Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Thermodynamic Studies On The Synthesis Of Nitrides And Epitaxial Growth Of Ingan, Zinki Monga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitride semiconductor materials have been used in a variety of applications, such as LEDs, lasers, photovoltaic cells and medical applications. If incandescent bulbs could be replaced by white GaN LEDs, they would not only provide compactness and longer lifetime, but this would also result in huge energy savings. A renewed interest in InGaN emerged recently after it was discovered that the band gap for InN is 0.7eV, instead of the previously published value of 1.9eV. Thus InGaN solid solutions cover almost the whole visible spectrum, from a band gap of 3.34eV for GaN and 0.7eV for InN. Hence, InGaN can …

Dimesionality Aspects Of Nano Micro Integrated Metal Oxide Based Early Stage Leak Detection Room Temperature Hydrogen Sensor, Sameer Arun Deshpande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detection of explosive gas leaks such as hydrogen (H2) becomes key element in the wake of counter-terrorism threats, introduction of hydrogen powered vehicles and use of hydrogen as a fuel for space explorations. In recent years, a significant interest has developed on metal oxide nanostructured sensors for the detection of hydrogen gas. Gas sensors properties such as sensitivity, selectivity and response time can be enhanced by tailoring the size, the shape, the structure and the surface of the nanostructures. Sensor properties (sensitivity, selectivity and response time) are largely modulated by operating temperature of the device. Issues like instability of nanostructures …

Mechanisms Of Lifetime Improvement In Thermal Barrier Coatings With Hf And/Or Y Modification Of Cmsx-4 Superalloy Substrates, Jing Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In modern turbine engines for propulsion and energy generation, thermal barrier coating (TBCs) protect hot-section blades and vanes, and play a critical role in enhancing reliability, durability and operation efficiency. In this study, thermal cyclic lifetime and microstructural degradation of electron beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) with (Ni,Pt)Al bond coat and Hf- and/or Y- modified CMSX-4 superalloy substrates were examined. Thermal cyclic lifetime of TBCs was measured using a furnace thermal cycle test that consisted of 10-minute heat-up, 50-minute dwell at 1135C, and 10-minute forced-air-quench. TBC lifetime was observed to improve from 600 cycles to over …

Processing And Study Of Carbon Nanotube / Polymer Nanocomposites And Polymer Electrolyte Materials, Muthuraman Harish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first part of the study deals with the preparation of carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposite materials. The dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a co-solvent and its subsequent use in polymer nanocomposite fabrication is reported. The use of carbon nanotube/ polymer nanocomposite system for the fabrication of organic solar cells is also studied. TFA is a strong but volatile acid which is miscible with many commonly used organic solvents. Our study demonstrates that MWNTs can be effectively purified and readily dispersed in a range of organic solvents including dimethyl formamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dichloromethane when …

Low Temperature Nitife Shape Memory Alloys: Actuator Engineering And Investigation Of Deformation Mechanisms Using In Situ Neutr, Vinu Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shape memory alloys are incorporated as actuator elements due to their inherent ability to sense a change in temperature and actuate against external loads by undergoing a shape change as a result of a temperature-induced phase transformation. The cubic so-called austenite to the trigonal so-called R-phase transformation in NiTiFe shape memory alloys offers a practical temperature range for actuator operation at low temperatures, as it exhibits a narrow temperature-hysteresis with a desirable fatigue response. Overall, this work is an investigation of selected science and engineering aspects of low temperature NiTiFe shape memory alloys. The scientific study was performed using in …

Vacancy Engineered Doped And Undoped Nanocrystalline Rare Earth Oxide Particles For High Temperature Oxidation Resistant Coating, Ranjith Thanneeru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rare earth oxides with trivalent lattice dopants have been of great interest to researchers in the recent years due to its potential applications in catalysis and high temperature protective coatings. The ability to store oxygen in rare earths is the basis for catalysis because of the ability to change valence states which causes the presence of intrinsic oxygen vacancies in the crystal lattice. Although, several doped-rare earth oxide systems in micron scale have been investigated, the doping effect in cerium oxide nanoparticles with well characterized particle size has not been studied. The doping of ceria at that small size can …

Use Of Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy For Stress-Strain Measurements, Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

During the past academic year, this project was focused on the characterization of residual stress in welded specimens consisting of austenitic and martensitic stainless steels using an activation technique based on the Positron Annihilation Spectroscopic (PAS) method. The extent of residual stress was expressed in terms of three line-shape parameters (S-, W- and T-). Further, efforts were made to characterize linear lattice defects such as dislocations in the vicinity of Fusion-Line (FL), Heat-Affected- Zone (HAZ), and the base material of the welded specimens using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The metallurgical microstructures at these three regions have also been evaluated by …

Fundamental And Applied Experimental Investigations Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lbe Under Controlled Conditions: Kinetics, Chemistry Morphology, And Surface Preparation, John Farley, Allen L. Johnson, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Advanced nuclear processes and facilities (e.g., transmutation of nuclear waste, fast reactors, and spallation neutron sources) impose special demands on materials, which must withstand high temperatures, high radiation fields, and chemical corrosion. Proposed schemes for transmuting nuclear waste require a nonmoderating coolant such as lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE). While LBE corrodes most steels, small amounts of oxygen in the LBE greatly reduces the corrosion rate, and could ideally re-grow a damaged oxide layer in-situ. The protective oxide layer would thus be self-healing. However, the fundamental understanding of the role of oxygen and passivating oxide layers is presently incomplete.

During the present …

Effect Of Silicon Content On The Corrosion Resistance And Radiation- Induced Embrittlement Of Materials For Advanced Heavy Liquid Metal Nuclear Systems, Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

This task is focused on the evaluation of the effects of silicon content on both the corrosion behavior and radiation-induced embrittlement of martensitic stainless steels having compositions similar to that of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, also known as T91 grade steel. T91 grade steel was selected to be a candidate structural material to contain molten lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE), which can act both as a target material and a coolant during the spallation process. The operating temperature during this process may range from 420-550 °C. Thus, moderate tensile strength of the containment material (T91) is a major requirement.

The beneficial effects of …

Theoretical Modeling Of Protective Oxide Layer Growth In Non-Isothermal Lead Alloy Coolant Systems, Yitung Chen, Jinsuo Zhang, Jichun Li

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The goal of the proposed research project is to provide basic understanding of the protective oxide layer behaviors and to develop oxide layer growth models of steels in non-isothermal lead-alloys (lead or lead-bismuth eutectic) coolant systems. Precise studies and simulations of all hydrodynamics with thermal conditions encountered in practical coolant loop systems by use of different flowing conditions in the laboratory are difficult and expensive, if not impossible. Therefore it is important and necessary to develop theoretical models to predict the protective oxide layer behaviors at the design stage of a practical lead-alloy coolant system, to properly interpret and apply …

Development Of Nanostructure Based Corrosion-Barrier Coatings On Steel For Transmutation Applications, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Advanced transmutation systems require structural materials that are able to withstand high neutron fluxes, high thermal cycling, and high resistance to chemical corrosion. The current candidate materials for such structures are ferritic and ferritic-martensitic steels due to their strong resistance to swelling, good microstructural stability under irradiation, and the retention of adequate ductility at typical reactor operating temperatures.

In parallel, lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) has emerged as a potential spallation target material for efficient production of neutrons, as well as a coolant in the accelerator system. While LBE has excellent properties as a nuclear coolant, it is also highly corrosive to …

A Simple Sol-Gel Processing For The Development Of High-Temperature Stable Photoactive Anatase Titania, Suresh Pillai, Declan Mccormack, John Colreavy

Articles

No abstract provided.

Iii Finishing, Lapping, Honing And Polishing: Processes, Characterisation And Novel Techniques-Experimental Research On Ultra-Smooth Surface Polishing Based On Two-Dimensional Vibration Of Liquid, Zhong Ning Guo, X. Z. Huang, Z. G. Huang, Z. Q. Yu, T. M. Yue, Wing Bun Lee

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dielectric Anisotropy And Phonon Modes Of Ordered Indirect-Gap Al0.52In0.48P Studied By Far-Infrared Ellipsometry, Tino Hofmann, V. Gottschalch, Mathias Schubert

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The infrared (100–600 cm⁻¹) optical properties of partially CuPt-type ordered Al_0.52In_0.48P deposited lattice matched on GaAs are studied by ellipsometry. The authors determine the ordinary and extraordinary dielectric functions and report on the evolution of the optical phonon mode frequencies of Al_0.52In_0.48P as a function of the degree of ordering. In addition to the InP- and AlP-like phonon modes, they observe two alloy-induced phonon modes which are anisotropic upon CuPt ordering. The observed modes are associated to vibrations with E and A₁ symmetries. The alloy-induced phonon modes are useful …

Demonstration Of An Ultraviolet Zno-Based Optically Pumped Third Order Distributed Feedback Laser, Daniel Hofstetter, Yargo Bonetti, Fabrizio Giorgetta, Abdel-Hamid El-Shaer, Andrey Bakin, Andreas Waag, Rudiger Schmidt-Grund, Mathias Schubert, Marius Grundmann

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The authors demonstrate an optically pumped ZnO distributed feedback laser operating at 383 nm. For a large temperature range between 10 and 270 K, the device lased in a single longitudinal mode. Mode selection was accomplished via a third order diffraction grating, which was dry etched into a 120 nm thick Si₃N₄ layer deposited on the ZnO active region. They observed a spectral linewidth of 0.4 nm, a pump threshold intensity of 0.12 MW/cm², and a peak output power of 14 mW. From wavelength versus temperature measurements, they deduced a temperature tuning coefficient of the …

Creating Micro- And Nanostructures On Tubular And Spherical Surfaces, O. Lima, L. Tan, A. Goel, Mehrdad Negahban, Z. Li

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The authors developed a new technique to create micro- and nanometer scale structures on curved free-standing objects by combining embossing/imprinting lithography approaches with mechanical loadings on elastic films. Embossing/imprinting generates small structures and mechanical loading determines shape or geometry of the final object. As a result, a portion of the tubes with a radius between 0.5 and 3.5 mm and a portion of the spheres with a radius between 2.4 and 7.0 mm were fabricated with grating line features (period of 700 nm) and microlens array features (lens radius of 2.5 µm) atop, respectively. It was found that both static …

Dielectric Constants And Phonon Modes Of Amorphous Hafnium Aluminate Deposited By Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition, C. Bundesmann, O. Buiu, S. Hall, Mathias Schubert

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

Dielectric constants and long-wavelength optical phonon modes of amorphous hafnium aluminate films with a maximum aluminum content of 19 at. % are studied by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE). The hafnium aluminate films were prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on silicon substrates. IRSE revealed one polar lattice mode and one impurity-type mode, which show all a systematic shift in frequency with varying Al content. The static dielectric constant decreases from 10.1 for 4.6 at. % Al to 8.1 for 19 at. % Al. The absolute values were found to be between 50% and 70% smaller than the values obtained …

Sequential Stretching Lithography, Haojing Lin, Ocelio V. Lima, Li Tan, Zheng Li, Jiangyu Li

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

We developed an embossing/imprinting based nanofabrication technique, dubbed sequential stretching lithography (SSL). In this process, a master pattern is imprinted into an elastomer containing a film of uncured elastomer. The elastomer is cured and then elongated to increase feature density and reduce feature size. Replication of this substrate yields a new master that can be used in further reduction steps. One-dimensional grating features with a pitch size below 200 nm were fabricated from 750 nm-pitch grating lines. This process gives us a faithful pattern miniaturization in all aspects and, as a result, a much effective control on density and dimension …

Nonvolatile Two-Terminal Molecular Memory, Jason Snodgrass, Glen Kennedy, Wai-Ning Mei, Renat F. Sabirianov

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

We propose a nonvolatile two-terminal memory device with two resistance states based on the molecular tunnel junctions. This tunnel junction is composed of one or a few monolayers of polar molecules sandwiched between two electrodes made of materials with different screening length. As a prototype model system we study a rare earth endohedral metallofullerene molecule with reversible dipole moment sandwiched between metal and semiconducting electrodes, forming a double barrier junction. We use the Thomas-Fermi model to calculate the potential profile across the device. Calculated tunneling conductance through the proposed structure changes by order of magnitude upon the reversal of the …

Influence Of Van Der Waals Forces On Increasing The Strength And Toughness In Dynamic Fracture Of Nanofibre Networks: A Peridynamic Approach, Florin Bobaru Ph.D.

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

The peridynamic method is used here to analyse the effect of van der Waals forces on the mechanical behaviour and strength and toughness properties of three-dimensional nanofibre networks under imposed stretch deformation. The peridynamic formulation allows for a natural inclusion of long-range forces (such as van der Waals forces) by considering all interactions as ‘long-range’. We use van der Waals interactions only between different fibres and do not need to model individual atoms. Fracture is introduced at the microstructural (peridynamic bond) level for the microelastic type bonds, while van der Waals bonds can reform at any time. We conduct statistical …

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 …

Understanding The Low Temperature Electrical Propertiesof Nanocrystalline Sno2 For Gas Sensor Applications, Christina Drake

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanocrystalline metal/metal oxide is an important class of transparent and electronic materials due to its potential use in many applications, including gas sensors. At the nanoscale, many of the phenomena observed that give nanocrystalline semiconducting oxide enhanced performance as a gas sensor material over other conventional engineering materials is still poorly understood. This study is aimed at understanding the low temperature electrical and chemical properties of nanocrystalline SnO2 that makes it suitable for room temperature gas detectors. Studies were carried out in order to understand how various synthesis methods affect the surfaces on the nano-oxides, interactions of a target gas …

Plasma Processing For Retention Of Nanostructures, Viswanathan Venkatachalapathy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plasma spray processing is a technique that is used extensively in thermal barrier coatings on gas and steam turbine components, biomedical implants and automotive components. Many processing parameters are involved to achieve a coating with certain functionality. The coating could be required to function as thermal barrier, wear resistant, corrosion resistant or a high temperature oxidation resistant coating. Various parameters, such as, nozzle and electrode design, powder feeding system, spray distances, substrate temperature and roughness, plasma gas flow rates and others can greatly alter the coating quality and resulting performance. Feedstock (powder or solution precursor) composition and morphology are some …

Dissolution, Reactor, And Environmental Behavior Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuel Matrix, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

This project will examine inert fuels containing ZrO₂ and MgO as the inert matrix. Ceramics with this inert matrix, Ce, U and eventually Pu will be synthesized and examined. While the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative focus is on inert fuels with Pu as the fissile component, this task will perform initial laboratory experiments with Ce and U. The initial work with Ce will be performed early in the project with results used as a basis for U studies. Reactor physics calculations will be used to examine suitable quantities of burnable poisons from the candidate elements Gd, Er, or Hf. …

Tunable Nanostructure Anti-Reflective Coatings, Erik Brinley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research was conducted on broadband, anti-reflective coatings for fused silica and chalcogenide substrates in the infrared region of light. Using chemical preparation to create nano-porous through nano-particle based sol-gel solutions, the alteration of optical properties including refractive index and optical thickness was conducted. The nano-particles can modify the coating surface to allow only zero-order diffracted wave propagation reducing scattering while a partially graded profile of refractive index due surface evaporation lessened the precise phase relations of typical homogeneous coatings. My study of silica and titania sol-gel, and hybrid mixtures of the two were used to obtain the optical properties of …

Self-Assembled Lipid Tubules: Structures, Mechanical Properties, And Applications., Yue Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-assembled lipid tubules are particularly attractive for inorganic synthesis and drug delivery because they have hollow cylindrical shapes and relatively rigid mechanical properties. In this thesis work, we have synthesized lipid tubules of 1,2-bis(tricosa-10,12-dinoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DC8,9PC) by self-assembly and polymerization in solutions. We demonstrate for the first time that both uniform and modulated molecular tilt orderings exist in the tubule walls, which have been predicted by current theories, and therefore provide valuable supporting evidences for self-assembly mechanisms of chiral molecules. Two novel methods are developed for studying the axial and radial deformations of DC8,9PC lipid tubules. Mechanical properties of DC8,9PC tubules …

Zinc Cadmium Sulphide And Zinc Sulphide As Alternative Heterojunction Partners For Cigs2 Solar Cells, Bhaskar Kumar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Devices with ZnCdS/ZnS heterojunction partner layer have shown better blue photon response due to higher band gap of these compounds as compared to devices with CdS heterojunction partner layer. CdS heterojunction partner layer has shown high photovoltaic conversion efficiencies with CIGS absorber layer while efficiencies are lower with CuIn1-xGaxS2 (CIGS2). A negative conduction band offset has been observed for CdS/CIGS2 as compared to near flat conduction band alignment in case of CdS/CIGS devices, which results in higher interface dominated recombination. Moreover, it has been predicted that optimum band offsets for higher efficiency solar cells may be achieved for cells with …

Redistribution Of Manganese Ion Implanted In Silicon, Arun Kumar Shunmugavelu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ion implantation and the subsequent redistribution of manganese atoms in Czochralski Silicon (Cz-Si) and Floating Zone Silicon (Fz-Si) due to thermal annealing between 300 C and 1000 C is studied using Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy. The samples ion implanted at 340 C showed multiple peak formation above 900 C. This was not observed for the samples ion implanted at room temperature. Cz-Si and Fz-Si showed similar redistribution profiles.