Engineering Commons^™

Synthesis,Characteristics And Electrochemical Performance Of Nano-Sized Snco/Graphite Composites As Anode For Lithium Ion Batteries, Jin-Shu Cai, Ling Huang, Fu-Sheng Ke, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nano-structural Sn-Co/graphite composites were prepared by chemical reduction of the alloy electroless deposition solution in graphite suspensions, and the composites were annealed at 500 ℃. The phase structure and surface morphology of the composites were measured by XRD, SEM and Raman. The results indicate that there were high dispersions and high loadings of Sn-Co nanoparticles on graphite by thermal treatment. Electrochemical lithium storage performance was studied preliminarily on the obtained samples. The graphite modified with the Sn-Co nanoparticles possessed a higher electrochemical reversible capacity than that of graphite during the charge and discharge process. The appetency between the Sn-Co …

Corrosion Research On Rock Bolts And Steel Sets For Sub-Surface Reinforcement Of The Yucca Mountain Repository, Dhanesh Chandra, Jaak J.K. Daemen

Publications (YM)

Underground nuclear waste storage repositories generally use steels and super alloys for various structural members and storage containers. These materials are susceptible to corrosion due to seepage of water. We studied rock bolt materials for reinforcing tunnels and containment materials for storing nuclear waste materials. In general, the design of underground support materials for tunnels are mainly based on mechanical behavior of the materials, but not much was known about the interaction of the seepage YM waters with the structural members under various conditions in the tunnels. The sources of water in the Yucca Mountain (YM) repository are due to …

High Utilization Aupt Nanoparticles Supported On Mwcnts For Methanol Electro-Oxidation In Alkaline Medium, Xun Guo, Dao-Jun Guo, Xin-Ping Qiu, Li-Quan Chen, Wen-Tao Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

We synthesized gold-platinum electrocatalysts supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) with high utilization by a simple one-step method.A high Pt loading series of bimetallic AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts were prepared by the improved ethylene glycol reduction method,and then were compared in terms of the electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation using cyclic voltammetry(CV) and chronoamperometry in alkaline solutions.The structure of AuPt/MWCNTs was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The results showed that the AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts had high Pt utilization,uniform AuPt nanoparticles size and good electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation.The effect of Au/Pt mass ratio on electrocatalytic activity was also investigated.The …

On Stresses Induced In A Thermal Barrier Coating Due To Indentation Testing, Jin Yan, Anette M. Karlsson, Marion Bartsch, Xi Chen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Instrumented indentation has been suggested as a method to determine interfacial fracture toughness of thermal barrier coatings. However, in a previous experimental study we showed that the results are ambiguous. In this work, we investigate the experimental results by numerical simulations incorporating the material microstructure. In the numerical simulations, based on finite element analyses, the stress fields that are associated with the loading and unloading of the indenter are investigated. By comparing these stress fields to the damage observed in the experimental study, including crack path and interfacial delaminations, we explain key findings from the experimental observations. Our results suggest …

Effect Of Synthesis Time And Treatment On Porosity Of Mesoporous Silica Materials, Asli Ertan, Pradeep Kodumuri, Orhan Talu, Surendra N. Tewari

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Nitrogen adsorption at 77 K on mesoporous silica materials (MPS) with varying synthesis time and treatment conditions was investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were also used to characterize the mesoporous materials. This study was performed at 6, 24 and 72-h synthesis times. It is shown that 6-h is not enough for complete formation of the MPS material and at least 24-h is necessary. The pore structure starts decaying for the 72-h synthesis time. The three-after-synthesis treatment conditions used were 1) washed, 2) washed and calcined and 3) directly calcined after synthesis. Ethanol/HCl …

Magnetic Ordering In The Rare Earth Intermetallic Compound Tb₂Ti₃Ge₄: Magnetization And Neutron Diffraction Studies, Satish K. Malik, Jagat Lamsal, R. L. De Almeida, S. Quezado, William B. Yelon, V. O. Garlea, A. V. Morozkin, R. Nirmala

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Magnetization and neutron diffraction studies on a polycrystalline Tb2Ti3Ge4 sample (orthorhombic Sm5Ge4-type structure, space group Pnma, No. 62) have been carried out. This compound is found to order antiferromagnetically at ~18 K (TN). The magnetization (M) versus field (H) isotherms obtained at 2, 3, 5, and 10 K indicate a field-induced antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition in fields of the order of 0.5 T. The saturation magnetization value at 2.5 K (M extrapolated to 1/H-->0) is only ~5.6µB/Tb3+, suggesting the possible presence of crystal field effects with or without a persisting antiferromagnetic component. Neutron powder diffraction data at 10 K …

Finite Element Model Updating Approach To Damage Identification In Beams, Mohamed Medhat Saada

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Surface And Bulk Passivation Of Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells By Silicon Nitride (H) Layer : Modeling And Experiments, Chuan Li

Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to study passivation effects and mechanisms in Si solar cells, specifically, the surface and bulk passivation by hydrogen-rich PECVD silicon nitride (SiN :H) antireflection layer on multicrystalline silicon (me-Si) solar cells.

The passivation of silicon surface can be achieved in two ways: by field-effect passivation and/or by neutralization of interface states. In other words, the deposition should result in a high value of fixed charge, Qf and /or a low value of interface state density, D1. The surface recombination velocity can be described by Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) statistics.

Current SRH formalisms have failed to explain …

An Investigation Of Students’ Conceptual Understanding In Related Sophomore To Graduate-Level Engineering And Mechanics Courses, Devlin Montfort, Shane Brown, David Pollock

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Interviews were conducted with students from a sophomore-level mechanics of materials class, a sophomore/junior-level structures class, a senior-level steel design class and a graduate-level advanced steel design class to investigate students’ conceptual understanding of bending and normal stress. The graduate students generally demonstrated higher computational skill and confidence but they were not significantly different from the sophomores in terms of conceptual understanding. Interestingly, the seniors showed markedly lower confidence in their ability to solve the problems posed in the interviews. Common difficulties include a conceptual definition of stress and reasoning involving the normal stresses developed under bending.

Characterization Of A Viscoelastic Response From Thin Metal Films Deposited On Silicon For Microsystem Applications, Steven L. Meredith

Master's Theses

Understanding the mechanisms that control the mechanical behavior of microscale actuators is necessary to design an actuator that responds to an applied actuation force with the desired behavior. Micro actuators which employ a diaphragm supported by torsional hinges which deform during actuation are used in many applications where device stability and reliability are critical. The material response to the stress developed within the hinge during actuation controls how the actuator will respond to the actuating force. A fully recoverable non-linear viscoelastic response has been observed in electrostatically driven micro actuators employing torsional hinges of silicon covered with thin metal films. …

Effectiveness Of Thermal Oxidation In Relation To Anterior Cervical Plates, Katherine A. Miyashiro

Master's Theses

Ti-6Al-4V anterior cervical plates (ACP) are used in spinal fusion surgeries to fixate cervical vertebrae during graft adhesion. However, documented cases of implant failure and the potential for ACP corrosion raise concerns regarding any degradation of material resulting from extended implantation. In addition, abrasion during implantation may damage a section of the protective oxide layer, potentially exposing surrounding tissues to the harmful effects of bare titanium, aluminum, and vanadium. Thermal oxidation has been shown to improve corrosion-resistance and wear-resistance, depending on temperature and time. To quantify the attributes of the thermally grown oxide layer, Ti-6Al-4V coupons underwent thermal oxidation treatments …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Agegnehu Atena, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In this paper the lubrication-type dynamical model is developed of a molten, pulsed laser-irradiated metallic film. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single beam or interfering beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the peak laser beam intensity, the film optical thickness, the Biot and …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Agegnehu Atena, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In this paper the lubrication-type dynamical model is developed of a molten, pulsed laser-irradiated metallic film. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single beam or interfering beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the peak laser beam intensity, the film optical thickness, the Biot and …

Synthesis And Dip-Pen Nanolithographical Patterning Of Ferrite Nanoparticles, Jingwen He

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Magnetic nanoparticles are of great interest for researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including magnetic fluids, catalysis, biotechnology/biomedicine, magnetic resonance imaging, data storage, and environmental remediation. Ferrites, a class of ferrimagnetic ceramic compounds with the chemical formula of MFe₂O₄, where M represents any one of several metallic elements such as Mg, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and so on, are commonly used magnetic materials for nanoparticles. Magnetite (Fe3O₄) is the prototype of ferrites. Magnetite nanoparticles have been prepared through the co-precipitation of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ aqueous salt solutions by addition of base. They exhibit a size distribution from 4 nm …

Synthesis And Tribological Properties Of Dlc Film By Rf Pacvd: Effect Of Processing Parameters, Pruthul Desai

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, have gained grounds in many industries ranging from automobile and oil and gas to electronics and bio fields due to their low friction and wear rate, chemical inertness and high hardness. Radio Frequency (RF) plasma discharge has been widely used to produce amorphous carbon films, because this method can be applied not only for etching but also for deposition on insulators. The advantage of RF plasma discharge is the application for wide area and the stability as compared with direct current (DC) plasma. The properties of DLC films deposited by RF plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD) …

Tribological Behavior Of Nanocrystalline Metals Prepared By Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment, Michael Frink

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Nanocrystalline materials have shown great promise for a number of engineering applications ranging from structural and electronics to biomaterials and drug delivery. Nanoscale grain structures can cause tremendous improvements in strength, hardness and other mechanical properties. This is partially due to the suppression of dislocations within nanocrystalline grains and the entirely different deformation modes active at that scale. In spite of anticipated benefits, very little work has been performed to explore nanoscale effects on the tribological behavior of materials. Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) is an effective and economical method to produce nanostructured surface layers in bulk materials. The process …

Thioacetamide As A Sulfur Precursor For Chalcopyrite Thin Film Solar Cells, Alex Alphonse

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Chalcopyrite CuInS₂ (CIS) thin films have the potential to be used in low cost terrestrial photovoltaic applications. The band gap of CIS is around 1.5 eV [1] and it well matches with the solar spectrum. However, the power conversion efficiencies in CIS solar cells are presently limited to 13.2% [2]. CIS absorber layers can be produced in a simple two-stage process consisting of the physical vapor deposition of a Cu-In bilayer - generally with Cu-rich composition - and its subsequent sulfurization under sulfur atmosphere made by either sulfur vapor or H₂S. While sulfur vapor is a safer option than H₂S …

Effect Of Reflow Variables On The Nanoscale Mechanical Properties Of Lead Free Solders, Tonye Adeogba

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

This study presents findings on the nano-mechanical properties of binary and ternary (Cu, Ag) - Sn Solders. Nanoindentation with a cube corner tip was used on Sn-Ag and SAC405 alloy compositions to investigate the effect of reflow process variables on the properties of hardness and reduced modulus on a nanoscale. The specimens tested were sandwich solder joints where Cu was the substrate. While the reflow variables of cooling rate and reflow time were found to cause changes in IMC morphology and solder matrix microstructure, the nano hardness and reduced modulus were independent of these variables. Low max loads coupled with …

Negative Differential Resistance In Hydrated Deoxyribonucleic Acid Thin Films Mediated By Diffusion-Limited Redox Reaction, Hou Kuan Lee

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

The charge transport mechanisms in DNA proposed in the literature cover broad range of possibilities including molecular band conduction, superexchange, multistep hole hopping, and polaron hopping. The reason for the surprisingly diverse results is all the variables in the experiments - DNA sequence, DNA characteristic (single molecule or bundle, DNA length), the metal/DNA contacts, and the environmental dissimilarities in temperature, humidity, etc. In this study, the humidity effect on the electrical conduction in DNA was systematically investigated in a humidity chamber over the wide range of DC voltage. The exponential increase in conduction with increasing humidity was observed for the …

Mechanism Of Wear Protection Of Al-Alloys Using Xanes, Beibei Wang

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

The mechanism of wear protection of Al-Si alloys in wear tests using lubricants containing Zinc dialkyl-dithiophosphate (ZDDP), Dialkyl dithiophosphate (DDP) , Amine phosphates, Thiadiazole, Antimony 0, 0-dialkylphosphorodithioate (SbDDP) was studied. Using techniques such as XANES this study examined the tribological behavior of these compounds and the characteristics of the tribofilms formed by them. High frequency reciprocating rig (HFRB) tests were conducted with lubricant containing these five antiwear additives were compared in both base oil and fully formulated oil. The tribofilms formed were then analyzed by a variety of techniques such as Scanning electron microscopy of the film and the composition …

Synergistic And Antagonistic Effect Of Sulfur-Based Additives On The Performance Of Greases With Zddp And Ptfe, Arunya Suresh

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Lithium-base greases constitute about 50% of the grease market. The current trend is towards developing greases with longer working life and wider application flexibility. To address this concern, greases are blended with antiwear and extreme pressure (EP) additives that serve to reduce wear and increase the operating life of the machinery by creating a low strength, shearable film on the moving surfaces. In the current study, greases were developed to address the need for both performance as prescribed by the ASTM standards D2266 and D2596, respectively. The actual bearing conditions vary significantly with load, rpm and duration of test. These …

Corrosion And Leaching Study Of Low Copper (I) Oxide Paints For Antifouling Application, Hansika Parekh

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Global environmental concern/economy challenges necessitate innovation of AFP's with novel additives offering improved corrosion protection, and biofouling resistance. Dispersing large proportions (40-70%) of Cu/Cu2O in paints although inexpensive produces excessive leaching & heavy accumulation of copper in marine. This study aims at formulating AFP's with reduced Cu2O levels along with novel additives, targeting controlled copper release around 15 ug/cm2/day. In the present study several formulations were prepared using Viscoplex (PAMA in mineral oil), Ionomer ED-SPAN and CuDDP. Substitute ocean water was prepared to simulate marine environmental conditions and perform leaching studies of different formulations. A variety of preliminary elimination tests …

Solar Selective Optical Coating Made With Metal Nanopaticles For Photovoltaic Thermal Applications, Xin Wang

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

The goal of this research is to fabricate solar selective reflector with suitable optical properties and high thermal and chemical stability for using in the photovoltaic thermal window. While the reflector allows some transmittance in visible spectrum, the mid/far infrared light needs to be reflected back into the window minimizing the IR radiation loss. Nickel/alumina composite was proposed as the solar selective reflector. This thesis consists of two parts - one part concerning the fabrication and characterization of solar selective reflector and another dealing with an optical modeling to simulate the optical properties of the solar selective reflector. The alumina …

Growth And Characterization Of Chromium Doped Indium Oxide Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors, Ndubuisi Benjamin Ukah

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Recently, enormous research efforts have been directed at diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) critical for realization for multi-functional spintronic devices. However, the origin of electronic and magnetic properties in DMS is not well understood. This study is aimed to better understand the structural, optical, magnetic, and magneto-transport property relationships of Cr-doped In2O3 (In2O3:Cr) DMS grown under different partial oxygen pressures on sapphire substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique. The thin films were characterized using various state-of-the-art techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS spectroscopy, magnetotransport, and SQUID magnetometer. Expansions in lattice parameter (10.10 Å to 10.34 Å) and crystal size (13.9 …

Influence Of Magnesium Nitrate On The Corrosion Performance Of Sol-Gel Coated Aa2024-T3 Aluminium Alloy, Rajath Varma, Brendan Duffy, John Cassidy

Articles

Traditional anti-corrosion technology has relied heavily on using reducible metal species, predominantly hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), for protecting reactive metal alloys such as aluminium which is extensively used in the aerospace sector. However, the impending changes in the use of Cr(VI) in Europe and the United States have forced aerospace manufacturers to examine alternative materials for protecting aluminium. One of the most promising alternatives being investigated are organosilane based sol-gels containing anticorrosion additives. In this work the anti-corrosion properties of magnesium (II) nitrate (Mg(NO3)2) as a inhibitor was investigated at different concentrations (0.1% - 1.0 wt %) in a methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) …

Anti Wetting Additives For Aluminosilicate Refractories In Molten Aluminum Contact Applications, Devdutt Pramod Shukla

Doctoral Dissertations

"Aluminosilicate based refractories are widely used in furnace installations for melting aluminum because they are inexpensive, readily available and generally exhibit the properties desired from a refractory material. However, they face severe corrosion and degradation issues due to the extremely reducing nature of molten aluminum alloys. Isothermal static cup testing is widely used as a tool to evaluate the performance of refractories against penetration by molten aluminum alloys. Various testing methods were reviewed and an upgraded static cup test was recommended. Commercially available aluminosilicate refractories were tested using this method and their results were studied in order to understand the …

A Computational Study On Novel Carbon-Based Lithium Materials For Hydrogen Storage And The Role Of Carbon In Destabilizing Complex Metal Hydrides, Mohammed Minhaj Ghouri

Doctoral Dissertations

One of the major impediments in the way of the realization of hydrogen economy is the storage of hydrogen gas. This involves both the storage for stationary applications as well as that of storage onboard vehicles for transportation applications. For obvious reasons, the system targets for the automotive applications are more stringent. There are many approaches which are still being researched for the storage of hydrogen for vehicular applications. Among them are the high pressure storage of hydrogen gas and the storing of liquid hydrogen in super insulated cryogenic cylinders. While both of them have been demonstrated practically, the high …

Phase-Field Simulation Of Microstructural Development Induced By Interdiffusion Fluxes Under Multiple Gradients, Rashmi Mohanty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diffuse-interface phase-field model is a powerful method to simulate and predict mesoscale microstructure evolution in materials using fundamental properties of thermodynamics and kinetics. The objective of this dissertation is to develop phase-field model for simulation and prediction of interdiffusion behavior and evolution of microstructure in multiphase binary and ternary systems under composition and/or temperature gradients. Simulations were carried out with emphasis on multicomponent diffusional interactions in single-phase system, and microstructure evolution in multiphase systems using thermodynamics and kinetics of real systems such as Ni-Al and Ni-Cr-Al. In addition, selected experimental studies were carried out to examine interdiffusion and microstructure …

Crystallography Open Database – An Open-Access Collection Of Crystal Structures, Saulius Grazulis, Daniel Chateigner, Robert T. Downs, A. F. T. Yokochi, Miguel Quirós, Luca Lutterotti, Elena Manakova, Justas Butkus, Peter Moeck, Armel Le Bail

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Crystallography Open Database (COD), which is a project that aims to gather all available inorganic, metal–organic and small organic molecule structural data in one database, is described. The database adopts an openaccess model. The COD currently contains 80,000 entries in crystallographic information file format, with nearly full coverage of the International Union of Crystallography publications, and is growing in size and quality.

Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Cell Culture Systems For Modeling Neural Tissue, John P. Frampton

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Two-dimensional (2-D) neural cell culture systems have served as physiological models for understanding the cellular and molecular events that underlie responses to physical and chemical stimuli, control sensory and motor function, and lead to the development of neurological diseases. However, the development of three-dimensional (3-D) cell culture systems will be essential for the advancement of experimental research in a variety of fields including tissue engineering, chemical transport and delivery, cell growth, and cell-cell communication. In 3-D cell culture, cells are provided with an environment similar to tissue, in which they are surrounded on all sides by other cells, structural molecules …