Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2006, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

A Fuzzy Logic Controller For Autonomous Wheeled Vehicles, Mohamed Trabia, Linda Z. Shi, Neil Eugene Hodge

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Autonomous vehicles have potential applications in many fields, such as replacing humans in hazardous environments, conducting military missions, and performing routine tasks for industry. Driving ground vehicles is an area where human performance has proven to be reliable. Drivers typically respond quickly to sudden changes in their environment. While other control techniques may be used to control a vehicle, fuzzy logic has certain advantages in this area; one of them is its ability to incorporate human knowledge and experience, via language, into relationships among the given quantities. Fuzzy logic controllers for autonomous vehicles have been successfully applied to address various …

Reaction Mechanism Of V(Ⅳ)/V(Ⅴ) Redox Couple At Graphite Felt Composite Electrode Bonded With Conductive Carbon Plastic, Xiao-Gang Li, Ke-Long Huang, Liusu-Qin Liusu-Qin, Ning Tan, Li-Quan Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The rate-determining step of V(Ⅳ) /V(Ⅴ) redoxreaction was investigated at graphite felt(GF)composite electrode by various techniques: cyclic voltammetry,polarization curve and impedance spectroscopy.Cyclic voltammetry analysis indicated that V(Ⅳ) /V(Ⅴ) redox reaction at GF electrode is quasi reversible.Acertain chemical reaction step is suspected to follow the electron transfer step of this reaction.The Tafel slopevalue(0.124) obtained from the polarization curve agrees well with theoretical value(0.12),which supposingthe electron transfer step was the rate-determining step.Impedance Spectroscopies at various potentials werestudied and simulated by equivalentcircuits.The impedance value of the electron transfer step modified is greatlyhigher than the others,which shows that the electron transfer step is the …

The Synthesis,Structure And Electrochemical Performances Of Lithium Iron Phosphate, Hui Xie

Journal of Electrochemistry

The lithium iron phosphate cathode materials were synthesized by solid-state reaction combined high-rate ball milling under the temperature ranging from 400 ℃ to 700 ℃.The crystalline structure,morphology of particles,and electrochemical performance of the sample were investigated by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and charge-discharge test.The results showed that the sintering temperature had great influences on the crystal structure,morphology and electrochemical performances of LiFePO_(4).The sample synthesized under 600℃ showed the best charge-discharge performances with the first specific discharge capacity of(128.8) mAh/g and the 15~(th) specific discharge capacity of 129.1 mAh/g at 0.1C rate,each charge-discharge cycling efficiency being 99.7%.Also the sample showed good …

Synthesis Of Monolithic Carbon/Nickel Oxide Composite Electrode Material And Cyclic Voltammetry Characteristics, Tian-Ying Guo, Jing-Wei Zhu, Mou-Dao Song, Bang-Hua Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Monolithic carbon/nickel oxide composite materials were synthesized by carbonization of phenol formaldehyde gels that were ion-exchanged with Ni~(2+).Atomic absorption spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction technique were used to characterize the chemical composition and physical structure of the materials.The nickel dope amount for this method can reach 5.9 %(by mass).Subsequent cyclic voltammetry experiments indicate that the materials exhibit best capacitive performance at the nickel content of 4.4 %.

Electrochemical Behavior Of Buprofezin On Glass-Carbon Electrode, Qi Wang, Chang-Guo Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical behavior of Bup has been investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry,linear sweep voltammetry,differential pulse voltammetry and square wave voltammetry.The results indicate that the electrochemical behavior of Bup on the surface of glassy carbon electrode is corresponding to a irreversible two-protons and two-electrons process with absrption.The square wave voltammetry for determination of Bup in actual samples has been established.

Facilitated Effect Of Ag To Oxygen Transportation In Pem Fuel Cell Air Cathodes, Hong-Feng Xu, Jian-Hua Dong, Xiang-Li Hou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Silver(Ag) was deposited in the pores of Nafion membrane by ion exchange and succedent hydrogen reduction;the structures of Nafion-Ag membrane were measured by TEM and XRD,the diffusion coefficients of oxygen in Nafion-Ag was determined by electrochemical limited current method.The results showed that after deposited silver,the pores in the Nafion were enlarged by silver grains;the oxygen diffusion coefficient was increased about four times.By introducing silver in the thin Nafion film around the cathode catalyst,the performance of PEM fuel cell have a evident increasing in high current density, which shows the facilitated effects of silver to oxygen transportation in PEM fuel cell.

Structure And Electrochemical Characteristics Of Lifepo_4 Prepared By The Polyacrylates-Pyrolysis-Reduction Method For Li-Ion Batteries, Li-Hong Yu, Yu-Liang Cao, Xiao-Fei Zhang, Han-Xi Yang, Xin-Ping Ai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode material of olivine LiFePO_(4) was prepared by a novel method of polyacrylate-pyrolysis-reduction.XRD demonstrates that the material have the olivine structure.SEM photo shows an average particle-size of about 100 nm with a well distribution.Electrochemical test of cycling at a constant current reveals the discharge capacity of 138 mAh/g and a good cycling stability.It is a novel practicable technology to prepare LiFePO_(4) by using polyacrylate-pyrolysis-reduction method.

Novel Electrochemical Method For Synthesis Of Nanostructured Materials Of Noble Metals Based On Poly(N-Vinylpyrrolidone) (Pvp), Wei Pan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Gold nanocrystals with controllable size were synthesized through a simple electroreduction method using poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)(PVP) of different polymerization degree as both stabilizer and shape-controller for gold nanoclusters.Individual gold nanoparticles spontaneously assembled into the wire-and ring-shaped nanoparticle aggregates depending on the PVP's dynamic stretching and curling,and precursor nanoparticles grew into flat,single-crystalline nanoprisms with thickness of dozens of nanometers based on the oriented aggregation between particles.Besides,core-shell Au/Ag nanoparticles were conveniently synthesized through two-step electroreduction of noble metal ions in the presence of PVPK30.The electrochemical synthetic method based on PVP provides a new path for preparation of noble metal nanostructured materials with different shape …

Synergistic Functions Of Trimethl Phosphate And Vinylene Carbonate As Additives For The Li-Ion Batteries, Zhi-Yuan Tang, Yan-Bing He, Quan-Sheng Song, Yu-Hong Chen, Yuan-Gang Liu, Qiang Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cooperative effects of trimethl phosphate and vinylene carbonate as additives for Li-ion batteries are investigated by using the cyclic voltammetry,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electronic micro-photographs.The results show that the combination application of TMP and VC as additives for Li-ion batteries not only enhances safety of the batteries,but also improves their cycling performance.The reason may be ascribed to firstly VC being reduced and the reduction product polymerized to form excellent solid electrolyte interface(SEI) layer on the surface of graphite electrode during the first charge and discharge process,which prevents effectively the decomposition of TMP on the surface of the graphite …

Electrochemical Properties Of The Modified Carbon Nanotubes, Chun-An Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

Powder micro-electrodes were prepared from raw carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotubes modified by carboxyl.The electro-reduction properties of both the raw and open-ended carbon nanotubes in p-Nitrophenol solution were investigated.The FTIR spectrum result indicated that the functional groups are successfully fixed on the surface of the carbon nanotubes after nitric acid treatment.The cyclic voltammetry results show that the electrochemical activity of carboxyl-modified carbon nanotubes was improved.The mechanism of electro-(reduction) for the carbon nanotubes after acid treatment was discussed.

Study Of The Electrooxidation Of Glycerol On Oxide And Pd/C Composite Catalysts, Zhi-Yuan Yan, Chang-Wei Xu, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Oxide and Pd on carbon composite catalysts have been prepared by intermittent microwave heating(IMH) method.The performance of the catalysts for glycerol oxidation in alkaline solution is studied by electrochemical techniques.It is shown that the Pd/C catalyst is active for glycerol electrooxidation.However,the oxide-Pd/C catalysts are even better in terms of the onset potential that is more negative and peak current density.The ratio of oxide to Pd is optimized according to the electrochemical measurement.The results reveal that the addition of oxide into the Pd/C induces the synergistic effect for glycerol electrooxidation.

Optimal Placement And Control Of Unified Power Flow Control Devices Using Evolutionary Computing And Sequential Quadratic Programming, Radha P. Kalyani, Mariesa Crow, Daniel R. Tauritz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A crucial factor effecting modern power systems today is power flow control. An effective means for controlling and improving power flow is by installing fast reacting devices such as a unified power flow controller (UPFC). For maximum positive impact of this device on the power grid, it should be installed at an optimal location and employ an optimal realtime control algorithm. This paper proposes the combination of an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to find the optimal location and sequential quadratic programming (SQP) to optimize the UPFC control settings. Simulations are conducted using the classic IEEE 118 bus test system. For comparison …

Dynamic Programming-Based Energy-Efficient Rate Adaptation For Wireless Ad Hoc Networks, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Resource constraints require that ad hoc wireless networks are energy efficient during transmission and rate adaptation. In this paper we propose a novel cross-layer energy-efficient rate adaptation scheme that employs dynamic programming (DP) principle to analytically select the modulation scheme online. The scheme uses channel state information from the physical layer and congestion information from the scheduling layer to select a modulation rate. This online selection maximizes throughput while saving energy and preventing congestion. The simulation results indicate that an increase in throughput by 96% and energy-efficiency by 131% is observed when compared to the Receiver Based AutoRate (RBAR) protocol.

Adaptive Critic Neural Network Force Controller For Atomic Force Microscope-Based Nanomanipulation, Qinmin Yang, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automating the task of nanomanipulation is extremely important since it is tedious for humans. This paper proposes an atomic force microscope (AFM) based force controller to push nano particles on the substrates. A block phase correlation-based algorithm is embedded into the controller for the compensation of the thermal drift which is considered as the main external uncertainty during nanomanipulation. Then, the interactive forces and dynamics between the tip and the particle, particle and the substrate are modeled and analyzed. Further, an adaptive critic NN controller based on adaptive dynamic programming algorithm is designed and the task of pushing nano particles …

Fast Scene Based Nonuniformity Correction With Minimal Temporal Latency, Christopher A. Rice

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to derive a new algorithm for correction of gain nonuniformities in LIDAR focal plane arrays using as few frames as possible. Because of the current low production rate of LIDAR focal plane arrays there is a natural tendency for extreme nonuniformities to exist on a pixel by pixel basis as the manufacturing technique has not yet been perfected. Generally, nonuniformity correction techniques require a large number of frames and/or have obscure requirements on the translational shifts in the input image frames. This thesis presents a solution for finding multiplicative nonuniformities that exist in a …

An Instance-Based Structured Object Oriented Method For Co-Analysis/Co-Design Of Concurrent Embedded Systems, Matt Ryan, Xiaoqing Frank Liu, Bruce M. Mcmillin, Ying Cheng, Sule Simsek

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The current object-oriented class-based approaches to hardware/software co-analysis/co-design of embedded systems are limited in their abilities to properly capture the structure of individual instances of hardware and software components and their interactions. This paper discusses a methodology to extend a structured objectoriented hardware/software co-design methodology based on the High Order Object-oriented Modeling Technique (HOOMT) to incorporate instance-based object and behavioral models. The instance-based structured object-oriented methodology will enable description of a system's structure based on individual instances of hardware and software components and specification of the interactions among them. In addition, lattices are introduced to specify the concurrent behavior of …

Calcined Temperatures Influence On Synthesis And Electrochemistry Charactarization Of Li[Ni_(0.475)Mn_(0.475)Co_(0.05)]O_(2) For Li-Ion Batteries, Li-Qin Wang, Li-Fang Jiao, Hua-Tang Yuan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Layered Li[Ni_(0.475)Mn_(0.475)Co_(0.05)]O_(2) materials have been prepared by a solid-state pyrolysis method.Experiments of XRD,SEM,cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge cycling were carried out.It can be learned that when calclined at 800 ℃,the sample showed the highest first discharge capacity of 178.8 mAh·g~(-1) at a current density of 20 mA/g in the voltage range 2.3~4.6 V.

Investigations On Electrochemical Characteristics Of Liv_(3)O_(8) Electrode In Lithium Sulfate-Water-Ethanol Electrolytes, An-Bao Yuan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The active material of LiV_(3)O_(8)prepared using low-temperature pre-reaction in solution followed by intermediate-temperature calcination at 450 ℃.The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscope observation.The performance of LiV_(3)O_(8) electrode in neutral lithium sulfate-water-ethanol electrolytes was investigated using electrochemical methods.Galvanostatic charge/discharge results indicated that the specific capacity of LiV_(3)O_(8) electrode decreases with ethanol content increasing in electrolyte.The most appropriate water/ethanol volumetric ratio is 4 ∶1 in terms of conductivity of the electrolyte and stability of the electrode.AC impedance measurements demonstrated that the ohmic resistance of the electrolyte as well as the charge transfer resistance of the electrode/electrolyte …

Immobilization Of Cytochrome C On The Surface Of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube And Its Direct Electron Transfer And Electrocatalysis, Ya-Jing Yin, Ya-Fen Lv, Ping Wu, Pan Du, Yan-Mao Shi, Chen-Xin Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

Cytochrome c(Cyto c) was immobilized on the surface of the single-wall carbon nanotube(SWNT) by using the method of adsorption.Infrared spectroscopy indicated that the Cyto c remained in its original structure and did not undergo structural change after its immobilization on the SWNT.The direct electrochemistry of cyto c,which was adsorbed on the surface of the SWNT,was studied by cyclic voltammetry.The voltammetric results demonstrated that the SWNT had promoting effects on the direct electron transfer of Cyto c and also indicated that the immobilized Cyto c retained its bioelectrocatalytic activity to the reduction of H_(2)O_(2).This modified electrode might be used in development …

Electrochemical Behavior Of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide In Mgso_(4) Solution, Dan-Mei Yu, Yu-Jun Si, Chang-Guo Chen, Yu-Ping Liu, Yan Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The rechargeability and crystal structure changing of electrolytic manganese dioxide(EMD) in MgSO_(4) electrolyte were investigated by cyclic voltammetry,galvanostatic charge/discharge and X-ray diffraction.The results have shown that the EMD has good rechargeability;after several initial cycles,the charge and discharge became stability;after discharge,the γ-MnO_(2) structure of EMD was changed,the production was reversible and could be recharged to γ-MnO_(2) structure again which ensured the rechargeability of EMD.

Degradation Of P-Nitrophenol Wastewater By Liquid Phase Catalyzed In Bipolar Liquid Bed Cell, Shi-Yuan Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

This investigation was performed to study the degradation of p-nitrophenol(PNP) in the bipolar liquid bed cell catalyzed by liquid phase.The hydrogen peroxide produced on cathodes with the ferrous generated Fenton's reagent to produce hydroxyl radicals which are very active toward organic compounds to strengthen bipolar liquid bed cell in disposing organic compounds.The effects of cell voltage,ferrous concentration and airflow on the COD and PNP removal efficiency were also studied.When pH=3.0,cell voltage is 30V,ferrous concentration is 500×10~(-6) and airflow is 0.4 m~(3)/h,higher removal efficiency of the COD and PNP are obtained.

Investigation On The Resistance To Electrochemical Oxidation Of Carbon Nanotubes With Various Diameters, Yu-Yan Shao, Ge-Ping Yin, Yun-Zhi Gao, Peng-Fei Shi

Journal of Electrochemistry

The resistance to electrochemical oxidation of multi-wall carbon nanotubes(CNT) with various diameters is investigated by applying a fixed potential of 1.2 V(RHE) for 120 h in 0.5 mol L~(-1) H_(2)SO_(4).The oxidation current of CNTs decreases with their diameters,but CNTs between 10~20 nm in diameter(D1020) shows the lowest oxidation current.XPS analysis shows that,after oxidation,the increase in surface oxygen for D1020 is the smallest,implying that the oxidation degree for D1020 is the lowest.The conclusion can be reached that CNTs between 10~20 nm in diameter are the most resistant to electrochemical oxidation.The difference in electrochemical stability of CNTs is attributed to the difference …

Pre-Oxidative Amperometric Glucose Biosensor Incorporated With Carbon Nanotube And Pbo_(2), Hong-Lan Qi, Cheng-Xiao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A pre-oxidative amperometric glucose biosensor incorporated with carbon nanotube,ferrocenemonocarboxylic acid and PbO_(2) was designed.The interferences coming from reduced substances,such as ascoribic acid and urine acid were eliminated by PbO_(2).The oxidative current is linear at the potential of +0.40 V(vs.SCE) to the concentration of glucose in the range from 0.50 to 20 mmol·L~(-1),and the detection limit of glucose is 0.1 mol L~(-1).The relative standard deviation is 3.3% for seven successive assays at 5.0 mmol·L~(-1)glucose.This biosensors have been applied to determination of the glucose in serum with satisfying results.

Study On The Preparetion And Electrochemical Beavior Of Nitrogen Doped Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon Electrode, Ke Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

taC∶N films are a good materials for semiconductor electrodes.But further studies are hampered by the ohmic contact problem,which occurs between the silicon and the lead.By studying the influence of heat treatment on the film's property,it is believed that ohmic contact should be made on the silicon first,and then the film be deposited.A set of taC∶N electrodes with various nitrogen content have been prepared.CV study indicates that the cathodic limits move slowly to positive direction.while the anodic limits are unchanged with the increasing of nitrogen content.As a result,the electrochemical windows get narrow either.

Preparation And Supercapacitor Properties Of Yttrium Doped Nio, Dan-Dan Han

Journal of Electrochemistry

Yttrium doped Nano-NiO were synthesized by chemical precipitation method.Characterization and performance of the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction,the results showed that the doping Yttrium did not change the crystal structure of NiO,but the size of crystalline grain was reduced.The electrochemical properties of the electrode materials were measured in the three electrode system.Electrochemical properties of NiO were researched by cyclic voltammetry,constant current charge/discharge and AC impedance methods.It could be seen that the chemical doping improved the specific capacitance and the utilization of active materials.When the weight ratio of NiO with Y_(2)O_(3)was 1∶0.1,the composite material had the best properties.The maximum discharge …

The Influence Of Pva As Disperser On Lifepo_(4) Synthesized By Hydrothermal Reaction, Hui-Lin Li, Hui Zhan

Journal of Electrochemistry

LiFePO_(4) was synthesized by means of hydrothermal reaction,in which PVA acts as disperser and glucose as carbon source.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical measurement.SEM results show that the sample is homogeneously composed of grains with a particle size of ca.200nm.In the charge/discharge test,the products exhibited a 3.45V discharge voltage plateau and a maximum specific capacity of 140mAh/g.After 40 cycles,its capacity only declined by 2.1%.Besides these,the mechanism for the influence of the particle size and carbon coating on the electrochemical property of LiFePO_(4)material was discussed in detail.

Influence Of Crystallinity On The Kinetics Of Li Ion Insertation And Deinsertation In Spinel Limn_(2)O_(4), Rong-Hua Zeng, Dong-Sheng Lv, Wei-Shan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Two spinel lithium manganese oxides of different crystallinity were prepared by sol-gel process and were studied by using inducfively coupled plasma,X-ray diffraction,scaning electron micrographs,constant charging and discharging,cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectrometry,the results show that the sample treated under 700 ℃ has higher crystallinity than the sample treated under 500 ℃,however,the sample with lower crystallinity has higher discharge capacity and better cyclic performance that due to quicker charge exchange speed and quicker diffusion speed of Li-ion.

Studies On Performance And Electrode Materials For All Vanadium Flow Battery, Yuan Jun

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,cyclic voltammetry has been used to study the electrochemical performance of the treated and untreated graphite,soft graphite and PAN-carbon cloth in vanadium sulfate solution.The results show that: the reversibility of reaction can be improved on the surface of treated electrode,and the current can also increase;the electrochemical performance of treated electrode is remarkably enhanced;in the process of charge/discharge,the charge current can reach up to 20 mA/cm~(2),and discharge current up to 15 mA/cm~(2);surface morphology of the treated and untreated graphite show that the treatment can change the surface structure of electrode and also add the reaction area.

Studies On Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Li_(X)Ni_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)Co_(1/3)O_(2) As Cathode Material For Lithium Ion Batteries, Xiao-Jian Guo, Jie Li, Yi-Xiao Li, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A series of LiNi_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)Co_(1/3)O_(2) were synthesized by a combined hydroxides coprecipitation and calcination method.Effects of synthesizing temperature of coprecipitations and the Li∶M ratios on structure and electrochemical performance of the materials were studied.The results showed that materials synthesized with coprecipitation at room temperature(~20 ~(o)C) delivered the best electrochemical performance.Another series of cathode materials Li_(x)Ni_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)Co_(1/3)O_(2) with different Li∶M ratios were synthesized with this method.The results showed that sintering at high temperature could cause loss of LiOH,thus more LiOH should be added.It is demonstrated that Li_(1.08)Ni_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)Co_(1/3)O_(2) had the best electrochemical performance.