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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Atomic-Level Mechanisms Of Fast Relaxation In Metallic Glasses, Leo W. Zella Dec 2023

Atomic-Level Mechanisms Of Fast Relaxation In Metallic Glasses, Leo W. Zella

Doctoral Dissertations

Glasses are ubiquitous in daily life and have unique properties which are a consequence of the underlying disordered structure. By understanding the fundamental processes that govern these properties, we can modify glasses for desired applications. Key to understanding the structure-dynamics relationship in glasses is the variety of relaxation processes that exist below the glass transition temperature. Though these relaxations are well characterized with macroscopic experimental techniques, the microscopic nature of these relaxations is difficult to elucidate with experimental tools due to the requirements of timescale and spatial resolution. There remain many questions regarding the microscopic nature of relaxation in glass …


The Influence Of Allostery Governing The Changes In Protein Dynamics Upon Substitution, Joseph Hess Aug 2023

The Influence Of Allostery Governing The Changes In Protein Dynamics Upon Substitution, Joseph Hess

All Dissertations

The focus of this research is to investigate the effects of allostery on the function/activity of an enzyme, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease, using well-defined statistical analyses of the dynamic changes of the protein and variants with unique single point substitutions 1. The experimental data1 evaluated here only characterized HIV-1 protease with one of its potential target substrates. Probing the dynamic interactions of the residues of an enzyme and its variants can offer insight of the developmental importance for allosteric signaling and their connection to a protein’s function. The realignment of the secondary structure elements can …


Mechanical Behavior Of Metallic Core-Shell Nanoparticles Under Compressive Loading, Phillip Tomich Jan 2023

Mechanical Behavior Of Metallic Core-Shell Nanoparticles Under Compressive Loading, Phillip Tomich

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Core/shell metallic nanoparticles have been shown to be a promising material type for additive manufacturing in the aerospace and automotive fields. Within additive manufacturing they will be used to accurately make an array of nanoparticles within the grains of metal matrix composites. This in turn will help to strengthen the material while remaining ductility and light weight. In this study, copper/aluminum core/shell nanoparticles are compressed under [100], [110], [111], and [112] directions to showcase their anisotropic material properties. Models of their individual counterparts were also investigated. There are no previous works showing the deformation mechanisms of copper/aluminum core/shell nanoparticles. Molecular …


Investigation Of Defect Production And Displacement Energies In Wurtzite Aluminum Nitride, Sean Anderson Jan 2023

Investigation Of Defect Production And Displacement Energies In Wurtzite Aluminum Nitride, Sean Anderson

Masters Theses

"Aluminum Nitride is an active element of sensors that monitor the performance and well-being of the nuclear reactors due to its piezoelectric properties. Yet, the variations of its properties under irradiation are largely unexplored. We report the results of the molecular dynamics simulations of the structural changes in AlN under irradiation via the knock-on atom technique. By creating and evolving the irradiation cascades due to energetic particle interaction with the atom of the crystalline lattice we determine the rate of the defect production as a function of the deposited energy. Further, we determine a displacement energy, a key characteristic that …