Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Enhanced Dielectric Properties In Single Crystal-Like Bifeo3 Thin Films Grown By Flux-Mediated Epitaxy, S.-H. Lim, M. Murakami, J. H. Yang, S.-Y. Young, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, M. Wuttig, L. G. Salamanca-Riba, I. Takeuchi

Faculty Publications

We have fabricated single crystal-like BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films by flux-mediated epitaxy using pulsed laser deposition(PLD). The Bi–Cu–O flux composition and its thickness were optimized using composition spread, thickness gradient, and temperature gradient libraries. The optimized BFO thin films grown with this technique showed larger grain size of ∼2μm and higher dielectric constant in the range of 260–340 than those for standard PLD grown films. In addition, the leakage current density of the films was reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to that of standard PLD grown films.

Signaling Pathways Activated By Interleukin-2 And Interluekin-4 Receptors Mediate T Lymphocyte Clonal Expansion, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Cells sense and respond to chemical and physical stimuli through signal transduction pathways, which mediate cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival. The cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) are key regulators of the adaptive immune system, particularly influencing the clonal expansion and differentiation of T cells. At least in culture, both synergistic and antagonistic effects of IL-2 and IL-4 co-stimulation have been reported; the antagonism, when observed, is thought to arise from the utilization of a common subunit shared by IL-2 and IL-4 receptors. We have sought to characterize IL-2 and IL-4 signaling at the level of intracellular pathways activated …

Rational Design And Investigation Of Polypeptide Multilayer Films And Capsules, Ling Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Three major concerns in the science of materials today are control over structure and function at the molecular level, biodegradability, and scalability of production. Polymeric materials, notably polyelectrolyte multilayer films, have shown considerable promise in all these areas, and for rational development of multifunctionality. Polypeptides constitute an especially interesting class of polyelectrolyte, given their inherent biodegradability, means of control over structure, methods of large-scale synthesis, and ability to encode biological information. Relatively little is known, however, about polypeptide multilayer films, despite recent advances in the general area.

In this dissertation, ten heteropolypeptides were designed and synthesized by Fmoc chemistry. These …

Development Of Knowledge Base Of Concrete Bridge Maintenance System, Bahre Karam

Masters Theses

Bridges are the key elements of any transportation system of a country. Bridges are expensive structures and therefore, it's essential to maintain and repair them on regular basis. Almost one third of the bridges in United States are reported to be in some what deteriorated conditions. This Research presents the development of knowledge base for decision support system for concrete bridges.

During this research various concrete bridge problems are investigated including COlTosion, delamination, cracks, spalling and scour etc. The inspection tools and techniques are addressed in order to identify these problems both for above and below water surface. The various …

Thermal Conductivity Improvement In Carbon Nanoparticle Doped Pao Oil: An Experimental Study, Shadab Shaikh, Khalid Lafdi, Rengasamy Ponnappan

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The present work involves a study on the thermal conductivity of nanoparticle-oil suspensions for three types of nanoparticles, namely, carbon nanotubes(CNTs), exfoliated graphite (EXG), and heat treated nanofibers (HTT) with PAO oil as the base fluid. To accomplish the above task, an experimental analysis is performed using a modern light flash technique (LFA 447) for measuring the thermal conductivity of the three types of nanofluids, for different loading of nanoparticles.

The experimental results show a similar trend as observed in literature for nanofluids with a maximum enhancement of approximately 161% obtained for the CNT-PAO oil suspension. The overall percent enhancements …

Experimental Study On The Influence Of Foam Porosity And Pore Size On The Melting Of Phase Change Materials, Khalid Lafdi, Osama Mesalam Mesalhy, Shadab Shaikh

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental study was carried out to study the phase change heat transfer within a composite of phase change material (PCM) infiltrated high thermal conductivity foam. An experimental setup was built to measure the temperature profiles and capture the melting evolution of the PCM inside aluminum foams. Aluminum foams were used as the porous material, and low melting temperature paraffin wax was used as the PCM. It was observed from the results that the system parameters of the wax/foam composite had a significant influence on its heat transfer behavior.

By using higher porosity aluminum foam, the steady-state temperature was reached faster …

Effect Of Carbon Nanofiber Heat Treatment On Physical Properties Of Polymeric Nanocomposites—Part I, Khalid Lafdi, William Fox, Matthew Matzek, Emel Yildiz

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The definition of a nanocomposite material has broadened significantly to encompass a large variety of systems made of dissimilar components and mixed at the nanometer scale. The properties of nanocomposite materials also depend on the morphology, crystallinity, and interfacial characteristics of the individual constituents. In the current work, vapor-grown carbon nanofibers were subjected to varying heat-treatment temperatures.

The strength of adhesion between the nanofiber and an epoxy (thermoset) matrix was characterized by the flexural strength and modulus. Heat treatment to 1800C∘ demonstrated maximum improvement in mechanical properties over that of the neat resin, while heat-treatment to higher temperatures demonstrated a …

Interfacial And Capillary Pressure Effects On The Thermal Performance Of Wax/Foam Composites, Mohammad Rajab Almajali, Khalid Lafdi, Shadab Shaikh

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A numerical investigation study was performed to study the phase change behavior of wax/foam composite encapsulated in an aluminum casing. Two types of foam materials, namely, aluminum and carbon, were infiltrated with paraffin wax. The progress of melt interface and temperature distribution within the encapsulated composite was analyzed using computational fluid dynamics software (CFD). A two-energy equation model was implemented in the CFD software through the use of user-defined function (UDF). Interfacial effects influencing the heat transfer process at the casing-composite junction and between the wax-foam surfaces within the composite were addressed through the use of separate UDF. In addition, …

Oxygen Plasma Treatment And Deposition Of Cnx On A Fluorinated Polymer Matrix Composite For Improved Erosion Resistance, Christopher Muratore, Andras Korenyi-Both, John E. Bultman, A. R. Waite, John G. Jones, T. M. Storage, Andrey A. Voevodin

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The use of polymer matrix composites in aerospace propulsion applications is currently limited by insufficient resistance to erosion by abrasive media. Erosion resistant coatings may provide necessary protection; however, adhesion to many high temperature polymer matrix composite (PMC) materials is poor. A low pressure oxygen plasma treatment process was developed to improve adhesion of CNx coatings to a carbon reinforced, fluorinated polymer matrix composite. Fullerene-like CNx was selected as an erosion resistant coating for its high hardness-to-elastic modulus ratio and elastic resilience which were expected to reduce erosion from media incident at different angles (normal or glancing) relative to the …

The Microstructure And Grain Size Of Jet Electroplated Copper Films In Damascene Trench Features, Andrew Tzanavaras, Gregory Young, Stacy H. Gleixner

Faculty Publications

The brightening additive level and dc current density of electroplating baths are two parameters that affect the gap-filling capability and the degree of impurity incorporation in electroplated copper films. Additive incorporation can inhibit grain growth during the room temperature recrystallization process and therefore affect the final grain size. This investigation explores the grain size and microstructure of dc jet-electroplated copper films in 0.35 and 0.50μm Damascene trenches as a function of current density and brightening additive level after first receiving a high-temperature anneal. Unlike a previous study that explored these variables in blanket Cu films [ J. Electrochem. Soc. , …

Intracellular Signaling Networks In The Immune Response: Pathways Activated By Interleukin-2 And-4 Receptors And Their Roles In T Cell Proliferation, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Cells sense and respond to chemical and physical stimuli through signal transduction pathways, which mediate cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival. The cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) are key regulators of the adaptive immune system, particularly influencing the clonal expansion and differentiation of T cells. At least in culture, both synergistic and antagonistic effects of IL-2 and -4 co-stimulation have been reported; the antagonism, when observed, is thought to arise from the utilization of a common subunit shared by IL-2 and IL-4 receptors. We have sought to characterize IL-2 and IL-4 signaling at the level of intracellular pathways activated …

Control Of Plasma Flux Composition Incident On Tin Films During Reactive Magnetron Sputtering And The Effect On Film Microstructure, Christopher Muratore, Scott G. Walton, Darrin Leonhardt, Richard F. Fernsler

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A hybrid plasma enhanced physical vapor deposition (PEPVD) system consisting of an unbalanced dc magnetron and a pulsed electron beam-produced plasma was used to deposit reactively sputtered titanium nitride thin films. The system allowed for control of the magnitudes of the ion and neutral flux, in addition to the type of nitrogen ions (atomic or molecular) that comprised the flux. For all deposition experiments, the magnitude of the ion flux incident on the substrate was held constant, but the composition of the total flux was varied. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy showed that crystallographic texture and surface morphology of …

The Grain Size And Microstructure Of Jet-Electroplated Damascene Copper Films, Stacy H. Gleixner, Andrew Tzanavaras, Gregory Young

Faculty Publications

Electroplated damascene copper is rapidly replacing aluminum-copper alloys for on-chip interconnect metallization in advanced ultralarge scale integrated (ULSI) semiconductor devices. In addition to a high degree of (111) crystallographic texture, large defect-free grains are desired to enhance the performance and reliability of copper interconnects in such devices. The brightening additive level and dc current density of electroplating baths are two parameters that affect the process gap-filling capability and the degree of additive incorporation in these copper films. Additive incorporation can inhibit grain growth during the room-temperature recrystallization process and therefore affect the final grain size in electroplated copper films. This …

Anisotropy Of Exchange Stiffness And Its Effect On The Properties Of Magnets, K. D. Belashchenko

Kirill Belashchenko Publications

Using the spin-spiral formulation of the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital method, the principal components of the exchange stiffness tensor are calculated for typical hard magnets including tetragonal CoPt-type and hexagonal YCo₅ alloys. The exchange stiffness is strongly anisotropic in all studied alloys. This anisotropy makes the domain wall surface tension anisotropic. Competition between this anisotropic surface tension and magnetostatic energy controls the formation and dynamics of nanoscale domain structures in hard magnets. Anisotropic domain wall bending is described in detail from the general point of view and with application to cellular Sm–Co magnets. It is shown that the repulsive …

Etching With Electron Beam Generated Plasmas, D. Leonhardt, Scott G. Walton, Christopher Muratore, Richard F. Fernsler, R. A. Meger

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A modulated electron beam generated plasma has been used to dry etch standard photoresist materials and silicon. Oxygen–argon mixtures were used to etch organic resist material and sulfur hexafluoride mixed with argon or oxygen was used for the silicon etching. Etch rates and anisotropy were determined with respect to gas compositions, incident ion energy (from an applied rf bias) and plasma duty factor. For 1818 negative resist and i-line resists the removal rate increased nearly linearly with ion energy (up to 220 nm/min at 100 eV), with reasonable anisotropic pattern transfer above 50 eV. Little change in etch rate was …

Effect Of Plasma Flux Composition On The Nitriding Rate Of Stainless Steel, Christopher Muratore, Scott G. Walton, D. Leonhardt, Richard F. Fernsler, David D. Blackwell, R. A. Meger

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The total ion flux and nitriding rate for stainless steel specimens exposed to a modulated electron beam generated argon-nitrogen plasma were measured as a function of distance from the electron beam axis. The total ion flux decreased linearly with distance, but the nitriding rate increased under certain conditions, contrary to other ion flux/nitriding rate comparisons published in the literature. Variation in ion flux composition with distance was explored with a mass spectrometer and energy analyzer as a possible explanation for the anomalous nitriding rate response to ion flux magnitude. A transition in ion flux composition from mostly N2 1 to …

Exploration Of Artificial Multiferroic Thin-Film Heterostructures Using Composition Spreads, K.-S. Chang, M. A. Aronova, C.-L. Lin, M. Murakami, M.-H. Yu, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, O. O. Famodu, S. Y. Lee, R. Ramesh, M. Wuttig, I. Takeuchi, C. Gao, L. A. Bendersky

Faculty Publications

We have fabricated a series of composition spreads consisting of ferroelectric BaTiO₃ and piezomagnetic CoFe₂O₄ layers of varying thicknesses modulated at nanometer level in order to explore artificial magnetoelectricthin-film heterostructures. Scanning microwavemicroscopy and scanning superconducting quantum interference device microscopy were used to map the dielectric and magnetic properties as a function of continuously changing average composition across the spreads, respectively. Compositions in the middle of the spreads were found to exhibit ferromagnetism while displaying a dielectric constant as high as ≈120.

Preparation Of Magnetic Nanoparticles And Their Assemblies Using A New Fe(Ii) Alkoxide Precursor, Suresh Pillai, Grainne Biddlecombe, Yurii Gun’Ko, John Kelly, J. Michael Coey, Alexis Douvalis

Articles

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Lithium Intercalation Oxides Based On Manganese And Copper, Vengidason Seguprakash

Student Works (2000-2009)

In this study, several lithium intercalation compounds have been synthesized and characterized. Lithium manganese copper oxide cathode materials were prepared by sol gel method using tartaric acid as the gelating agent. Five types of cathode materials were synthesized. The sol gel technique has permitted the synthesis of manganese oxides that are capable of reversibly intercalating large amounts of lithium ions. To see the effect of adding copper to lithium manganese oxide several experiments were carried out. These include X-Ray diffraction to see whether the LiMn₂O₄ lattice has widened or collapsed. It was seen that LiMn₂O₄ and LiCu₂O₂ XRD patterns were …

Kinetics Of Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Carbon And Refractory Metals, Feng Gao

Doctoral Dissertations

Three-dimensional laser chemical vapor deposition (3D-LCVD) has been used to grow rods of carbon, tungsten, titanium, and hafnium from a variety of hydrocarbons and metal halide-based precursors. A novel computerized 3D-LCVD system was designed and successfully used in the experiments. A focused Nd:Yag laser beam (λ = 1.06 μm) was utilized to locally heat up a substrate to deposition temperature. The rods, which grew along the axis of the laser beam, had a typical diameter of 30–80 μm and a length of about 1 mm. The precursors for carbon deposition were the alkynes: propyne, butyne, pentyne, hexyne, and octyne. Propyne …

Development Of A Curved Layer Lom Process For Monolithic Ceramics And Ceramic Matrix Composites, Donald A. Klosterman, Richard P. Chartoff, Nora R. Osborne, George A. Graves, Allan Lightman, Gyoowan Han, Akos Bezewredi, Stan Rodrigues, Sung Pak, Gary Kalmanovich, Leon Dodin, Song Tu

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A novel rapid prototyping technology incorporating a curved layer building style was developed. The new process, based on Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), was designed for efficient fabrication of curved layer structures made from ceramics and fiber reinforced composites. A new LOM machine was created, referred to as Curved Layer LOM. This new machine uses ceramic tapes and fiber prepregs as feedstocks and fabricates curved structures on a curved-layer by curved-layer basis. The output of the process is a three dimensional "green" ceramic that is capable of being processed to a seamless, fully dense ceramic using traditional techniques. A detailed description …

Cracking In Cycloaliphatic Epoxy/Aluminum Composite Electrical Bushings, Keith Alan Parker

Doctoral Dissertations

The problem of cracking in electrical apparatus bushings as a result of thermal stresses was investigated. The bushings were composed of cycloaliphatic epoxy insulators with embedded aluminum conductors. The problem is due to the difference in coefficients of thermal expansion of the two materials. A solution to the problem had been to coat the conductors before they were formed together with the epoxy insulators. The coating was assumed to prevent cracking by allowing movement between the two materials as their dimensions changed during thermal expansion and contraction. The contribution of the coating was to be established.

The hypothesis was that …

Derivation Of An Analytical Model To Calculate Junction Depth In Hgcdte Photodiodes, Stacy H. Gleixner, H. G. Robinson, C. R. Helms

Faculty Publications

Presents an enhanced analytical model to calculate junction depth and Hg interstitial profile during n-on-p junction formation in HgCdTe photodiodes. Detailed information on the enhanced model; Function of the model; Information on HgCdTe; Detailed information on how the model was obtained.

Recovery Of Scrap Tire Rubber Waste, Dalia Adel Habib Nakhla

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Stochastic Model For Crystal-Amorphous Transition In Low Temperature Molecular Beam Epitaxial Si(111), R. Venkatasubramanian, Suresh Gorantla, S. Muthuvenkatraman, Donald L. Dorsey

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Molecular beam epitaxial Si (111) grown below a certain temperature result in amorphous structure due to the limited surface mobility of atoms in finding correct epitaxial sites. In spite of many experimental and theoretical studies, the mechanism of crystal‐amorphous transition and its dynamics related to the growth conditions are not well understood. In this article, we present a theoretical model based on the formation of stacking fault like defects as a precursor to the amorphous transition of the layer. The model is simulated based on a stochastic model approach and the results are compared to that of experiments for temperatures …

Comparison Of Time-Domain Reflectometry Performance Factors For Several Dielectric Geometries: Theory And Experiments, S. V. Maheshwarla, R. Venkatasubramanian, Robert F. Boehm

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

We propose three nontraditional dielectric geometries and present an experimental and theoretical analysis and comparison of time domain reflectometry (TDR) performances for them. The traditional geometry (the probes inserted in material of essentially infinite extent) is compared to three nontraditional geometries where the probes are affixed outside of a core sample, inside of a bore, or flat on the surface of a semi-infinite solid. Our derivation relates the velocity of electromagnetic wave propagation to the complex permittivities and permeabilities of the media and the geometry for the three nontraditional configurations. Experimental results for air, styrofoam, dry sand, wet sand of …

Measurement Of The Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion Of Superconducting Thin Films Using Powder X-Ray Diffraction, Biju Chandran, R. Calvin Goforth, S. Nasrazadani

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville is developing the technology for High Temperature Superconductor Multi-Chip Modules (HTSC-MCM's). As part of this work, we are looking at the mechanical properties of HTSC materials. An important mechanical property which influences the mechanical integrity of the hybrid MCMis the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the HTSC films. As a first step in developing a procedure for the determination of the CTE of HTSC materials, the lattice parameters and the CTE of an alpha-alumina substrate have been determined by powder x-ray diffraction technique. An extension of this …

Using Living Materials To Intervene In The Natural Succession Process To Accelerate The Re-Development Of A Self-Sustaining Ecosystem That Has Been Damaged By Human Intervention, Eric Jorgensen

Materials Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Thermal History On Modes Of Formation Of Borate Glasses Containing Titanium, Shahinaz Abd El Rahman Imam

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

X-Ray Diffraction Studies Of Amorphous Silicon, Adel Gabra I Gouda

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.