Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

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. …

Experimental Study Of The Response Of Semiconductor Detectors For Edxrf Analysis., Sunil Kumar Valaparla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This present work relates to the study and characterization of the response function of an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer. The problems of energy, efficiency and resolution calibration of the system operating in the energy (5-60 keV) range are discussed. We present the operation characteristics of the portable pyro-electric x-ray generator (COOL-X) and the application of the calibrated response spectrum in the elemental analysis using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF).

We study the response of the Si(Li)-Pin XR-100CR semiconductor detector to low energy photons. The photopeak efficiency was determined experimentally by using radioisotopes and compared against a theoretical efficiency curve. The efficiency for gamma …

Characterization And Cytotoxic Assessment Of Ballistic Aerosolized Particulates For Tungsten Alloy Penetrators Interacting With Steel Targets, Brenda Ivette Machado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aerosolized particulates produced during an impact of depleted uranium munitions can potentially contaminate extensive areas around the impact sites and cause a wide spectrum of civilian and military damage. Thus materials such as WHA have been prompted for consideration. The present research is concerned with the regular collection of aerosol particulates associated with ballistic WHA rod penetration into rolled homogeneous steel (RHA) or other related steel armor as armor plate sequences. Particulate size characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) along with chemical compositions via energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were the focus of this research. …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Zirconium Oxide Thin Films, Vemnkata Rama Sesha Ravi Kumar Vemuri

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) is an important material with a potential for a wide range of technological applications. The outstanding chemical stability, electrical and mechanical properties, high dielectric constant, and wide band gap of ZrO2 make it suitable for several industrial applications in the field of optics, electronics, magneto-electronics, and optoelectronics. ZrO2 is frequently used as a high refractive index material in multilayer optical coatings in high power laser systems. ZrO2 is employed in super plastic structural ceramics that demonstrate excellent strength and fracture toughness. ZrO2 has been considered as a promising dielectric to replace SiO2 in advanced metal oxide semiconductor …

Art In A New Light: Design And Assessment Of Illuminants To Reduce Photochemical Degradation Of Works Of Art, Monica Fabiola Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to design the best lighting that will minimize long term photochemical degradation of Old Master Drawings and/or other works of art, while maintaining the patron's appreciation of the object's color and detail. The present approach is a technological refinement to the basic underlying earlier work on fluorescent lighting by W. A. Thornton, W.A. at General Electric1. Thin-film dielectric, multi-coating technology is used to create filters that eliminate ultraviolet light, near infrared light and significant unnecessary parts from the visible spectrum, thus maximizing the reduction in photochemical degradation, while maintaining optimal color rendering. Three interference …

Additive Layer Manufacturing Of Ti-6al-4v By Electron Beam Melting From Powder Particles: Solid, Mesh And Foam Components Study, Sara M. Gaytan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing by Electron Beam Melting Rapid Manufacturing is a technology that consists of the fabrication of a CAD design by melting powder particles in a layer by layer fashion. In this study, Ti-6Al-4V has been utilized to fabricate solid, mesh and foam components by EBM technologies. Powder analysis of Ti-6Al-4V was performed to obtain a better understanding of the porosity obtained by the system. After proper optimization of the machine, and porosity control, microstructural analysis was performed to the components already mentioned and correlated by transmission electron microscopy. Besides the microstructural analysis, tensile and hardness testing was performed to …

Assessing Repeatability Of Four-Point Bending Method For Estimating Fatigue Cracking Of Hot Mix Asphalt, Sara -. Montazeri

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to assess the repeatability of four-point bending method for estimating fatigue cracking of hot mix asphalt. This experimental research examined the influence of mix proportions, specifically asphalt and air void contents, on fatigue behavior of asphalt beam specimens in the laboratory tested with four-point bending method of loading. Following the relevant specifications, the strain-controlled mode of loading was selected. Fatigue failure is expected to occur at the cycle which the flexural stiffness of asphalt specimen reduced to 50% of initial amount. Up to a 1,000,000 cycles of loading were applied to each specimen.

Different …

High Temperature Oxidation Characteristics Of Nb-10w-Xcr Alloys, Maria Del Pilar Moricca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of refractory metals in high temperature applications has been attractive for several years. Systems based on niobium represent a potential new generation of refractory materials systems because of their low density, high melting points, and strength at elevated temperatures. Despite these desirable characteristics, the widespread use of niobium-based alloys is limited because its oxidation resistance is still inadequate for structural applications. Understanding the oxidation kinetics of Nb-based alloys and the role of the different phases in the oxidation process is of crucial importance to improve the oxidation resistance of these materials.

The effect of Cr content on the …

Microstructural Characterization Of Overaged Gtd-111 Hp Turbine Buckets, Oscar Quintero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Superalloys are metallic materials that exhibit excellent mechanical strength and creep resistance at high temperatures. They have good surface stability and are corrosion resistant. Superalloys are mostly used in the aerospace industry, gas turbine engines and blades (hot zones of gas turbines), and where extreme heat is encountered. The focus of this research was on the GTD-111 Ni-base superalloy, which is a General Electric (GE) proprietary superalloy mostly used in gas turbine blades with the form of high pressure or first stage buckets. This alloys features better mechanical properties, creep resistance, and a higher stress rupture temperature than the commonly …

Impacting Testing Of High Temperature Ceramics Through The Use Of A Vitiated Heater For Hot And Cold Fire Collisions, Adrian Trejo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Material testing is a crucial step during the design process as particular materials serve as safety and life saving conditions. In this study, a MoSi2 is chosen as the target specimen to undergo impact under high temperatures. An impact apparatus is designed and constructed for the purpose of propelling alumina particles at high velocities. A nozzle using compressed nitrogen gas is used to fire the particle at the desired velocities. Due to the possibility of thermal shock occurring at higher temperatures, a separate nozzle utilizing vitiation heating is designed to fire the particle at equally higher temperatures to prove the …

Failure Analysis And Materials Characterization Of Hip Implants, Amanda Marie Bastidos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research focused on the microstructural characterization and failure analysis of hip implant components. The main hip components analyzed were the femoral heads and the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) liners. Previous research has shown that hip implants tend to fail by the PE liners due to adhesive and abrasive wear, delamination, and third body particles (metals, ceramics, and PE). The methods and procedures for analyzing the said failures consisted of non-destructive and destructive evaluations. Non-destructive evaluations included of techniques such as visual characterization and dye penetrant inspection (DPI)-which displayed macroscopic surface details and presented initial clues as to the …

Observed Superspin-Glass Behavior In Ni0.5zn0.5fe2o4 Nanoparticles, Antony Adair

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this investigation we seek to identify the magnetic behavior of Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles though AC-susceptibility and DC-magnetization measurements. Powder x-ray diffraction was performed to determine the purity and average diameter ( ~ 9nm) of the particles. Aditionally, structure was confirmed by comparison through the International Centre for Diffraction Data's Powder Diffraction File [52] (PDF # 08-0234).

Zero-field cooled and field cooled DC magnetization measurements (bifurcation and blocking temperature), as well as M(H) hysteresis (below and above the blocking temperature) lead us to initially suggest that the material may in fact be superparamagnetic. However, further investigation of the real AC susceptibility …

Temperature-Induced Phenomena In Systems Of Magnetic Nanoparticles, Abdul Wazed Bhuiya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticle ensembles have received a lot of attention, stemming in part from their current and potential applications in biomedicine and in the development of high-density magnetic storage media. Key to the functionality of these systems are microscopic structures and mechanisms that make them exhibit unique properties and behave differently from their bulk counterparts.

We studied microscopic structures and processes that dictate macroscopic properties, behavior and functionality of magnetic nanoparticle ensembles. As the temperature T strongly influences the magnetic behavior of these systems, we studied temperature dependent magnetic properties using AC-susceptibility and DC-magnetization measurements carried out over a broad range …

Microstructural Characterization And Heat Treatment Of A-286 Turbine Buckets, Christopher Michael Bradley

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A-286 is an iron-based superalloy used extensively in land-based gas turbines for 2nd stage (low pressure) buckets and 1st and 2nd stage wheels. Although A-286 may appear to some as just another austenitic stainless steel, its elevated temperature properties are attributed to ' precipitate structures, effective distributions of alloy carbides in the forms of M23C6, M6C and MC, and solid solution strengthening. Unfortunately over the course of these components service lives microstructural degradation develops in the form of η-phase formation. The presence of η-phase, especially in large quantities, can have a negative effect on stress rupture properties. Resistance to creep …

Spectroscopic Characterizations Of Organic/Inorganic Nanocomposites, Jayesh Rasikalal Govani

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inorganic potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) is widely known for its value as a nonlinear optical material. In this study, pure and l-arginine-doped KDP single crystals were grown by the slow solvent evaporation technique and further subjected to infrared absorption and Raman studies for the confirmation of chemical group functionalization and possible bonding between the organic and inorganic materials. The appearance in the infrared absorption spectra of additional vibrational lines, which mostly originate from disturbed N-H, C-H, and C-N bonds of the l-arginine-doped salt, confirm the interaction between KDP and the organic material. This affirmation is supported by more evidence from …

Effects Of Build Orientation, Aging, And Pre-Conditioning On Mechanical Properties For Stereolithography-Manufactured Astm Type I Specimens Using A Design Of Experiments Approach, Karina Puebla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With industry's growing focus on the rapid manufacturing (RM) of end-use products, rapid prototyping (RP) or layered manufacturing (LM) machines that were originally designed to build prototypes may now be required to build functional end-use products. To successfully accomplish the transition, the available materials utilized in RP must provide the performance required for RM. The specific technology used must also be capable of producing repeatable and reproducible parts in regards to mechanical and dimensional properties.

A design of experiments approach was performed to determine the effects of build orientation, aging, and pre-conditioning on the mechanical properties. To perform the investigations, …

Computational Modeling Studies Of The Structures And Properties Of Organotin(Iv) And Stannyl-Thioether Systems With Comparisons To X-Ray Crystallography, Michelle R. Stem Joseph

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Controlling the toxic effects of organotin(IV) compounds involves engineering the structure of the molecules to optimize their properties. Molecular engineering, coupled with improved capabilities to generate reliable computational optimization models (COMs), will enable researchers to have greater success at harnessing the highly specific cytotoxicity of organotins. For example, as the thio_n ligand phenyl groups were replaced with Cl atoms, the S-Sn intramolecularity was strengthened, the bond distance decreased, and the stannyl tetrahedral structure was deformed from its triphenyl conformation. With each substitution, conformation deformations lowered the damaging bioactivity levels of thio_n. Bonding various ligands to organotin(IV) compounds …

High Temperature Oxidation Behavior Of Nb-20mo-15si-5b-20cr Alloy, Julieta Angelica Ventura

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Materials for high temperature applications, such as jet engines, gas turbines and turbine blades, require a balanced combination of physical and chemical properties to withstand the aggressive environments in which they are utilized. Some of the properties required are high strength, low density, high melting point and good oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures [1-3]. For this reason, the microstructure and oxidation behavior of the Nb-20Mo-15Si-5B-20Cr alloy (at.%) has been studied as a potential candidate to replace Nickel-based alloys currently used in the aerospace industry.

Short term oxidation (STO) and long term oxidation (LTO) studies have been performed in air for …

Exploring Poly(Ethylene Glycol) As A Suitable Material For Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Scaffolds Manufactured By Stereolithography, Nubia Zuverza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

One of the challenges in tissue engineering is to have spatial and temporal control over the biological elements within a scaffold used to guide regeneration for example of transected nerves. Some of the physical and chemical characteristics to regulate include incorporation of bioactive domains and release of chemical signals. This study presents the use of stereolithography (SL) to incorporate localized domains for cell adhesion in addition to include releasable nerve growth factor (NGF) in the process of building poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGda) hydrogel scaffolds. Besides providing sites for cell attachment, an ideal nerve guidance conduit (NGC) should be able to release …

Electronic And Structural Properties Of Molybdenum Thin Films As Determined By Real Time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, J. D. Walker, H. Khatri, V. Ranjan, Jian Li, R. W. Collins, S. Marsillac

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Walker, J.D., Khatri, H., Ranjan, V., Li, J., Collins, R.W., & Marsillac, S. (2009). Electronic and structural properties of molybdenum thin films as determined by real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry. Applied Physics Letters, 94(14). doi: 10.1063/1.3117222

Behavior Of Copper Electrodeposition In Copper Electroplating Solution With Different Peg Molecular Weight, Lie Yin, Zeng-Lin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The effect of the polyethylene glycol(PEG) molecular weight(MW) upon via-hole filling with diameter of 50 μm and aspect ratio of 1 in the acid copper plating solution was studied.The cathodic polarization in copper electroplating bath with PEG of different molecule weights was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry.The surface roughness,crystallography,and the resistivity of copper films were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscopy(AFM) and the four-point probe measurements.The results showed that the polarization on the cathode and the hole-filling capability of electroplating copper bath were increased evidently with an increase of PEG molecular weight from 600 to 8000.When the PEG MW was …

Voltammetric Determination Of Iodate Ion In Table Salt By Carboxylic Carbon Nanotubes Modified Carbon Paste Electrode, Jun-Hua Li, Fu-Xing Zhang, Jian-Qiu Wang, Zhi-Feng Xu, Rong-Ying Zeng, Yan Yu

Journal of Electrochemistry

A highly-sensitive and mercury-free method of determining iodate ion in table salt was established based on carboxylic carbon nanotubes modified carbon paste electrode.In 0.1 mol/L NaOH solution,there was a sensitive cathodic stripping peak on voltammograms.The stripping peak potential was-0.52 V when accumulation time of IO-3 at the modified electrode was 60 s and the potential scan rate was 300 mV/s.There was a good liner relationship between the peak current and IO-3 concentration in the range of 8.0×10^-10 ～ 5.0×10^-8 mol/L and 1.0×10^-7 ～ 3.0×10^-6 mol/L with the correlation coefficient of 0.999 and 0.998,respectively.The detection limit was …

Primary Study Of Tiron As Active Materials For The Redox Flow Battery, Yan Xu, Yue-Hua Wen, Jie Cheng, Yu-Sheng Yang, Zi-Li Xie

Journal of Electrochemistry

Effects of solution pH on the electrochemical behavior of tiron(sodium 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzendisulfonic) couple(on a graphite electrode) were studied by cyclic voltammetry in aqueous solutions.It is shown that at pH<4,tiron exhibited a redox process at a relatively high potential with a good reversibility.A redox flow battery was formed employing tiron as the positive active species and V(III)/V(II) as the negative redox couple.In sulfuric acid medium,the coulombic efficiency of the tiron-V redox flow cell was more than 90% with a good cycle life.The decay in the cycle performance was minimal.Therefore,the feasibility of tiron as active materials for redox flow battery application is demonstrated.

Combustion Product Characterization Of The Iron-Heated Powders In Thermal Batteries, Jin Chong, Xue-Ping Gao, Ji-Qiang Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The combustion products of thermal battery used iron-heated powders have been studied.It is identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis that the main compositions of the combustion products are Fe, FeO and KCl. The transmission electron microscopy(TEM) shows a typical core-shell structure with un-reacted Fe particle core coated by FeO shell with a shell thickness of around 200 nm. The combusted iron-heated powders exhibit no metal property, which is contrast to previous assumption. Further measurement indicates that at the ambient temperature the combustion products show semiconductor property of the p-type with conductivity in the order of 103 S·cm^-1, which …

Preparation And Electrocatalystic Performance Of Ir/C Catalyst For Ammonia Oxidation, Qing-Mei Kong, Yi-Ping Han, Ling-Juan Deng, Tian-Hong Lu, Ya-Wen Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Ir/C catalyst with 30%(by mass) Ir was prepared in the CH₃CH₂OH and H₂O binary system.The X-ray diffraction(XRD) data showed that the average sizes of the Ir particles in the Ir/C catalyst was about 2.2 nm.The results of the electrochemical measurements indicated that the electrocatalytic activity of the Ir/C catalyst for the ammonia oxidation in the neutral NaClO₄ solution was similar to the Ir catalyst,while electrocatalytic stability was much better than that of the Ir catalyst.Furthermore,the peak current density of the ammonia oxidation at the Ir/C catalyst electrode showed a good linear relationship …

Direct Electrochemistry Of Chloroperoxidase At Gc Electrode Modified With Swnts, Hong-Xia Zhang, Xia-Qin Wu, Wen-Jing Hou, Wen Xie, Zhong-Qing Lu, Rong Wang, He-Xing Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The chloroperoxidase(CPO) was immobilized onto the surface of SWNTs modified electrodes.The electrochemical behaviors of modified electrode have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry.The appearance of a pair of well-defined redox peaks in the CV curve indicated that SWNTs can promote the electron transfer reaction of CPO.The results of cyclic voltammetry in PBS of different pH,from 3~9,showed that the reaction of CPO on the modified electrode was with equal numbers of electron and protein.This readily prepared SWNTs modified electrode showed excellent stability and good catalysis to O₂.

Preparations Of Composite Electrodes Of Pt With HXWo3 And Catalytic Activity Toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Pan-Pan Guo, You-Ju Huang, Hong-Yan Yang, Wei Li, Qing-Long Zhang, Wei-Shan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Three composite electrodes of platinum with hydrogen tungsten bronze(H_xWO₃)were prepared by voltammetry: hydrogen tungsten bronze deposited on platinum(H_xWO₃/Pt);platinum deposited on hydrogen tungsten bronze(Pt/H_xWO₃) and codeposited platinum and hydrogen tungsten bronze(Pt-H_xWO₃).The eletro-catalytic activities of three electrodes toward oxygen reduction reaction were studied.It is found that the catalytic activity of platinum can be improved by introducing with hydrogen tungsten bronze.Among these composite electrodes Pt/H_xWO₃,and the electrode shows the best eletro-catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction,hence,provides a new way for reducing loading of …

High Performance Fuel Cell Catalyst And 5kw Pemfc Stack Without Humidification At Room Temperature And Atmosphere, Xin-Fa Hu, Min Chen, Shi-Jun Liao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Pt/C catalyst with high dispersion and high performance was prepared successfully by an organic colloidal method and small batch production(10g) of Pt/C catalyst has been realized.The particle sizes of the active components in the catalyst could be as small as 2.8 nm and the active surface area was up to 450 m²/g.A high performance membrane-electrode assembly(MEA) with surface area of 275 cm² has been prepared by using the home-made catalyst with a catalyst coated membrane method invented in the lab,and a 5 kW stack has been assembled.The stack showed working 10 h at room temperature,atmosphere and …

Ceo2/Pt Composite Electrodes And Their Catalytic Performance, Ying Fu, Zi-Dong Wei, Yong-Chao Feng, Xin-Li Ma, Ming-Jia Liao, Chao Liao, Jie Zhang, Huan Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,the cerium oxide(CeO₂) nanoparticles were electrochemically deposited on a Pt electrode by potentiostatic deposition(psd) and potential pulse deposition(ppd) to form CeO₂/Pt composite electrodes,CeO₂/Pt(psd) and CeO₂/Pt(ppd).The properties of the CeO₂ were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results showed that the CeO₂ nanoparticles prepared by psd and ppd were homogeneous and dense.The methanol oxidation reaction(MOR) and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) on the Pt electrode were enhanced with the introduction of CeO₂ into Pt.In addition,the catalytic capability of the CeO₂/Pt electrode can be further …

Voltammetric Determination Of L-Cysteine At Bipyrine Bridged Copper(Ⅱ) Complex Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode, Ming-Yan Wang, Fan Yang, Sheng-Yu Zhang, Xing-You Xu, Xu-Jie Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A modified electrode has been constructed by depositing a novel copper(Ⅱ) complex 2biPy(ClO₄)₄ on the glassy carbon electrode through the method of cyclic voltammetry(CV).It was found that the modified electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity toward L-Cysteine oxidation with good reproducibility and high sensitivity.The peak current of semi-derivative linear scan was proportional to the concentration of L-cys in the range of 1×10^-6～3×10^-4 mol·L^-1.The detection limit was 5×10^-7 mol·L^-1.