Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Advances In Cellulose Nanomaterial-Based Foams For Environmental Applications, Md Musfiqur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of metal-oxide nanoparticles adsorbents is limited to fixed-bed columns in industrial-scale water treatment applications. This limitation is commonly attributed to the tendency of nanoparticles to aggregate, the use of non-sustainable and inefficient polymeric resins as supporting materials, or a lack of adsorption capacity. Foams and aerogels derived from cellulose nanomaterials have unique characteristics, such as high porosity and low density, which enables their use in a variety of environmental applications, including water treatment. However, the overall use of cellulose nanomaterial-based foams in various environmental sectors is limited due to the high cost of production associated with time- and …

Engineering The Spectrum Of Near-Field Thermal Radiation, Saman Zare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thermal emission observed at sub-wavelength distances from the thermal source is referred to as near-field thermal radiation. Thermal radiation in the near-field regime can exceed Planck’s blackbody limit by orders of magnitude and be quasi-monochromatic. Due to these unique properties, near-field thermal radiation is very promising for several thermal management and energy harvesting applications. Many of these applications, such as nanogap thermophotovoltaics and thermal rectification, require near-field spectra that are not found among natural materials. Artificial metamaterials, which are engineered at the sub-wavelength scale, have been theoretically proposed for tuning the spectrum of near-field thermal radiation. However, engineering the near-field …

Microwave Acoustic Saw Resonators For Stable High-Temperature Harsh-Environment Static And Dynamic Strain Sensing Applications, Anin K. Maskay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-temperature, harsh-environment static and dynamic strain sensors are needed for industrial process monitoring and control, fault detection, structural health monitoring in power plant environments, steel and refractory material manufacturing, aerospace, and defense applications. Sensor operation in the aforementioned extreme environments require robust devices capable of sustaining the targeted high temperatures, while maintaining a stable sensor response. Current technologies face challenges regarding device or system size, complexity, operational temperature, or stability.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor technology using high temperature capable piezoelectric substrates and thin film technology has favorable properties such as robustness; miniature size; capability of mass production; reduced installation …