Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Preface To Special Issue: Electrocatalysis And Electrosynthesis, Fang-Yi Cheng, Shuang-Yin Wang, Tian-Hua Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

No abstract provided.

Recent Advances In Exploring Highly Active & Durable Pgm-Free Oxygen Reduction Catalysts, Yuan Li, Miao-Ying Chen, Bang-An Lu, Jia-Nan Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In order to reduce the considerable usage of expensive but scarce platinum at the cathode in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), it is necessary to pursue alternatives to platinum. The most promising platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are atomically dispersed, and nitrogen-coordinated metal site catalysts denoted as M-N-C (M = Fe, Co, or Mn, etc.). Over the last few decades, there have been great advances in these catalysts with high ORR activity and promising initial fuel cell performance approaching traditional Pt/C catalysts. However, the stability of these highly active Fe-N-C catalysts under practical fuel …

Electrochemical Oxidation Of Ethylene On Palladium Electrode, Wei-Xing Wu, Ying Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical oxidation of C₂H₄ is attracting increasing attention due to its vast potential market. The current electrochemical methods rely on the use of redox mediators, which may produce corrosive intermediates, while direct oxidation is still limited by its low activity and selectivity. Herein, we conducted electrochemical studies to obtain mechanistic insights into the benchmark Pd catalyst. The generated Pd(II) could be the active site for C₂H₄ oxidation. By designing the pulse sequence, we found the ratio of strongly and weakly adsorbed C₂H₄ on Pd to be 0.3:1. The result we …

Supperlattice-Like Structure: Ordered Mass Transfer Endowing High Quality Output Of Fuel Cell, Jian Wang, Wen-Hui Xuan, Qian He, Jing-Xia Jiang, Yuan-Yuan Zhou, Yao Nie, Qiang Liao, Min-Hua Shao, Wei Ding, Zi-Dong Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

The current or voltage fluctuation in fuel cell operation is harmful to the fuel cell system and power application equipment. Here, we report a technique to eliminate such a fluctuation by the aid of new type of catalysts, superlattice-like mesoporous PtCo catalysts. The current fluctuation in fuel cells catalyzed by two invented catalysts are fixed at as low as 25 mA·cm⁻² with a power of 0.75 W·cm⁻² or 120 mA·cm⁻² with a power of 1.01 W·cm⁻², and no noticeable current decay was detected over 100 h. By contrast, a …

In Situ And Real-Time Mold Flux Analysis Using A High-Temperature Fiber-Optic Raman Sensor For Steel Manufacturing Applications, Bohong Zhang, Hanok Tekle, Ronald J. O'Malley, Todd Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Continuous Casting in Steel Production Uses Specially Developed Oxyfluoride Glasses (Mold Fluxes) to Lubricate a Mold and Control the Solidification of the Steel in the Mold. the Composition of the Flux Impacts Properties, Including Basicity, Viscosity, and Crystallization Rate, All of Which Affect the Stability of the Casting Process and the Quality of the Solidified Steel. However, Mold Fluxes Interact with Steel during the Casting Process, Resulting in Flux Chemistry Changes that Must Be Considered in the Flux Design. Currently, the Chemical Composition of Mold Flux Must Be Determined by Extracting Flux Samples from the Mold during Casting and Then …

Temperature Monitoring In The Refractory Lining Of A Continuous Casting Tundish Using Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors, Muhammad Roman, Hanok Tekle, Dinesh Reddy Alla, Farhan Mumtaz, Jeffrey D. Smith, Laura Bartlett, Ronald J. O'Malley, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Article Explores the Prospects of using Spatially Distributed Optical Fiber Temperature Sensors based on Rayleigh Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) Technology in the Continuous Casting of Molten Steel. the Measurement Capability of the Optical Fiber Sensors in a Simulated Steelmaking Environment Was Demonstrated using a Mock Refractory-Lined Tundish, Which Was Fabricated In-House. Single-Mode Optical Fibers, Contained in Protective Stainless-Steel Tubing, Were Embedded in the Refractory Lining of the Mock Tundish. the Instrumented Tundish Was Preheated Up to a Temperature of 960 °C (Recorded at the Surface of the Working Lining) Before the Molten Steel Pour. a Low-Alloy Steel (AISI …

In Situ High-Temperature Raman Spectroscopy Via A Remote Fiber-Optic Raman Probe, Bohong Zhang, Hanok Tekle, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jeffrey D. Smith, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Demonstrated for the First Time an in Situ High-Temperature Fiber-Optic Raman Probe to Study the Structure of Glass and Slag Samples at Temperatures Up to 1400 °C. a Customized External Telescope Was Integrated into a Portable Fiber-Optic Raman Probe to Extend the Optical Working Distance to Allow the Probe to Work in a High-Temperature Environment. Three Samples Were Evaluated to Demonstrate the Functionality of the High-Temperature Fiber-Optic Raman Probe. Room Temperature and High-Temperature Raman Spectra Were Successfully Collected and Analyzed. in Addition, a Deconvolution Algorithm Was Used to Identify Peaks in the Spectrum that Could Then Be Related …

A Study On The Impact Of Silicon And Manganese On Peritectic Behavior In Low Alloy Steels Assisted By Mold Thermal Mapping Technology And Shell Growth Measurements, Damilola Balogun, Muhammad Roman, Rex E. Gerald, Laura Bartlett, Jie Huang, Ronald J. O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Non-Uniform Shell Growth Commonly Caused by the Peritectic Transformation in Low Carbon and Low Alloy Steels Has Been Directly Correlated with Mold Thermal Maps using a Mold Immersion Test into a Molten Steel Alloy. Mold Thermal Maps Were Obtained by Performing Real-Time Temperature Measurements with Optical Fibers Embedded 1 Mm from the Mold Working Surface. Shell Growth Measurements Were Obtained by 3D Optical Scanning of the Recovered Steel Shell Following Immersion Testing. the Effects of Silicon and Manganese on the Shell Growth and Mold Temperature Maps Have Been Examined in Relation to the Peritectic Transformation for Varying Carbon Contents. Results …

Real-Time Air Gap And Thickness Measurement Of Continuous Caster Mold Flux By Extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometer, Abhishek Prakash Hungund, Hanok Tekle, Bohong Zhang, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jeffrey D. Smith, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mold Flux plays a critical role in continuous casting of steel. Along with many other functions, the mold flux in the gap between the solidifying steel shell and the mold serves as a medium for controlling heat transfer and as a barrier to prevent shell sticking to the mold. This manuscript introduces a novel method of monitoring the structural features of a mold flux film in real-time in a simulated mold gap. A 3-part stainless-steel mold was designed with a 2 mm, 4 mm and, 6 mm step profile to contain mold flux films of varying thickness. An Extrinsic Fabry-Perot …

Advancing Aluminum Casting Optimization With Real-Time Temperature And Gap Measurements Using Optical Fiber Sensors At The Metal-Mold Interface, Bohong Zhang, Abhishek Prakash Hungund, Dinesh Reddy Alla, Deva Prasaad Neelakandan, Muhammad Roman, Ronald J. O'Malley, Laura Bartlett, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accurate measurement of interfacial heat transfer during casting solidification is crucial for optimizing metal solidification processes. The gap between the mold wall and the casting surface plays a significant role in heat transfer and cooling rates. In this study, two innovative fiber-optic sensors are employed to measure real-time mold gaps and thermal profiles during the solidification of A356 aluminum in a permanent mold casting. The experimental setup consists of a specially designed mold system made of unheated, uncoated tool steel, which facilitates easy installation of the fiber-optic sensors. An Extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) sensor is utilized to monitor the evolving …

Cascaded Sapphire Fiber Bragg Gratings Inscribed By Femtosecond Laser For Molten Steel Studies, Dinesh Reddy Alla, Deva Prasad Neelakandan, Farhan Mumtaz, Rex E. Gerald, Laura Bartlett, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jeffrey D. Smith, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research reports a distributed fiber optic high-temperature sensing system tailored for applications in the steel industry and various other sectors. Recent advancements in optical sensor technology have led to the exploration of sapphire crystal fibers as a solution for sensing in harsh environments. Utilizing a femtosecond (fs) laser, cascaded fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) were meticulously fabricated within a multimode sapphire optical fiber. These FBGs endowed the system with distributed sensing capabilities and underwent rigorous testing under extreme temperatures, reaching up to 1,800 °C. The study delves into the investigation of the FBG reflection spectrum, facilitated by the development of …

Predicting Compressive Strength And Hydration Products Of Calcium Aluminate Cement Using Data-Driven Approach, Sai Akshay Ponduru, Taihao Han, Jie Huang, Aditya Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Calcium aluminate cement (CAC) has been explored as a sustainable alternative to Portland cement, the most widely used type of cement. However, the hydration reaction and mechanical properties of CAC can be influenced by various factors such as water content, Li₂CO₃ content, and age. Due to the complex interactions between the precursors in CAC, traditional analytical models have struggled to predict CAC binders' compressive strength and porosity accurately. To overcome this limitation, this study utilizes machine learning (ML) to predict the properties of CAC. The study begins by using thermodynamic simulations to determine the phase assemblages of …

Predicting Dissolution Kinetics Of Tricalcium Silicate Using Deep Learning And Analytical Models, Taihao Han, Sai Akshay Ponduru, Arianit Reka, Jie Huang, Gaurav Sant, Aditya Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The dissolution kinetics of Portland cement is a critical factor in controlling the hydration reaction and improving the performance of concrete. Tricalcium silicate (C₃S), the primary phase in Portland cement, is known to have complex dissolution mechanisms that involve multiple reactions and changes to particle surfaces. As a result, current analytical models are unable to accurately predict the dissolution kinetics of C₃S in various solvents when it is undersaturated with respect to the solvent. This paper employs the deep forest (DF) model to predict the dissolution rate of C₃S in the undersaturated solvent. The …

A Partial Discharge Inception Voltage Modeling Approach, Shilpi Mukherjee, Tristan Mark Evans, David Huitink, H. Alan Mantooth

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A partial discharge inception voltage modeling approach promoting design-for-reliability considerations in advanced power modules is presented. As power modules are being operated at higher voltages and become more compact to meet power density demands, there is an increased risk of partial discharge, the silent precursor to electrical breakdown that degrades insulation material. The trade-off between voltage class and module compaction must be quantified. This work presents a methodology to model the tradeoff for any substrate and encapsulant material. A surface charge density-based partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV) model was developed to overcome the challenges in electric field-based models. The model …

High Energy Blue Light Induces Oxidative Stress And Retinal Cell Apoptosis, Jessica Malinsky

Capstone Showcase

Blue light (BL) is a high energy, short wavelength spanning 400 to 500 nm. Found in technological and environmental forms, BL has been shown to induce photochemical damage of the retina by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Excess ROS leads to oxidative stress, which disrupts retinal mitochondrial structure and function. As mitochondria amply occupy photoreceptors, they also contribute to oxidative stress due to their selectively significant absorption of BL at 400 to 500 nm. ROS generation that induces oxidative stress subsequently promotes retinal mitochondrial apoptosis. BL filtering and preventative mechanisms have been suggested to improve or repair BL-induced retinal damage, …

Surface Properties, Work Function, And Thermionic Electron Emission Characterization Of Materials For Next-Generation Dispenser Cathodes, Antonio Mantica

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

A dispenser cathode’s ability to thermionically emit electrons is highly dependent on its material properties, especially those of the surface. Understanding the relationship between surface properties and electron emission, therefore, is vital to reach the next generation of the many vacuum electron devices (VEDs) that rely on the physics of electron emission. In the past century, many techniques have been developed to characterize material surfaces and quantify thermionic emission. These techniques are based on a wide range of different physical phenomena, including measuring photoemission via the photoelectric effect, measuring the electrostatic potential between metals in electrical contact, and current collection …

Solid-State Electrolytes For Long Duration Molten Sodium Batteries, Ryan C. Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Rechargeable batteries have become a staple of modern society, driving the development and expansion of portable electronics and electric vehicles. The long lifetime and high energy density provided by batteries have made them excellent candidates for use in the emerging field of long duration, grid-scale energy storage. However, traditional battery chemistries, such as Li-ion, are not an ideal solution for grid-scale storage, due to high-cost raw materials that are often sourced from volatile markets. Sodium-based batteries are a promising alternative for long duration storage, owing to the domestic abundance of raw materials and energy densities that nearly rival that of …

System Analysis Of An Internal Combustion Engine (Ice) – Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (Sofc) Hybrid Cycle, Jose Javier Colon Rodriguez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy and the rigid operation of existing coal plants, the need for flexible power generation technology is eminent. Hybrid energy systems have shown potential for flexible, grid following dynamics while maintaining higher efficiencies. The work below focuses on the performance analysis of a proposed 100 kW pressurized Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) hybrid system. The un-utilized fuel from the SOFC stack provided the chemical energy to operate the engine. A turbocharger was used to deliver the necessary air flow for both the stack and engine. An external reformer …

Boosting Snr Of Cascaded Fbgs In A Sapphire Fiber Through A Rapid Heat Treatment, Farhan Mumtaz, Hanok Tekle, Bohong Zhang, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Rex Gerald, Jie Huang

PSMRC Faculty Research

This Letter reports the performance of femtosecond (fs) laser-written distributed fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) under high-temperature conditions up to 1600°C and explores the impact of rapid heat treatment on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement. FBGs are essential for reliable optical sensing in extreme temperature environments. Comprehensive tests demonstrate the remarkable performance and resilience of FBGs at temperatures up to 1600°C, confirming their suitability for deployment in such conditions. The study also reveals significant fringe visibility improvements of up to ∼10 dB on a 1-m-long sapphire optical fiber through rapid heat treatment, representing a first-time achievement to the best of our knowledge. …

Fem Eem Dataset: Optimising Retrofitted Insulation For Irish Residential Building Walls, Rakshit D. Muddu, Aimee Byrne, Anthony Robinson Dr.

Datasets

A large number of combinations of Irish wall types, insulation materials, and heating fuel types were produced to compare the multiple variables which influence Optimal Insulation Thickness values. The total cost (TC) and carbon emission (CE) at optimum insulation thickness (OIT) for all combinations of insulation material and three types of fuel are considered. The dataset presents OIT for solid wall, cavity wall and cavity block wall types located in Monaghan, Dublin, and Kerry.

Carrier Transport Engineering In Wide Bandgap Semiconductors For Photonic And Memory Device Applications, Ravi Teja Velpula

Dissertations

Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors play a crucial role in the current solid-state lighting technology. The AlGaN compound semiconductor is widely used for ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), however, the efficiency of these LEDs is largely in a single-digit percentage range due to several factors. Until recently, AlInN alloy has been relatively unexplored, though it holds potential for light-emitters operating in the visible and UV regions. In this dissertation, the first axial AlInN core-shell nanowire UV LEDs operating in the UV-A and UV-B regions with an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of 52% are demonstrated. Moreover, the light extraction efficiency of this …

Damage Stability Study Of A 500 Dw Ro-Ro Ferry Vessel, Zulfaidah Ariany, Budhi Santoso, Sarwoko Sarwoko, Nauval Abdurrahman Prasetyo

Makara Journal of Technology

The development of the crossing transportation industry is currently increasing in the island areas. The use of Ro-Ro type ferry boats is extremely efficient in moving people, goods, and vehicles. The current research focuses on the damage stability of the 500 DWT Ro-Ro ferry, which aims to meet the needs of the Ro-Ro ferry in the archipelago area. The previously existing initial design of a barge hull with a main size Lpp = 40.15 m, B = 12 m, H = 3.2 m, and T = 2.15 m was used to analyze the damage stability condition further. First, the drawings …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence To Lithium-Ion Battery Research And Development, Zhen-Wei Zhu, Jing-Yi Qiu, Li Wang, Gao-Ping Cao, Xiang-Ming He, Jing Wang, Hao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become one of the best solutions to the energy storage issue in modern society. However, the battery materials and device development are both complex, and involve multivariable problems. Traditional trial-and-error approach, which relies on researchers to conduct experiments, has encountered bottlenecks in the improvement of the battery performance. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most potential technology to deal with this issue due to its powerful high-speed and capabilities of processing massive data. In particular, the capability of machine learning (ML) algorithms in assessing multidimensional data variables and discovering patterns in the sets are expected to assist …

Advances On Composite Cathodes For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Xi-Yao Li, Chang-Xin Zhao, Bo-Quan Li, Jia-Qi Huang, Qiang Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are deemed as high-promising next-generation energy storage technique due to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density, where the sulfur cathodes with high specific capacity guarantee the energy density advantage and directly determine the battery performances. After decades of exploration, the most promising sulfur cathodes are sulfur/carbon composite (S/C) cathodes and sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) cathodes. In this manuscript, recent advances on S/C and SPAN cathodes in Li-S batteries are comprehensively reviewed. The electrochemical reaction circumstances on S/C and SPAN cathodes are firstly introduced and compared to reveal the working mechanisms of the two types of Li-S batteries. The S/C …

Multi-Electron Reaction-Boosted High Energy Density Batteries: Material And System Innovation, Rui-Qi Guo, Feng Wu, Xin-Ran Wang, Ying Bai, Chuan Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The continuous development of the global energy structure transformation has put forward higher demands upon the development of batteries. The improvements of the energy density have become one of the important indicators and hot topic for novel secondary batteries. The energy density of existing lithium-ion battery has encountered a bottleneck due to the limitations of material and systems. Herein, this paper introduces the concept and development of multi-electron reaction materials over the past twenty years. Guided by the multi-electron reaction, light weight electrode and multi-ion effect, current development strategies and future trends of high-energy-density batteries are highlighted from the perspective …

Carbon-Al Interface Effect On The Performance Of Ionic Liquid-Based Supercapacitor At 3 V And 65 OC, Zhen-Zhen Ye, Shu-Ting Zhang, Xin-Qi Chen, Jin Wang, Ying Jin, Chao-Jie Cui, Lei Zhang, Lu-Ming Qian, Gang Zhang, Wei-Zhong Qian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ionic liquid (IL) electrolyte-based supercapacitors (SCs) have advantages of high operating voltage window, high energy density and nonflammability, as compared to conventional acetonitrile-based organic electrolyte SCs, and are typically suitable for the large-scale energy storage in the era of carbon neutrality full of renewable, but unstable electricity. However, current efforts were concentrated on the study with coin-cell type of IL-SCs, and less has been reported on the pouch type of IL-SCs for a long cycling time yet. To fabricate a reliable SC for the life time test or for the accelerated aging test under high temperature, one should concern the …

Preparation Of Highly-Cyclized Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Xuan Ji, Jia-Yu Wang, An-Bang Wang, Wei-Kun Wang, Ming Yao, Ya-Qin Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) is regarded as an attractive cathode candidate of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries for its non-dissolution mechanism and effective alleviation of polysulfides shuttling issue in Li-S batteries, displaying high utilization of cathode active material, outstanding cycle stability and structural stability. However, the relation between cyclization degree and cycle stability of SPAN is still unveiled. In this work, SPAN-C-V composites were synthesized by co-introduction of CuSO₄ and zinc n-ethyl-n-phenyldithiocarbamate (ZDB) in the co-heating of sulfur and polyacrylonitrile. The co-introduction of CuSO₄ and ZDB reduced the cyclization reaction onset temperature of PAN while increased the C—C/C=C within SPAN-C-V, thus …

Void-Semiconductor Gaas Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Lasers By Epitaxial Regrowth And Single-Epitaxy Methods, Kevin James Reilly

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Monolithic semiconductor lasers including edge-emitting lasers (EELs) and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) fail to realize simultaneous achievement of both high-power high-quality beams due to intrinsic limitations of their resonant cavity. Photonic crystal surface emitting lasers (PCSELs) address these structural limitations through employment of a two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) cavity that creates feedback at a single wavelength for laterally scalable devices. This function of the PC allows PCSELs to power scale with area while maintaining single-mode emission required for diffraction-limited beams. In this way, PCSELs fulfill an industry demand for high-power high-quality lasing from a single chip.

Early PCSELs were fabricated …

A Fiber-Optic Sensor-Embedded And Machine Learning Assisted Smart Helmet For Multi-Variable Blunt Force Impact Sensing In Real Time, Yiyang Zhuang, Taihao Han, Qingbo Yang, Ryan O'Malley, Aditya Kumar, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Early on-site diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) will provide the best guidance for clinical practice. However, existing methods and sensors cannot provide sufficiently detailed physical information related to the blunt force impact. In the present work, a smart helmet with a single embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor is developed, which can monitor complex blunt force impact events in real time under both wired and wireless modes. The transient oscillatory signal "fingerprint" can specifically reflect the impact-caused physical deformation of the local helmet structure. By combination with machine learning algorithms, the unknown transient impact can be recognized quickly …

Enhancing The Performance Of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) Based Organic Thin-Film Transistors Using An Interface Engineering Method, Eyob Negussie Tarekegn

All Dissertations

An original design and photolithographic fabrication process for poly(3-hexylthiophene-2, 5-diyl) (P3HT) based organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) is presented. The structure of the transistors was based on the bottom gate bottom contact OTFT. The fabrication process was efficient, cost-effective, and relatively straightforward to implement. Current–voltage (I-V) measurements were performed to characterize the primary electronic properties of the transistors. The measured mobility of these transistors was significantly higher than most results reported in the literature for other similar bottom gate bottom contact P3HT OTFTs. The higher mobility is explained primarily by the effectiveness of the fabrication process in keeping the interfacial layers …