Engineering Commons^™

Design And Development Of Magnetoelastic Resonators For Pv Ground Fault Detection, Skyler H. Oglesby

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This project will design, fabricate, and test a magnetoelastic nickel-iron-cobalt alloy resonator for ground fault detection applications, specifically in photovoltaic systems. The electrodeposition technique will be used to fabricate the proposed resonator as it enables a precise manufacturing process. It allows for better control and optimization of material properties (magnetic, mechanical, and electrical) while facilitating the necessary dimensions. A great deal of study and experimentation will go into the electrolyte development when dealing with challenges like intrinsic stress and surface defects within the film. Hull cell analysis will be done to study the composition of the material in different electrochemical …

Investigation Of Iron-Nickel Films Based Catalysts: Controlling Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (Her) Through An Electrode-Electrolyte Engineering Approach, Sergio Ivan Perez Bakovic

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical energy conversion technologies need to be economically viable in order to be adopted. Earth-abundant transition metals (i.e., Fe, Co, and Ni) have attracted attention due to their high availability, low cost, and catalytic characteristics that are in many cases found in and exploited by nature. Herein, we synthesize FexNi100-xOy electrocatalyst films and study how the electrocatalyst-electrolyte interactions alter the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).In this work, FexNi100-xOy films were synthesized to study the composition, chemical state, and morphology. Characterization results provided a well-established electrocatalyst film platform to then proceed with electrochemical evaluations. The effects of the electrode composition and electrochemically …

Study Of Electrodeposition Of Copper-Indium Material For Fabrication Of Cis Thin-Film Solar Cells, Leher Farooq

Theses

Abstract

Copper-Indium material for the fabrication of CIS/CIGS thin-film solar cells and for applications as an alloy is one of the most auspicious materials currently being studied and has attracted significant interest in solar energy and other industries. In the past, there have been several methods used for the fabrication of chalcopyrite thin-film solar cells. However, one of the best methods in the industry is electrodeposition, which employs the principles of electrochemistry to deposit materials on a working electrode. The cyclic voltammetry and constant potential deposition studies have been conducted for the electrodeposited copper indium material. In order to better …

Electrodeposition Study Of Alloys For Solar Energy, Corrosion Resistance, And Battery Applications, Thaier Tawfeek Alawadh

Theses

Copper-Zinc-Tin sulphide (CZTS) compound is one of the alloys, which has significantly caught the attention of a considerable number of researchers since the beginning of the century. Consequently, academic laboratories started investigating the alloy in-depth with its various combination due to its valuable applications with high potential usage. The CZTS alloy has a high tendency to replace the current copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell system due to scarcity of CIGS components, and toxic manufacturing procedures compared to CZTS. Nevertheless, CZTS is a new studied compound with exceptionally low photovoltaic empirical efficiency and an inadequate understanding of its …

Pulse Reverse Current Electrodeposited Tio2 Doped Ni-W Coating, Sydney Hughes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Nickel-Tungsten (Ni-W) coatings via the pulse reverse current method have been under development as a potential replacement for typical Chromium/Cadmium coatings. To increase the effectiveness of Ni-W as a coating, dopants have been tested to decrease microcracks and pores and increase overall tribological performance. Previous research by Timken Engineered Surfaces Laboratory showed that Ni-W doped with TiO₂ nanoparticles had a positive effect on coating performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the ideal solution parameters (i.e. TiO₂ concentration, pH) to maximize the benefit of the dopant when samples are subjected to tribological testing. Here, solutions of …

Copper Electrodeposition In Full Wafer Thickness Through-Silicon Vias, Rebecca P. Schmitt

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Through-silicon vias (TSVs) are a key interconnect technology for advanced packaging of microelectronic devices, and full wafer thickness TSVs are required for certain microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. In this work, electrolytes containing copper sulfate, an acid, chloride, and Tetronic 701 suppressor were implemented for Cu filling of high aspect ratio (10:1), full wafer thickness TSVs. For each electrolyte system, rotating disk electrode voltammetry was used to identify a voltage range for bottom-up Cu filling in the TSVs. Die level feature filling was performed using voltage ramping, which moved active deposition through the vias to yield void-free Cu features. During voltage-controlled …

Molybdenum Deposition And Dissolution In Ethaline With The Use Of Fluoride Salts, Ethan Mitchel Gunnell

Theses and Dissertations

This work demonstrates the deposition of molybdenum in a deep eutectic solvent for the first time, and explores the processes needed for electrorefining of molybdenum. The electrochemical and transport behavior of chloride-coordinated molybdenum in ethaline was initially studied to determine if deposition was possible. Cyclic voltammetry was used to show that MoCl5 added to ethaline exhibits quasi-reversible behavior. Both the measured transfer coefficient and the precipitation of MoCl3 suggest that the reduction of MoCl5 in ethaline is a two-electron transfer reaction where the oxidation state of molybdenum in the product is Mo(III). No deposit was formed with the use of …

Migration And Electropolymerization Of Methyl Methacrylate In Hardened Cement Paste Via Electrokinetic Treatment, Xi Xie

Doctoral Dissertations

Porous concrete structures are susceptible to the intrusion of chemical species, such as sulfates, chlorides, and carbon dioxide. Many technologies have been developed to repair or rehabilitate damaged concrete. These include cathodic protection, corrosion inhibitor addition, or the use of coatings and sealers. In recent years, a developing technology, electrokinetic nanoparticle treatment, has been shown to reduce concrete porosity, increase strength, promote corrosion resistance, and extend durability. This dissertation was conducted to explore a novel treatment to reduce the porosity of concrete via the application of electrokinetic transportation and electro-initiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA).

Potassium persulfate (PSP) was used …

Enabling High Energy Density Aluminum Anodes For Alkaline Batteries, Xinyi Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

Zn-MnO₂ primary alkaline batteries stood out immediately among all batteries after it was introduced in the late 1980s and has attracted world-wide attention. These batteries have dominated the portable power market for decades as a highly effective energy storage system with high energy density, long life and low self-discharge, dependable safety and other superiorities.

In order to achieve higher cell-level energy density, Aluminum has long been considered a very attractive anode material for alkaline batteries because of its high theoretical capacity (2980 mAh/g; 2.60 Ah/cm³) and low price. However, some early efforts to utilize aluminum anodes did …

Epitaxial Growth Of Semiconductors And Chiral Metal Surfaces Using Spin Coating And Electrodeposition, Meagan V. Kelso

Doctoral Dissertations

"The current primary methods for epitaxial growth are energy intensive, requiring high temperature or high vacuum to obtain quality thin films. This dissertation explores the solution process methods of electrodeposition and spin coating for growth of epitaxial thin films. First, a method is developed to directly electrodeposit epitaxial CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite for solar cells on single crystal Au by electrochemically reducing I₂ in organic solution. Perovskite is a newly explored material for solar cells, and its efficiency may be further improved by increasing the crystalline order. Second, a study on epitaxially electrodeposited chiral metal surfaces …

Electroplating Of Copper On Tungsten Powder, Richard Berdos

Masters Theses

Strengthening, resistant and shielding properties, to name a few, can be achieved by implementing a surface material coating onto an engineering component. Various elements of these compounded parts can augment the functionality of the part, such as, increased life time and more interactive surfaces. Tungsten has proven to be a challenge to plate with other metals, but if done correctly, the results can allow for the cold spray of tungsten. Cold spraying tungsten particles alone provides a challenge because the powder is too hard and instead of adhering, it erodes the surface it is attempting to plate. Coating tungsten in …

Electrodeposited Semiconductor Nanostructures & Epitaxial Thin Films For Flexible Electronics, Naveen Kumar Mahenderkar

Doctoral Dissertations

"Single-crystal Si is the bedrock of semiconductor devices due to the high crystalline perfection which minimizes electron-hole recombination, and the dense native silicon oxide which minimizes surface states. To expand the palette of electronic materials beyond planar Si, an inexpensive source of highly ordered material is needed that can serve as an inert substrate for the epitaxial growth of grain boundary-free semiconductors, photonic materials, and superconductors. There is also a need for a simple, inexpensive, and scalable fabrication technique for the growth of semiconductor nanostructures and thin films. This dissertation focuses on the fabrication of semiconducting nanowires (polycrystalline Ge & …

Electrodeposited Epitaxial Cobalt Oxides And Copper Metal, Caleb M. Hull

Doctoral Dissertations

"Electrochemical deposition methods are presented for the deposition of Co(OH)₂ and Cu metal. Paper I shows the deposition of β-Co(OH)₂ on Ti through electrochemical reduction of [Co(en)₃]³⁺ to [Co(en)₃]²⁺ in 2M NaOH. The catalytic properties of the deposited Co(OH)₂ towards water oxidation is found comparable to Co₃O₄, with the surface of the Co(OH)₂ converting to CoOOH during the reaction. Paper II gives the conditions suitable for epitaxial growth of Co(OH)₂ on Au(100), Au(110), and Au(111) following the same reduction mechanism as described in Paper I. …

Electroplating On 3d Printed Conductive Track, Kishore Kumar Kadari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are substantial advances in Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies. The simplest and advantageous technique of AM in terms of cost and scaling of the substrate is Fused Deposition Modeling(FDM). Currently, integration of electronics to a 3D printed structure is done manually after fabrication of the structure. To print electronic circuits directly on a 3D printed structure, copper electroplating process has been studied in this work.

To electroplate on the 3D printed insulating substrate, various materials were studied to make substrate conductive. By using conductive Polylactic Acid (PLA) filaments, a compatible substrate for electroplating was printed. Electroplating was proved to be …

Electroless Deposition & Electroplating Of Nickel On Chromium-Nickel Carbide Powder, Jeffrey Rigali

Masters Theses

Engineered components can gain desirable properties when coated with surface materials. Wear-resistant coatings can improve the performance of contacting surfaces and allow for an extended life of the parts. Hard chromium has been the plating material of choice for certain wear and corrosion- resistant coatings because of its desirable combination of chemical resistance, adhesion, and mechanical properties. However, hexavalent chromium, a component of the process for applying hard chromium coatings, has been recognized by the EPA as having hazardous health and environmental impacts. Existing and planned environmental regulations restricts the use of process chemicals containing hexavalent chromium ions. This substantiates …

Novel Processing Approaches For Thin Film Solar And Related Technologies., Brandon Lavery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A growing population along with developing nations are increasing the demand for energy. The International Energy Agency forecasts a global electricity demand increase of 70 percent by 2040. This is an increase from nearly 18 TW to over 30 TW. The sun can be a great clean source of achieving this energy demand. Despite the large solar industry development, the market is still growing as solar energy only accounted for 0.87% of the global energy production in 2013. The opportunity exists to manufacture more affordable solar energy that can penetrate more of the global energy market. In this dissertation, a …

Electrodeposition Of High Magnetostrictive Cobalt Iron Alloy Films For Smart Tags And Sensor Applications, Jamin Pillars

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Magnetostrictive CoFe films were investigated for use as magnetoelastic tags or sensors. The ability to electrodeposit these films enables batch fabrication processes to pattern a variety of geometries while controlling the film stoichiometry and crystallography. In current research looking at CoFe, improved magnetostriction was achieved using a co-sputtering, annealing, and quenching method1. Other current research has reported electrodeposited CoFe films using a sulfate based chemistry resulting in film compositions that are Fe rich in the range of Co0.3-0.4Fe0.7-0.6 and have problems of co-deposition of undesirables that can have a negative impact on magnetic properties2, 3. The research presented here focused …

Novel Design And Synthesis Of Transition Metal Hydroxides And Oxides For Energy Storage Device Applications, Peifeng Li

Wayne State University Theses

Supercapacitors (SCs) and Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are two types of important electrical energy storage devices with high power density and high energy density respectively. However, to satisfy the increasing demand of high-performance energy storage devices, the energy density of SCs and power/energy densities of LIBs have to be further improved. The exploration, research, and development of electrode materials with high-performance for applications in SCs and LIBs are still needed to meet the ever-increasing demand on energy and power densities. Herein, the amorphous Ni-Co-Mo ternary hydroxides nanoflakes for SCs and oxides nanoflakes for LIBs with ultrathin stature, abundant open spaces, and …

Phase Field Modeling Of Electrodeposition Process In Lithium Metal Batteries, Nihal Acharya

Masters Theses

"One of the main weaknesses in long term performance of conventional lithium batteries is the growth of lithium microstructures on the electrode surface due to an electrochemical process, which can eventually lead to failure of these batteries. Suppressing this microstructure growth is a key in developing new generations of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). In this study, a two-dimensional (2D) phase field model is constructed to understand and determine the parameters controlling formation and evolution of microstructures in LMBs. A Ginzburg-Landau free energy functional, which is a function of concentration of Li⁺ and applied voltage, and a system consisting of …

Development And Demonstration Of Critical Components Of Aluminum Based Energy Storage Devices Using The Chloroaluminate Ionic Liquids, Mengqi Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation considers the development of porous carbon materials as the substrates for Al deposition/dissolution in an Al based ionic liquid flow battery (ILFB) and demonstration of an Al based hybrid supercapacitor. The Aluminum chloride/ 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride chloroaluminate ionic liquid is utilized as the electrolyte for these Al based energy storage devices. The ILFB has less capital cost than the all-vanadium redox flow battery because of the inexpensive AlCl₃. The feasibility to equip a tank of solid aluminum chloride in an ILFB system aiming to improve energy density is investigated. A critical range of temperature data (50-130 celsius …

Synthesis And Characterization Of P-Type Copper Indium Diselenide (Cis) Nanowires Embedded In Porous Alumina Templates, Sri Harsha Moturu

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This work focuses on a simple template assisted approach for fabricating I-III-VI semiconductor nanowire arrays. Vertically aligned nanowires of p-CIS of controllable diameter and thickness are electrodeposited, from an acidic electrolyte solution, inside porous aluminum templates using a three electrode set up with saturated calomel electrode as the reference. AAO template over ITO-glass was used as starting template for the device fabrication. The deposited CIS is annealed at different temperatures in a reducing environment (95% Ar+ 5% H₂) for 30 minutes. X-ray diffraction of the nanowires showed nanocrystalline cubic phase structures with a strong orientation in the <112> direction. …

Investigations Of Cuinte2 / Cds & Cdte / Cds Heterojunction Solar Cells, Venkatesh Gutta

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Thin film solar cells of Copper Indium Telluride and Cadmium Sulfide junctions were fabricated on plain ITO glass slides and also on those coated with intrinsic Tin Oxide. CdS was deposited through chemical bath deposition and CIT by electrodeposition. Both compounds were subjected to annealing at temperatures between 350°C and 500°C which produced more uniform film thicknesses and larger grain sizes. The CIT/ CdS junction was characterized after performing XRD and spectral absorption of individual compounds.

Studies were also made on CdS / CdTe solar cells with respect to effect of annealing temperatures on open circuit voltages. NP acid etch, …

Electrodeposited Cu-Based Catalysts For Alcohols From Co Hydrogenation And Electrodeposition Of Cuniw/Cuni Multilayered Alloys, Mayank Gupta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ethanol and higher alcohols can be used as a fuel or fuel additive in gasoline engines as well as a hydrogen carrier. One of the promising methods to synthesize these alcohols is based on thermochemical conversion of CO and H2 (CO hydrogenation). Conventional catalysts used for the conversion CO and H2 (syngas) to ethanol typically give yields less than 20% with the balance resulting mostly in the formation of the thermodynamically favored products CH4 and CO2. New catalysts with compositions designed to kinetically favor the formation of ethanol and higher alcohols are needed. Electrodeposition of nanowires offers a means to …

Electrodeposition Of Nanocrystalline Ni-Based Alloys, Hanseung Park

All Theses

Nanocrystalline materials can often process superior properties, but they are generally unstable against grain growth. Addition of a dopant can stabilize nanocrystalline alloys by decreasing the excess grain boundary energy as the thermodynamic driving force for grain growth and reducing grain boundary mobility via a kinetic effect of solute drag. In this thesis study, eight Ni-based alloys (Ni-W, Ni-P, Ni-Mo, Ni-Cu, Ni-B, Ni-Mg, Ni-Zn and Ni-Co) and pure Ni were made using an electrodeposition method. It is concluded that the use of different dopant can drastically affect the deposition mechanism as well as the morphology of resultant films. Ni-W and …

Electrochemical Fabrication Of Auco Nanostructures, Maoshi Guan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Electrodeposited Au/CoAu multilayered nanowires are materials with alternating layers of Au and CoAu in a wire where the layer thickness and wire diameter are nanometer size. They can be used for different applications. For example, the wires may exhibit giant magnetoresistance (GMR), a change in the materials resistance with a magnetic field, having applications as a sensor material for microdevices. If Co is etched from CoAu nanowires, rough, porous gold nanostructures will be left behind, which could be used as novel catalysts. In this study, the electrodeposition of Au/CoAu multilayered nanowires and nanotubes in nanoporous templates was explored from a …

Electrodeposition Of Multilayered Nanostructures For Giant Magnetoresistance And Thermoelectric Applications, Despina Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The electrodeposition of novel materials such as multilayer nanotubes for giant magneto resistance (GMR) applications and bismuth telluride nanotubes for thermoelectric applications are presented in this dissertation. The motivation for the multilayer electrodeposition is the investigation of giant magnetoresistance (GMR), a change in the material resistance in an applied magnetic field as a consequence of antiferromagnetic coupling. The nanowire high aspect ratio geometry allows the measurement of GMR with the current applied perpendicular to the plane (CPP) of the multilayers, which has been theoretically identified as being larger than the GMR in the (CIP) configuration (current in plane of multilayers). …

Electrodeposition Of Rare Earth-Transition Metal Alloy Thin Films And Nanostructures, Rohit Mishra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rare earth-transition metal alloys are of interest in MEMS and magnetic storage industries because of their unique magnetic properties. However, the applications of these alloys have been limited to bulk and thin film architectures because of the limitations of the contemporary vapor deposition technique to fabricate high aspect ratio nanostructures. The objective of this study is to develop an electrochemical process to deposit rare earth-transition metal alloys thus making it possible to deposit high aspect ratio nanostructures such as nanowires and nanotubes, which helps to tune their properties for specific applications. Electrodeposition of rare earth-transition metal alloys was achieved from …

Electrodeposited Metal Matrix Nanocomposites As Thin Films And High Aspect Ratio Microstructures For Mems, Alonso Lozano Morales

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The electrodeposition of metal-matrix nanocomposites as thin film and high aspect ratio microstructures (HARM’s) for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) components is examined. The effect of -Al2O3 nanopowder on copper reduction from acidic and basic electrolytes is examined with rotating disk electrodes (RDE’s). At pH 0.2, regions of copper inhibition and enhancement are identified in the kinetic regime. Low particle loading (12.5 g/L) results in an inhibited copper rate, while, high particle concentration (60 g/L) does both, inhibits the rate at low overpotentials and accelerates it at higher overpotentials, depending on the electrode rotation rate. At pH 8 the presence of particles …

Electrodeposition Of Cocu Nanostructures, Yutong Li

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Electrodeposition is a key component in the microelectronic industry because it has the following advantages: low cost, easy operation and the capability to deposit into irregular geometries such as recessed and curved areas. In this dissertation, CoCu alloys were investigated to fabricate multilayers, microdevices and microposts. All of these multilayer structures were composed of nanometric copper and cobalt-rich layers in order to obtain magnetoresistance, a phenomenon where the resistance of multilayer structures decreases with increases of external magnetic field. An investigation was carried out in order to evaluate appropriate plating conditions during multilayered thin film deposition, with the aim to …

Development Of Palladium Nanowires, Chuanding Cheng

Doctoral Dissertations

Inherent limitations of traditional lithography have prompted the search for means of achieving self-assembly of nano-scale structures and networks for the next generation of electronic and photonic devices. The nanowire, the basic building block of a nanocircuit, has recently become the focus of intense research. Reports on nanowire synthesis and assembly have appeared in the scientific literature, which include Vapor-Liquid-Solid mechanism, template-based electrochemical fabrication, solvothermal or wet chemistry, and assembly by fluid alignment or microchannel networks. An ideal approach for practical application of nanowires would circumvent technical and economic constraints of templating. Here we report on the self-assembly of highly-ordered …