Engineering Commons^™

Ferroelectric Properties Of Langmuir-Blodgett Copolymer Films At The Nanoscale, A. Tolstousov, R. V. Gaynutdinov, R. Tadros-Morgane, Herbert Kliem, Stephen Ducharme, Vladimir M. Fridkin

Stephen Ducharme Publications

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films are well known structures prepared as a result of successive transfer of monolayers (ML) from the gas-liquid interface onto solid substrates. One impressive possibility of LB method is the opportunity to vary the thickness of the film to an accuracy of one transfer, which could coincide with one ML. The ferroelectric properties of a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and trifluorethylene P[VDF-TrFE] prepared by LB deposition are investigated in the region of a few monolayers.

Pairwise Cobalt Doping Of Boron Carbides With Cobaltocene, A. Yu. Ignatov, Yaroslav B. Losovyj, L. Carlson, D. Lagraffe, Jennifer I. Brand, Peter A. Dowben

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

We have performed Co K-edge x-ray absorption fine structure and x-ray absorption near edge structure measurements of Co-doped plasma enhanced chemical vapor phase deposition (PECVD) grown “C₂B₁₀H_x” semiconducting boron carbides, using cobaltocene. Cobalt does not dope PECVD grown boron carbides as a random fragment of the cobaltocene source gas. The Co atoms are fivefold boron coordinated (R=2.10±0.02 Å) and are chemically bonded to the icosahedral cages of B₁₀CH_x or B₉C₂H_y. Pairwise Co doping occurs, with the cobalt atoms favoring sites some 5.28±0.02 …

Cluster-Assembled Iron-Platinum Nanocomposite Permanent Magnets, Xiangxin Rui, Zhiguang Sun, Yinfan Xu, David J. Sellmyer, Jeffrey E. Shield

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

Exchange-spring nanocomposite permanent magnets have received a great deal of attention for their potential for improved the energy products. Predicted results, however, has been elusive. Optimal properties rely on a uniformly fine nanostructure. Particularly, the soft magnetic phase must be below approximately 10 nm to ensure complete exchange coupling. Inert gas condensation (IGC) is an ideal processing route to produce sub-10 nm clusters method. Two distinct nanostructures have been produced. In the first, Fe clusters were embedded in an FePt matrix by alternate deposition from two sources. Fe cluster content ranged from 0 to 30 volume percent. Post-deposition multi-step heat …

Electron Effective Mass And Phonon Modes In Gaas Incorporating Boron And Indium, Tino Hofmann, Mathias Schubert, G. Leibiger, V. Gottschalch

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The strain-free boron- and indium-containing GaAs compounds are promising candidates for III-V semiconductor solar cell absorber materials with lattice match to GaAs, for which experimental data of the electronic band structure are widely unknown. For nondegenerate, silicon-doped, n-type B_0.03In_0.06Ga_0.91As with band-gap energy of 1.36 eV, determined by near-infrared ellipsometry, a strong increase of the electron effective mass of 44% in B0.03In0.06Ga0.91As compared to In_0.06Ga_0.94As is obtained from far-infrared magneto-optic generalized ellipsometry studies. The authors thereby obtain the vibrational lattice mode behavior. For BAs, an experimentally obscure compound, the curvature …

Surface Modification Of 6h-Sic Under Vacuum Annealing Studied By Time Of Flight Positron Annihilation Induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Saurabh Mukherjee

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis presents the first study of vacuum annealing of 6H- SiC surface using Time-of-Flight-Positron Annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy(TOF-PAES) . The study was the first application of a TOF-PAES spectrometer to the SiC. The increased efficiency of the TOF-PAES allows us to see simultaneously for the first time Si-LVV, C-KVV, O-KVV peaks in the PAES spectrum for SiC. The top layer surface concentrations of C, O and Si were monitored by TOF-PAES surface. The results indicate that the SiC surface was initially covered with a layer containing oxygen but largely devoid of Si which was subsequently removed as a …

Thermodynamic Studies On The Synthesis Of Nitrides And Epitaxial Growth Of Ingan, Zinki Monga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitride semiconductor materials have been used in a variety of applications, such as LEDs, lasers, photovoltaic cells and medical applications. If incandescent bulbs could be replaced by white GaN LEDs, they would not only provide compactness and longer lifetime, but this would also result in huge energy savings. A renewed interest in InGaN emerged recently after it was discovered that the band gap for InN is 0.7eV, instead of the previously published value of 1.9eV. Thus InGaN solid solutions cover almost the whole visible spectrum, from a band gap of 3.34eV for GaN and 0.7eV for InN. Hence, InGaN can …

Dimesionality Aspects Of Nano Micro Integrated Metal Oxide Based Early Stage Leak Detection Room Temperature Hydrogen Sensor, Sameer Arun Deshpande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detection of explosive gas leaks such as hydrogen (H2) becomes key element in the wake of counter-terrorism threats, introduction of hydrogen powered vehicles and use of hydrogen as a fuel for space explorations. In recent years, a significant interest has developed on metal oxide nanostructured sensors for the detection of hydrogen gas. Gas sensors properties such as sensitivity, selectivity and response time can be enhanced by tailoring the size, the shape, the structure and the surface of the nanostructures. Sensor properties (sensitivity, selectivity and response time) are largely modulated by operating temperature of the device. Issues like instability of nanostructures …

Mechanisms Of Lifetime Improvement In Thermal Barrier Coatings With Hf And/Or Y Modification Of Cmsx-4 Superalloy Substrates, Jing Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In modern turbine engines for propulsion and energy generation, thermal barrier coating (TBCs) protect hot-section blades and vanes, and play a critical role in enhancing reliability, durability and operation efficiency. In this study, thermal cyclic lifetime and microstructural degradation of electron beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) with (Ni,Pt)Al bond coat and Hf- and/or Y- modified CMSX-4 superalloy substrates were examined. Thermal cyclic lifetime of TBCs was measured using a furnace thermal cycle test that consisted of 10-minute heat-up, 50-minute dwell at 1135C, and 10-minute forced-air-quench. TBC lifetime was observed to improve from 600 cycles to over …

The Effect Of The Rate Of Precursor Production On The Purity And Aggregation Morphology Of Nanoparticulate Zinc Oxide, Grainne Duffy, Suresh Pillai, Declan Mccormack

Articles

The synthesis of zinc oxide through the decomposition of a solid oxalate precursor was
investigated. It was found that the rate of preparation of the precursor had a quantitative effect on
the morphology and extent of surface ligation of particles produced; contrary to our expectations,
it was found that the slow combination of reagents led to a less pure product. It has been
determined that this time dependence mimics the variation of reactant ratios. Zinc oxide particles
were produced from a number of reactant ratios, and were characterised by TEM, XRD, FT-IR
and DSC. It was found that the size …

Growth Of Mc3t3-El Pre-Osteoblasts On Borate Containing Glasses & Growth Of Osteoblastic Cells On 13-93 Glass Scaffolds, Agatha Dwilewicz

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Three borate-based glasses, compositions designated 1B, 2B, and 3B, with B₂0₃ levels of 15, 31, and 46 mole percent (Table 1), respectively, were tested for their effects on the growth of MC3T3-El mouse pre-osteoblastic cells under physiological fluid conditions. Silicate type 45S5 glass was used as a control for comparison. Independently, the biocompatibility of recently developed silicate-based porous 13-93 bioactive glass scaffolds was tested; Saos-2 human osteosarcoma cell line was used. Tests performed for the two studies included: contact assays of cell growth at the glass interface, chemical analysis of borate released into the culture medium, quantitative …

Processing And Study Of Carbon Nanotube / Polymer Nanocomposites And Polymer Electrolyte Materials, Muthuraman Harish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first part of the study deals with the preparation of carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposite materials. The dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a co-solvent and its subsequent use in polymer nanocomposite fabrication is reported. The use of carbon nanotube/ polymer nanocomposite system for the fabrication of organic solar cells is also studied. TFA is a strong but volatile acid which is miscible with many commonly used organic solvents. Our study demonstrates that MWNTs can be effectively purified and readily dispersed in a range of organic solvents including dimethyl formamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dichloromethane when …

Low Temperature Nitife Shape Memory Alloys: Actuator Engineering And Investigation Of Deformation Mechanisms Using In Situ Neutr, Vinu Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shape memory alloys are incorporated as actuator elements due to their inherent ability to sense a change in temperature and actuate against external loads by undergoing a shape change as a result of a temperature-induced phase transformation. The cubic so-called austenite to the trigonal so-called R-phase transformation in NiTiFe shape memory alloys offers a practical temperature range for actuator operation at low temperatures, as it exhibits a narrow temperature-hysteresis with a desirable fatigue response. Overall, this work is an investigation of selected science and engineering aspects of low temperature NiTiFe shape memory alloys. The scientific study was performed using in …

Vacancy Engineered Doped And Undoped Nanocrystalline Rare Earth Oxide Particles For High Temperature Oxidation Resistant Coating, Ranjith Thanneeru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rare earth oxides with trivalent lattice dopants have been of great interest to researchers in the recent years due to its potential applications in catalysis and high temperature protective coatings. The ability to store oxygen in rare earths is the basis for catalysis because of the ability to change valence states which causes the presence of intrinsic oxygen vacancies in the crystal lattice. Although, several doped-rare earth oxide systems in micron scale have been investigated, the doping effect in cerium oxide nanoparticles with well characterized particle size has not been studied. The doping of ceria at that small size can …

Irradiation And Metal-Containing Conjugated-Polymer Nanocomposites, Frank D. Blum, Zhe-Fei Li, Sunil K. Pillalamarri, Massimo F. Bertino

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in inorganic/organic hybrid materials that combine the desirable properties of both classes. These composite materials may find significant application in a variety of applications such as sensors, memory and energy conversion, to name just a few. In our laboratories, we have recently made a series of studies on the production of polymer nanofibers and their composites with nanometals. Much of this work has focused on the production of polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers that have been made from one-pot syntheses in aqueous solutions where the polymerization was influenced by -radiation1 or UV-radiation.2 in the …

Preparation Of Bioactive Glasses With Controllable Degradation Behavior And Their Bioactive Characterization, Aihua Yao, Deping Wang, Qiang Fu, M. N. Rahaman, Wen-Hai Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bioactive glasses and ceramics have been widely investigated for bone repair because of their excel-lent bioactive characteristics. However, these biomaterials undergo incomplete conversion into a bone-like material, which severely limits their biomedical application. In this paper, borosilicate bioac-tive glasses were prepared by traditional melting process. The results showed that borosilicate glasses possessed high biocompatibility and bioactivity. In addition, when immersed in a 0.02 mol/L K2HPO4 solution, particles of a borate glass were fully converted to HA. The desirable conversion rate to HA may be achieved through the adjustment of the B2O3/SiO2 ratio. The results of XRD and FTIR analysis indicated …

Iii Finishing, Lapping, Honing And Polishing: Processes, Characterisation And Novel Techniques-Experimental Research On Ultra-Smooth Surface Polishing Based On Two-Dimensional Vibration Of Liquid, Zhong Ning Guo, X. Z. Huang, Z. G. Huang, Z. Q. Yu, T. M. Yue, Wing Bun Lee

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development And Application Of A High-Resolution Thin-Film Probe, Shaohua Li, Kuifeng Hu, Daryl G. Beetner, James L. Drewniak, James N. Reck, Matthew O'Keefe, Kai Wang, Xiaopeng Dong, Kevin P. Slattery

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper documents the development, characterization, and application of a high-resolution thin-film magnetic-field probe. Probe diameter ranged from 5-μm to 100-μm. The 100-μm probe exhibits a 250-7μm improvement in spatial resolution compared to a conventional loop probe, measured at a height of 250 μm over differential traces with a 118-μm spacing. Electric field rejection was improved using shielding and using a 180-degree hybrid junction to separate common-mode (electric field) and differential-mode (primarily magnetic field) coupling. A network analyzer with narrow band filtering was used to detect the relatively weak signal from the probe and to allow detection of phase information. …

Process Development For The Formation Of Post-Bonding Biorecognition Layers In Microfluidic Biosensors, Martin G. Perez, Phaninder R. Kanikella, James N. Reck, Chang-Soo Kim, Matthew O'Keefe

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Formation of the biorecognition layers within microfluidic sensor channels must be done after the completion of the channel structure since these layers cannot withstand the wafer bonding temperature. We propose a new post-bonding immobilization process to prepare the enzyme layers within microfluidic channels of electrochemical biosensors. An array of Pt vertical electrodes is electroplated using a SU-8 mold. The cured SU-8 is then removed by plasma etching to expose the Pt electrode and to define the fluidic channel cavity simultaneously. An array of enzyme posts is formed on the Pt surface by either electropolymerizing or photopolymerizing enzyme precursor solutions injected …

Dielectric Anisotropy And Phonon Modes Of Ordered Indirect-Gap Al0.52In0.48P Studied By Far-Infrared Ellipsometry, Tino Hofmann, V. Gottschalch, Mathias Schubert

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The infrared (100–600 cm⁻¹) optical properties of partially CuPt-type ordered Al_0.52In_0.48P deposited lattice matched on GaAs are studied by ellipsometry. The authors determine the ordinary and extraordinary dielectric functions and report on the evolution of the optical phonon mode frequencies of Al_0.52In_0.48P as a function of the degree of ordering. In addition to the InP- and AlP-like phonon modes, they observe two alloy-induced phonon modes which are anisotropic upon CuPt ordering. The observed modes are associated to vibrations with E and A₁ symmetries. The alloy-induced phonon modes are useful …

Demonstration Of An Ultraviolet Zno-Based Optically Pumped Third Order Distributed Feedback Laser, Daniel Hofstetter, Yargo Bonetti, Fabrizio Giorgetta, Abdel-Hamid El-Shaer, Andrey Bakin, Andreas Waag, Rudiger Schmidt-Grund, Mathias Schubert, Marius Grundmann

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The authors demonstrate an optically pumped ZnO distributed feedback laser operating at 383 nm. For a large temperature range between 10 and 270 K, the device lased in a single longitudinal mode. Mode selection was accomplished via a third order diffraction grating, which was dry etched into a 120 nm thick Si₃N₄ layer deposited on the ZnO active region. They observed a spectral linewidth of 0.4 nm, a pump threshold intensity of 0.12 MW/cm², and a peak output power of 14 mW. From wavelength versus temperature measurements, they deduced a temperature tuning coefficient of the …

Creating Micro- And Nanostructures On Tubular And Spherical Surfaces, O. Lima, L. Tan, A. Goel, Mehrdad Negahban, Z. Li

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The authors developed a new technique to create micro- and nanometer scale structures on curved free-standing objects by combining embossing/imprinting lithography approaches with mechanical loadings on elastic films. Embossing/imprinting generates small structures and mechanical loading determines shape or geometry of the final object. As a result, a portion of the tubes with a radius between 0.5 and 3.5 mm and a portion of the spheres with a radius between 2.4 and 7.0 mm were fabricated with grating line features (period of 700 nm) and microlens array features (lens radius of 2.5 µm) atop, respectively. It was found that both static …

Dielectric Constants And Phonon Modes Of Amorphous Hafnium Aluminate Deposited By Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition, C. Bundesmann, O. Buiu, S. Hall, Mathias Schubert

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

Dielectric constants and long-wavelength optical phonon modes of amorphous hafnium aluminate films with a maximum aluminum content of 19 at. % are studied by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE). The hafnium aluminate films were prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on silicon substrates. IRSE revealed one polar lattice mode and one impurity-type mode, which show all a systematic shift in frequency with varying Al content. The static dielectric constant decreases from 10.1 for 4.6 at. % Al to 8.1 for 19 at. % Al. The absolute values were found to be between 50% and 70% smaller than the values obtained …

Sequential Stretching Lithography, Haojing Lin, Ocelio V. Lima, Li Tan, Zheng Li, Jiangyu Li

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

We developed an embossing/imprinting based nanofabrication technique, dubbed sequential stretching lithography (SSL). In this process, a master pattern is imprinted into an elastomer containing a film of uncured elastomer. The elastomer is cured and then elongated to increase feature density and reduce feature size. Replication of this substrate yields a new master that can be used in further reduction steps. One-dimensional grating features with a pitch size below 200 nm were fabricated from 750 nm-pitch grating lines. This process gives us a faithful pattern miniaturization in all aspects and, as a result, a much effective control on density and dimension …

Nonvolatile Two-Terminal Molecular Memory, Jason Snodgrass, Glen Kennedy, Wai-Ning Mei, Renat F. Sabirianov

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

We propose a nonvolatile two-terminal memory device with two resistance states based on the molecular tunnel junctions. This tunnel junction is composed of one or a few monolayers of polar molecules sandwiched between two electrodes made of materials with different screening length. As a prototype model system we study a rare earth endohedral metallofullerene molecule with reversible dipole moment sandwiched between metal and semiconducting electrodes, forming a double barrier junction. We use the Thomas-Fermi model to calculate the potential profile across the device. Calculated tunneling conductance through the proposed structure changes by order of magnitude upon the reversal of the …

Influence Of Van Der Waals Forces On Increasing The Strength And Toughness In Dynamic Fracture Of Nanofibre Networks: A Peridynamic Approach, Florin Bobaru Ph.D.

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

The peridynamic method is used here to analyse the effect of van der Waals forces on the mechanical behaviour and strength and toughness properties of three-dimensional nanofibre networks under imposed stretch deformation. The peridynamic formulation allows for a natural inclusion of long-range forces (such as van der Waals forces) by considering all interactions as ‘long-range’. We use van der Waals interactions only between different fibres and do not need to model individual atoms. Fracture is introduced at the microstructural (peridynamic bond) level for the microelastic type bonds, while van der Waals bonds can reform at any time. We conduct statistical …

Process Development And Applications Of A Dry Film Photoresist, Phaninder R. Kanikella

Masters Theses

"In this study, dry film photoresist was patterned using UV lithography and the sidewall profile was optimized to achieve vertical sidewalls. Sidewall verticality of dry film is very important for better pattern transfer"--Abstract, page iv.

Friction Stir Processing Of Cast Magnesium Alloys, Timothy A. Freeney

Masters Theses

"This thesis investigates the feasibility and benefits of using friction stir processing as a thermo-mechanical microstructural modification tool for local property enhancement or casting repair of magnesium alloys, specifically high strength EV31A and WE43"--Abstract, page iv.

Fracture Toughness Of Ceramic Moulds For Investment Casting With Ice Patterns, Qingbin Liu, Ming-Chuan Leu, Von Richards

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ice patterns can be used to make ceramic investment moulds for metal castings. Owing to the characteristics of ice, the ceramic mould must be made at subzero temperatures and consequently, requires a different formulation than shells built at room temperature. Success of this process depends greatly on the fracture toughness of mould materials. The present paper describes the experimental results of fracture toughness of mould materials processed from different compositions. The Taguchi method was used to reduce the trial runs. The parameters considered included the ratio of fibre containing fused silica and aluminosilicate powders, the volume of binder and the …

Thermal Conductivity Improvement In Carbon Nanoparticle Doped Pao Oil: An Experimental Study, Shadab Shaikh, Khalid Lafdi, Rengasamy Ponnappan

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The present work involves a study on the thermal conductivity of nanoparticle-oil suspensions for three types of nanoparticles, namely, carbon nanotubes(CNTs), exfoliated graphite (EXG), and heat treated nanofibers (HTT) with PAO oil as the base fluid. To accomplish the above task, an experimental analysis is performed using a modern light flash technique (LFA 447) for measuring the thermal conductivity of the three types of nanofluids, for different loading of nanoparticles.

The experimental results show a similar trend as observed in literature for nanofluids with a maximum enhancement of approximately 161% obtained for the CNT-PAO oil suspension. The overall percent enhancements …

Experimental Study On The Influence Of Foam Porosity And Pore Size On The Melting Of Phase Change Materials, Khalid Lafdi, Osama Mesalam Mesalhy, Shadab Shaikh

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental study was carried out to study the phase change heat transfer within a composite of phase change material (PCM) infiltrated high thermal conductivity foam. An experimental setup was built to measure the temperature profiles and capture the melting evolution of the PCM inside aluminum foams. Aluminum foams were used as the porous material, and low melting temperature paraffin wax was used as the PCM. It was observed from the results that the system parameters of the wax/foam composite had a significant influence on its heat transfer behavior.

By using higher porosity aluminum foam, the steady-state temperature was reached faster …