Digital Commons Network^™

Sensor Tasking Strategies For Space-Based Observers In The Cislunar Environment, Smriti Nandan Paul, Roshan Thomas Eapen, Puneet Singla

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The cislunar space environment has witnessed an increase in activities, and future projections indicate significant growth in object population. Consequently, it becomes crucial to monitor these objects for space domain awareness (SDA) purposes. As the number of objects surpasses the available observers, meticulous sensor tasking becomes essential. This paper focuses on designing and exploring strategies for observing and keeping custody of known objects in cislunar space. Optical space-based telescopes, combined with lunar ground-based telescope, are employed for sensor tasking of cislunar objects residing in valuable orbits. The proposed research aims to address the following key points: (1) examination of the …

Damage Initiation Of 15v38 Steel Bar During Square-To-Round Hot Rolling Process, Siva Sai Krishna Dasari, Henry Adekola Haffner, K. Chandrashekhara, Mario F. Buchley, Simon N. Lekakh, Ronald J. O'Malley

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hot rolling processes have been extensively used to produce round bars by reducing the cross-sectional area of continuously cast steel. The current trend toward increasing productivity often requires a more aggressive reduction per pass. Establishing safe and optimized hot rolling parameters must be determined to avoid damage while deforming the specific steel composition. Understanding the damage mechanism during the metal forming process is vital for product quality. Herein, a combined experimental and simulation approach is developed to track the evolution potential damage during hot bar rolling. Hot tension tests are conducted on as-cast vanadium micro alloyed 15V38 steel at different …

L∞ Bounds For Transient Growth In Repetitive And Iterative Learning Control Systems, Douglas A. Bristow, John R. Singler

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper revisits the problem of large transient growth in Iterative Learning Control (ILC) and Repetitive Process Control (RPC) systems. In ILC and RPC problems a process is repeated iteratively, with new control calculations occurring in between each iteration. Large transient growth refers to the propensity of some control algorithms to grow error exponentially before eventually converging. While robust monotonic convergence algorithms (in which monotonic convergence is guaranteed usually in exchange for a small loss in performance) have largely eliminated the concern for large transient growth in ILC, similar results cannot always be obtained in RPC. The emergence of additive …

Effect Of Bioactive Borate Glass On Printability And Physical Properties Of Hydrogels, Fateme Fayyazbakhsh, Mehedi H. Tusar, Yue-Wern Huang, Ming C. Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydrogels are a key component in bioinks and biomaterial inks for bioprinting due to their biocompatibility and printability at room temperature. The research described in the present paper contributes to the advancement of bioprinting by studying the effect of bioactive borate glass (BBG) incorporated into hydrogels on printability and physical properties. In this study, we fabricated 3D-printed hydrogel scaffolds using gelatin and alginate hydrogel mixture incorporated with various amounts of BBG, a bio ceramic rich in therapeutic ions including boron, calcium, copper, and zinc. We investigated the effect of incorporating BBG on the density, viscosity, physical interactions, chemical structure, and …

An Evaluation Of Methods For Assessing Robot Kinematic Model Accuracy In The Presence Of Noise, Mitchell R. Woodside, Patrick Bazzoli, Philip A. Olubodun, J. Adam Nisbett, Guixiu Qiao, Douglas A. Bristow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While there are many works developing methods for modeling and calibrating robot kinematics, assessing the accuracy of those models has received little attention. However, accuracy assessment is critically important for applications where the robot must operate with absolute accuracy over a large region of workspace, such as in robotic machining. When the model of such a system is well calibrated, the remaining deterministic error can be quite complex, owing to complicated gearing errors, deformations, and quasi-static thermal changes. Locating the largest deterministic error requires an exploration over the workspace, but assessing the largest error is complicated by repeatability error and …

Impact Of Aging On Pim And Dc Resistance Of Fabric-Over-Foam Metallic Contacts, Kalkidan W. Anjajo, Seunghun Ryu, Shengxuan Xia, Gracie Boyer, Yuchu He, Haicheng Zhou, Hanfeng Wang, Jonghyun Park, Chulsoon Hwang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper the impact of aging on the level of passive intermodulation (PIM) and DC resistance of fabric-over-foam metallic contacts is presented. These contacts are widely used to maintain metallic connections between modules and chassis in electronic devices. The PIM caused by the loose metallic contact of these materials mainly affects a receiver's RF sensitivity in mobile devices. This aging test under elevated temperature and relative humidity conditions offers an experiment-based approach with respect to various metallic contact cases. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to characterize the change in material composition and the contact surface …

Photogrammetry-Based Method For Measuring Volume Changes Of Soil Specimens During Critical Phases Of Triaxial Testing, Sara Fayek, Xiong Zhang, Pingxin Xia

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Triaxial tests has been routinely used to measure the stress–strain relationship for geomaterials. During triaxial testing, many sources of errors that cannot be completely avoided but are often ignored or approximated using empirical equations. This paper presents a systematic investigation of soil volume change, volume strain nonuniformity, and cross-sectional calculation along the specimen during triaxial testing using a photogrammetry-based method. Consolidated drained triaxial tests were performed in which two parallel measurements were taken: (1) relative volume using the conventional triaxial testing and (2) absolute volume using the photogrammetry-based method. The difference in the observed volume and void ratio measurements between …

Scshm Benchmark Study On Bridge In-Service Structural Monitoring, Maria Pina Limongelli, Doug Thomson, Sreenivas Alampalli, Aftab Mufti, Thomas Schumacher, Luca Martinelli, Othmane Lasri, Harry Shenton, Genda Chen, Mohammad Noori, Farnaz Raeisi, Ahmed Silik, Ji Dang, Ray Hoemsen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The mission of the Society of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (SCSHM, previously known as ISHMII) is to advance the understanding and application of structural monitoring methodologies for the management of civil infrastructure systems. To enable comparative and contrasting studies of various monitoring issues and technologies, the SCSHM Committee on Data-Enhanced Infrastructures Management (DEIMC) identified the need for benchmark problems in the areas of bridge and building structural monitoring. This article reports and briefly discusses the first benchmark study on in-service structural monitoring of bridges that was developed in collaboration with the University of Manitoba, and presents the structure details, study …

A Hybrid Algorithm To Dual Sparse Sampling Measurement In Time-Resolved Electromagnetic Near-Field Scanning, Yanming Zhang, Steven Gao, Lijun Jiang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Time-resolved electromagnetic near-field scanning is vital for antenna measurement and addressing complex electromagnetic interference and compatibility issues. However, the swift acquisition of high-resolution spatiotemporal data remains challenging due to physical constraints, such as moving the probe position and allowing sufficient time for sampling. This paper introduces a novel hybrid approach that combines Kriging for sparse spatial measurement, compressed sensing (CS) for sparse temporal sampling, and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) for a comprehensive analysis of dual-sparse sampling electromagnetic near-field data. CS optimizes sparse sampling in the time domain, capitalizing on the inherent sparsity within electromagnetic radiated signals, resulting in reliable representation …

A Data-Driven Approach To Time-Domain Electromagnetic Modeling Based On Dynamic Mode Decomposition, Yanming Zhang, Steven Gao, Lijun Jiang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a data-driven methodology that utilizes Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) for the time-domain (TD) electromagnetic (EM) modeling of microwave devices. As an unsupervised machine learning technique, DMD leverages a limited set of unlabeled spatio-temporal electromagnetic (EM) data to determine DMD eigenvalues and eigenmodes. Then, the obtained DMD model reconstructs the dynamics as a series of exponential terms based on linear assumptions. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through the TD EM modeling of photonic crystal waveguides. Comparative analysis with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method shows that the DMD model not only achieves precise modeling but also facilitates …

Novel Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gels (Rppg) For Parent- And Infill-Well-Fracture Interactions Mitigation, Xiaojing Ge, Adel Alotibi, Ahmed Al-Hlaichi, Yanbo Liu, Tao Song, Junchen Liu, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydraulic fracturing treatments in unconventional infill (or "child") wells can be significantly affected by depletion from existing parent-well, resulting in asymmetrical fracture growth. These issues may lead to excessive load-water production, proppant deposition, casing deformation in the parent well, and unbalanced stimulation of infill wells. To mitigate these effects, various strategies have been proposed, including the use of far-field diverters in child wells and repressurization of parent wells. Additionally, an increasingly popular strategy involves injecting near-wellbore diverters to temporarily plug entry points into the parent wellbores during frac operations on infill wells. To achieve better application, a novel low-cost, self-degradable, …

An Unsupervised Learning Framework For Determining The Excitation Coefficients Using Near-Field Antenna Measurements, Yanming Zhang, Peifeng Ma, Steven Gao, Lijun Jiang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article presents a novel unsupervised learning framework based on multiscale dynamic mode decomposition for determining the excitation coefficients of antennas using time-domain near-field measurements. The proposed framework integrates temporal multiscale analysis to extract a joint distribution of frequency, damping factors, and spatial modes, enabling precise extraction of excitation frequencies, rising/falling edges, and phases without labeled data. We validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach through two examples involving on-off keying modulation and a phase-shift dipole antenna. It is found that the proposed method performs well in handling nonstationary excitation signals and proves particularly advantageous for calibrating tunable antenna systems. …

Comparative Analysis Of Critical Bond Strength Parameters Of Neat Class G Cement And Fly Ash Enhanced Cement To Steel, C. M. Potter, Andreas Eckert, James A. Jones, Z. Weicheng, M. Meng

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In subsurface engineering applications, such as wellbore integrity, the interface between cement and steel is integral to expected functionality. The interface between steel and cement is often a structural weak point in many systems, however, the critical parameters for debonding evaluation are poorly understood and derived from outdated experimental procedures. Through experimental debonding tests, this study aims to analyze the tensile bond strength and fracture parameters and their sensitivity to cement composition with a pozzolanic additive (fly ash). Neat Class G cement testing resulted in an average tensile bond strength of 0.223 MPa, an average contact stiffness of 2.94x108 N/m3, …

Descriptive Statistical Analysis Of Experimental Data For Wettability Alteration With Smart Water Flooding In Carbonate Reservoirs, Muhammad Ali Buriro, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Ya Yao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Smart water flooding is a promising eco-friendly method for enhancing oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs. the optimal salinity and ionic composition of the injected water play a critical role in the success of this method. This study advances the field by employing machine learning and data analytics to streamline the determination of these critical parameters, which are traditionally reliant on time-intensive laboratory work. the primary objectives are to utilize data analytics to examine how smart water flooding influences wettability modification, identify key parameter ranges that notably alter the contact angle, and formulate guidelines and screening criteria for successful lab design. …

Polar Stacking Of Dipole Parallel-Aligned Monolayers Of Unsymmetrical 1,4-Diphenyl-1,3-Butadienes Creates Nonlinear Optical Materials: Insights From Experiments Guide Structure Assignments, Harmeet Bhoday, Justin Nulsen, Steven P. Kelley, Rainer Glaser

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of 1-(4′-halophenyl)-4-(4″-methoxyphenyl) buta-1,3-dienes, (H, MeO, Y)-1,4-diphenylbutadienes with halogens Y = F (1), Cl (2), Br (3), and I (4) are described. Crystal structure analysis establishes that 1-4 present a new class of highly dipole parallel-aligned polar organic molecular materials for nonlinear optics (NLO). Building on previous studies of polar crystals of unsymmetrical acetophenone azines, (R, X, Y)-azines, X-Ph-CR═N-N═CR-Ph-Y (R = Me; X = R'O, PhO, R'OPh; Y = F, Cl, Br, I), we suspected that the all-carbon analogs (R, R'O, Y)-1,4-diphenylbutadienes, R'O-Ph-CR═CH-CH═CR-Ph-Y, could crystallize with polar lattices and feature stronger NLO effects because of their improved conjugation and …

Selected Trace Element Uptake By Rice Grain As Affected By Soil Arsenic, Water Management And Cultivar -A Field Investigation, Eric M. Farrow, Jianmin Wang, Honglan Shi, John Yang, Bin Hua, Baolin Deng

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accumulation of arsenic (As) in rice grain was reported in many regions of the world, including the United States, which has been a threat to human health. This field research investigated the grain As accumulation and its relationship with the uptake of selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and cadmium (Cd) in soils with and without monosodium methane arsonate (MSMA) amended, as effects of selected rice cultivars and water management. Results indicated that MSMA increased the accumulation of As and Se but decreased Mo for all six cultivars under four irrigation management. MSMA also increased grain-Cd in some cultivars. In no MSMA-amended …

Electrostatic Sorting Of Lunar Regolith Simulants For Sustainable Resource Utilization: Modeling And Characterization Of Particle Size Distribution, Abdullah Al Moinee, Peter Bachle, Kyle Newport, William Schonberg, David Bayless, Jeffrey Smith, Daoru Han, Fateme Rezaei

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In pursuit of sustainable resource utilization on the Moon, this paper delves into modeling and characterization of particle size distribution (PSD) of lunar regolith simulants in an electrostatic system. A prototype electrostatic sieve was built and tested with four sample simulants mirroring properties of lunar mare and highland regolith. An alternating four-phase (90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, 360 degrees) traveling square-wave was utilized for particle-directed transport to model the diverse trajectories of the particles. Numerically, we scrutinized how the distribution functions of the particles are manifested as the electrostatic field propagates, with a focus on three distinct particle ranges …

The Design Of Emission Taxes In Markets With New Firm Acquisitions, Luis Gautier, Mahelet G. Fikru

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the 1990s there was a great deal of interest in the study of the role of endogenous market structure under oligopoly in the characterization of emission taxes. This interest was instrumental in providing policy guidance on the design of emission taxes based on market characteristics. However, the literature has been silent on offering policy recommendations on the design of emission taxes under endogenous market structure in the presence of new firm acquisitions. We build a model where new firms enter the market where some are acquired by an incumbent multi-plant firm, altering the initial market structure. In this framework, …

Production Of Glass-To-Metal Seals Using Additive Manufacturing Techniques, Aaron Read

Masters Theses

"Glass-to-metal (GtM) seals are hermetic barriers between glass and metal components, often used in the electronic and vacuum industries. Creating the seals traditionally requires heating all the components to the glass melting temperature, where the glass will flow and bond to the metal. Due to the manufacturing constraints of the individual components and sealing conditions there are geometric and material restrictions. Additive manufacturing techniques were used to make GtM seals to reduce these restrictions.

Hermetic, single pin seals were produced using printed metal shells, by selective laser melting (SLM), and digital light processing (DLP) printed glass preforms. Glass preforms were …

Open-Ended Hollow Coaxial Cable Resonance Sensing Via Permittivity Fluctuations For Applications To Exhaled Breath Health Monitoring, Peter Henry Holtmann

Masters Theses

"We report a pre-diagnostics breath analyzer based on the open-ended hollow coaxial cable resonator (OE-HCCR) to achieve real-time differentiation of healthy and compromised lung function through electromagnetic analysis of exhaled breath matter. A two-phase amplification scheme of electromagnetic signatures metered via the S11 phase curve offers high sensitivity to permittivity fluctuations in exposed airflow. The mathematical model of the breath analyzer is explained, followed by experimental validation of numerical findings from previous work. The collection of breath transient signals is performed through monitoring the reflected power magnitude and phase of the scattering parameter (S11) at the resonance frequency. Material fluctuations …

Control And Optimization Of Energy Storage System In Power Distribution System, Waqas Ur Rehman

Doctoral Dissertations

"The widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and transportation electrification is encumbered by two chief barriers: i) the limited driving range of EVs in the market today and ii) inadequate fast-charging infrastructure for long-distance trips. Extreme fast charging (XFC) technology can recharge EVs in less than 10 minutes for 200 miles range. Firstly, a novel robust optimization-based mixed integer linear programming model is proposed to size a battery energy storage system (BESS) and PV system in an XFCS. In this part, it is assumed that the sizing and location of the XFCS are known. Secondly, the aforesaid assumption is relaxed, …

A Binary Integer Linear Programming Model For Optimizing Underground Stope Layout, Theophilus Mensah

Masters Theses

"Underground mine planning engineers face significant challenges when determining what geometry provides the most profitable and safe stope for extraction. Several techniques and optimization algorithms have been developed in recent years, but most fail to find optimal solutions because they are heuristic or LP-based without efficient geometric constraints. This thesis work proposes a two-dimensional binary linear programming (BILP) model for determining the optimal combination of blocks in a stope that maximizes the economic value of the layout of stopes for a sublevel deposit. The work draws from Queyranne and Wolsey’s (2017 & 2018) formulations of tight constraints for bounded up/down …

Ring Opening Functionalization Of Thiolactone Homopolymers For Ros Scavenging, Aaron Priester, Forrest Kievit, Anthony J. Convertine

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In This Research, We Explored the Synthesis and Application of Thiolactone Acrylamide (TLA) Polymers for Neutralizing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Produced as a Result of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We Synthesized Well-Defined TLA Polymers using RAFT (Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer) Polymerization Across a Range of Monomer-To-Chain Transfer Agent ([M]0/[CTA]0) Ratios to Achieve a Range of Molar Masses. Polymerizations Were Carried Out using a Trithiocarbonate CTA (Chain Transfer Agent) with AIBN (Azobisisobutyronitrile) as the Initiator in N'N-Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 60 °C. Kinetic Studies Indicated a Linear Increase in Molar Mass with Conversion, Pseudo-First-Order Kinetics, and Molar Mass Values that Are Consistent …

Kinetic Modeling Of Electrostatic Sieving For Lunar Regolith Beneficiation: Case Studies, Easton Ingram, Emmanuela Amen Eze, Jeffrey Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David Bayless, William Schonberg, Daoru Han

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new kinetic particle modeling framework was developed to investigate electrostatic transport of lunar regolith particles with applications to the concept of electrostatic sieving. the new approach is based on kinetic particle dynamics and includes major modules of sampling the particle size distribution, solving electric fields, and tracking motion of charged dust grains. Case studies for a concept of electrostatic sieving were chosen to validate the new model. the simulation achieved similar yields reported in previous works, which served as validation of the model. the new model is computationally efficient and could serve as a design, analysis, and optimization tool.

Performance Of Smart Shear Keys In Concrete Bridges Under Tsunami Loading: An Experimental Study, Haibin Zhang, Xinzhe Yuan, Genda Chen, Pedro Lomonaco

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bridges have recently been exposed to an increasing number of natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis. These extreme events have resulted in transverse offsets, overturning moments, and even dropping-off of superstructures due to their weak connection to substructures. These outcomes are potentially prevented or mitigated by developing and deploying sliding, modular, adaptive, replaceable, and two-dimensional (SMART) shear keys as fuse elements between superstructures and substructures. The novelty of SMART shear keys is to enable an adaptive control of both the force and displacement of bridges under different types of loads. In this study, the performance of SMART shear keys …

Predicting High-Impact Research In The Construction Engineering And Management Domain Using Computational Machine Learning, Islam H. El-Adaway, Gasser G. Ali, Muaz O. Ahmed, Radwa Eissa, Mohamad Abdul Nabi, Tamima Elbashbishy, Ramy Khalef

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Construction engineering and management (CEM) domain covers multiple evolving sub-disciplines and directions. To understand those directions, numerous research efforts have conducted scientometric analysis of publications to explore their significance and impact. Despite their valuable insights, such research endeavors have been limited to exploratory analyses, whereas no previous attempt has been conducted to predict the future impact of research in CEM. This study fills this knowledge gap by performing a predictive analysis of citation metrics of publications in CEM using machine learning (ML). The developed model was trained on a dataset of 93,868 publications using an XGBoost algorithm. Testing showed that …

Comparative Analysis Of Different Cfd Turbulence Models For A Diesel Pool Combustion Event In An Underground Mine: A Case Study, Ashish Ranjan Kumar, Oluwafemi Salami, Nana A. Amoah, Guang Xu

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground Mine Fires Are Dangerous, Consume Resources, and Emit Pollutants. Therefore, Acquiring In-Mine Data for Fire Research is Hazardous and Expensive Due to Unsteady Temperature Changes and Toxic Gas Emissions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Models Are Often Developed to Mimic Airflows and Combustion-Associated Heat Transfer. However, Research on the Performance Evaluation of the CFD Turbulence Models to Mimic Fire Events is Limited. This Paper Summarises the Modelling Results for a Diesel Pool Fire Event in an Experimental Underground Mine that Uses an Exhaust Ventilation System. a Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) Model Was Developed to Show the Spatio-Temporal Temperature Evolution. Reynolds-Averaged …

Investigation Into Helmet–Head Shock Wave Interactions At Low Overpressures Through Free-Field Blasts And Schlieren Imagery, C. J.H. Thomas, Catherine E. Johnson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Brain Injuries in Warfighters Due to Low-Level Blasts, Even While Wearing a Helmet, Are Common. Understanding How the Form of a Shock Wave Changes When Impacting a Head Donning a Helmet May Present Solutions to Reducing Shock Loading on the Head, Thereby Reducing the Prevalence of Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury. a Manikin with PCB Piezoelectric Transducers throughout the Head Was Exposed to Low-Pressure Free-Field Blasts using an RDX-Based Explosive Charge Designed to Output a Side-On overpressure of 4 Pounds Per Square Inch (Psi) [27.5 Kilopascals (KPa)] with and Without a Helmet. Orientations of 0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 Degrees …

Progress Of Lisap-Mse: A Concept Of Producing Aluminum In-Situ On The Moon Through Molten Salt Electrolysis, Jacob N. Ortega, David Bayless, Daniel Stutts, Daoru Han, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey Smith, Fateme Rezaei, William Schonberg

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a concept of producing aluminum in-situ on the lunar surface, namely, the Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE) method developed at Missouri University of Science and Technology. This paper aims to demonstrate the use of electro-deoxidation to reduce aluminum oxide (i.e., alumina) into aluminum and oxygen gas via electrolysis in a molten salt bath for the production of aluminum on the Moon. It is shown that with a steady supply of hydrogen chloride, this in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method could supply several necessary materials consumed in the electro-deoxidation process except hydrogen chloride to produce …

Tailored (La0.2pr0.2nd0.2tb0.2dy0.2)2ce2o7 As A Highly Active And Stable Nanocatalyst For The Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Sreya Paladugu, Ibrahim Munkaila Abdullahi, Palani Raja Jothi, Bo Jiang, Manashi Nath, Katharine Page

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Designing highly active and robust catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction is key to improving the overall efficiency of the water splitting reaction. It has been previously demonstrated that evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) can be used to synthesize highly porous and high surface area cerate-based fluorite nano catalysts, and that substitution of Ce with 50% rare earth (RE) cations significantly improves electrocatalyst activity. Herein, the defect structure of the best performing nano catalyst in the series are further explored, Nd₂Ce₂O₇, with a combination of neutron diffraction and neutron pair distribution function analysis. It is …