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Articles 331 - 360 of 458

Full-Text Articles in Materials Science and Engineering

Mass Transfer Of Large Molecules Through Collagen And Collagen-Silica Hybrid Membranes, Pedro Jofre Lora Apr 2015

Mass Transfer Of Large Molecules Through Collagen And Collagen-Silica Hybrid Membranes, Pedro Jofre Lora

Open Access Theses

Diabetes is a growing concern in the United States and around the world that must be addressed through new treatment options. Current standard treatment options of diabetes are limiting and have tremendous impacts on patient's lives. Emerging therapies, such as the implantation of encapsulated islets, are promising treatment options, but have not yet materialized due to unsolved problems with material properties. Hybrid silica-collagen membranes address some of these unsolved problems and are a promising material for cell encapsulation. However, the mass transfer properties of large molecules, such as insulin, TNF-α, IL1β, and other important proteins in the etiology of diabetes, …

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Transport Studies In Graphene-Based Materials And Structures, Jiuning Hu Apr 2015

Transport Studies In Graphene-Based Materials And Structures, Jiuning Hu

Open Access Dissertations

Graphene, a single atomic layer of graphite, has emerged as one of the most attractive materials in recent years for its many unique and excellent properties, inviting a broad area of fundamental studies and applications. In this thesis, we present some theoretical/experimental studies about the thermal, electronic and thermoelectric transport properties in graphene-based systems. We employ the molecular dynamic simulations to study the thermal transport in graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) exhibiting various properties, including chirality dependent thermal conductivity, thermal rectification in asymmetric GNRs, defects and isotopic engineering of the thermal conductivity and negative differential thermal conductance (NDTC) at large temperature biases. …

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Experimental Constraints On Exotic Spin-Dependent Interactions Using Specialized Materials, Rakshya Khatiwada Apr 2015

Experimental Constraints On Exotic Spin-Dependent Interactions Using Specialized Materials, Rakshya Khatiwada

Open Access Dissertations

Various theories predict the possible existence of symmetry violating forces with mesoscopic range interactions from mm-m [1]. These forces can arise from the coupling of a spin 0 boson to spin 1/2 fermions through scalar (gs) and pseudoscalar (gp) couplings. We discuss two experiments that can investigate these interactions using nucleon rich, impressively low magnetic susceptibility (5-100 times lower than pure water) test masses and electron-spin rich, polarized test masses (spin density: 10^20 h/cm3 ). The first experiment looks for a P-odd, T-odd interaction potential proportional to (S.r) where S is the spin of one particle and r is the …

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Sintering Techniques For Microstructure Control In Ceramics, Andrew T. Rosenberger Apr 2015

Sintering Techniques For Microstructure Control In Ceramics, Andrew T. Rosenberger

Open Access Dissertations

Sintering techniques can be manipulated to enhance densification in difficult to sinter materials and to produce property enhancing microstructures. However, the interplay between materials, sintering techniques, and end properties is not fully understood in many material systems, and some fundamental aspects of sintering such as the nature of the effects of electric fields remains unknown. The processing property relationships were examined in two classes of materials; zirconium diboride ultra high temperature ceramic composites, and all solid lithium-ion battery phosphate materials. ^ Investigation of zirconium diboride ceramics focused on the effects of zirconium carbide as a secondary or tertiary phase in …

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Surface Modification Of Traditional And Bioresorbable Metallic Implant Materials For Improved Biocompatibility, Emily Kristine Walker Apr 2015

Surface Modification Of Traditional And Bioresorbable Metallic Implant Materials For Improved Biocompatibility, Emily Kristine Walker

Open Access Dissertations

Due to their strength, elasticity, and durability, a variety of metal alloys are commonly used in medical implants. Traditionally, corrosion-resistant metals have been preferred. These permanent materials can cause negative systemic and local tissue effects in the long-term. Permanent stenting can lead to late-stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis. Metallic pins and screws for fracture fixation can corrode and fail, cause loss of bone mass, and contribute to inflammation and pain at the implant site, requiring reintervention. Corrodible metallic implants have the potential to prevent many of these complications by providing transient support to the affected tissue, dissolving at a rate …

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Growth Of Low Disorder Gaas/Algaas Heterostructures By Molecular Beam Epitaxy For The Study Of Correlated Electron Phases In Two Dimensions, John D. Watson Apr 2015

Growth Of Low Disorder Gaas/Algaas Heterostructures By Molecular Beam Epitaxy For The Study Of Correlated Electron Phases In Two Dimensions, John D. Watson

Open Access Dissertations

The unparalleled quality of GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy has enabled a wide range of experiments probing interaction effects in two-dimensional electron and hole gases. This dissertation presents work aimed at further understanding the key material-related issues currently limiting the quality of these 2D systems, particularly in relation to the fractional quantum Hall effect in the 2nd Landau level and spin-based implementations of quantum computation.^ The manuscript begins with a theoretical introduction to the quantum Hall effect which outlines the experimental conditions necessary to study the physics of interest and motivates the use of the semiconductor growth …

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Encapsulation Of Chemical Catalyst And Structural Epoxy In Microcapsules Generated Via Microcapillary Devices, Congwang Ye Apr 2015

Encapsulation Of Chemical Catalyst And Structural Epoxy In Microcapsules Generated Via Microcapillary Devices, Congwang Ye

Open Access Dissertations

Protection and controlled release of chemicals through encapsulation have been extensively used in daily applications such as drug delivery, food processing, enzyme stabilization, and chemical storage. A significant need for further development in this area is to reduce the capsule size and to obtain more predictable performance by narrowing the capsule geometry distribution. For the past decade, microfluidics have been rapidly developed to become a popular technique for the generation of monodisperse single/double/multiple emulsion drops in the micrometer to millimeter size range. With this technique, polymeric microcapsules with a narrow size distribution can be fabricated by adding different polymer blends …

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Experimental And Modeling Investigation Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Polymer Composite Fibers, Si Chen Apr 2015

Experimental And Modeling Investigation Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Polymer Composite Fibers, Si Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a class of newly developed and sustainable nanomaterial derived from cellulose-based materials such as wood. There have been substantial research efforts to utilize these materials as reinforcing agents. However, in order to develop CNC nanocomposites with industrial applications, it is necessary to understand how addition of CNCs affect the properties of the polymer nanocomposite. In the present work, several approaches, experimental and theoretical, are presented in an effort to characterize and understand the effect of CNCs on the properties of polymer CNC fibers. ^ Two experimental methods were used to develop cellulose acetate (CA) and CNC …

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Tunable Organization Of Cellulose Nanocrystals For Controlled Thermal And Optical Response, Jairo A. Diaz Amaya Apr 2015

Tunable Organization Of Cellulose Nanocrystals For Controlled Thermal And Optical Response, Jairo A. Diaz Amaya

Open Access Dissertations

The biorenewable nature of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) has opened up new opportunities for cost-effective, sustainable materials design. By taking advantage of their distinctive structural properties and self-assembly, promising applications have started to nurture the fields of flexible electronics, biomaterials, and nanocomposites. CNCs exhibit two fundamental characteristics: rod-like morphology (5-20 nm wide, 50-500 nm long), and lyotropic behavior (i.e., liquid crystalline mesophases formed in solvents), which offer unique opportunities for structural control and fine tuning of thermal and optical properties based on a proper understanding of their individual behavior and interactions at different length scales. In the present work, we attempt …

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Unveiling The Mechanical Behavior Of The Rod-Like Microstructure In The Radular Teeth Of Cryptochiton Stelleri, Enrique Escobar De Obaldia Apr 2015

Unveiling The Mechanical Behavior Of The Rod-Like Microstructure In The Radular Teeth Of Cryptochiton Stelleri, Enrique Escobar De Obaldia

Open Access Dissertations

Natural ceramics provided with high volume fractions of mineralized materials that are surrounded by a weak organic interface combine the stiff mechanical behavior of building blocks, like hydroxyapatite or aragonite, and the compliance of the organic surroundings. Unique mechanical properties (e.g. light density and toughness) distinguish bio-composites from common engineering materials. A key example is the highly mineralized shell of the radular teeth of the Crypochiton stelleri. Nature has provided the radular teeth with a highly oriented rod-like microstructure of nano-scale dimensions embedded in a matrix of chitin sheaths. Compared to other biological materials, the external iron oxide layer of …

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Assessing Coupled Mechanical Behavior And Environmental Degradation At Submicron Scales, Samantha K Lawrence Jan 2015

Assessing Coupled Mechanical Behavior And Environmental Degradation At Submicron Scales, Samantha K Lawrence

Open Access Dissertations

Mechanical and electromechanical properties, deformation and fracture mechanisms, and environmental resistance of materials at submicron scales have been investigated through the combination of nanomechanical testing, high resolution microscopy, diffraction, and electrochemical testing. Nanomechanical techniques were used to isolate environmental, orientation, and size effects. Material evaluation focuses on metals, both model and engineering alloys, in bulk and thin-film form as well as oxide-substrate systems. Yield behavior of Ni 200, a model material, depends on sampled volume size, orientation, and surface preparation. Exposure to high-pressure hydrogen gas is also found to impact incipient plasticity and mechanical properties of commercially pure Ni 201. …

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Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cell Absorbers Derived Using Inhomogeneous Czts Nanoparticles, Wei-Chang D. Yang Jan 2015

Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cell Absorbers Derived Using Inhomogeneous Czts Nanoparticles, Wei-Chang D. Yang

Open Access Dissertations

My doctoral research focuses on understanding the structure-property-processing relationship of the kesterite materials to improve their device performance. It is recognized in both my own work and the recent literature that the structural and compositional integrities of CZTSSe are crucial to derive the solar cell grade kesterite thin-films. Analytical electron microscopy (AEM) allows me to demonstrate the structural and compositional inhomogeneity of the CZTS nanoparticles and CZTSSe thin-films at the nanoscale. For example, the observed forbidden reflections in TED patterns and FFT diffractograms corresponding to HRTEM images indicate that cation disorder leads to stacking faults in CZTS nanoparticles. Probe-corrected STEM …

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Characterization And Mechanical Properties Of Solar Grade Silicon In Granular And Nanopowder Form, Mohamad Bilal Zbib Jan 2015

Characterization And Mechanical Properties Of Solar Grade Silicon In Granular And Nanopowder Form, Mohamad Bilal Zbib

Open Access Dissertations

Polycrystalline silicon is mainly used for solar cell applications, structures in micro-electromechanical systems, and production of single crystal Si. One of the relatively new methods for producing large quantities of polysilicon is fluidized bed reactor (FBR), where two main morphologies are produced, granular solid (1-3 mm) and nanopowders (30-300 nm). Grinding and fracture occurs in the granular solid during shipping and handling which can affect the final product properties and create safety issues. The microstructure and the morphology of both the granular and the nanopowder forms of Si were examined using scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM). The …

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Nanohub.Org: A Gateway To Undergraduate Simulation-Based Research In Materials Science And Related Fields, Tanya A. Faltens, Peter A. Bermel, Amanda Buckles, K Anna Douglas, Alejandro H. Strachan, Lynn K. Zentner, Gerhard Klimeck Jan 2015

Nanohub.Org: A Gateway To Undergraduate Simulation-Based Research In Materials Science And Related Fields, Tanya A. Faltens, Peter A. Bermel, Amanda Buckles, K Anna Douglas, Alejandro H. Strachan, Lynn K. Zentner, Gerhard Klimeck

Birck and NCN Publications

Our future engineers and scientists will likely be required to use advanced simulations to solve many of tomorrow's challenges in nanotechnology. To prepare students to meet this need, the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) provides simulation-focused research experiences for undergraduates at an early point in their educational path, to increase the likelihood that they will ultimately complete a doctoral program. The NCN summer research program currently serves over 20 undergraduate students per year who are recruited nationwide, and selected by NCN and the faculty for aptitude in their chosen field within STEM, as well as complementary skills such as coding …

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Cnt-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposite By Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Yaeji Kim Oct 2014

Cnt-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposite By Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Yaeji Kim

Open Access Dissertations

Polymer matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received significant attention due to their potential for exceptional mechanical, electrical, thermal and optical properties. The enhancement of ultimate mechanical properties of CNT reinforced polymer composites is governed not just by the properties of the two phases but by dispersion of the CNTs, interactions in the interfacial region and local molecular changes in polymer due to the vicinity of the CNTs. Strong adhesive interactions between the matrix and CNT leads to good compatibility preventing the aggregation of the reinforcements and results in optimal mechanical response. Even though significant efforts have been …

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Investigation Of Microstructural Alterations In M50 And 52100 Steel Using Nanoindentation, Kristin R. Paulson Oct 2014

Investigation Of Microstructural Alterations In M50 And 52100 Steel Using Nanoindentation, Kristin R. Paulson

Open Access Theses

Bearing steels are used in rolling elements and are designed to withstand heavy loads for an extended period of time. At the end of life, microstructural alterations within the material have been observed and are linked to failure. In this study, a three ball-on-rod fatigue tester was used to test M50 and 52100 steel cylindrical rods at differing loads of 4.0 GPa, 4.5 GPa, and 5.0 GPa and in lubricated and unlubricated conditions to 10 8 cycles in an attempt to produce microstructural alterations. Microstructural alterations characterized as butterflies were observed and investigated further in two M50 samples that were …

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Digital Image Correlation Of Heterogeneous Deformations In Polycrystalline Material With Electron Backscatter Diffraction, Javier Esquivel Oct 2014

Digital Image Correlation Of Heterogeneous Deformations In Polycrystalline Material With Electron Backscatter Diffraction, Javier Esquivel

Open Access Theses

This work establishes the ability to conduct digital image correlation (DIC) investigations at varying length scales. DIC allows for a computational method of strain field measurements using multiple images to track random speckle patterns on material surfaces. The use of a powder silicon oxide speckle allows for high optical magnification correlation using conventional load frames. Self-assembling gold nanoparticles provide sub-micron resolution speckle patterns to study microstructure influences on deformation using scanning electron microscopy. The complex microstructure in aerospace grade aluminum and nickel-based superalloys, give rise to varied deformation fields, which can be studied using electron backscatter diffraction. Specimen preparation techniques, …

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Mode I Fatigue Delamination Onset Of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer With Novel Post-Cure Throughthickness Reinforcement, Christopher John Kourloufas Oct 2014

Mode I Fatigue Delamination Onset Of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer With Novel Post-Cure Throughthickness Reinforcement, Christopher John Kourloufas

Open Access Theses

A novel trough thickness reinforcement (TTR) technique, proposed by Kravchenko et al., has been tested under mode I fatigue loading conditions in order to investigate characterisation of the onset of delamination growth in unidirectional 8552/IM7. The experimental results, following standard test method ASTM D6115-13, indicate that the mode I fatigue delamination onset behaviour can be altered by the inclusion of TTR both ahead and behind the crack tip. Tests have been conducted at a wide range of maximum displacement values, corresponding to percentages of the critical fracture toughness value determined for the maternal, GIC . The results were found …

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Using A Centrifuge For Quality Control Of Pre-Wetted Lightweight Aggregate In Internally Cured Concrete, Albert E. Miller Oct 2014

Using A Centrifuge For Quality Control Of Pre-Wetted Lightweight Aggregate In Internally Cured Concrete, Albert E. Miller

Open Access Theses

Early age shrinkage of cementitious systems can result in an increased potential for cracking which can lead to a reduction in service life. Early age shrinkage cracking can be particularly problematic for high strength concretes, which are often specified due to their high strength and low permeability. However, these high strength concretes frequently exhibit a reduction in the internal relative humidity (RH) due to the hydration reaction (chemical shrinkage) and self-desiccation which results in a bulk shrinkage, termed autogenous shrinkage, which is substantial at early ages. Due to the low permeability of these concretes, standard external curing is not always …

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High-Purity Gallium Analysis By Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Kyungjean Min Oct 2014

High-Purity Gallium Analysis By Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Kyungjean Min

Open Access Theses

The mobility of Two-dimensional Electron Gas in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures that are grown in the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) can be increased by purification of the gallium used to grow the films. To attain 200 million cm2/Vs mobility, the impurity concentration of gallium should be reduced to below 1 ppb. The commercial 7N (99.99999%) gallium with 100 ppb total impurity is currently used in the MBE at Purdue University and is being purified by zone refining. To evaluate the commercial 7N gallium and establish the methodology for the impurity measurement after zone refining, germanium, iron, and zinc in 6N and 7N …

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Measurement Of The Responses Of Polyurethane And Confortm Foams And The Development Of A System Identification Technique To Estimate Polyurethane Foam Parameters From Experimental Impulse Responses, Vaidyanadan Sundaram Oct 2014

Measurement Of The Responses Of Polyurethane And Confortm Foams And The Development Of A System Identification Technique To Estimate Polyurethane Foam Parameters From Experimental Impulse Responses, Vaidyanadan Sundaram

Open Access Theses

Flexible polyurethane foam is the main cushioning element used in car seats. Optimization of an occupied seat's static and dynamic behavior requires models of foam that are accurate over a wide range of excitation and pre-compression conditions. Experiments were conducted to measure the response of foam over a wide range of excitation which include slowly varying uniaxial compression tests on a 3 inch cube foam sample, base excitation and impulse excitation test on a foam-mass system. The foam used was the same in all of the experiments, thus obtaining all the responses on the same foam sample which helps eliminate …

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Dissolution Rate And Mechanism Of Metals In Molten Aluminum Alloy A380, Hengyu Zhu Oct 2014

Dissolution Rate And Mechanism Of Metals In Molten Aluminum Alloy A380, Hengyu Zhu

Open Access Theses

Shot sleeve is a very easily worn out part in a high-pressure die-casting machine due to serious dissolution of the area underneath the pouring hole. It is because during a normal pouring process, the high temperature molten aluminum will impact and dissolve that area of the shot sleeve by complex chemical and physical process. Rotation experiment was carried out to H13 and four kinds of refractory metal samples. SEM and EDS pictures were taken in order to investigate the microstructure and the dissolution mechanism of these materials. This suggests a high strength niobium is an ideal material for that area …

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Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrolytes Produced Via Very Low Pressure Suspension Plasma Spray And Electrophoretic Deposition, James D Fleetwood Oct 2014

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrolytes Produced Via Very Low Pressure Suspension Plasma Spray And Electrophoretic Deposition, James D Fleetwood

Open Access Dissertations

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a promising element of comprehensive energy policies due to their direct mechanism for converting the oxidization of fuel, such as hydrogen, into electrical energy. Both very low pressure plasma spray and electrophoretic deposition allow working with high melting temperature SOFC suspension based feedstock on complex surfaces, such as in non-planar SOFC designs. Dense, thin electrolytes of ideal composition for SOFCs can be fabricated with each of these processes, while compositional control is achieved with dissolved dopant compounds that are incorporated into the coating during deposition. In the work reported, sub-micron 8 mole % Y …

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Ultrasound Assisted Low-Temperature Synthesis Of Tib2 And Al3ti Particulates In Molten Aluminum, Zhiwei Liu Oct 2014

Ultrasound Assisted Low-Temperature Synthesis Of Tib2 And Al3ti Particulates In Molten Aluminum, Zhiwei Liu

Open Access Dissertations

In situ formed TiB2 and Al3Ti are two typical representatives of ceramic and intermetallic reinforcements in the in situ particulate reinforced Al composites. TiB2 particulates can be synthesized in molten Al via the mixed-salts reaction by adding mixed K2TiF6 and KBF4 salts into the Al melt at high temperatures. Al3 Ti particulates can be produced by the direct-melt reaction between solid Ti powders and liquid Al at high temperatures. Generally, a high reaction temperature is always needed to obtain both reinforcements. Some issues, however, such as high cost and burning loss …

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The Role Of Microstructure On The Combustion And Impact Behavior Of Mechanically Activated Nickel/Aluminum Reactive Composites, Benjamin Aaron Mason Oct 2014

The Role Of Microstructure On The Combustion And Impact Behavior Of Mechanically Activated Nickel/Aluminum Reactive Composites, Benjamin Aaron Mason

Open Access Dissertations

Metal-based reactive composites are a class of materials that consist of at least one metals, such as Ni/Al, that have high-energy densities and can produce significant energy output during exothermic reaction after thermal or mechanical initiation. However, conventionally these materials typically have slow reaction rates and are difficult to ignite at typical micron particle size ranges limiting their application. Therefore, mechanical activation techniques have been used to create materials with high surface areas and smaller characteristic dimensions in order to increase combustion velocity and ignition sensitivity. Their combustion and mechanical impact behavior is being studied to develop the understanding needed …

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Control Of Morphology Al-Fe-Si Phase In Al-Si-Cu Hypoeutectic Alloy, Meng Wang Oct 2014

Control Of Morphology Al-Fe-Si Phase In Al-Si-Cu Hypoeutectic Alloy, Meng Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Aluminum-Silicon (Al-Si) alloys are one of the most versatile aluminum alloys. Iron is considered one of the most harmful elements in Al-Si diecasting alloy because its presence leads to the precipitation of many AlFeSi intermetallic phases and unacceptable mechanical properties, such as reduction in ductility. Thus controlling the fraction and morphology of AlFeSi phase, especially the β-AlFeSi phase is an important way to improve the ductility of Al-Si die casting alloys. ^ In this dissertation, thermodynamics calculation of AlFeSi phase formation and fraction change during solidification process were conducted using Thermo-Calc software. A series of experiments, including adjusting cooling rates, …

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Nano-Modification For High Performance Cement Composites With Cellulose Nanocrystals And Carbon Nanotubes, Yizheng Cao Oct 2014

Nano-Modification For High Performance Cement Composites With Cellulose Nanocrystals And Carbon Nanotubes, Yizheng Cao

Open Access Dissertations

One of the new engineering frontiers is the exploration of infrastructure materials with novel combinations of properties that break traditional paradigms. The goal of this study is to utilize two different nano-fibers, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to modify the nanoscale structures of cement composites and thereby improve the performance at the macro-level. This study also evaluates the mechanism behind the modification, since fiber bridging, the most common reinforcing mechanism for fiber-reinforced composites, cannot be simply applied because CNCs are too short to bridge cracks in cement composites. ^ The mechanical tests show an increase in the flexural …

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Effects Of Energetic Irradiation On Materials And Devices Based On Graphene And Topological Insulators, Isaac Childres Oct 2014

Effects Of Energetic Irradiation On Materials And Devices Based On Graphene And Topological Insulators, Isaac Childres

Open Access Dissertations

This report focuses on the optical and electronic properties of graphene and topological insulators and how these Dirac fermion systems interact with energetic irradiation. We first present data exploring the effects of electron-beam and oxygen plasma induced disorder on the electronic properties and Raman spectra of graphene. These initial investigations were important for relating Raman peak intensities and weak localization features to each other and to an average disorder length in graphene, LD. ^ We then integrate gate-effect measurements into the Raman spectroscopy study to fully explore the relationships between carrier density, disorder and Raman spectrum signatures. We …

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Surgical Adhesive From Mussel Mimetic Polymer, Jenna Desousa, Cori Jenkins, Jonathan Wilker Aug 2014

Surgical Adhesive From Mussel Mimetic Polymer, Jenna Desousa, Cori Jenkins, Jonathan Wilker

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Injuries involving damaged tissues are currently repaired through an invasive technique involving the use of screws, plates and sutures as support, which can damage these tissues. The biomedical field currently lacks an adhesive that can replace harmful implants. A surgical adhesive can provide a quick and easy alternative, which will minimize the risk of damaging healthy tissue in surgery. Inspiration for such materials can be found by looking at marine mussels as they are able to stick to nearly any surface, even in wet environments. Marine mussels affix themselves to different surfaces using adhesive plaques consisting of various proteins. Polymer …

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Investigation Of The Performance Of Different Types Of Zirconium Microstructures Under Extreme Irradiation Conditions, Eric M. Acosta, Osman J. El-Atwani Aug 2014

Investigation Of The Performance Of Different Types Of Zirconium Microstructures Under Extreme Irradiation Conditions, Eric M. Acosta, Osman J. El-Atwani

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The safe and continued operation of the US nuclear power plants requires improvement of the radiation resistant properties of materials used in nuclear reactors. Zirconium is a material of particular interest due to its use in fuel cladding. Studies performed on other materials have shown that grain boundaries can play a significant role on the radiation resistant properties of a material. Thus, the focus of our research is to investigate the performance of different zirconium microstructures under irradiation conditions similar to those in commercial nuclear reactors. Analysis of the surface morphology of zirconium both pre- and post-irradiation was conducted with …

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