Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Phase Change Materials For Cooling In A Super-Insulated Passive House, Jeffrey Stephen Lauck

Dissertations and Theses

Due to factors such as rising energy costs, diminishing resources, and climate change, the demand for high performance buildings is on the rise. As a result, several new building standards have emerged including the Passive House Standard, a rigorous energy-use standard based on a super-insulated and very tightly sealed building envelope. The standard requires that that air infiltration is less than or equal to 0.6 air changes per hour at a 50 Pascal pressure difference, annual heating energy is less than or equal to 15kWh/m2, and total annual source energy is less than or equal to 120 kWh/m2. A common …

Calculation Of Colouration Voltage For A Multifunctional Glazing Powered By Photovoltaic, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton, Aidan Duffy

Conference papers

Multifunctional glazing is a combination of various glazing systems and can comprise permutations of vacuum glazing, aerogel glazing, PV double glazing and Electrochromic (EC) glazing. It controls solar heat gain, improves thermal conductivity and can generate small scale electricity, in a variety of climates. The objective of this research is to investigate the switching voltage of multifunctional glazing, with respect to orientation, time of day and temperature of the system. We report a relation between temperature and voltage required for the switching condition.

Modeling The Impact Of Simulated Educational Interventions On The Use And Abuse Of Pharmaceutical Opioids In The United States: A Report On Initial Efforts, Wayne Wakeland, Alexandra E. Nielsen, Teresa D. Schmidt, Dennis Mccarty, Lynn Webster, John Fitzgerald, J. David Haddox

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three educational interventions were simulated in a system dynamics model of the medical use, trafficking, and nonmedical use of pharmaceutical opioids. The study relied on secondary data obtained in the literature for the period of 1995 to 2008 as well as expert panel recommendations regarding model parameters and structure. The behavior of the resulting systems-level model was tested for fit against reference behavior data. After the base model was tested, logic to represent three educational interventions was added and the impact of each intervention on simulated overdose deaths was evaluated over a 7-year evaluation period, 2008 to 2015. Principal findings …

Preparation Of Mesoporous Silica Supported Ruthenium Oxides And The Application And Kinetic Study In The Catalysis Of Water Oxidation, Yang Zhang

Open Access Dissertations

Photo-induced water splitting of water into H2 and O2 has been a major focus in the development of clean and renewable energy. The development of viable and efficient catalysts that facilitates O2 production remains the major challenge in the study of the corresponding half-reaction of water oxidation. There are plenty of metal oxides reported active in the catalysis of water oxidation. However, several important performance bench marks of those materials, such as the non-stoichiometric production of O2, slow reaction rate and/or low quantum efficiency, remain to be improved.

Ruthenium oxide (RuO2) has long been known as one of the most …

Fabricating Complex-Shaped Components By Room-Temperature Injection Molding Of Aqueous Ceramic Suspension Gels, Valerie Lynn Wiesner

Open Access Dissertations

Water-based ceramic suspension gels (CeraSGels) effectively produced dense, near-net shape ceramic parts by room-temperature injection molding, a novel processing method based on traditional ceramic injection molding. This alternative method eliminated the need for heating and cooling feedstocks to process, as is required in conventional injection molding, through control of the rheological response of the CeraSGels by simply varying polymer content without the use of any harsh crosslinking or curing agents or further chemical processes. The development of room-temperature injection molding initially focused on forming CeraSGels based on alumina, a readily available model material, in order to optimize suspension preparation and …

Design And Assembly Of Nanostructured Complex Metal Oxide Materials For The Construction Of Batteries And Thermoelectric Devices, Gautam Ganapati Yadav

Open Access Dissertations

Thermoelectric devices and lithium-ion batteries are among the fastest growing energy technologies. Thermoelectric devices generate energy from waste heat, whereas lithium-ion batteries store energy for use in commercial applications. Two different topics are bound with a common thread in this thesis - nanotechnology! In fact, nanostructuring is a more preferred term for the approach I have taken herein. Another commonality between these two topics is the material system I have used to prove my hypotheses - complex metal oxides.

Complex metal oxides can be used for both energy generation and storage as they are stable at high temperatures, are benign …

A New Angle On Microscopic Suspension Feeders Near Boundaries, Rachel E. Pepper, Marcus Roper, Sangjin Ryu, Nobuyoshi Matsumoto, Moeto Nagai, Howard A. Stone

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Microscopic sessile suspension feeders are a critical component in aquatic ecosystems, acting as an intermediate trophic stage between bacteria and higher eukaryotic taxa. Because they live attached to boundaries, it has long been thought that recirculation of the feeding currents produced by sessile suspension feeders inhibits their ability to access fresh fluid. However, previous models for the feeding flows of these organisms assume that they feed by pushing fluid perpendicular to surfaces they live upon, whereas we observe that sessile suspension feeders often feed at an angle to these boundaries. Using experiments and calculations, we show that living suspension feeders …

Metal-Assisted Etching Of Silicon Molds For Electroforming, Ralu Divan, Dan Rosenthal '14, Karim Ogando, Leonidas E. Ocola, Daniel Rosenmann, Nicolaie Moldovan

Student Publications & Research

Ordered arrays of high-aspect-ratio micro/nanostructures in semiconductors stirred a huge scientific interest due to their unique one-dimensional physical morphology and the associated electrical, mechanical, chemical, optoelectronic, and thermal properties. Metal-assisted chemical etching enables fabrication of such high aspect ratio Si nanostructures with controlled diameter, shape, length, and packing density, but suffers from structure deformation and shape inconsistency due to uncontrolled migration of noble metal structures during etching. Hereby the authors prove that a Ti adhesion layer helps in stabilizing gold structures, preventing their migration on the wafer surface while not impeding the etching. Based on this finding, the authors demonstrate …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, September 2013, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Mechanically Induced Erk Phosphorylation In Stem Cell Adipogenesis, Daniel E. Menter

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mechanical cell stimulation has only recently been highlighted for its ability to direct cell function and fate. The development of techniques to apply controlled mechanical stimulation to cells has allowed researchers to examine the effects of forces on cell behavior. These studies have shown that cells, and in particular, stem cells are very sensitive to mechanical stimuli. While the potential impact of mechanical forces has been demonstrated by these studies, there have not been many studies that compare the differing effects of stimulation profiles and methods. Further, molecular mechanosensing mechanisms have not been identified. In this work, we compared the …

Electrosynthesis Of Glycerol Carbonate From Co2 And Glycerol, Huan Wang, Mei-Xia Zhu, La-Xia Wu, Xiao-Ming Xu, Xue-Ru Zhao, Jia-Xing Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Glycerol carbonate was obtained from glycerol and carbon dioxide under room temperature and normal pressure by electrochemical method. The effects of synthesis conditions, such as cathode, charge, current density and temperature, on the reaction of glycerol and carbon dioxide have been investigated. The yields of 73% were produced by electrosynthesis of carbonate under the optimized condition, which is much higher than that by common catalysis method. The electrochemical behavior of the reaction system has been studied by cyclic voltammetry, through which the reaction process has been proposed.

Influence Of Pretreatment On Electrocatalytic Property For Methanol Oxidation Of Ptru/Wc, Xiao-Ling Lang, Mei-Qin Shi, Ye-Kun Jiang, Chun-An Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

The surface of tungsten carbide (WC) was treated by potassium hydroxide (KOH) at different pH values for different time. The PtRu/WC composite was prepared by microwave-assisted polyol method. The phase structure of PtRu/WC composites were characterized by XRD. The electrocatalytic activity was tested by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results indicated that with different pH treatments WC became more readily supported on PtRu. When treating WC in KOH at pH = 14, PtRu exhibited the best degree of crystallinity on WC surface, leading to the highest electrocatalytic activity of PtRu/WC. Moreover, the optimized activity of PtRu/WC towards methanol oxidation was …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Properties Of Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)1-2xTiXNbXO2, Yong Tang, Qin-Lin Liao, Xiang-An Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode-active materials of layered Li(Ni_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3)_1-2xTi_xNb_xO₂（x=0, 0.002, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02）composites were synthesized by the thermal treatment of the coprecipitated precursor at 900 ^oC in air. The effects of Ti-Nb co-dopants on the structural and electrochemical properties of Li(Ni_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3)O₂ were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical experiments. The results show that the small amounts of Ti-Nb co-dopants in Li(Ni_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3)O₂significantly decreased the degree of cation mixing in …

Effects Of Fluoroethylene Carbonate Additive On Low Temperature Performance Of Li-Ion Batteries, Feng-Ju Bian, Zhong-Ru Zhang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The effects of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) on the low temperature performance of lithium ion phosphate full battery are evaluated by different techniques. By addition of 5 wt% FEC into a commercial electrolyte, effective solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film can be formed on the graphite electrodes, the discharge capacity retention at -40 ^oC was increased from 31.7% to 43.7%, and the discharge voltage plateau of the cell is raised. This is attributed to a reduced charge transfer resistance and a lowered polarization on the graphite electrode by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and reference electrode test.

Research Progress Of Intermediate Layers In Ti-Based Oxide Anodes, Xiu-Li Song, Hui-Min Yang, Zhen-Hai Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Titanium (Ti)-based oxide anodes are excellent anode materials which have been applied widely in electrochemical fields all over the world. Adding intermediate layers in Ti-based oxide anodes can improve the conductivity, lengthen the lifetime and strengthen the stability between Ti base and metal oxides active layers of electrodes. This article reviews the research progress of intermediate layers in Ti-based oxide anodes. At the same time, current problems existed in the field of Ti-based oxide anodes are pointed out and future development trend in oxide electrode with intermediate layers is prospected.

Advanced Treatment Of Dyeing Wastewater For Reuse By Electrochemical Oxidation, Fei-Xiang Chen, Chu-Yin Yang, Ming-Ming Zhou, Jia-De Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In response to the characteristics of dye wastewater, the electrochemical oxidation of effluents from the biochemical process of dyeing wastewater was studied in the electrochemical reactor using PbO₂/Ti electrode as the anode and stainless steel plate as the cathode. The results revealed that the electrochemical oxidation could simultaneously remove the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), ammonia and chromaticity. At the residence time of 60 min and current density of 10 mA·cm^-2, the COD, ammonia, chromaticity, concentration of chloride ion and pH values could meet the water standards for “the reuse of urban recycling water-water quality standard for …

Voltage Reversal Behavior In Microbial-Anode Fuel Cells, En-Ren Zhang, Jun-Le Niu, Lei Liu, Guo-Wang Diao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Voltage reversal behavior was investigated in microbial-anode fuel cells (MFCs). Electricity-producing biofilms were developed on the surface of anodes in MFCs inoculated with mixed inoculum from activated sludge. MFC duplicates generally exhibited different performances with respect to the internal resistance, the voltage output and the discharging duration when operating in batch mode. Voltage reversal was observed to occur first in the MFC with lower performance when connecting MFCs in series. Analysis of electrode potentials indicated that the potentials of microbial anodes quickly shifted to more positive values when enhancing discharge current, resulting in voltage reversal in MFCs. Increasing temperature would …

Using Hydrolyzed Sludge Liquor As The Substrate Of Microbial Fuel Cell, Peng Liang, Chao Guo, Xia Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hydrolyzed sludge liquor was used as the substrate of microbial fuel cell. When the thermal treatment time increased from 2 h to 96 h, pH varied little between 7.4 and 8.0. When the treatment time increased, the conductivity, COD and alkaline condition increased to 2.53 mS·cm^-1, 2520 mg·L^-1 and 800 mg·L^-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the power density increased to 25 W·m^-3. The COD removal increased firstly, then decreased, and finally reached the maximum of 47% at the hydrolyzed time of 6 h. The maximal coulombic efficiency was 71% when the treatment time was 4 …

Electrochemically Switched Ion Exchange Properties Of Pani-Snp Composite Films In Wastewater Containing Ni2+ And Cd2+, Yan-Ting Feng, Jun-Qiang Xiao, Xiao-Gang Hao, Xu-Li Ma, Zhong-De Wang, Nian-Chen Han

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electroactive PANI-SnP composite films were prepared by drop-coating method on Pt electrodes and investigated as electrochemically switched ion exchange (ESIX) materials for the separation of Cd²⁺ from aqueous solutions. The composition and morphology of the composite film were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In solutions containing 0.1 mol·L^-1 Ni(NO₃)₂ and Cd(NO₃)₂, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) were used to investigate the electrochemical behavior and ion-exchange mechanism of PANI-SnP composite film. The elementary composition of PANI-SnP composite films in both oxidation …

Graphene Quantum Dots Enhanced Electrochemical Performance Of Polypyrrole As Supercapacitor Electrode, Kun Wu, Si-Zhe Xu, Xue-Jiao Zhou, Hai-Xia Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

With an objective to develop electrode materials with high specific capacitance and good stability, a completely new nanocomposite of Polypyrrole (PPY) and graphene quantum dots (GQD) was successfully obtained through in-situ polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of GQD suspension. The obtained composites with different mass ratios were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). GQD enhanced electrochemical performance of PPY and, as supercapacitor electrodes, the PPY/GQD composites with the mass ratio of PPY to GQD at 50:1 showed a competitive specific capacitance of 485 F·g^-1 at a scan rate of …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Degradation Kinetics Of Oxalic Acid In A Cylindrical Electrochemical Reactor With Ti/Iro2-Ta2O5 Anode, Jing Su, Hai-Bo Lin, Hong Xu, Wei-Min Huang, Ya-Peng He

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrocatalytic oxidation degradation kinetics of oxalic acid in a cylindrical electrochemical reactor with Ti/IrO₂-Ta₂O₅  as an anode was studied. The relation between instantaneous current efficiency and organic concentration in bulk was established based on the two paths for direct electrochemical oxidations, and the theoretical model was verified by experiments. The experimental resultswere reasonably consistent with the established kinetic model. Furthermore, the competition between the two paths was explored with the modelparameter analysis.

Performance Of The Electro-Oxidation And Electro-Fenton Processes With A Bdd Anode For The Treatment Of Low Contents Of Pharmaceuticals In A Real Water Matrix, Sirs Ignasi, Antonio Garrido Jos, Brillas Enric

Journal of Electrochemistry

Here, we report the performance of electro-oxidation and electro-Fenton with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode for the treatment of single and multicomponent solutions containing small amounts of pharmaceutical residues (i.e., 1 mg·L^-1 paracetamol and/or 1 mg·L^-1 salicylic acid) spiked into a real water matrix at pH 3.0. Electro-oxidation was performed in a BDD/Pt cell, whereas electro-Fenton was carried out in a BDD/air-diffusion cell to electrogenerate H₂O₂ at the cathode, always operating at constant current density. It was found that the decay of both pharmaceuticals by electro-oxidation was more rapid in the real water matrix than …

Electrochemical Behavior And Content Determination Of Paeonol At Poly Sudan Ⅲ Modified Electrode, Yan-Jie Zheng, Ai-Lin Liu, Yun Lei, Xin-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

The poly SudanⅢ modified electrode was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）and cyclic voltammetry (CV), while the electrochemical behavior of paeonol was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The result shows that the poly Sudan Ⅲ modified electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic effect on the oxidation of paeonol. The peak currents of differential pulse voltammetry are linear to the paeonol concentrations over the range of 3.0*10^-7 ~ 2.2*10^-5 mol·L^-1. The detection limit has been estimated to be 5.0*10^-8 mol·L^-1. This method can be used for determination of paeonol content in real sample with satisfactory results.

Effectiveness Of Display Trays On Attention And Purchase Of Consumer Products, Erin Snyder

All Theses

Through the collection of qualitative and quantitative data, consumer perception and preference of display trays in the retail environment was examined and evaluated. Purchase decision and eye-tracking data was collected, as well as qualitative survey information, to determine if participants favored packages in a display tray opposed to packages placed directly on store shelving. This preference was measured in terms of time to first fixation, total fixation duration, fixation count as well as final purchasing decision. The experiment analyzed liquid dish soap and canned tomatoes, and was organized as a 2 (products per category) x 1 (display tray per category) …

Comparison Of Methods To Evaluate Chitosan As An Antimicrobial Against Listeria Spp. Cultures, Scott Hartley

All Theses

The antimicrobial properties of a chitosan-coated vacuum-packaged pouch were tested against Listeria monocytogenes (LM) inoculated on frankfurters. A 1.5% chitosan solution was successfully coated onto a corona-treated poly/nylon based film and then heat-sealed to form a pouch. An initial 5 log CFU/mL population of LM was used to inoculate a frankfurter in the pouch, which was then vacuum-sealed and stored at 4¡ and 13¡ C for a period of 8 weeks, with bacteria enumeration performed on weekly intervals. An uncoated pouch was tested as a control. It was found that the chitosan-coated pouches did not exhibit any antimicrobial properties against …

Pan Nanofibers And Nanofiber Reinforced Composites, Cheng Ren

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nanomaterials play an important role in the development of nanotechnology. They possess unique mechanical, physical, and chemical properties coupled with small size and ultrahigh surface area that can provide critical advantages for applications. Continuous nanofibers attract special interest due to their dual nano-macro nature and ability to bridge scales. Nanofibers are being considered for a broad range of applications spanning advanced filters, separation membranes, ultrasensitive sensors, micro/nano actuators, nanoprobes, tissue engineering scaffolds, protective and smart closing, and multifunctional composites. Most of these applications require certain mechanical properties and robustness. However, the literature on the mechanical behavior of nanofibers and their …

3d Modeling And Design Optimization Of Rod Shaped Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuator, Siul A. Ruiz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are some of the most well-known electro-active polymers. This is due to their large deformation provided a relatively low voltage source. IPMCs have been acknowledged as a potential candidate for biomedical applications such as cardiac catheters and surgical probes; however, there is still no existing mass manufacturing of IPMCs. This study intends to provide a theoretical framework which could be used to design practical purpose IPMCs depending on the end users interest.

This study begins by investigating methodologies used to develop quantify the physical actuation of an IPMC in 3-dimensional space. This approach is taken in …

Complementarities Of Probabilistic And Evidence Approaches: An Uncertainty Assessment For Selection Of Composite Material, Stella B. Bondi, Resit Unal, Patrick T. Hester, Trina M. Chytka

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

A complimentary probabilistic and evidence theory approach is utilized to enhance uncertainty assessments in the area of critical safety characteristics for conceptual design. This research provides additional exploration into the failure modes necessary to utilize Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) and various composites to their fullest potential and to minimize uncertainty by comparing probability and evidence theories. This combined approach has been applied to a selection of composite material that could provide uncertainty assessment design for a space transportation system. Uncertainty estimates presented are bounded by belief and plausibility functions. The results may provide additional information to the decision makers in …

Effect Of Ethyl Propionate On Low-Temperature Performance Of Lifepo4-Based Li-Ion Battery, Xiao-Ping Li, Lian-Sheng Hao, Wei-Shan Li, Meng-Qing Xu, Li-Dan Xing

Journal of Electrochemistry

A linear carboxylic, ester ethyl propionate (EP), was used as the co-solvent of carbonates, ethylene carbonate (EC), ethyl-methyl carbonate (EMC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and its effect on low-temperature performance of LiFePO₄-based Li-ion battery was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge-discharge test. The application of EP enhances the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte, improves the compatibility of the electrolyte with both LiFePO₄ and graphite materials, and thus improves the low-temperature performance of LiFePO₄-based Li-ion battery. The Li-ion battery using the optimized electrolyte of 1 mol·L^-1 LiPF₆/EC:EMC:DMC:EP …

Multifunctional Corrosion Inhibition Behavior Of Zn-Al Calcined Layered Double Hydroxides For Steel Rebar In Nacl Solution, Xiao-Juan Zhang, Jing-Jing Wang, Shi-Gang Dong, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Zn-Al layered double hydroxides (Zn-Al LDHs) and calcined products (Zn-Al CLDHs) were synthesized successfully under a routine air atmosphere. The results showed that both Zn-Al LDHs and Zn-Al CLDHs had obvious flake structures. The corrosion inhibition of Zn-Al CLDHs for steel rebar in NaCl solution was studied by electrochemical techniques. It was found that the corrosion rate of steel rebar decreased significantly after the steel rebar was treated by Zn-Al CLDHs in NaCl solution for 3 h. It was indicated that Zn-Al CLDHs could absorb Cl^- and release OH^- during their reconstruction process, which provided dual protection …