Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

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 …}

Influence Of Surface Modification On Properties And Applications Of Complex Engineered Nanoparticles, Binghui Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Complex engineered nanoparticles (CENPs) are being used on various applications. Their properties are different from those of neat nanoparticles. The dissertation explores these differences from four aspects: 1) Modify carbon nanomaterials’ inert surfaces and investigate the effect on thermal and rheological behavior of their dispersions; 2) Generate self-assembly bi-layer structure of oxide nanoparticles via surface modification; 3) Study interaction between lysozyme and different surface-charged ceria nanoparticles; 4) Investigate the biodistribution and transformations of CENPs in biological media.

An environment-friendly surface modification was developed to modify surfaces of carbon nanomaterials for increasing their affinity to non-polar fluid. It can offset formation …

Electrocatalytic Activity Of Palladium Nanocatalysts Supported On Carbon Nanoparticles In Formic Acid Oxidation, Jie Huang, Zhiyou Zhou, Yang Song, Xiongwu Kang, Ke Liu, Wancheng Zhou, Shaowei Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Palladium nanostructures were deposited onto carbon nanoparticle surface by a chemical reduction method. Transmission electron microscopic studies showed that whereas the resulting metal-carbon (Pd-CNP) nanocomposites exhibited a diameter of 20 to 30 nm, the metal components actually showed a cauliflower-like surface morphology that consisted of numerous smaller Pd nanoparticles (3 to 8 nm). Electrochemical studies showed that the effective surface area of the Pd-CNP nanoparticles was about 40% less than that of Pd black, possibly because the Pd nanoparticles were coated with a layer of carbon nanoparticles; yet, the Pd-CNP nanocomposites exhibited marked enhancement of the electrocatalytic activity in formic …

Adsorption And Electrooxidation Of Carbon Monoxide On Platinum Surfaces Modified With Sulfur, A. Mattox Mathew, W. Henney Matthew, Johnson Adam, Zou Shouzhong

Journal of Electrochemistry

Adsorbed sulfur is commonly considered as a reaction poison. However, small amounts of sulfur on platinum significantly increase the surface reactivity toward carbon monoxide (CO) electrooxidation. For the solution CO oxidation, the onset potential was shifted up to over 300 mV negative to that on S-free surface, and the extent of the negative potential shift increases with the sulfur coverage (X_s) up to about 0.6. The enhanced CO oxidation also depends on the solution pH. For the adsorbed CO, at low sulfur coverages (X_s < 0.3), the oxidation peak potential is about 40 mV negative to that of the corresponding clean Pt. However, at higher coverages, the peak potential is about 30 mV more positive. Surface-enhanced Raman spectra show that the adsorption of sulfur significantly redshifts the Pt-CO stretching frequency. These observations are explained by the weakening of the Pt-CO bond and the hindrance of CO diffusion by Sads.

Kinetic Study Of Photoelectrochemical Oxidation Of Lignin Model Compounds On Tio2 Nanotubes, Min Tian, Daniel Liba, Aicheng Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this study, TiO₂ nanotubes were prepared via the electrochemical oxidation of titanium substrates in a non-aqueous electrolyte and their morphology and microstructures were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photoelectrochemical oxidation of two lignin model compounds, 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenoxy)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol (DMP) and 3-hydroxy-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenoxy)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanone (HDM), was investigated. A new band appeared at ~304 nm during the photoelectrochemical oxidation of DMP. The rate of DMP intermediate formation was amplified with the increase of initial concentrations, while it was diminished with increased temperature. Despite the similarity in structure between HDM and DMP, there are only small increases in absorbance …

Electrochemical Performance Of Screen-Printed Composite Coatings Of Conducting Polymers And Carbon Nanotubes On Titanium Bipolar Plates In Aqueous Asymmetrical Supercapacitors, Xiaohang Zhou, George Z. Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Composites of conducting polymers (polypyrrole and polyaniline) with acid treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes were formulated into printable aqueous inks, with the aid of functional additives (benzethonium chloride as a surfactant with or without polyvinyl alcohol as a binder). The inks were screen-printed as fairly uniform coatings of various mass loading densities and areas (up to 75 mg cm^-2 and 100 cm²) on thin titanium plates (0.1 mm in thickness). These screen-printed plates were used to fabricate both unit cell and multi-cell stack of asymmetrical supercapacitors with screen-printed negative electrodes of activated carbon (pigment black) in aqueous electrolytes …

Quantum Dot Deposition Into Pdms And Application Onto A Solar Cell, Christopher Marcus Botros, Richard N. Savage

Master's Theses

Research to increase the efficiency of conventional solar cells is constantly underway. The goal of this work is to increase the efficiency of conventional solar cells by incorporating quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles in the absorption mechanism. The strategy is to have the QDs absorb UV and fluoresce photons in the visible region that are more readily absorbed by the cells. The outcome is that the cells have more visible photons to absorb and have increased power output. The QDs, having a CdSe core and a ZnS shell, were applied to the solar cells as follows. First, the QDs were synthesized …

Silica Nanoparticle-Based Coatings With Superhydrophilic And Superhydrophobic Properties, Robert Andrew Fleming

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces have potential for implementation into a variety of fields, including self-cleaning surfaces, anti-fogging transparent materials, and biomedical applications. In this study, sandblasting, oxygen plasma treatments, silica nanoparticle films, and a low surface energy fluorocarbon film were employed to change the natural surface wettability of titanium, glass, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, with an aim to produce superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic behavior. The effects of these surface modifications are characterized by water contact angles (WCAs), surface wetting stability, surface morphology and roughness, surface elemental composition, and optical transmittance measurements. The results show that stable superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces …

Design, Fabrication, Testing Of Cnt Based Isfet And Characterization Of Nano/Bio Materials Using Afm, Zhuxin Dong

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A combination of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and Ion Selective Field Effect Transistor (ISFET) is designed and experimentally verified in order to develop the next generation ion concentration sensing system. Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) fabrication techniques, such as photolithography, diffusion, evaporation, lift-off, packaging, etc., are required in the fabrication of the CNT-ISFET structure on p-type silicon wafers. In addition, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based surface nanomachining is investigated and used for creating nanochannels on silicon surfaces. Since AFM based nanomanipulation and nanomachining is highly controllable, nanochannels are precisely scratched in the area between the source and drain of the FET where …

Pulse Sharpening Effects Of Thin Film Ferroelectric Transmission Lines, Robert J. Sleezer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advances in material science have resulted in the development of electrically nonlinear high dielectric thin film ferroelectrics, which have led to new opportunities for the creation of novel devices. This dissertation investigated one such device: a low voltage nonlinear transmission line (NLTL). A finite element simulation of ferroelectric transmission lines showed that NLTLs are capable of creating shockwaves. Additionally, if the losses are kept sufficiently low, it was shown that voltage gain should be possible. Furthermore, a method of accounting for material dispersion was developed. Results from simulations including material dispersion showed that temporal solitons might be possible from a …

In Situ Pm-Irras Studies Of A Floating Bilayer Lipid Membrane At Au(111) Electrode Surface, Su Zhangfei, Kycia Annia, Jay Leitch J., Lipkowski Jacek

Journal of Electrochemistry

In situ Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) was used to study the structure of a DMPC + cholesterol + GM1 floating bilayer lipid membrane (fBLM) at a Au(111) surface. 1-thio-beta-D-glucose (beta-Tg) was self-assembled onto the Au electrode to increase the overall hydrophilicity of the surface. The fBLM was deposited on the beta-Tg self-assembled monolayer (SAM) using a combination of Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer (LB/LS) techniques. The carbohydrate headgroups of the GM1 molecules were physically adsorbed to the beta-Tg SAM forming a water rich cushion between the fBLM and the modified gold substrate. The PM-IRRAS spectra indicate that the DMPC molecules within …

Electrochemical Synthesis Of Silver-Tetracyanoquinodimethane Nanorods At Agar Supported Water/1,2-Dichloroethane Interface, Li Huang, Yixian Wang, Michael V. Mirkin, Bin Ren, Dongping Zhan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Silver-tetracyanoquinodimethane (AgTCNQ) is an important charge transfer salt due to its high conductivity and other electronic properties. In this communication, we report the synthesis of AgTCNQ at the liquid/liquid interface. Agar was used as a gelling agent to support water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface. Silver ions were transferred from the hydrogel into DCE phase, where they combined with TCNQ^- to form AgTCNQ nanorods. The developed method can provide a new route for synthesis of functional materials based on the electrochemistry at the liquid/liquid interface.

The Oxidation Of Hydrogen Peroxide On Nanostructured Rhodium Microelectrodes, N. Bartlett Philip, F. Esterle Thomas

Journal of Electrochemistry

Mesoporous Rh films were deposited onto platinum microelectrodes from the H₁ lyotropic liquid crystalline phase of C₁₂EO₈ (octaethyleneglycol monododecyl ether). The electrodes show well defined voltammetry for the oxidation and the reduction of hydrogen peroxide at low concentrations (<10 mmol•L-1) with excellent stability for operation at neutral pH. Based on the hysteresis in the current and the potential dependence the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide occurs through a CEE mechanism involving Rh(OH)₃ on the mesoporous Rh electrode surface. At higher hydrogen peroxide concentrations the current reaches a plateau that is due to either saturation of the binding sites for hydrogen peroxide or limitation of the reaction due to acidification of the solution within the pores. For the thin films (below 200 nm) the hydrogen peroxide calibration curves we …

Carbon Nanotubes With Ni2P Nanoparticles As A Counter Electrode In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Yan-Ye Dou, Nan-Fu Yan, Guo-Ran Li, Xue-Ping Gao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supported by Ni₂P nanoparticles are prepared and used as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time. The CNTs-Ni₂P composite was prepared by the heat treatment of a mixed precursor including nickel chloride, sodium hypophosphite and CNTs in argon atmosphere. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that the as-prepared sample consists of hexagonal Ni2P and carbon nanotubes. No peaks of other nickel phosphides are observed in the XRD pattern. Microstructure of the Ni₂P-CNTs composite was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is shown that the Ni …

Electrochemical Corrosion And Protection Of Copper Foil Treated By Surface Siloxane Filming, Wei-Jun Miao, Yu-Bao Zhang, Ning-Yu Gu, Feng Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Copper foil specimens were immersed in hydro-alcoholic solution of 3-amino-propyl-trimethoxy-silane (γ-APS) to prepare a protective self-assembled siloxane membrane on the surface. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic tests were performed in 0.1 mol.L^-1 NaCl to evaluate the effects of the self-assembled siloxane membranes prepared at different pH of γ-APS on corrosion of copper foil. The surface morphology of siloxane membrane was studied by SEM. Experimental results revealed that the γ-APS self-assembled siloxane membranes effectively inhibited the corrosion of copper foil and the optimum anti-corrosion effect was found when the pH value of the silane solution was 7.

Electrochemical Sensing Of Guanine And Adenine Based On The Boron-Doped Carbon Nanotubes Modified Electrode, Ya-Lin Xia, Chun-Yan Deng, Juan Xiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, the boron-doped carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode was simply fabricated, and the electrochemical oxidation behaviors of guanine and adenine at the BCNTs/GC electrode were investigated. Compared with the bare GC and CNTs/GC electrodes, the BCNTs-modified electrode exhibited extraordinary electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidations of guanine and adenine as indicated by the obvious increase in current responses. Moreover, the peak separation between guanine and adenine was large enough for their potential recognition in mixture without any separation or pretreatment. Therefore, the simultaneous determination of guanine and adenine was successfully achieved. The BCNTs/GC electrode showed high …

Naf-M (M = Fe, Cu) Nanocomposites As Conversion Cathode Materials For Sodium Ion Batteries, Ting Li, Zhong-Xue Chen, Yu-Liang Cao, Han-Xi Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The NaF-M (M = Fe, Cu) nanocomposites were prepared by high-energy ball milling using TiN grinding nanoparticles and investigated as cathode materials for sodium ion batteries. The experimental results demonstrated that NaF-Fe and NaF-Cu nanocomposites can go through electrochemical conversion reaction with Na⁺ uptake or removal, delivering a reversible capacity of ~ 150 mAh·g^-1, even through a reversed conversion from initial discharged state to a charged state. These results reveal the possibility to realize a conversion reaction as long as NaF and elemental metal particles are intimately contacted to form active nanocomposites at nanodomain, which suggests a …