Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Pan Nanofibers And Nanofiber Reinforced Composites, Cheng Ren

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nanomaterials play an important role in the development of nanotechnology. They possess unique mechanical, physical, and chemical properties coupled with small size and ultrahigh surface area that can provide critical advantages for applications. Continuous nanofibers attract special interest due to their dual nano-macro nature and ability to bridge scales. Nanofibers are being considered for a broad range of applications spanning advanced filters, separation membranes, ultrasensitive sensors, micro/nano actuators, nanoprobes, tissue engineering scaffolds, protective and smart closing, and multifunctional composites. Most of these applications require certain mechanical properties and robustness. However, the literature on the mechanical behavior of nanofibers and their …

Fluorescence Characterization Of Quantum Dots For Use As Biomarkers, Logan M. Grimes

Materials Engineering

Fluorescence profiles of quantum dots (QDs) were characterized to select the ideal QDs for encapsulation in phospholipids for use as biomarkers to selectively adhere to cancer cells. QDs were synthesized and extracted 0, 30, 60, and 90 seconds after precursor compounds were mixed. These extractions were isolated by extraction time. Portions from each vial were coated in a zinc sulfide shelling procedure, leaving at least half of the QD solution unshelled. These samples were characterized over four days to monitor fluctuations in fluorescence. This was done utilizing an Ocean Optics spectrometer in conjunction with Spectra Suite software. The central wavelength, …

Atmospheric Pressure He-Air Plasma Jet: Breakdown Process And Propagation Phenomenon, Asma Begum, Mounir Laroussi, Mohammad Rasel Pervez

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper He-discharge (plasma jet/bullet) in atmospheric pressure air and its progression phenomenon has been studied experimentally using ICCD camera, optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and calibrated dielectric probe measurements. The repetitive nanosecond pulse has applied to a plasma pencil to generate discharge in the helium gas channel. The discharge propagation speed was measured from the ICCD images. The axial electric field distribution in the plasma jet is inferred from the optical emission spectroscopic data and from the probe measurement. The correlation between the jet velocities, jet length with the pulse duration is established. It shows that the plasma jet …

Application Of Quantum Dots Onto Glass Wafers As A Feasibility Test For The Spectral Down Conversion Of Uv Light For Solar Cells, Anthony Fong

Materials Engineering

Quantum dots have the ability to convert high energy photons into multiple lower energy photons. Down conversion of such high energy photons from sources such as UV light can be beneficial for applications on solar cells which waste much of the energy in the form of thermalization. To test this theory, a solar cell was hooked up to an Amprobe Solar Analyzer and tests were run to compare power output with and without the presence of quantum dots. Additionally, quantum dots were spin coated onto a glass wafer to determine its adhesion ability. Spectrometer readings were taken of the wafer …

Design And Fundamental Understanding Of Minimum Quantity Lubrication (Mql) Assisted Grinding Using Advanced Nanolubricants, Parash Kalita

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abrasive grinding is widely used across manufacturing industry for finishing parts and components requiring smooth superficial textures and precise dimensional tolerances and accuracy. Unlike any other machining operations, the complex thermo-mechanical processes during grinding produce excessive friction-induced energy consumption, heat, and intense contact seizures. Lubrication and cooling from grinding fluids is crucial in minimizing the deleterious effects of friction and heat to maximize the output part quality and process efficiency. The conventional flood grinding approach of an uneconomical application of large quantities of chemically active fluids has been found ineffective to provide sufficient lubrication and produces waste streams and pollutants …

Iii-V Bismide Optoelectronic Devices, Dongsheng Fan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores modeling, molecular beam epitaxy growth, and fabrication of III-V bismide optoelectronic devices, which are of great importance in modern applications of telecommunication, gas sensing, environment monitoring, etc. In the current room-temperature continuous-wave operational GaSb-based type-I InGaAsSb/AlGaInAsSb quantum well laser diodes in 3-4 um mid-wavelength range, the lasing wavelength and performance of the devices are limited due to the lack of hole confinement in the active regions. In this dissertation, a novel GaSb-based GaInAsSbBi material is proposed to replace the conventional InGaAsSb material in the quantum well region, which enables the laser diodes achieve up to 4 µm …

Current Development Of Quantum Dots Based Electrochemiluminescence Immunosensors, Ling-Ling Li, Qian Lu, Jun-Jie Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemiluminescence exhibits the merits of both luminescence and electrochemistry analysis, and has been extensively employed in biosensors. Quantum dots are considered one of the three main kinds of electrochemiluminescence luminophores due to their unique properties. This paper briefly reviews the classification and signal amplification technology of quantum dots based electrochemiluminescence immunosensors. Future research trends are also suggested.

Synthesis And Electrocatalysis Of Pdcu Alloy Nanocrystals, Hai-Bin Wu, Rui-Zhong Zhang, Wei Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Monodispersed PdCu alloy nanoparticles were synthesized by co-reduction of Cu(acac)2 and Pd(acac)2 with 1, 2-hexadecanediol. The spherical and popcorn-like shapes of PdCu alloy nanoparticles were obtained by changing the ratios of mixed surface protecting ligands of 1-octadecene, and oleylamine or oleic acid. TEM and XRD measurements showed that both PdCu nanoparticles are alloy nanocrystals dominated with (111) planes and the average sizes are 12.7 ± 0.18 and 20.4 ± 0.31 nm for he spherical and popcorn-like PdCu nanoparticles, respectively. The electrocatalytic activities of the PdCu nanocrystals for formic acid oxidation were evaluated by electrochemical cyclic voltammetry (CV). The result showed …

Preparation And Catalytic Properties Of Feco Alloy Nanocatalyst, Ming-Xuan Li, Jie-Lian Ou, Sheng-Pei Chen, Peng Wang, Bin-Bin Xu, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The FeCo alloy nanoparticles were electrodeposited on glassy carbon electrode by chronoamperometry and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the shapes of FeCo nanoparticles were cubes with an average size of 65 nm. The atom ratio of Fe and Co is 1:1. As indicated from the pattern of selected area electron diffraction (SAED), the FeCo cubic nanoparticles were single crystal which belonged to body-centered cubic with an interval of 0.201 nm referring to the (110) facets of FeCo alloy. The FeCo cubic nanoparticles exhibited the enhanced electrocatalytic …

Electrochemical Synthesis Of Hierarchical Dendritic Polyaniline Nanostructures, Shao-Huang Weng, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Zhong-Hua Lin, Xin-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, the p-TSA doped and hierarchical dendritic nanostructured polyanilines (PANI) have been prepared by potentiostatic electropolymerization without using any templates at room temperature. The mechanism of the polymerization has been discussed according to the electrodeposition curves. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to confirm the formation of uniform hierarchical dendritic structure on PANI. UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) proved that the prepared PANI is in the form of emeraldine salt. The templateless electrodeposition method is simple, easy to operate, can be applied to fabricate other nanostructures of conducting polymers.

Preparation And Methanol Electrooxidation Of Pt/Pmo12/Pedot/Gc Electrodes, Jing-Hua Ma, Rui-Xiang Wang, Yi-Liang Tan, Shan-Shan Wang, Yan-Qin Zhang, You-Jun Fan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Modification of phosphomolybdic acid (PMo₁₂) on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film (PEDOT/GC) obtained through the electrochemical polymerization was performed using adsorption method (PMo₁₂/PEDOT/GC), followed by electrodepositing Pt on PMo₁₂/PEDOT/GC to prepare Pt/PMo₁₂/PEDOT/GC electrode. Effects of PMo₁₂ and PEDOT on the methanol oxidation performance of electrode were investigated. Results showed that PMo₁₂ obviously changed the morphology and structure of Pt loaded on the electrode, leading to the formation of sharp thorns at the edge of Pt nanostructures. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry data demonstrated that the catalytic activities of methanol electrooxidation on the Pt/PMo …

Electrochemical Activities Of Oxygen-Doped Carbon Surface For V(Iv)/V(V) Redox Couple, Huan Zhang, Lin-Lin Qin, Yi-Ning Shi, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong, Zhao-Wu Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Graphite plate electrodes were treated with oxygen plasma and doped with oxygen as well as oxygen functional groups. With the treatment, the activities of graphite plate electrodes toward VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ redox reactions were improved. FT-IR and EDS analysis results indicated that oxygen functional groups were introduced to the surface of graphite plates after oxygen plasma treatment. In this paper, the graphite plate treated for 20 min showed the highest activity. The average charge efficiency reached 91%, suggesting an increase of 19%, compared with that of the untreated graphite plate under a current density of 8 mA·cm^{-2 …}

Study Of The Growth And Switching Kinetics On Ferroelectric Nanocrystals Of Copolymer Vinylidene Fluoride And Trifluoroethylene On An Atomic Force Microscope, R. V. Gaynutdinov, O. A. Lysova, A. L. Tolstikhina, V. M. Fridkin, S. G. Yudin, Stephen Ducharme

Stephen Ducharme Publications

The growth of nanocrystals obtained from Langmuir-Blodgett films of ferroelectric copolymer consisting of 70% vinylidene fluoride and 30% trifluoroethylene has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The radius and concentration of nanocrystals are found to depend on the annealing time of the film. A model for nanocrystal growth is proposed which yields adequate time dependences for nanocrystal size parameters. The switching kinetics of individual ferroelectric nanocrystals with an average diameter of 100–200 nm and a height of 15–20 nm has been investigated in the piezoelectric response mode. It is shown that the switching of nanocrystals has an activation character.

An In Situ Ftir Spectroelectrochemical Study On Methanol Oxidation At Pt-Mo2C/Gc Catalyst, Hai-Ping Huang, Xi-Yu Yao, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

A 40% Pt on Mo₂C/GC catalyst has been prepared by ion exchange method. The mechanism of methanol electrooxidation on Pt-Mo₂C/GC and commercial Pt/C catalysts in acidic media was studied by cyclic voltammetry, XRD measurements and in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroelectrochemistry. The results revealed that the Pt nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on Mo₂C/GC with an average particle size of 3 nm. The cyclic voltammetric and chronopotentiometric experiments indicated that Pt-Mo₂C/GC catalyst exhibited a better performance for methanol oxidation than that of Pt/C in acid solution. A negative shift over 90 mV of the …

Sodium Carbonate Catalyzed Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Over Tio2 Nanotubes Photoanode, De-Sheng Kong, Jing Wang, Xue-Di Zhang, Xi Zhao, Chao Wang, Yuan-Yuan Feng, Wen-Juan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Surface recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs at semiconductor/electrolyte interface is one of the most essential reasons responsible for lowering photoconversion efficiency (Φ) of light to chemical energy for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting reaction. In this paper, the catalytic effect of sodium carbonate on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over TiO₂ nanotubes photoanode during PEC water splitting was investigated by performing photocurrent and ac impedance measurements. It was demonstrated that the addiction of 1 mmol•L^-1 Na₂CO₃ in 0.5 mol•L^-1 NaClO₄ electrolyte can effectively improve the charge transfer properties for the photogenerated holes across …

Applications Of Ellipsometry In The Investigations Of Electrode-Solution Interface, Jing-Lei Lei, Liang-Liu Wu, Ling-Jie Li, Sheng-Mao Wu, Sheng-Tao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ellipsometry is an optical technique with high-sensitivity to quantitatively obtain surface/interface properties such as thickness andrefractive index by analyzing the changes in polarized light reflected from the surface/interface. Its noncontacting and nondestructivenature makes it possible to acquire thein situreal-time information of the change at the surface/interface. Therefore, ellipsometry has been used widely in the electrochemical investigations. In this paper, based on the brief introduction of the measurementprinciple of ellipsometry, the current progress and the future trends of ellipsometry in electrochemistry arediscussed. The applications of ellipsometry in the fields of conversion and storage of electrochemical energy, electrochemistry ofmaterials science,electroanalysisand bioelectrochemistry are …

Experimental Study Of Nanofiber Production Through Forcespinning, Simon Padron, Arturo Fuentes, Dumitru Caruntu, Karen Lozano

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

A newly developed method of producing nanofibers, called forcespinning, has proven to be a viable alternative to mass produce nanofibers. Unlike electrospinning, the most common method currently being employed (which draws fibers through the use of electrostatic force), forcespinning utilizes centrifugal forces which allow for a host of new materials to be processed into nanofibers (given that electric fields are not required) while also providing a significant increase in yield and ease of production. This work presents a detailed explanation of the fiber formation process. The study is conducted using high speed photography to capture the jet initiation process at …

Multi-Scale Characterization Of Nanostructured Sodium Aluminum Hydride, Shathabish Narasegowda

Doctoral Dissertations

Complex metal hydrides are the most promising candidate materials for onboard hydrogen storage. The practicality of this class of materials is counter-poised on three critical attributes: reversible hydrogen storage capacity, high hydrogen uptake/release kinetics, and favorable hydrogen uptake/release thermodynamics. While a majority of modern metallic hydrides that are being considered are those that meet the criteria of high theoretical storage capacity, the challenges lie in addressing poor kinetics, thermodynamics, and reversibility. One emerging strategy to resolve these issues is via nanostructuring or nano-confinement of complex hydrides. By down-sizing and scaffolding them to retain their nano-dimensions, these materials are expected to …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Transition Metal Arsenide Nanocrystals And The Metastability And Magneto-Structural Phase Transition Behavior Of Mnas Nanocrystals, Yanhua Zhang

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation study focuses on (1) probing the magneto-structural phase transformation in nanoscale MnAs; (2) evaluation of the size-dependent phase stability of type-B MnAs (prepared by rapid injection); and (3) developing a general synthetic method for transition metal arsenide nanoparticles.

Discrete MnAs nanoparticles that adopt different structures at room temperature (type-A, α-structure and type-B, β-structure) have been prepared by the solution-phase arrested precipitation method. Atomic pair distribution and Rietveld refinement were employed on synchrotron data to explore the structural transitions of the bulk and nanoparticle samples, and these results were compared to AC magnetic susceptibility measurements of the samples. The …

Novel Approach Of Using Polyvinylidene Fluoride Langmuir-Schaefer Film On Graphene-Polyaniline Nanocomposite For Supercapacitor Applications, Venkata Priyanka Bolisetty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Supercapacitors are well known for their improvised power density compared to batteries. Ongoing research is mainly focused on improving the energy density of supercapacitors by using different electrode material nanocomposites. The recent research has revealed that graphene (G)-polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite could be a promising material for supercapacitor applications. The supercapacitor is also associated with self-leakage current regardless of any electrode material. The main objectives of the project are to: (i) synthesize highly fabricate supercapacitor based of G-PANI electrode; (ii) improve the energy density of supercapacitor by applying ultrathin monolayer/monolayers film electrode surface. It is crucial to either improve or retain …

Ion Beam Modification Of Single Crystal Sapphire For High Temperature Optical Waveguiding, William Spratt

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

High temperature environments (>1000°C) provide a significant challenge for fiber optic based sensing due to the poor physical properties of silica fiber at elevated temperature. Not only does silica soften above 1000°C, but the dopants that are responsible for the refractive index change between the core and cladding diffuse, reducing the fibers effectiveness as a waveguide. Single-crystal sapphire fiber has the potential to supplement fiber sensing at high temperature however sapphire fiber is unclad and no cladding methods exist that withstand high temperatures. In addition to higher losses the lack of a cladding also leads to decreased sensitivity due …

Ion Beam Nano-Engineering Of Erbium Doped Silicon For Enhanced Light Emission At 1.54 Microns, Sebastian Naczas

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Erbium doped silicon is of great interest as a potential light source in Silicon Photonics research due to its light emission at 1.54 μm, which corresponds to the minimal loss of optical transmission in silica fibers for telecommunications. In this thesis a basic mechanism for excitation and de-excitation of Er in Si is reviewed. Based on such fundamental understanding, an innovative approach is proposed and implemented to improve Er luminescence properties through the formation of metal nanoparticles via impurity gettering in Si nanocavities.

Microfluidic-Assisted Atomic Force Microscopy For The Mechanical Characterization Of Soft Biological Materials, Aaron Peter Mosier

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Viable methods for bacterial biofilm remediation require a fundamental understanding of biofilm mechanical properties and their dependence on dynamic environmental conditions. Mechanical test data, quantifying elasticity or adhesion, may be used to perform physical modeling of biofilm behavior, thus enabling the development of novel remediation strategies. To achieve real-time, dynamic measurements of these properties, a novel analysis platform consisting of a microfluidic flowcell device has been designed and fabricated for in situ analysis using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The flowcell consists of microfluidic channels for biofilm establishment that are then converted into an open …

Impacts Of Ion Irradiation On Hfo2-Based Resistive Random Access Memory Devices, Xiaoli He

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The impacts of ion irradiation on so-called vacancy-change mechanism (VCM) and electrochemical-metallization mechanism (ECM) ReRAM devices based on HfO₂ are investigated using various ion sources: H+ (1 MeV), He+ (1 MeV), N+ (1MeV), Ne+ (1.6 MeV) and Ar+ (2.75 MeV) over a range of total doses (105 - 1011 rad(Si)) and fluences (1012 - 1015 cm-2). VCM-ReRAM devices show robust resistive switching function after all irradiation experiments. VCM resistive switching parameters including set voltage (V_set), reset voltage (V_reset), on-state resistance (R_on) and off-state resistance (R_off) exhibited, in most cases, modest changes …

Understanding Defect Interactions In Si Ultra-Shallow P-N Junctions Formed By Very Low Energy Boron Implantation, Lakshmanan H. Vanamurthy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

One of the biggest challenges in the scaling of CMOS devices is the formation of a highly activated, abrupt, defect free Source drain extension (SDE) region. This is especially difficult with p-FET's because of the (1) Boron diffusion co-efficient enhancement from Transient enhanced diffusion (TED) and (2) low solid solubility of

The Effect Of Energy Deposition On Pattern Resolution In Electron Beam Lithography, Ananthan Raghunathan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Electron beam lithography is one of the most important tools for nanofabrication. Electron beam lithography has consistently been able to offer higher resolution, typically better than 10 nm or so, compared to other techniques. In this work the contribution of electron-substrate interaction to pattern resolution is investigated.

Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition Of Ruthenium-Titanium Nitride Mixed-Phase Layers For Direct-Plate Liner And Copper Diffusion Barrier Applications, Adam James Gildea

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Current interconnect networks in semiconductor processing utilize a sputtered TaN diffusion barrier, Ta liner, and Cu seed to improve the adhesion, microstructure, and electromigration resistance of electrochemically deposited copper that fills interconnect wires and vias. However, as wire/via widths shrink due to device scaling, it becomes increasingly difficult to have the volume of a wire/via be occupied with ECD Cu which increases line resistance and increases the delay in signal propagation in IC chips. A single layer that could serve the purpose of a Cu diffusion barrier and ECD Cu adhesion promoter could allow ECD Cu to occupy a larger …

Fabrication Of Two-Dimensional Nanostructures On Glass Using Nanosphere Lithography, Elmer Jim Wang

Wayne State University Theses

It is desired to have artificial optical materials with controllable optical properties. Optical glass is the most common optical material for various applications. This research will attempt to create a thin layer on the substrate with controllable optical properties. The thin layer is a composite material with nanoscale features and controllable refractive index. Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures will be created on the surface of optical glass using nanosphere lithography. In comparison with conventional techniques, this approach is more efficient and cost-effective for the creation of large areas of thin surface layers as an artificial material. A uniform monolayer of nanospheres will …

Numerical Modeling And Characterization Of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays, Johnson Joseph

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Since their discoveries, carbon nanotubes have been widely studied, but mostly in the forms of 1D individual carbon nanotube (CNT). From practical application point of view, it is highly desirable to produce carbon nanotubes in large scales. This has resulted in a new class of carbon nanotube material, called the vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays (VA-CNTs). To date, our ability to design and model this complex material is still limited. The classical molecular mechanics methods used to model individual CNTs are not applicable to the modeling of VA-CNT structures due to the significant computational efforts required. This research is to …

Accurate Prediction Of Spectral Phonon Relaxation Time And Thermal Conductivity Of Intrinsic And Perturbed Materials, Tianli Feng

Open Access Theses

The prediction of spectral phonon relaxation time, mean-free-path, and thermal conductivity can provide significant insights into the thermal conductivity of bulk and nanomaterials, which are important for thermal management and thermoelectric applications. We perform frequency-domain normal mode analysis (NMA) on pure bulk argon and pure bulk germanium. Spectral phonon properties, including the phonon dispersion, relaxation time, mean free path, and thermal conductivity of argon and germanium at different temperatures have been calculated. We find the dependence of phonon relaxation time τ on frequency ω and temperature T vary from ~ω^-1.3 to ~ω^-1.8 and ~T^-0.8 to ~T^{-1.8 …}