Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Quantitative Grain Structure And Texture Analysis Of Hot-Pressed Zrb2 Via 3d Ebsd, Randi Swanson, Michael Chapman, Yue Zhou, Ashley Hilmas, Lisa Rueschhoff, Michael Uchic, William Fahrenholtz, Scott J. Mccormack

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding and controlling the grain structure of ZrB₂ is critical for optimizing its mechanical and thermal performance in high-temperature applications. Fully dense ZrB₂, densified by hot pressing at 2150˚C and 32 MPa, was analyzed in three dimensions using electron backscattered diffraction, electron and optical microscopy, and mechanical polishing serial sectioning. Grain size followed a gamma distribution, with extreme deviations observed only in the largest 0.1% of grains. Large grains exhibited plate-like morphologies, with the shortest-to-longest axis ratio converging to ∼0.4 as grain volume increased. This work revealed a crystallographically controlled growth mechanism orthogonal to [0001] that is …

Simulated Lunar Gravity Testing Of A Magnetic And Electrostatic System For Beneficiating Lunar Regolith, Blake A. Coffman, Gabriel Porter, Lindsay Manteufel, Mitchell Cottrell, Jeffrey D. Smith, David J. Bayless, William Shonberg, Frank D. Han, Fateme Rezaei, Kirby Runyon

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present the design and testing of a lunar regolith beneficiation device that utilizes magnetic and electrostatic separation methods to concentrate desired minerals by removing unwanted material, such as the mineral anorthite, from bulk lunar regolith. The beneficiated materials would have value for downstream in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) processes such as metal extraction, oxygen extraction, and metal oxide additive manufacturing processes. The apparatus uses a dual-strength magnet system with N52 and N42 neodymium magnets to separate particles by magnetic susceptibility. The electrostatic separation system, which acts like a sieve, sorts the regolith simulant by particle size using a single-phase 50% …

Overcoming Resolution Vs. Throughput Trade-Offs In Ceramic Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Via Viscoelastic Filament Stretching, Abid H. Rafi, David W. Lipke, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming C. Leu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fabricating large, monolithic ceramic parts using material-extrusion additive manufacturing remains challenging due to difficulty maintaining uniform moisture content during printing, which can lead to drying-induced defects such as warping and cracking, especially as part size and print time increase. Fabricated parts have trade-offs among print resolution, high throughput, and structural fidelity. Our study has shown that increasing the ratio of nozzle traverse speed vs. material extrusion speed increases filament stretching in viscoelastic ceramic paste, helping to overcome the trade-offs between resolution and throughput. Using aqueous ZrB2–SiC (70/30 vol.%) as a representative ultra-high temperature ceramic paste, rheological characterisation revealed viscoelastic yield-stress …

Raw Data For The Manuscript "Silicon-Stabilized Three-Dimensional Covalent Networks In High Entropy Diborides", Michael Yeung, Reza Mohammadi

Chemistry Department Faculty Scholarship

Abstract for data:

Raw data for the journal publication, Silicon-stabilized three-dimensional covalent networks in high entropy diborides. ReadMe file provided.

Abstract for Journal publication: 

High entropy ceramics offer a pathway to stabilize unconventional chemistries beyond traditional alloying rules. We report the incorporation of silicon into an AlB₂-type high entropy diboride, Cr_0.2Nb_0.2Si_0.2Ta_0.2Ti_0.2B₂, despite silicon violating classical Hume-Rothery rules for alloying. Arc melting produced a phase-pure, chemically homogeneous structure, as confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). Silicon occupies …

Waveguide-Assisted Single-Mode Fiber Bragg Gratings In A Highly Multimode Coreless Fiber Via Femtosecond Laser Inscription For Extreme Temperature Quasi-Distributed Thermal Sensing, Farhan Mumtaz, Koustav Dey, Bohong Zhang, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research reports a potential quasi-distributed thermal mapping optical sensing system for extreme temperatures, leveraging femtosecond (fs) laser inscribed single-mode fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and a waveguide within coreless, highly multimode optical fiber, resulting in a single-mode structure. Unlike doped single-mode fibers, coreless fibers composed of silica rods prevent issues associated with dopant migration and ensure data accuracy. The strategic placement of point-by-point FBGs in a cascaded formation on the fs-laser inscribed waveguide facilitates localized multipoint sensing. The long-term stability of the proposed waveguide-assisted FBG system was assessed over 24 hours at elevated temperatures (1000°C), showing no hysteresis during heating …

Distributed Temperature Sensing In The Spray-Cooled Shell Of A 150-Ton Dc Electric Arc Furnace Using Brillouin Optical Fiber Technology, Farhan Mumtaz, Yeshwanth Reddy Mekala, Koustav Dey, Rony Kumer Saha, Ogbole Collins Inalegwu, Manoj Kumar Pullagura, Bohong Zhang, Muhammad Roman, Nicholas Dionise, Zane Voss, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the deployment and validation of a Brillouin - distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system for real-time thermal monitoring of the spray-cooled upper shell of a 150-ton direct current Electric Arc Furnace (DC EAF) at Big River Steel Plant, Osceola, AR, USA. A four-channel Brillouin DTS system from OZ Optics was employed, with one active channel instrumented using an in-house-fabricated Brillouin scattering-depressed single-mode optical fiber (SMF28e+). The 60 m optical fiber sensor was fabricated, with 20 m allocated for thermal measurement and 40 m used as lead-in fiber to isolate the interrogator from the furnace environment. The fiber was …

Mitigating Hysteresis In Metal-Coated Fibers Via Optimized Thermal Treatment For Advanced Distributed High-Temperature Sensing Applications, Koustav Dey, Rony Kumer Saha, Bohong Zhang, S. Narasimman, Farhan Mumtaz, Jeffrey D. Smith, Rex E. Gerald, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Metal-coated optical fibers are widely employed in sensing applications owing to their superior mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. However, their calibration at elevated temperatures is hindered by hysteresis, manifested as discrepancies between heating and cooling cycles, primarily caused by residual strain from mismatched thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) between the metal coating and silica cladding. This research introduces an optimal heat treatment procedure aimed at minimizing the impact of the mismatch in TECs between the cladding and the coating materials that causes the residual strain in gold (Au) and copper (Cu) coated fibers for achieving reliable distributed high temperature sensing up …

A Study In The Advanced Manufacturing Of Full Solids Oxide Fuel Cells (Sofcs) Via Aerosol Deposition (Ad) Methods With Macro- And Microstructural Defect Characterization, Davis A. Warmuth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this work is to 3D print a full SOFC layer-by-layer using aerosol deposition (AD) at a resolution of 5 μm. To achieve this goal, several studies were undertaken to develop and optimize an AD system to use ceramic inks. A 130 kHz AD system was developed with 4 material pumps to allow for depositions of individual compositions of the in-situ mixture of multiple solutions to allow for the fabrication of functional gradients in three dimensions. This system was then programmed to deposit air electrode layers containing different material ratios and porous microstructures, comparing their electrochemical performance to …

Zirconium Carbide Based Materials For Extreme Aerospace Environments, Nathaniel Hyman Blatt

Doctoral Dissertations

This research focuses on the processing and properties of zirconium carbide-based materials to promote their use in extreme environment aerospace applications, including nuclear thermal propulsion and hyper sonics. Several carbide systems including ZrC, ZrC-Mo cermets, (Zr, Nb)C, and a high entropy carbide were developed. The ZrC-Mo cermet was studied extensively to understand the effect of starting carbide grain size on the final microstructure, composition, elastic moduli, hardness, fracture toughness, room and elevated temperature flexural strength, thermal diffusivity, electrical resistivity, thermal expansion coefficient, and thermal conductivity. It was shown that heat transport in the cermets was dominated by the ZrC phase …

Bridging Physics-Based Modeling And Machine Learning To Predict Material Behavior: Applications In Fatigue Crack Growth And Dielectric Property Characterization, Ansan Pokharel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation integrates physics-based modeling with machine learning (ML) to predict how materials behave under complex thermal and mechanical conditions. A key innovation of this work is the use of finite element analysis (FEA) to supplement experimental data. This approach creates more diverse and representative synthetic datasets, helping to reduce the limitations and biases that arise when training ML models solely on experimental measurements. The research focuses on two applications: improving the prediction of fatigue properties in superalloys and estimating temperature-dependent, high-frequency dielectric properties relevant to microwave-based chemical processing.

In the first study, low-cycle fatigue experiments were performed on the …

Advanced Ysz/Si(B)Cn And Bnnt/Si(B)Cn Ceramics Matrix Composites For Extreme Environments In Hydrogen Combustion, Yiting Wang

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The growing demand for carbon-neutral energy conversion has accelerated the development of hydrogen-fueled gas turbine systems, which operate at significantly higher temperatures and more chemically aggressive environments than conventional natural gas turbines. To meet these stringent requirements, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials consisting of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) fiber reinforced Si(B)CN ceramic matrix were developed. To further enhance in-plane heat dissipation, thermal stability, thermal shock resistance, and thermal cycling performance, a Si(B)CN/Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNT) nanocomposite coating was incorporated onto the YSZ/Si(B)CN composites. Microstructural characterization confirmed the formation of a continuous Si(B)CN ceramic matrix reinforced with uniformly distributed BNNTs. The resulting …

Strontium Titanate For Capacitor And Energy Storage Applications At Cryogenic Temperatures, Hung Trinh

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the dielectric properties of single crystal and ceramic strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) for cryogenic capacitor applications from room temperature to 4 K. Permittivity (k) and loss tangent are dependent on temperature, frequency, mechanical stress, and applied DC electric field. Accordingly, the dielectric constant and loss tangent were measured at various frequencies and DC bias levels. Loss tangent data are also presented as equivalent series resistance (ESR). For single crystal SrTiO₃, an impurity level of ≈500 ppm barium resulted in an increase of the maximum permittivity to approximately 50,000 at 6 K. This relatively high …

In-Situ Investigations Of Calcium-Magnesium-Aluminosilicates (Cmas) Infiltration Effects On Thermal Barrier Coatings Under Extreme Environments Replicating Jet Engines, Zachary Stein

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicate (CMAS) particulates, such as sand or volcanic ash, are ingested by gas turbine jet engines during operation. When operating within high abundance regions, these particulates negatively interact and degrade the high temperature thermal barrier coatings (TBC) protecting underlying superalloy turbine blades vital to engine operation. These CMAS particulates melt within the engine and infiltrate into the ceramic coatings. In electron-beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) TBCs, the CMAS within the intercolumnar gaps stiffens the coatings and causes thermomechanical induced high stress concentrations, risking crack formation. While molten, the CMAS thermochemically alters and destabilizes the coating, also risking coating failure. Premature, …

Effects Of Wc Additions On The Phase Formation Of (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C-(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 High Entropy Dual Phase Ceramics, Rubia Hassan, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High entropy dual phase (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C-(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 ultra-high temperature ceramics were produced from powders synthesized by boro-carbothermal reduction. Systematic additions of 2.5 wt%, 5 wt%, and 10 wt% WC were incorporated after powder synthesis. Additions of 2.5 wt% and 5 wt% WC dissolved into the host ceramics, resulting in complete solid solution formation and nearly full densification. In contrast, a secondary monoboride phase evolved for the composition with 10 wt% WC, in addition to the main high entropy carbide and diboride phases. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that WB formation was favorable for WC additions in the presence of metal diborides at the sintering …

Thermal Properties Of High Entropy Dual Phase (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr,)C-(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 Ceramics: Comparison With The High Entropy Single-Phase Ceramics And The Effect Of Wc Additions, Rubia Hassan, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The heat capacity, thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C-(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B₂ high entropy dual phase ceramics were evaluated from room temperature to 1800 °C and compared with the constituent high entropy single phase ceramics of the same nominal compositions. Thermal conductivity of the (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C-(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B₂ dual phase ceramic increased from 17.7 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ at room temperature to 54 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 1800 °C. The addition of WC to the dual phase ceramic reduced its thermal conductivity. For the addition of 5 wt% WC, room temperature thermal conductivity was 16.8 W m⁻¹ K^{−1 …}

Micro/Nanomechanical Properties Of Top-Seeded Melt Grown Ybco Single Crystals Determined Using Depth Sensing Indentation, Ugur Kolemen, Cafer Mert Yesilkanat, Fikret Yilmaz, Fatih Dogan, Orhan Uzun

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mechanical properties of the bulk YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) single crystal superconductor, prepared by using the Top Seeded Melt Growth (TSMG) method, were determined. Property measurements were conducted by the nanoindentation method under various loads and the micro indentation method at different temperatures. Hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (Er) values were calculated by using the Oliver–Pharr method. According to hf/h max values found from load- displacement curves, there is a sink in behavior around outer rim of the indents that was confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. Nanoindentation analyses conducted on upper section, middle section and subsection revealed that all …

Variable-Temperature Plasmonic High-Entropy Carbides, Simon Divilov, Sean D. Griesemer, Robert C. Koennecker, Michael J. Ammendola, Adam C. Zettel, Hagen Eckert, Jeffrey R. Shallenberger, Xiomara Campilongo, William G. Fahrenholtz, Arrigo Calzolari, Douglas E. Wolfe, Stefano Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Effective thermal management at variable and extreme temperatures face limitations for the development of novel energy and aerospace applications. Plasmonic approaches, shown to be capable of tailoring black-body emission, could be effective if materials with high-temperature and tunable plasmonic resonance were available. Here, we report a synergy between experimental and theoretical results proving that many high-entropy transition metal carbides, consisting of four or more metals at equal molar ratio, have plasmonic resonance at room, high (>1000∘C) and variable temperatures. We also found that these high-entropy carbides can be tuned and show considerable plasmonic thermal cycling stability. This paradigm-shift approach …

Data Driven Design Of Ultra High Performance Concrete Prospects And Application, Bryan K. Aylas-Paredes, Taihao Han, Advaith Neithalath, Jie Huang, Ashutosh Goel, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a specialized class of cementitious composites that is increasingly used in various applications, including bridge decks, connections between precast components, piers, columns, overlays, and the repair and strengthening of bridge elements. The mechanical and durability properties of UHPC are significantly influenced by factors such as low water-to-binder ratios, the inclusion of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and fiber reinforcement. Machine learning (ML) has been employed to predict the performance of UHPC and optimize its mixture designs by using various raw materials. This study first provides a comprehensive review of ML applications in UHPC, focusing on predicting workability, …

Elucidating The Effects Of Water Activity On The Hydration Kinetics And Thermodynamics Of Ye’Elimite–Calcium Sulfate Hydrate Systems, Godwin I. Ogbuehi, Rupack R. Halder, Aditya Kumar, Gaurav Sant, Monday U. Okoronkwo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Relative humidity and water activity (aH) reductions have been known to suppress the hydration of anhydrous cement clinker phases. However, the relationship between ye'elimite (C4A3$) hydration kinetics and water activity remain unclear. This study employs experimental and thermodynamic modeling approaches to investigate the influence of water activity on ye'elimite hydration in the "C4A3$ + water", and "C4A3$ + gypsum + water" systems. Experimental findings indicate that as water activity decreases, C4A3$ hydration diminishes until the reaction is brought to a halt at a threshold aH. The critical aHand corresponding solubility constant of C4A3$ (KC4A3S¯) estimated from thermodynamic analysis are 0.46 …

Effects Of Yttrium And Barium Trace Impurities On The Dielectric Properties Of  Srtio3 (111) Single Crystals At Cryogenic Temperatures, Hung Trinh, Alan Devoe, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Commercially available single crystals of (111) SrTiO₃ were found to contain impurities of varying amounts that strongly affected their dielectric performance at cryogenic temperatures. Three crystals with total impurities of 111, 126, and 625 ppm, primarily of barium and yttrium, were analyzed. Relative permittivity (εr) and loss tangent were investigated with high resolution as a function of temperature (4 K to 100 K), DC voltage (0 V/cm to 800 V/cm), and frequency (100 Hz to 1 MHz). An impurity level as low as ≈500 ppm barium resulted in an increase of the maximum permittivity (εm) to approximately 50,000 at …

Extraction Of Aluminum From Lunar Regolith Through Molten Salt Electrolysis, Jacob N. Ortega, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David J. Bayless, William Schonberg, Daniel S. Stutts, Frank D. Han

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the methodology, development, and results of an end-to-end regolith-to-metal concept for producing aluminum in-situ on the lunar surface, namely, the Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE) method. Using electrolytic reduction, aluminum oxide (i.e., alumina) can be reduced into aluminum and oxygen via electrolysis in a molten salt bath. A steady supply of hydrogen chloride could allow this in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method to supply several necessary materials consumed in the electrolytic reduction step of the process to produce bulk aluminum metal, oxygen, water, and silica from anorthite abundant in lunar highland regions. In this …

Active Measurement Of A Micron-Order Gap Under High-Speed And High-Temperature Conditions, Andrew Becker

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypersonic regime poses numerous challenges that researchers face in the development of hypersonic flight vehicles. Due to their excellent thermomechanical properties, ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) have risen as a promising solution to act as a protective barrier between the harsh environment and surface materials of these flight bodies. The mechanical operation of a portable hypersonic simulation device was developed in-house and tested at Argonne National Laboratories (ANL) to gather in-situ material response of prospective UHTC samples when exposed to a hypersonic regime. An edge detection-based algorithm was developed and used in LabVIEW to monitor the health and operation of the …

Microstructure Densification In Cement Pastes Enabled By Novel Graphene Types, Sahil Surehali, Taihao Han, Ranjith Divigalpitiya, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The primary barriers hindering graphene's widespread adoption as a performance-enhancing additive in cement-based systems have traditionally been its prohibitive cost and the sustainability concerns associated with conventional manufacturing processes. However, these impediments have recently been mitigated by advancements in detonation synthesis techniques, enabling scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally favorable production of novel graphene types—specifically fractal graphene (FG) and reactive graphene (RG). This paper explores the influence of ultra-low dosages of FG and RG (≤ 0.04 % by mass of cement, which results in ∼20 % increase in compressive strengths) on the pore-structure features of cement pastes. Compared to the control paste, …

Improvement Of Lithium-Metal Electrode All-Solid-State Batteries Performance By Shot Peening And Magnetron Sputtering, Atsuro Okumura, Manabu Kodama

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

To enable fast charging in lithium-metal anode all-solid-state batteries, suppressing lithium dendrite formation at the solid electrolyte (SE) interface is critical. Increasing fracture toughness via shot peening (SP) and improving interfacial contact with Au sputtering can inhibit dendrite growth. However, conventional sputtering may reduce toughness due to localized thermal damage. This study investigated magnetron sputtering as a low-damage, plasma-based Au deposition method. SEs with and without SP were fabricated and coated via normal and magnetron sputtering. Critical current density (CCD) and fracture toughness were evaluated. Without SP, CCD improvement was limited regardless of sputtering method due to poor bonding. With …

Antibacterial Activity Of Zno/Geopolymer Composite Granules And Their Potential Application In Water Treatment, Ziyan Tirta Maulitia, Putri Nur Angelina, Pipit Erlita Sari, Sri Sugiarti, Irma Isnafia Arief, Zaenal Abidin

Makara Journal of Science

Water pollution has become a major global concern owing to its complexity and widespread impact. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are the most common bacterial contaminants in water sources, which pose significant threats to public health. To mitigate water contamination by these pathogenic microorganisms, developing and implementing effective water treatment technologies are essential. A promising approach involves using antibacterial water filtration systems. Herein, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized via hydrothermal and precipitation methods as antibacterial agents for water treatment. These preparation methods required considerably low synthesis time. A capping agent was …

Enabling Carbon Dioxide Mineralization And Active Set Control In Portlandite-Based Cementitious Suspensions, Xiaodi Dai, Sharu Bhagavathi Kandy, Rui Xiao, Manas Sarkar, Shubham Wani, Thiyagarajan Ranganathan, Narayanan Neithalath, Aditya Kumar, Mathieu Bauchy, Edward Garboczi, Torben Gädt, Samanvaya Srivastava, Gaurav Sant

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The real-time control of concrete's stiffening allows users to better control pumping and extrusion during 3D-printing processes. Here, a portlandite-based cementitious formulation (i.e., slurry or suspension) that features the potential for rapid CO₂ uptake is adapted for 3D-printing applications. In particular, we showcase a portlandite-fly ash binder system combined with a thermo responsive polymer, wherein precise control via thermal activation allows set control and rapid solidification. Through the thermally induced polymerization of polyacrylamide, the hybrid binder system rapidly undergoes stiffening at trigger onset temperatures ranging from 60 °C to 80 °C, exhibiting average stiffening rates of up to 2600 …

Tensile Creep Of A Hybrid Polymer-Matrix/Ceramic-Matrix Composite At Elevated Temperature, Waleed S. Alshehri

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced aerospace systems require structural materials that can perform reliably in high-temperature environments for long durations. The performance of standard polymer matrix composites (PMCs) in these conditions is often limited by their susceptibility to time-dependent deformation, such as creep. The objective of this research is to characterize the high-temperature creep behavior of a novel unitized material system comprising a polymer matrix composite (PMC) and a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) co-cured together. The PMC part consists of the polyimide matrix reinforced with laminated carbon fibers woven in an eight harness satin weave (8HSW). The CMC part consists of a zirconia-based ceramic …

In Situ High-Temperature Raman Spectroscopy For Online Eaf Slag Analysis, Bohong Zhang, Hanok Tekle, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jeffrey D. Smith, Farhan Mumtaz, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Real-time monitoring of slag chemistry is critical for optimizing Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking operations, where dynamic variations in slag composition directly influence slag foaming, refractory degradation, and thermal efficiency. Conventional techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) are commonly used to analyze slag composition, but their offline nature and equipment constraints limit their applicability for online monitoring in harsh industrial environments. To address this challenge, we present an in situ, high-temperature analytical approach that integrates Raman spectroscopy with a custom-designed fiber-optic probe for real-time slag characterization at …

Investigation Of Solid-State Reactive Sintering And Rapid Laser Reactive Sintering For Al-Doped Li7la3zr2o12 Solid-State Electrolyte, Aaron Santomauro

All Dissertations

As a society, we’ve exhausted an extreme amount of fossil fuels and put an overwhelming strain on Earth’s natural resources. From this, it is critical to think about the successful future of our planet and ourselves by developing energy devices such as all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLIBs). These devices offer a greener and more efficient alternative to power our daily lives, such as electric vehicles (EVs), portable electronics, medical devices, grid-scale energy storage, and aerospace/aviation. ASSLIBs are an excellent alternative to liquid-state batteries, which pose dangerous safety concerns (e.g., flammability, electrolyte leakage, etc.). These ASSLIBs are known to have generally high …

Discovery Of High-Performance Cathode Materials For Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells, Liang Han

All Dissertations

Environmental pollution and rapid energy consumption have become common problems in global development and will continue to grow with the world population. PCFCs use proton-conducting ceramics as electrolytes, with low activation energy and high ionic conductivity at intermediate temperatures, enabling them to operate at intermediate-temperature conditions, which can effectively solve the problems of poor stability and high cost of exotic materials of traditional solid oxide fuel cells. However, as the operating temperature decreases, the electrocatalytic activity of the cathode decreases significantly, seriously affecting PCFC’s performance. Therefore, developing high-performance cathode material suitable for working under intermediate-temperature conditions has become the key …