Engineering Commons^™

Tying Together Multiscale Calculations For Charge Transport In P3ht: Structural Descriptors, Morphology, And Tie-Chains, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Evaluating new, promising organic molecules to make next-generation organic optoelectronic devices necessitates the evaluation of charge carrier transport performance through the semi-conducting medium. In this work, we utilize quantum chemical calculations (QCC) and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations to predict the zero-field hole mobilities of ~100 morphologies of the benchmark polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene), with varying simulation volume, structural order, and chain-length polydispersity. Morphologies with monodisperse chains were generated previously using an optimized molecular dynamics force-field and represent a spectrum of nanostructured order. We discover that a combined consideration of backbone clustering and system-wide disorder arising from side-chain conformations are correlated with …

A Highly Sensitive, Polarization Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensor Operating In The Thz Regime, Sohel Rana, Nirmala Kandadai, Harish Subbaraman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a high sensitivity, polarization preserving photonic crystal fiber (PCF), based on circular air holes for sensing in the terahertz (THz) band, is presented. The finite element method, a practical and precise computational technique for describing the interactions between light and matter, is used to compute the modal properties of the designed fiber. For the designed PCF, comprising of circular air holes in both the cladding and in the porous core, a relative sensitivity of 73.5% and a high birefringence of 0.013 are achieved at 1.6 THz. The all circular air-hole structure, owing to its simplicity and compatibility …

Developing A Non-Cooperative Optimization Model For Water And Crop Area Allocation Based On Leader-Follower Game, Abbas Sedghamiz, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Manouchehr Heidarpour, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a mathematical model for conflict resolution among a diverse set of agricultural water users in Golestan province, Iran, is developed. Given the bi-level nature of the distribution of power in the current problem, a combination of Leader–Follower game and Nash–Harsanyi bargaining solution method is employed to find optimal water and crop area allocations. The Golestan Regional Water Authority is the leader in this setting, controlling the total water allocations; and the agricultural sectors are the followers, competing over the allocated water. Two objectives for the leader are (i) maximizing profits, and (ii) maximizing share of green water …

Understanding Track Substructure Behavior: Field Instrumentation Data Analysis And Development Of Numerical Models, Huseyin Boler, Debakanta Mishra, Wenting Hou, Erol Tutumluer

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous studies have targeted using numerical modeling, field instrumentation, or combinations of both to gain insight into track substructure behavior under loading. In-depth understanding of track substructure behavior serving both passenger and freight trains is critical to developing suitable design and maintenance/rehabilitation methods to ensure adequate performance under loading. This manuscript presents findings from a recently completed study involving advanced instrumentation and numerical modeling to investigate track substructure-related issues at several problematic railroad bridge approaches in the United States. Multi-Depth Deflectometers (MDDs) were installed to measure transient as well as plastic deformations experienced by track substructure layers under loading. Strain …

A New Normal For Streamflow In California In A Warming Climate: Wetter Wet Seasons And Drier Dry Seasons, Iman Mallakpour, Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir Aghakouchak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, we investigate changes in future streamflows in California using bias-corrected and routed streamflows derived from global climate model (GCM) simulations under representative concentration pathways (RCPs): RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Unlike previous studies that have focused mainly on the mean streamflow, annual maxima or seasonality, we focus on projected changes across the distribution of streamflow and the underlying causes. We report opposing trends in the two tails of the future streamflow simulations: lower low flows and higher high flows with no change in the overall mean of future flows relative to the historical baseline (statistically significant at 0.05 level). …

Optimization And Validation Of Efficient Models For Predicting Polythiophene Self-Assembly, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Michael M. Henry, Paul Chery, Kyle Miller, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We develop an optimized force-field for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and demonstrate its utility for predicting thermodynamic self-assembly. In particular, we consider short oligomer chains, model electrostatics and solvent implicitly, and coarsely model solvent evaporation. We quantify the performance of our model to determine what the optimal system sizes are for exploring self-assembly at combinations of state variables. We perform molecular dynamics simulations to predict the self-assembly of P3HT at ~350 combinations of temperature and solvent quality. Our structural calculations predict that the highest degrees of order are obtained with good solvents just below the melting temperature. We find our model produces …

A Hybrid Clustering-Fusion Methodology For Land Subsidence Estimation, Narges Taravatrooy, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Mojtaba Sadegh, Mohammad Parvinnia

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A hybrid clustering-fusion methodology is developed in this study that employs Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization method, k-means method, and several soft computing (SC) models to better estimate land subsidence. Estimation of land subsidence is important in planning and management of groundwater resources to prevent associated catastrophic damages. Methods such as the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) can be used to estimate the subsidence rate, but PS-InSAR does not offer the required efficiency and accuracy in noisy pixels (obtained from remote sensing). Alternatively, a fusion-based methodology can be used to estimate subsidence rate, which offers a superior accuracy as …

Effect Of Geogrid Reinforcement On Railroad Ballast Performance Evaluated Through Triaxial Testing And Discrete Element Modeling, Yu Qian, Erol Tutumluer, Debakanta Mishra, Hasan Kazmee

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Geogrids have been found to effectively improve the performance of unbound aggregate layers in transportation applications by providing confinement and arresting movement through interlock between individual aggregate particles and their apertures. Geogrid reinforcement offers an effective remedial measure when railroad track structures are susceptible to track geometry defects resulting from excessive movement and particle reorientation within the ballast layer. This paper presents an ongoing research study at the University of Illinois aimed at quantifying the effects of geogrid reinforcement on the shear strength and permanent deformation behavior of railroad ballast. Geogrids with triangular, rectangular, and square apertures were tested in …

Magnetic And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Transition Metal Doped Mos2 Nanocrystals, Karthik Chinnathambi

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, the magnetic and electrocatalytic properties of hydrothermally grown transition metal doped (10% of Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn) 2H-MoS₂ nanocrystals (NCs) with a particle size 25–30 nm are reported. The pristine 2H-MoS₂ NCs showed a mixture of canted anti-ferromagnetic and ferromagnetic behavior. While Co, Ni, and Fe doped MoS₂ NCs revealed room temperature ferromagnetism, Mn doped MoS₂ NCs showed room temperature paramagnetism, predominantly. The ground state of all the materials is found to be canted-antiferromagnetic phase. To study electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction, polarization curves were measured for undoped and the doped …

Optimal And Objective Placement Of Sensors In Water Distribution Systems Using Information Theory, Mohammad S. Khorshidi, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Optimization-based deployment of contamination warning system in water distribution systems has been widely used in the literature, due to their superior performance compared to rule- and opinion-based approaches. However, optimization techniques impose an excessive computational burden, which in turn is compensated for by shrinking the problem’s decision space and/or using faster optimization algorithms with less accuracy. This imposes subjectivity in interpretation of the system and associated risks, and undermines model’s accuracy by not exploring the entire feasible space. We propose a framework that uses information theoretic techniques, including value of information and transinformation entropy, for optimal sensor placement. This can …

Carbon-Coated Fep Nanoparticles Anchored On Carbon Nanotube Networks As Anode For Long-Life Sodium-Ion Storage, Chunrong Ma, Zhengguang Fu, Changjian Deng, Xiaozhen Liao, Yushi He, Zifeng Ma, Hui Xiong

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A novel electrode design strategy of carbon-coated FeP particles anchored on a conducting carbon nanotube network (CNT@FePC) is designed to achieve a superior sodium ion storage. Such a unique structure demonstrated excellent long-life cycling stability (a 95% capacity retention for more than 1200 cycles at 3 A g^-1) and rate capability (delivered 272 mAh g^-1 at 8 A g^-1).

Using Graphs To Quantify Energetic And Structural Order In Semicrystalline Oligothiophene Thin Films, Ellen Van, Matthew Jones, Eric Jankowski, Olga Wodo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In semicrystalline conjugated polymer thin films, the mobility of charges depends on the arrangement of the individual polymer chains. In particular, the ordering of the polymer backbones affects the charge transport within the film, as electron transfer generally occurs along the backbones with alternating single and double bonds. In this paper, we demonstrate that polymer ordering should be discussed not only in terms of structural but also energetic ordering of polymer chains. We couple data from molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemical calculations to quantify both structural and energetic ordering of polymer chains. We leverage a graph-based representation of the …

Interference Mitigating Satellite Broadcast Receiver Using Reduced Complexity List-Based Detection In Correlated Noise, Zohair Abu-Shaban, Hani Mehrpouyan, Bhavani Shankar M.R., Björn Ottersten

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recent commercial trends towards using smaller dish antennas for satellite receivers, and the growing density of broadcasting satellites, necessitate the application of robust adjacent satellite interference (ASI) cancellation schemes. This orbital density growth along with the wider beamwidth of a smaller dish have imposed an overloaded scenario at the satellite receiver, where the number of transmitting satellites exceeds the number of receiving elements at the dish antenna. To ensure successful operation in this practical scenario, we propose a satellite receiver that enhances signal detection from the desired satellite by mitigating the interference from neighboring satellites. Towards this objective, we …

Nonprehensile Manipulation Of Deformable Objects: Achievements And Perspectives From The Rodyman Project, Aykut C. Satici

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of this work is to disseminate the results achieved so far within the RODYMAN project related to planning and control strategies for robotic nonprehensile manipulation. The project aims at advancing the state of the art of nonprehensile dynamic manipulation of rigid and deformable objects to future enhance the possibility of employing robots in anthropic environments. The final demonstrator of the RODYMAN project will be an autonomous pizza maker. This article is a milestone to highlight the lessons learned so far and pave the way towards future research directions and critical discussions.

Boron-Implanted Silicon Substrates For Physical Adsorption Of Dna Origami, Sadao Takabayashi, Shohei Kotani, Juan Flores-Estrada, Elijah Spears, Jennifer E. Padilla, Lizandra C. Godwin, Elton Graugnard, Wan Kuang, William L. Hughes

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

DNA nanostructures routinely self-assemble with sub-10 nm feature sizes. This capability has created industry interest in using DNA as a lithographic mask, yet with few exceptions, solution-based deposition of DNA nanostructures has remained primarily academic to date. En route to controlled adsorption of DNA patterns onto manufactured substrates, deposition and placement of DNA origami has been demonstrated on chemically functionalized silicon substrates. While compelling, chemical functionalization adds fabrication complexity that limits mask efficiency and hence industry adoption. As an alternative, we developed an ion implantation process that tailors the surface potential of silicon substrates to facilitate adsorption of DNA nanostructures …

Structural Evolution Of Molybdenum Disulfide Prepared By Atomic Layer Deposition For Realization Of Large Scale Films In Microelectronic Applications, Steven Letourneau, Elton Graugnard

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) films are attractive materials for electronic and optoelectronic devices, but the temperatures used in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of these materials are too high for device integration. Recently, a low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) process was demonstrated for growth of MoS₂ films at 200 °C using MoF₆ and H₂S. However, the as-deposited films were amorphous and required annealing to obtain the desired layered structure. The MoS₂ films were sulfur-deficient; however, after annealing the crystallinity improved. To study the structure of these films and the process by which they crystallize, …

Electropolishing Valve Metals With A Sulfuric Acid-Methanol Electrolyte At Low Temperature, Pete Barnes, Andreas Savva, Kiev Dixon, Hailey Bull, Laura Rill, Devan Karsann, Sterling Croft, Jesse Schimpf, Hui Xiong

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study reports the electropolishing Ti and Nb metals using a fluoride-free electrolyte of sulfuric acid and methanol at low temperature (-70°C) without prior treatment. A fluoride-free electrolyte provides a less hazardous and more environmentally friendly option for electropolishing procedure. Experimental studies are presented on electropolishing with sulfuric acid electrolyte, which provides high quality macro- and micro-smoothing of the metal surfaces. Optimal conditions yielded leveling and brightening of the surface of Ti and Nb metals beyond that of the currently utilized electropolishing procedures with fluoride-containing electrolytes. The root mean squared roughness (R_q) from atomic force microscopy (AFM) …

Introducing The Boise State Bangla Handwriting Dataset And An Efficient Offline Recognizer Of Isolated Bangla Characters, Nishatul Majid, Elisa H. Barney Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This introduces the Boise State Bangla Handwriting Dataset, a publicly accessible offline handwriting dataset of Bangla script. This can be found at https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/saipl/1/

A basic character recognition method is presented where the features are extracted based on zonal pixel counts, structural strokes and grid points with U-SURF descriptors modeled with bag of features.

Benchmarking with this approach on 3 other publicly available Bangla datasets is reported. The highest classification accuracy obtained with an SVM classifier based on a cubic kernel is 96.8%.

Climate-Informed Environmental Inflows To Revive A Drying Lake Facing Meteorological And Anthropogenic Droughts, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The rapid shrinkage of Lake Urmia, one of the world’s largest saline lakes located in northwestern Iran, is a tragic wake-up call to revisit the principles of water resources management based on the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The overarching goal of this paper is to set a framework for deriving dynamic, climate-informed environmental inflows for drying lakes considering both meteorological/climatic and anthropogenic conditions. We report on the compounding effects of meteorological drought and unsustainable water resource management that contributed to Lake Urmia’s contemporary environmental catastrophe. Using rich datasets of hydrologic attributes, water demands and withdrawals, as well …

Investigating The Pavement Vibration Response For Roadway Service Condition Evaluation, Zhoujing Ye, Yang Lu, Linbing Wang

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dynamic response of pavement provides service condition information and helps with damage prediction, while limited research is available with the simulation of pavement vibration response for evaluating roadway service condition. +is paper presents a numerical model for the analysis of the pavement vibration due to the dynamic load created by a passing vehicle. A quarter vehicle model was used for the determination of the vehicle moving load. Both random and spatial characteristics of the load were considered. The random nonuniform moving load was then introduced in a 3D finite element model for the determination of the traffic-induced pavement vibration. The …

Electronic Structure, Pore Size Distribution, And Sorption Characterization Of An Unusual Mof, {[Ni(Dpbz)][Ni(Cn)4]}N, Dpbz = 1,4-Bis(4-Pyridyl)Benzene, Winnie Wong-Ng, Izaak Williamson, Matthew Lawson, Daniel W. Siderus, Jeffrey T. Culp, Yu-S. Chen, Lan Li

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The monoclinic (Ni(L)[Ni(CN)₄] (L= 1,4-Bis(4-pyridyl) benzene) compound (defined as Ni-dpbz) is a flexible metal organic framework which assumes a pillared structure with layers defined by 2D Ni[Ni(CN)₄]_n nets and dpbz ligands as pillars. The structure features an entrapped dpbz ligand that links between the open ends of four-fold Ni sites from two neighboring chains. This arrangement results in an unusual 5-fold pseudo square-pyramid environment for Ni and a significantly long Ni-N distance of 2.369(4) Å. Using Density Functional Theory calculations, the different bonding characteristics between the 5-fold and 6-fold Ni's were determined. We found that …

De-Risking Transdisciplinary Research By Creating Shared Values, Donna C. Llewellyn, William L. Hughes

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This Lessons Learned Paper describes a yearlong faculty development pilot program that was designed to help a team of faculty de-risk their pursuit of wicked research problems. Wicked problems are extraordinarily difficult to solve due to their incomplete, contradictory, and at times changing requirements. They often include multiple stakeholders with competing interests and worldviews. As a result, they are risky by definition because they are difficult to fund, publish, and collaborate on. Presented here, a team of eleven faculty, from six different academic units, explored their personal and professional values during an initial off-site two and a half day retreat. …

The Crux: Promoting Success In Calculus Ii, Doug Bullock, Janet Callahan, Jocelyn B. S. Cullers

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the 2013-14 school year, Boise State University (BSU) launched a major overhaul of Calculus I. The details of the reform, described elsewhere, involved both pedagogical and curricular changes. In subsequent years, we developed several assessment tools to measure the effects of the project on students’ grades and retention. The toolkit includes: (1) pass rate and GPA in Calculus I, (2) longitudinal analysis of pass rates and GPA in subsequent courses, (3) impact of Calculus I on retention in STEM and retention at BSU, (4) all of the above comparing students in reformed Calculus vs traditional Calculus, (5) all of …

Work In Progress: Institutional Context And The Implementation Of The Redshirt In Engineering Model At Six Universities, Ann Delaney, Donna C. Llewellyn, Janet Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Low-income students are underrepresented in engineering and are more likely to struggle in engineering programs. Such students may be academically talented and perform well in high school, but may have relatively weak academic preparation for college compared to students who attended better-resourced schools. Four-year engineering and computer science curricula are designed for students who are calculus-ready, but many students who are eager to become engineers or computer scientists need additional time and support to succeed. The NSF-funded Redshirt in Engineering Consortium was formed in 2016 as a collaborative effort to build on the success of three existing “academic Redshirt” programs …

The Redshirt In Engineering Consortium: Progress And Early Insights, Janet Callahan, Donna C. Llewellyn, Ann E. Delaney

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The NSF-funded Redshirt in Engineering Consortium was formed in 2016 with the goal of enhancing the ability of academically talented but underprepared students coming from lowincome backgrounds to successfully graduate with engineering degrees. The Consortium takes its name from the practice of redshirting in college athletics, with the idea of providing an extra year and support to help promising engineering students complete a bachelor’s degree. The Consortium builds on the success of three existing “academic redshirt” programs and expands the model to three new schools. The Existing Redshirt Institutions (ERIs) help mentor and train the new Student Success Partners (SSPs), …

Valuing Women’S Contributions: Team Projects And Collaborative Writing, Jennifer C. Mallette, Harold Ackler

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Team projects offer opportunities for student engineers to learn how to work on a team and produce collaborative written reports. However, research has shown that women often do more writing during these projects, and that their writing labor is unrecognized or undervalued, particularly when the technical work is viewed as more essential. In this paper, we examine the results of a study focused on the writing component in a year-long senior capstone materials science and engineering (MSE) course sequence. This course requires students to complete projects for clients and produce a written report, among other deliverables. To focus more on …

Encouraging A Growth Mindset In Engineering Students, Megan Frary

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A person’s “mindset” guides a great deal of how one approaches life -- and especially how students approach education. While someone with a fixed mindset believes that their intelligence is fixed and unchangeable, someone with a growth mindset believes that their intelligence is changeable and can grow as they learn more. Most people’s mindset lies along a spectrum with these two extremes at either end. In addition to other outcomes, the mindset that a person has determines how they interpret mistakes they make; whereas someone with a fixed mindset thinks mistakes result from their innate lack of ability, someone with …

Flipping A Hardware Design Class: An Encouragement Of Active Learning. Should It Continue?, Nader Rafla, H. Shelton Jacinto

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper we aim to present the lessons learned from flipping the classroom of an entry-level graduate course on digital hardware design. This digital hardware design course uses hardware description languages (HDLs) for programming and requires students to learn relevant concepts and methodologies to successfully design, simulate, synthesize, and verify digital circuits created using hands-on projects and in-class activities. In addition, students in the digital hardware design class get exposure and gain familiarity with an industrial design suite to enhance their knowledge of real-life design cycles.

Typically, students struggle with provided in-class activities, assignments, and projects in any digital …

Using Veterans’ Technical Skills In An Engineering Laboratory, Noah Salzman, Thad B. Welch, Harish Subbaraman, Cameron H.G. Wright

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

After years of dissatisfaction with student knowledge and ability to use electrical test and measurement equipment (T&ME), a veteran with significant expertise using this equipment was placed in a Circuit Analysis Lab. This paper reports on this trial and its assessment results. Based on the overwhelming success of this program, this one-semester trial was extended for a second semester.

Senior Civil Engineering Students’ Views On Sustainability And Resiliency, Noah Salzman, Bhaskar C.S. Chittoori, Sondra M. Miller, Thomas A. Robbins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, civil engineering education and workforce development have evolved to include a greater emphasis on sustainability and resiliency. Sustainability balances economic, ecological, and societal needs by being responsive to community impact, human health, and the environment. Resilient infrastructure lasts, retaining functional and structural capacity and supporting interconnected transportation, energy, water, and social systems after a distress event. While many undergraduate civil engineering programs address sustainability, it tends to be limited to individual courses, and resiliency concepts are rarely incorporated. To address these shortcomings, we are incorporating sustainability and resiliency conceptual threads and activities throughout our curriculum, from our …