is focused on studying the Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce crystals by codoping, aiming to improve the light yield and decay time experimentally and understand the underlying mechanism.

The work starts from prescreening appropriate codopants for Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce crystals. A cost-effective method is developed to predict the performance of the single crystals by characterizing the radioluminescence intensity and photoluminescence decay of the small polycrystalline pellets. This method is demonstrated by showing that the results …

Comparison Of Beta Backscatter And X-Ray Fluorescence Methods To Measure Coating Thickness, Sergio Palomo, Bernice Mills

STAR Program Research Presentations

This work compares and assesses the effectiveness of beta backscatter (BB) and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) for measuring the thickness of gold coatings on two substrates: silicon and an iron-nickel alloy. A set of samples of known gold coating thickness, ranging from 0.5 – 4.0 microns, was measured in each case along with the substrate alone. In BB the number of electrons (beta particles from a very small radioactive source, Pm-147 in this case) backscattered from a sample in a fixed time period is counted. The XRF method uses x-rays generated in the sample from a primary x-ray beam of higher …

Mixing Metals For Magic Materials: Analysis Of Binary Eutectic Alloys For Metamaterial Applications, Ethan Elder Fox

Masters Theses

Uses of metamaterials, also known as negative index materials (NIMs), are wide ranging and include lenses that have a resolution beyond the diffraction limit, incredibly small antenna, and cloaking devices for optical, infrared, and microwave wavelengths.

The unique properties of metamaterials are not found in any naturally occurring material. By having simultaneously negative values for ε [electrical permittivity] and μ [magnetic permeability], a metamaterial can have a negative index of refraction over a certain frequency band. The unique properties of negative index materials emerge chiefly from their highly ordered structure.

Binary eutectic alloys have the potential to be used as …

A High Pressure Cell For Spark Plasma Sintering, Justin Robert Carmichael

Masters Theses

Many nanostructured materials have been shown to have performance gains strongly dependent on the grain size in the material. Nanostructured thermoelectric materials for instance have found great performance increases through reduction of the grain sizes, due mostly to the scattering of phonons while retaining a good electrical conductivity. Other such examples abound where the grain size plays an important role in the performance of the material, including magnetic materials, proton fuel cell membranes, or simply improving the mechanical properties of a system through the Hall-Petch relationship.

A considerable amount of effort has been applied into reducing the grain size of …

Fundamental Problems In Porous Materials: Experiments & Computer Simulation, Zhanping Xu

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Porous materials have attracted massive scientific and technological interest because of their extremely high surface-to-volume ratio, molecular tunability in construction, and surface-based applications. Through my PhD work, porous materials were engineered to meet the design in selective binding, self-healing, and energy damping. For example, crystalline MOFs with pore size spanning from a few angstroms to a couple of nanometers were chemically engineered to show 120 times more efficiency in binding of large molecules. In addition, we found building blocks released from those crystals can be further patched back through a healing process at ambient and low temperatures down to -56 …

Electromagnetic Induction By Ferrofluid In An Oscillating Heating Pipe, John Gabriel Monroe, Erick S. Vasquez, Zachary S. Aspin, Keisha B. Walters, Matthew J. Berg, Scott M. Thompson

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Particle Transport And Deposition Of Micron-Sized Particles In A 90° Bend Using A Two-Fluid Eulerian–Eulerian Approach, Erick S. Vasquez, Keisha B. Walters, D. Keith Walters

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Two-phase flows involving dispersed particle and droplet phases are common in a variety of natural and industrial processes, such as aerosols, blood flow, emulsions, and gas-catalyst systems. For sufficiently dilute particle/aerosol phases, a simplified one-way coupling is often assumed, in which the continuous primary phase is unaffected by the presence of the dispersed secondary phase and standard CFD methods can be applied. To predict the transport and deposition of the particle phase, typically a Lagrangian particle-tracking or Eulerian one-fluid/two-phase drift-flux approach is used. Here, a full two-fluid Eulerian modeling approach is presented for coarse particles (>1 μm), in which …

C-Mems Based Micro Enzymatic Biofuel Cells, Yin Song

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Miniaturized, self-sufficient bioelectronics powered by unconventional micropower may lead to a new generation of implantable, wireless, minimally invasive medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, drug-delivering pumps, sensor transmitters, and neurostimulators. Studies have shown that micro-enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) are among the most intuitive candidates for in vivo micropower.

In the fisrt part of this thesis, the prototype design of an EBFC chip, having 3D intedigitated microelectrode arrays was proposed to obtain an optimum design of 3D microelectrode arrays for carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) based EBFCs. A detailed modeling solving partial differential equations (PDEs) by finite element techniques has been developed …

Temperature Dependent Surface Reconstruction Of Freely Suspended Films Of 4-N-Heptyloxybenzylidene-4-N-Heptylaniline, Daniel E. Martinez Zambrano

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Surfaces of freely suspended thick films of 4-n-heptyloxybenzylidene-4-n-heptylaniline (7O.7) in the crystalline-B phase have been imaged using non-contact mode atomic force microscopy. Steps are observed on the surface of the film with a height of 3.0 +/- 0.1 nm corresponding to the upright molecular length of 7O.7. In addition, we find that the step width varies with temperature between 56 and 59 degrees C. The steps are many times wider than the molecular length, suggesting that the steps are not on the surface but instead originate from edge dislocations in the interior. Using a strain model for liquid crystalline layers …

Measuring And Increasing The Suspension Time Of Lanthanide Oxysulfide Particles With Modifiers Via Fluorescence For Use In Anti-Counterfeiting Applications, Joe Dei Rossi, Tyler Dinslage, Tyler Schelling

Materials Engineering

No abstract provided.

Electrochemical Testing Of Aluminum-Lithium Alloys 2050, 2195, And The Current Aerospace Industry Standard 7075 To Measure The Galvanic Corrosion Behavior With Ti-6al-4v, Trent Duncan, Kevin Knight

Materials Engineering

This project aimed to characterize the electrochemical behavior of four different aluminum alloys, and determine how much galvanic corrosion would occur when each alloy was coupled to Ti-6Al-4V. The particular alloys tested were 2050-T3, 2050-T852, 2195-T852, and 7075-T7352. These alloys were tested to determine the effects of aging, and adding lithium, to the corrosion behavior of aluminum alloys. Potentiodynamic polarization curves were generated using the Parstat 2273 potentiostat in accordance with ASTM standard G5, and corrosion analysis software was used to produce Tafel fit lines, which determined the open circuit potential (E_corr) of each sample. Nine tests were …

Minimizing Sheet Resistance Of Organic Photovoltaic Cell Top Contact Electrode Layer: Silver Nanowire Concentration Vs. Conductive Polymer Doping Concentration, Caitlyn Cook

Materials Engineering

The top contact electrode layers of nine organic photovoltaic cells were prepared with two varying factors: three Silver nanowire (AgNW) densities deposited on a conductive polymer doped with three concentrations. Silver’s low sheet resistance of 20-Ω/sq is hypothesized to lower the sheet resistance of the anode layer and thus enhance the overall efficiency of the cell. Four-point probe measurements indicated that increasing AgNW density in the top contact electrode layer of an organic photovoltaic cell significantly reduces sheet resistance from 52.2k-Ω/sq to 18.0 Ω/sq. Although an increase in doping concentration of the conductive polymer reduced sheet resistance in low AgNW …

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus For Firefighter With A Permanent Stoma, Jason Delgadillo, Aaron Wheeler, Zachary Wishbow

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this project was to create a unique SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) for a firefighter named Chris Gauer. This prototype consists of a SCBA headgear connected to a polycarbonate-formed stoma mask with a medical-grade sanitary silicone hose.

Effect Of Surfactant Architecture On Conformational Transitions Of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes, Greg A. Braggin

Master's Theses

Water soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs), which fall under the category of conductive polymers, possess numerous advantages over other conductive materials for the fabrication of electronic devices. Namely, the processing of water soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes into thin film electronic devices is much less costly as compared to the processing of inorganic materials. Moreover, the handling of conjugated polyelectrolytes can be performed in a much more environmentally friendly manner than in the processing of other conjugated polymers because conjugated polyelectrolytes are water soluble, whereas other polymers will only dissolve in toxic organic solvents. The processing of electronic devices containing inorganic constituents such …

The Experimental And Theoretical Study Of Plasticity Improvement Of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses, Xie Xie

Doctoral Dissertations

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) attract more and more attention for their great mechanical properties, such as high strength, good corrosion resistance, etc. However, even though extensive studies have been made, their deformation mechanisms are still not well understood. Their limited plasticity and catastrophic failure after yielding severely prevent their broad applications in industry and daily life. To improve their plasticity, some work has been done through miscellaneous processing methods, e.g., thin-film coating, surface treatment, and ion irradiation. The present work also focuses on the plastic deformation of BMGs, and is expected to deepen the fundamental understanding of the deformation mechanisms …

Engineering The “Pluripotency” Of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses As Biomedical Materials, Lu Huang

Doctoral Dissertations

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a family of novel alloys with amorphous microstructures. The combination of their excellent mechanical properties, good chemical stability, high thermal formability, and general biocompatibility has brought up new opportunities for biomaterials. Research in this dissertation was focused on exploring multiple biomedical functionalities of Zr-based BMGs over a wide spectrum, combining materials and biological characterizations, through experimental and computational approaches. Four distinct yet interconnected tasks were endeavored, involving inflammation, hard-tissue implant, soft-tissue prosthesis, and pathogenic infection.

The inflammation that can be potentially triggered by Zr-based BMGs was investigated using macrophages. Lower level or comparable macrophage activations …