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Mse Annual Report 2014, Department Of Materials Science And Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Annual Reports

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Joining And Hermetic Sealing Of Silicon Carbide Using Iron, Chromium, And Aluminum Alloys, Andrew Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is increasingly gaining attention as a potential fuel cladding material, on account of its favorable thermo-mechanical and neutronic properties. The major limitations of such a cladding is currently associated with joining and hermetic sealing. The work presented here investigated the use of Al, Cr and Fe metals and a specialized alloy (FeCrAl) to achieve hermetic sealing of SiC tubes as well as a joining technology of SiC. Major part of solving this issue requires addressing joining of ceramic and metallic components, which are largely dissimilar in both thermal and mechanical properties. Preliminary experiments to bond SiC with …

Structure And Catalytic Properties Of Ultra-Small Ceria Nanoparticles, Xing Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Cerium dioxide (ceria) is an excellent catalytic material due to its ability to both facilitate oxidation/reduction reactions as well as store/release oxygen as an oxygen buffer. The traditional approach to assess and improve ceria's catalytic behavior focuses on how efficiently O-vacancies can be generated and/or annihilated within the material, and how to extend established understandings of "bulk" ceria to further explain the greatly enhanced catalytic behavior of ultra-small ceria nanoparticles (uCNPs) with sizes less than 10 nm. Here, using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we reexamine the atomic and electronic structures of uCNPs, especially their surface configurations. A unique picture …

Influence Of Ferrite Phase In Alite-Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cements, Tristana Y. Duvallet

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Since the energy crisis in 1970’s, research on low energy cements with low CO₂-emissions has been increasing. Numerous solutions have been investigated, and the goal of this original research is to create a viable hybrid cement with the components of both Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSAC), by forming a material that contains both alite and calcium sulfoaluminate clinker phases. Furthermore, this research focuses on keeping the cost of this material reasonable by reducing aluminum requirements through its substitution with iron. The aim of this work would produce a cement that can use large amounts …

The Development And Biocompatibility Of Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (Ltcc) For Microfluidic And Biosensor Applications, Jin Luo

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) electronic packaging materials are applied for their electrical and mechanical properties, high reliability, chemical stability and ease of fabrication. Three dimensional features can also be prepared allowing integration of microfluidic channels and cavities inside LTCC modules. Mechanical, optical, electrical, microfluidic functions have been realized in single LTCC modules. For these reasons LTCC is attractive for biomedical microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip systems. However, commercial LTCC systems, optimized for microelectrics applications, have unknown cytocompatibility, and are not compatible with common surface functionalization chemistries.

The first goal of this work is to develop biocompatible LTCC materials for biomedical applications. …

Nanometer-Scale Membrane Electrode Systems For Active Protein Separation, Enzyme Immobilization And Cellular Electroporation, Zhiqiang Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Automated and continuous processes are the future trends in downstream protein purification. A functionalized nanometer-scale membrane electrode system, mimicking the function of cell wall transporters, can selectively capture genetically modified proteins and subsequently pump them through the system under programmed voltage pulses. Numerical study of the two-step pulse pumping cycles coupled with experimental His-GFP releasing study reveals the optimal 14s/1s pumping/repel pulse pumping condition at 10 mM bulk imidazole concentration in the permeate side. A separation factor for GFP: BSA of 9.7 was achieved with observed GFP electrophoretic mobility of 3.1×10^-6 cm² s^-1 V^-1 at 10 …

Cnt Membrane Platforms For Transdermal Drug Delivery And Aptamer Modulated Transport, Tao Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

CNT membrane platforms are biomimetic polymeric membranes imbedded with carbon nanotubes which show fast fluid flow, electric conductivity, and the ability to be grafted with chemistry. A novel micro-dialysis probe nicotine concentration sampling technique was proposed and proved in vitro, which could greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of future animal transdermal studies. To enhance the scope of transdermal drug delivery which was limited to passive diffusion of small, potent lipophilic drugs, a wire mesh lateral electroporation design was also proposed which could periodically disrupt the skin barrier and enhance drug flux.

It was shown that AMP binding aptamer …

Magnesium-Titanium Alloys For Biomedical Applications, Ilona Hoffmann

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Magnesium has been identified as a promising biodegradable implant material because it does not cause systemic toxicity and can reduce stress shielding. However, it corrodes too quickly in the body. Titanium, which is already used ubiquitously for implants, was chosen as the alloying element because of its proven biocompatibility and corrosion resistance in physiological environments. Thus, alloying magnesium with titanium is expected to improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium.

Mg-Ti alloys with a titanium content ranging from 5 to 35 at.-% were successfully synthesized by mechanical alloying. Spark plasma sintering was identified as a processing route to consolidate the alloy …

Microstructure And Work Function Of Dispenser Cathode Coatings: Effects On Thermionic Emission, Phillip D. Swartzentruber

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Dispenser cathodes emit electrons through thermionic emission and are a critical component of space-based and telecommunication devices. The emission of electrons is enhanced when coated with a refractory metal such as osmium (Os), osmium-ruthenium (Os-Ru), or iridium (Ir). In this work the microstructure, thermionic emission, and work function of thin film Os-Ru coatings were studied in order to relate microstructural properties and thermionic emission.

Os-Ru thin film coatings were prepared through magnetron sputtering and substrate biasing to produce films with an array of preferred orientations, or texture. The effect of texture on thermionic emission was studied in detail through closely-spaced …

Addressing Public Health Risks Of Persistent Pollutants Through Nutritional Modulation And Biomimetic Nanocomposite Remediation Platforms, Bradley J. Newsome

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Due to their relative chemical stability and ubiquity in the environment, chlorinated organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pose significant health risks and enduring remediation challenges. Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) provide a novel platform for sensing/remediation of these toxicants, in addition to the growing use of NPs in many industrial and biomedical applications, but there remains concern for their potential long-term health effects. Research highlighted herein also represents a transdisciplinary approach to address human health challenges associated with exposure to PCBs and NPs. The objectives of this dissertation research are two-fold, 1) to develop effective methods for capture/sensing and remediation …

Agen/Bsen 344: Biological And Environmental Transport Processes—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Shadi F. Othman

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The course I am providing a portfolio for is BSEN/AGEN 344 which is a required course for all our undergraduate students. The Department provides an assessment for the course to align itself with the ABET's Accreditation Process. I taught the course in Spring 2012 adapting a new Team Based Learning Approach. I have three main objective from my portfolio: (1) refine my methods in documenting the linkage between my course goals and assessment measures, (2) document the efficacy of team based learning approach, (3) refine team based learning approach for the current course and adapt the approach to future courses, …

Functionally Graded Ti6sl4v And Inconel 625 By Laser Metal Deposition, Syamala Rani Pulugurtha

Doctoral Dissertations

"The objective of the current work was to fabricate a crack-free functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 thin wall structure by Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). One potential application for the current material system is the ability to fabricate a functionally graded alloy that can be used in a space heat exchanger. The two alloys, Inconel 625 and Ti6Al4V are currently used for aerospace applications. They were chosen as candidates for grading because functionally grading those combines the properties of high strength/weight ratio of Ti6Al4V and high temperature oxidation resistance of Inconel 625 into one multifunctional material for the end application. …

Design Of Three Different Particle Size Distributions In Silver Paste Through Computer Simulation For Higher Electrical Conductivity, Kyungdeok Jang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the field of printed electronics technology, researchers have tried to print highly conductive electrodes with fine width and height in order to manufacture high performance devices.

The purpose of this research is to print particle monolayer silver patterns which have better electrical conductivity than existing ones. The key idea of this experiment is to analyze silver inks with different sized particles. Let us consider a particle monolayer pattern printed with silver ink consisting of mono-sized particles. Inside of the pattern, there are some vacant spaces between the particles, which can lead to low electrical conductivity and discontinuity of the …

Fabrication Of A Nickel-Based Superalloy In Electron Beam Melting And Process Improvements Using Thermal Feedback From A Multi-Wavelength Pyrometer, Jonathan Minjares

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this research was to fabricate parts composed of a nickel-based superalloy containing high levels of aluminum and titanium (NSAT) by using electron beam melting (EBM) additive manufacturing (AM) technology and utilizing thermal feedback from a multi-wavelength pyrometer to perform process improvements leading to near defect-free parts. EBM is an AM technology that utilizes metal powder to fabricate parts in layer-by-layer manner. A multi-wavelength pyrometer was implemented in an Arcam S12 (Arcam AB, Sweden) EBM system to observe and record surface temperatures throughout fabrication. Temperature data from the EBM system and the multi-wavelength pyrometer were graphed using MATLAB …

Effect Of Rhenium On Short Term Oxidation Of Niobium Based Alloys For High Temperature Applications, Ruth M. Sierra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The effect of adding Re to Nb-based alloys and is intended to analyze in depth the microstructures of Nb based alloys with Re, Si and Cr additions, in atomic percentages. The binary alloys (Nb-5Re, Nb-5Si and Nb-5Cr) reveal the formation of a single phase, NbSS, NbSS+ Nb3Si and NbSS+NbCr2 respectively. The formation of the single phase was confirmed by TEM studies for the Nb-5Re alloy. Addition of Re to form ternary alloys, has helped in the formation of Nb5Si3 and (Nb, Re) Cr2, in Nb-5Re- 5Si and Nb-5Re-5Cr respectively. Quaternary alloy Nb-5Re-5Si-5Cr has Nb5Si3, NbCr2 and NbSS. The oxidation behavior …

Characterization Of High-Purity Niobium Structures Fabricated Using The Electron Beam Melting Process, Cesar Adrian Terrazas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM) refers to the varied set of technologies utilized for the fabrication of complex 3D components from digital data in a layer-by-layer fashion. The use of these technologies promises to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. The electron beam melting (EBM) process has been utilized for the fabrication of fully dense near-net-shape components from various metallic materials. This process, catalogued as a powder bed fusion technology, consists of the deposition of thin layers (50 - 120µm) of metallic powder particles which are fused by the use of a high energy electron beam and has been commercialized by Swedish company Arcam …

Characterization Of W-Ti-O Thin Films For Application In Photovoltaics, Amanda Patricia Christmas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Photovoltaic (PV) devices consist of the conversion of light energy into electricity. Nearly all PV technologies employ transparent conducting oxides (TCO) as an integral part of the de-vice structure so that the light can reach the semiconductor. The predominant transparent conducting oxide (TCO) that is currently being used in industry is indium tin oxide (ITO). However, Indium (In) is high in cost and becoming scarce in the world. This work is focused towards Titanium doped Tungsten oxide (WO3) for TCO application. The ultimate goal is making novel, cheaper, and efficient TCOs based on W-Ti-O films. Titanium will enhance the conductivity …

3d Printed Electromagnetic Transmission And Electronic Structures Fabricated On A Single Platform Using Advanced Process Integration Techniques, Paul I. Deffenbaugh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

3D printing has garnered immense attention from many fields including in-office rapid prototyping of mechanical parts, outer-space satellite replication, garage functional firearm manufacture, and NASA rocket engine component fabrication. 3D printing allows increased design flexibility in the fabrication of electronics, microwave circuits and wireless antennas and has reached a level of maturity which allows functional parts to be printed. Much more work is necessary in order to perfect the processes of 3D printed electronics especially in the area of automation. Chapter 1 shows several finished prototypes of 3D printed electronics as well as newly developed techniques in fabrication. Little is …

Gadolinia Doped Hafnia (Gd2o3- Hfo2) Thermal Barrier Coatings For Gas Turbine Applications, Satya Kiran Gullapalli

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Thermal efficiency of the gas turbines is influenced by the operating temperature of the hot gas path components. The material used for the hot gas path components can only withstand temperature up to a certain limit. Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) provide the additional thermal protection for these components and help the gas turbine achieve higher firing temperatures. Traditionally available yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBCs have a limitation up to 1200 C due to their phase transformation. The present work focuses on gadolinia based hafnia (GSH) TBCs to study their potential to replace the YSZ coatings. Different compositions of gadolinia doped …

3d Printing Technology Using High Viscous Materials-Synthesis Of Functional Materials And Fabrication Of 3d Metal Structure, Seongik Hong

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the 3D printing technology, the research for using various materials has been performing. In this research work, 3D printable high viscous materials are suggested as one of the solutions for problems in the traditional 3D printing technology.

First, Cu-Ag coreshell was synthesized as a functional material. In terms of the reaction rate, reaction rate limiting step was defined as a fundamental research, and then prepared Cu-Ag coreshell was printed and analyzed. Second, the high viscous Cu paste was prepared and then metal 3D printed structure was fabricated by using new printing method.

In the synThesis of Cu-Ag coreshell, different …

Optimization Of Uv-Led Curable Printing Material For Applications In Direct Writing Systems: Inkjet, Reverse Offset, And Micro Dispensing Gpd, Ada Judith Ortega Varela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The quality of a product fabricated by direct writing methods will depend greatly on the properties of the printing material and its compatibility with the printing process. Although multiple advances in developing printing inks and pastes with novel properties are being made, the potential those can bring to electronics is hindered by their stability and performance during the printing process. In this study a UV-LED curable acrylic material was used to test the optimization of inks and pastes for three of the most common direct writing systems: Piezo-type Inkjet, Reverse Offset Roll to Plate, and Micro Deposition. The viscosity of …

Hydrogen Generation From Ammonia Borane And Water Through The Combustion Reactions With Mechanically Alloyed Al/Mg Powder, Daniel Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Finding and developing a safe and effective method for hydrogen storage is integral to its use as an alternative source of energy. The goal of the studies described in this Thesis was to investigate the feasibility of developing combustible hydrogen-generating compositions based on ammonia borane and novel energetic materials such as nanocomposite and mechanically alloyed reactive materials, recently obtained by Prof. Edward Dreizin's team at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Such compositions could be stored for long time and release hydrogen on demand, upon ignition. The first phase of the research included thermodynamic calculations for combustion of ammonia …

Nanometric Structure-Property Relationship In Hafnium Oxide Thin Films Made By Sputter-Deposition, Mirella Vargas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) is technologically an important material, which exhibits a unique set of properties such as a high dielectric constant (k~25) and wide band gap (~5.7 eV) which make this material attractive in the fields of microelectronics and optoelectronics. HfO2 has become the leading candidate to replace SiO2 dielectrics in gate oxides due to a higher permittivity and reportedly lower electron tunneling effects. HfO2 exhibits various polymorphs; the thermodynamic stability and phase existence depends on the temperature and pressure conditions. In addition, the controlled growth and manipulation of specific HfO2 crystal structures at the nanoscale dimensions is the driving …

Alkali Promoted Molybdenum (Iv) Sulfide Based Catalysts, Development And Characterization For Alcohol Synthesis From Carbon Monoxide And Hydrogen, Belinda Delilah Molina

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For more than a century transition metal sulfides (TMS) have been the anchor of hydro-processing fuels and upgrading bitumen and coal in refineries worldwide. As oil supplies dwindle and environmental laws become more stringent, there is a greater need for cleaner alternative fuels and/or synthetic fuels. The depletion of oil reserves and a rapidly increasing energy demand worldwide, together with the interest to reduce dependence on foreign oil makes alcohol production for fuels and chemicals via the Fischer Tropsch synthesis (FTS) very attractive. The original Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction is the heart of all gas-to-liquid technologies; it creates higher alcohols and …

A Study Of Ti-Doped Wo3 Thin Films Using Comparative Theoretical And Experimental Approach, Aurelio Paez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Metal oxides like Tungsten Oxide (WO3) are well documented and characterized in the literature, with uses in darkening windows and mirrors, flat computer displays, solar panel cooling, and sensors (of interest in this study). Ti doping of WO3 is less documented and the focus of this study. Sample thin films of pure WO3 and varyingly Ti doped WO3 were prepared using Radio Frequency magnetron sputtering (RF) (13.56 MHz) to grow thin films on a silicon substrate. This study aims to compare multiple Ti doping percentages in WO3 theoretically and then compare with experimental data taken from thin films of various …

Combustion Synthesis Of Molybdenum Silicides And Borosilicides For Ultrahigh-Temperature Structural Applications, Mohammad Shafiul Alam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Molybdenum silicides and borosilicides are promising structural materials for gas-turbine power plants. A major challenge, however, is to simultaneously achieve high oxidation resistance and acceptable mechanical properties at high temperatures. For example, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂) has excellent oxidation resistance and poor mechanical properties, while Mo-rich silicides such as Mo₅Si₃ (called T₁) have much better mechanical properties but poor oxidation resistance. One approach is based on the fabrication of MoSi₂−T₁ composites that combine high oxidation resistance of MoSi₂ and good mechanical properties of T₁. Another approach involves the …

Growth And Analysis Of Micro And Nano Cdte Arrays For Solar Cell Applications, Brandon Adrian Aguirre

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

CdTe is an excellent material for infrared detectors and photovoltaic applications. The efficiency of CdTe/CdS solar cells has increased very rapidly in the last 3 years to ~20% but is still below the maximum theoretical value of 30%. Although the short-circuit current density is close to its maximum of 30 mA/cm2, the open circuit voltage has potential to be increased further to over 1 Volt. The main limitation that prevents further increase in the open-circuit voltage and therefore efficiency is the high defect density in the CdTe absorber layer. Reducing the defect density will increase the open-circuit voltage above 1 …

Thermodynamics And Crystallography Of The Γ→Ε→Α' Transformation In Femnalsic Steels, Scott Thomas Pisarik

Masters Theses

"FeMnAlSiC steels which exhibit two-stage transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) behavior characterized by the γ→ε→α' dual stage martensitic transformation promise to take a leading role in the development of 3rd generation advanced high strength steels. The crystallographic orientation relationship of the γ→α' and γ→ε athermal martensitic transformations in these steels has been determined as the Kurdjumov-Sachs and the Shoji-Nishiyama, respectively. Six crystallographic variants of α-martensite consisting of three twin-related variant pairs were observed in ε- bands. A planar parallelism of {0001}ε || {110}α' and a directional relation of α' lying within 1⁰ of ε existed for these variants. Two regular solution …

Electrospinning Applications Air Filtration And Superhydrophobic Materials, Negar Ghochaghi, Adetoun Taiwo

Graduate Research Posters

Electrospinning is a widely applicable technique that generates non-woven fibers in the micro and nano range. In this project two of its applications are highlighted namely filtration media and enhancement of wettability. The first project demonstrates that electrospinning can be used to produce new fiber filtration media with controlled microstructure. The bimodal and unimodal orthogonal and random filters were made and characterized against their filtration efficiency and pressure drop. Figure of Merit (FOM) was also calculated and discussed. It is shown that the FOM increases when the electrospun fibers are arranged into alternating layers of aligned course and fine fibers. …

Cerium-Based Conversion Coatings On Magnesium Alloys, Carlos E. Castaño

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research is primarily focused on gaining a better understanding of the deposition and corrosion behavior of cerium-based conversion coatings (CeCCs) on AZ31B and AZ91D Mg alloys. Deposition of homogenous and protective CeCCs was highly dependent on the surface preparation steps. The best results were obtained when Mg samples underwent grinding, acid cleaning, and alkaline cleaning processes. This reduced the number of active cathodic sites and promoted the formation of a protective Al-rich Mg oxide/hydroxide layer. Electrochemical properties of the CeCCs were also strongly correlated with morphological, microstructural, and chemical characteristics. Protective CeCCs were deposited on both AZ31 and AZ91 …