Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Zinc Oxide Nanostructures., Khalifa Said Zahran Al-Azri

Student Works (2010-2019)

The growth mechanism, morphology, structure and optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures grown on bare and gold-coated silicon substrates using carbothermal reaction at atmospheric pressure were investigated under different growth conditions. The ZnO nanostructures formed were studied as a function of substrate location, furnace temperature, Ar gas flow rate, deposition time and ZnO powder to carbon powder mass ratio. The morphology and structure of the samples were characterized using the fieldemission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy(EDX) spectrum, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was found that in both silicon and gold-coated silicon …

Thermo-Electrical And Mechanical Studies On Polymer-Organically Modified Montmorillonite Composite., Norhana Abdul Halim

Student Works (2010-2019)

The field of polymer-nanoclay composite has attracted a lot of attention in materials studies due to the dramatic improvement on polymers characteristics. For example mechanical and thermal properties, chemical resistance as well as the reduced gas permeability. However, structural changes and the mechanisms that may contribute to these improvements are not fully understood. In this work, the study on polymer nanoclay composite concentrates on the effects of OMON inclusion within different polymer matrix systems. The matrixes are a series of natural rubbers (Standard Malaysia Rubber – Latex grade (SMRL); Deproteinized Natural Rubber (DPNR) and Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR-50)), plasticized Polyvinyl …

Electrical And Structural Studies Of Polyacrylonitrile (Pan) Complexed With Inorganic Salts., Khairul Bahiyah Md Isa

Student Works (2010-2019)

In the present study, polymer electrolyte films composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a host polymer, ethylene carbonate (EC) as the plasticizer and lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) and sodium triflate (NaCF3SO3) as dopant salts were prepared by the solution cast technique. Five systems of polymer electrolytes films have been prepared; these systems are the plasticized-PAN system i.e. PAN-EC system, two salted-PAN systems i.e. PAN-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-NaCF3SO3, and two plasticized-salted PAN systems i.e. PAN-EC-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-EC-NaCF3SO3. The pure PAN film was prepared as a reference. The ionic conductivity for each system is characterized using impedance spectroscopy. The room temperature conductivity of the pure …

The Thermoluminescence Properties Of Manganese Doped Zns Nanophosphor., Khalid Humaid Zahir Al-Hinai

Student Works (2010-2019)

The thermoluminescence (TL) properties of Manganese (Mn) doped ZnS nanophosphors were investigated after gamma irradiation at room temperature. The ZnS:Mn nanophosphors were prepared by chemical precipitation method by using Zinc sulfate, Sodium sulfide and Manganese sulfate. 1 mole, 2 moles and 3 moles of Manganese sulfate were used to have different concentrations of Mn in doped ZnS. The formation of the nanophosphors was characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscopy FESEM, XRD and EDX. The obtained products consist of particles with the dimension about 85–150nm. Comparison between ZnS nanophosphors and commercial ZnS powder glow curves was studied. It was observed …

Band Structure Of Fe Based Superconductors., Teh Yee Lin

Student Works (2010-2019)

Several iron containing superconductors are discovered in 2008. The discovery introduced a new class of high-temperature superconductors, which are iron-based. The iron-based superconductors do not resemble conventional superconductors and have properties on their own which differ from the cuprates. We have studied the iron selenium, FeSe compound by removing some Se atoms from the lattice forming Fe:Se = 2:1 and 8:6 and also by replacing the Se vacancy with tellurium, samarium and oxygen atoms forming Fe:Se:Te = 2:1:1 and 8:6:2, Fe:Se:O = 8:6:2 and 8:4:2, FeSeSmO, FeSeTeO, Fe2SeSm2O2, FeSeTeSmO and FeTeSmO. The band structures for each lattice are calculated by …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Silicon Oxide And Silicon Carbide Nanostructures., Majid Salim Mohammed Al-Ruqieshi

Student Works (2010-2019)

Silicon oxide nanostructures have attracted extensive interests in recent years due to their physical and optical properties. SiOx nanostructures are synthesized by catalytic and non-catalytic approaches. With catalytic approach, long and uniform amorphous silicon oxide nanowires, nanofibers (comet and tree like), nanocakes and nanocages were synthesized on Si substrate by carbothermal evaporation reactions of TiO2 at high temperature. The SiOx nanowires were about 13 nm to 243 nm in diameters and 194 nm to several microns in length and the nanofibres with diameter between 8 nm to 30 nm and around 50 nm to 2.5μm in length. The diameter and …

Electrodeposition Of Tin Using Tin(Ii) Methanesulfonate From Mixture Of Ionic Liquid And Methane Sulfonic Acid., Yang Kok Kee

Student Works (2010-2019)

The electrodeposition of tin from Tin(II) Methane Sulfonate (MSA) with varying concentration in air and water stable 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate, (BMPOTF) ionic liquid at room temperature was studied. Cyclic Voltammetry served to characterize the electrochemical behavior of tin reduction and oxidation. The diffusion coefficient of stannous ions in the mixture of BMPOTF ionic liquid and MSA based electrolyte obtained via Randles-Sevcik and Cottrell equation was 2 × 10-7 cm2/s. Electroplating on copper panel was conducted under different current densities to determine BMPOTF based tin plating solution current efficiency. Mixture of BMPOTF and MSA based tin plating solution gave current efficiency as …

Phase Equilibria In Iron Phosphate System, Liying Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The main objectives of this research were to synthesize iron phosphate compounds, study phase equilibria in the iron phosphate system, focusing on the glass forming area, and investigate glass formability and properties based on the liquidus regions. Twelve iron phosphate compounds were successfully prepared and studied in terms of liquidus temperature or decomposition behavior. The liquidus surface of the Fe₃PO₇- Fe(PO₃)₃ system was re-determined and found to be significantly different from that originally presented by Wentrup in 1935. Eutectic points exist at 58.0 mole% Fe₂O₃ (1070⁰C), 42.7 mole% Fe₂O₃ (925°C), and 37.0 mole% Fe₂O₃ (907°C). The latter two eutectic points …

Experimental Study On Thermal Treatment Of Used Printed Wiring Boards (Pwbs), Xiangjun Zuo

Masters Theses

The availability of cheaper and better electronic products as a result of the rapid innovation in technology in past decades has driven the production of e-waste forward. Printed wiring board (PWB) is a component made of one or more layers of insulating material with electrical conductors. The existing processes of recycling PWBs use pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical methods, which generate atmospheric pollution. Green recycling has obvious benefits to decrease the amount of PWBs. Green recycling includes two features, 1) little or zero pollution of toxic gases and heavy metals, and 2) efficient (quick and economical) recycling.

The aim of this work …

The Properties And Structure Of Tin Phosphate Glasses Modified With Other Oxides, Jong Wook (Austin) Lim

Masters Theses

"The main objective of this research was to evaluate the properties and structures of glasses from the stannous (SnO) phosphate system for possible use in low temperature optical applications. Glasses in the binary xSnO-(100-x)P₂O₅ system (50 ≤ x ≤ 70) were prepared and their thermal and optical properties were evaluated. Differences in glass transition temperatures (T_g) measured here and reported in the literature were explained by differences in the residual water content in the glasses, as determined by infrared spectroscopy. In general, increasing the SnO content of the binary glasses increased the refractive index and the glass transition …

Zinc Iron Phosphate Glasses For Enameling Applications, Sagnik Saha

Masters Theses

"New compositions of low temperature black glasses were developed that are suitable as frits for enameling soda-lime silicate (S-L-S) glass substrates. Zinc iron phosphate glasses are of interest for this application because they possess dilatometric low softening points (under 600ºC) and have coefficients of thermal expansion that are compatible with S-L-S glass (in the range 90-110x10⁻⁷/ºC). The development of compositions with excellent chemical durability, particularly in acidic conditions, is also desired. Compositional modification were made to the (Na₂O+K₂O)·ZnO·MnO·Fe₂O₃·P₂O₅ glass system using design of experiments. The compositional boundaries used in the design were based on earlier work at Missouri S&T. The …

Controlling Strength And Permeability Of Silica Investment Casting Molds, Darryl M. Kline

Masters Theses

"Investment casting is a metal casting process in which a ceramic mold is created around a disposable pattern using dip coating. The fine silica flour making up most of the mold gives the benefits of a smooth internal mold surface and high density. The high density allows for investment casting molds to be thinner and lighter than sand-based molds, but gives substantially smaller gaps between particles for air flow. This research focused on the design and improvement of the formulation for making investment casting molds with customizable physical properties. Properties of the molds, specifically flexural strength, permeability, and physical structure, …

Foundry Parameters For Casting High-Aluminum Lightweight Steel In Complex Shapes, Angella Marie Schulte

Masters Theses

"This work investigated the liquid metal treatment and molding practices for Fe- 30wt.%Mn-9wt.%Al-1wt.%Si-0.9wt.%C-0.5wt.%Mo steel. The goal of this research was to determine the process conditions that would produce a tough Fe-Mn-Al-C alloy and the appropriate mold design to produce a defect-free P900 plate.

Notch toughness of age-hardenable Fe-Mn-Al-C alloys decreases as phosphorus increases. Thermodynamic calculations and experimental work show that additions of Ca followed by Ce can be used to mitigate the deleterious effects of phosphorus, and the addition of Ar-stirring can be used to decrease the number of harmful aluminum nitride inclusions. In the solution-treated and aged condition (Brinell …

Resistance Switching In Electrodeposited Magnetite Thin Films, Samantha Glen Matthews

Masters Theses

"The resistance switching phenomenon has been extensively studied in metal oxide thin films for its applications in the non-volatile memory industry. The research presented here focuses on magnetite thin films which have been electrodeposited onto gold-sputtered glass substrates via the electrochemical reduction of a Fe(III)-triethanolamine complex in aqueous alkaline solution. Magnetite was chosen for its usefulness in read/write memory applications, its high Curie temperature, its metal-to-insulator (Verwey) transition, and its half-metallic character and attendant spintronic properties. Resistance switching behavior caused by a reversible redox reaction at the anode was observed in the films, demonstrating that electrodeposited films show the same …

Evaluation Of Alternative Methods For Surface Preparation And Deposition Of Cerium-Based Conversion Coatings On Aluminum Alloys, William J. Gammill

Masters Theses

"This thesis investigates alternative surface preparation and deposition methods for cerium-based conversion coatings (CeCC) on high strength aluminum alloys. Cerium-based conversion coatings are being investigated as a more environmentally friendly replacement for chromium-based conversion coatings. Currently, the alloys are immersed in strong alkaline and acidic solutions to prepare the aluminum surfaces for conversion coating, in which immersion may not be suitable for all situations. Alternatives to this method were investigated, including wipe application of solution, ultrasonic processing in deionized water, and abrasive blasting with alumina. AI 7075-T6 test panels were prepared using each of these methods and compared to a …

Sintering And Microstructural Effects On Mechanical Properties Of Zirconium Carbide-Tungsten Cermets, Melissa M. Giles Craft

Masters Theses

"Zirconium carbide-tungsten cermets were prepared by in situ reaction sintering a mixture of zirconia and tungsten carbide. Tungsten is a refractory metal with a melting point of 3422⁰C; however, its mechanical strength decreases significantly with increasing temperature. One approach to improve the elevated temperature strength is to add ceramic particulates to the matrix. Zirconia and tungsten carbide were compacted and then reacted and sintered in a single step by heating to 2050⁰C. The resulting stoichiometric zirconium carbide-tungsten cermet had a relative density greater than 96%. Cermets with two different grain sizes were produced by altering the final sintering temperature. Sintering …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Limpo[4] (M=Mn, Ni And Fe) Olivine Materials., Azlin Sanusi

Student Works (2010-2019)

Lithium transition metal phosphate, LiMPO4 compounds with olivine structure namely LiMnPO4, LiNiPO4 and LiFePO4 were successfully synthesized in the present work. LiMnPO4 and LiNiPO4 were synthesized by the sol-gel method with tartaric acid as the chelating agent. LiFePO4 was synthesized via the chemical precipitation and low temperature sterilizer heating method. TGA was carried out on LiMnPO4 and LiNiPO4 samples to determine the firing temperature of the gel precursor and the thermal stability of the prepared samples. LiMnPO4 was heated for 15 hours at various temperatures and LiNiPO4 was formed at 1000 oC with firing time of 24 hours. Firing of …

Inductively Coupled Plasma Dry Etching Process On Planar Lightwave Circuit Fabrication., Chuah Khoon Seah

Student Works (2010-2019)

The main objective of this project is to master state-of-the-art techniques and knowledge in silica etching in order to achieve high quality waveguide circuit on Planar Lightwave Circuit devices. Another objective is to optimize the clean room research strength, surface characterization, microscopy techniques and similar semiconductor manufacturing processes.Initially, these processes were conducted with wet etching method that utilized diluted hydrofluoric acid (HF) and buffered oxide etch (BOE). Several problems arising such as mask peel-off, poor sidewall profile and defect waveguide channel during the pattern transfer process due to its’ isotropic nature. Alternatively, dry etching method was conducted via Inductively Coupled …

An Ab-Initio Study Of The Elastic Properties Of Important Group Iv Diborides At High Temperatures, Manny Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Presented is an ab-initio Molecular Dynamics (MD) study, employing the Density Functional Theory (DFT), of the lattice parameter, thermal expansion coefficients and elastic constants of ZrB₂, TiB₂ and HfB₂ as a function of temperature. The MD trajectories provide the equilibrium lattice parameters at finite temperatures, and the gradient of the energy from these equilibrium solutions is then used to calculate the components of the stiffness tensor. The results for ZrB₂ are shown to agree well with reported experimental results for the lattice parameters and elastic constants as a function of temperature.

Sensitivity Analysis Of The Johnson-Cook Plasticity Model For Hypervelocity Impacts: A Hydro-Code Study, Carlos David Castellanos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Computer simulations have been in use for decades in the modeling of hypervelocity impacts and general large deformation problems. Several computer codes have been developed to simulate this type of problems under a variety of geometric configurations and for any number of materials. These codes make use of several constitutive material models to simulate the response of the material under a variety of thermo-mechanical conditions. The Johnson-Cook constitutive model is widely used in the simulation hypervelocity impacts for the simulation of crater formation and even perforation of target structures. This thesis presents the results of a sensitivity study of this …