Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Photoluminescence Measurement On Low-Temperature Metal Modulation Epitaxy Grown Gan, Yang Wu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) study was conducted on low-temperature metal modulation epitaxy (MME) grown GaN. By comparing the PL signal from high temperature grown GaN buffer layers, and MME grown cap layers on top of the buffer layers, it was found that MME grown GaN cap has a significantly greater defect-related emission. The band edge PL from MME grown GaN found to be 3.51eV at low temperature. The binding energy of the exciton in GaN is determined to be 21meV through temperature dependence analysis. A PL peak at 3.29eV was found in the luminescence of the MME grown cap layer, …

Correlation Of Polymer Performance And Hansen Solubility Parameters, Daniel Jobse Mania

Master's Theses

Ready-to-use (RTU) grout is becoming more important to the finish and remodeling construction industry. Market research shows it is a fast-growing product that not only is creating its own space, but is beginning to supplant existing technology.

The original intent of this research was to investigate formulation parameters and how they affect grout performance. It was learned that particle size and oil absorption (OA) value are important filler properties that affect performance as much as adequate packing density and optimal pigment volume concentration (PVC) without going beyond critical PVC (CPVC).

Polymer architecture was also determined to be extremely important, but …

Study Design Of A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial To Evaluate A Large-Scale Distribution Of Cook Stoves And Water Filters In Western Province, Rwanda, Corey L. Nagel, Miles Kirby, Laura D. Zambrano, Ghislaine Rosa, Christina K. Barstow, Evan A. Thomas, Thomas Clasen

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: In Rwanda, pneumonia and diarrhea are the first and second leading causes of death, respectively, among children under five. Household air pollution (HAP) resultant from cooking indoors with biomass fuels on traditional stoves is a significant risk factor for pneumonia, while consumption of contaminated drinking water is a primary cause of diarrheal disease. To date, there have been no largescale effectiveness trials of programmatic efforts to provide either improved cookstoves or household water filters at scale in a low-income country. In this paper we describe the design of a clusterrandomized trial to evaluate the impact of a national-level program …

Development Of A Novel Polymer-Garnet Solid State Composite Electrolyte Incorporating Li-La-Zr-Bi-O And Polyethylene Oxide, Muhammed Ramazan Oduncu

Open Access Theses

Current lithium ion batteries are comprised of organic liquid electrolytes - a mixture of lithium salts and binary solvents such as ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The main drawbacks of this liquid mixture related to safety are flammability of the organic solvents and chemical instability with the electrode materials. To date, various ceramic and polymer materials have been considered which overcome safety issues. However, a common problem of these solid state materials is that they are not able to provide high ionic conductivity at ambient temperatures. Garnet-type cubic Li7La 3Zr2O12 ceramic material has attracted much interest because of …

Solution Based Processing Of Garnet Type Oxides For Optimized Lithium-Ion Transport, Derek K. W. Schwanz

Open Access Theses

Current lithium based portable electrochemical storage devices are limited by the inherent instability and volatility of conventional electrolytes materials. Ceramic materials show much promise for use in advanced lithium based battery systems due to their inhibition of dendritic growth and high thermal and chemical stability. The main drawback of solid materials is their low ionic conductivity, relying on lattice hopping to transport ions between electrodes during cycling. Garnet type oxides, specifically of the base compositions Li7La3Zr2O12 and Li5L a3Bi2O12 have been synthesized through Pechini method solution based processing by the dissolution of reagent salts into nitric acid and creation of …

Polymerizable Lipids For Controlled Functionalization Of Layered Materials, Kortney Kaye Rupp

Open Access Theses

Self-assembled monolayers (SAM’s) offer a straightforward approach to tailoring the interfacial properties of metals, metal oxides and semiconductors. Noncovalent functionalization of single-layer graphene offers the possibility to finely tune surface chemistry for future applications in electronics. Polymerization of photochemically reactive molecules in a lying-down phase has been used to increase the strength of intermolecular interactions between long alkanes and HOPG substrates. Long-chain fatty acid derivatives with internal diyne groups yield a conjugated ene-yne polymer upon UV irradiation. Diyne lipids with phosphocholine (diyne PC) and phosphoethanolamine (diyne PE) groups offer a charged form of the head group that is robust towards …

Additive Manufacturing Of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites, Nicholas M. Denardo

Open Access Theses

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, encompasses manufacturing processes that construct a geometry by depositing or solidifying material only where it is needed in the absence of a mold. The ability to manufacture complex geometries on demand directly from a digital file, as well as the decreasing equipment costs due to increased competition in the market, have resulted in the AM industry experiencing rapid growth in the past decade. Many companies have emerged with novel technologies well suited to improve products and/or save costs in various industries.

Until recently, the applications of polymer additive manufacturing have been mainly limited to prototyping. …

Modeling Transport Phenomena And Uncertainty Quantification In Solidification Processes, Kyle S. Fezi

Open Access Dissertations

Direct chill (DC) casting is the primary processing route for wrought aluminum alloys. This semicontinuous process consists of primary cooling as the metal is pulled through a water cooled mold followed by secondary cooling with a water jet spray and free falling water. To gain insight into this complex solidification process, a fully transient model of DC casting was developed to predict the transport phenomena of aluminum alloys for various conditions. This model is capable of solving mixture mass, momentum, energy, and species conservation equations during multicomponent solidification. Various DC casting process parameters were examined for their effect on transport …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Cellulose Nanocrystal Enhanced Sustainable Polymer Nanocomposites Through Surface Chemistry And Processing, Shane X. Peng

Open Access Dissertations

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) belong to a class of cellulose based nanomaterials that are extracted from renewable and sustainable sources and have excellent mechanical and thermal properties. While applications for CNCs have been expanding, one of the challenges of utilizing CNCs is to overcome their low dispersibility in hydrophobic polymers. In the present work, several approaches are utilized to improve the interfacial compatibility and overall performance of CNC/epoxy and CNC/polyamide nanocomposite.

For a two-part epoxy system, a novel approach was taken to disperse CNC in epoxy matrix by pre-formulating CNC into the hardeners. Three types of hardeners were evaluated for their …

Contact Radius And Insulator-Metal Transition In Films Comprised Of Touching Semiconductor Nanocrystals, Deanna M. Lanigan

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Nanocrystal assemblies are being explored for a number of optoelectronic applications such as transparent conductors, photovoltaic solar cells, and electrochromic windows. Majority carrier transport is important for these applications, yet it remains relatively poorly understood in films comprised of touching nanocrystals. Specifically, the underlying structural parameters expected to determine the transport mechanism have not been fully elucidated. In this report, we demonstrate experimentally that the contact radius, between touching heavily doped ZnO nanocrystals, controls the electron transport mechanism. Spherical nanocrystals are considered, which are connected by a circular area. The radius of this circular area is the contact radius. For …

Thermoelectric Half-Heuslers: Synthesis, Processing, And Performance, Joseph Robert Croteau

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Thermoelectric half-Heusler compounds have potential to convert the heat wasted from industrial and transportation processes to useful electricity. Among the highest performing half-Heusler compounds are nano-structured bulk materials which have been arc-melted, pulverized into a nano-powder, and sintered by DC-hot press. High performing n- and p-type half-Heusler compounds with nominal composition of Hf_0.25Zr_0.75NiSn_0.99Sb_0.01 and Nb_0.75Ti_0.25FeSb, respectively, have been provided to us in both dense and powder form by our collaborators at the University of Houston. We consolidate these powders by SPS, refine these powders to improve both particle size …

Forcing Cesium Into Higher Oxidation States Via Useful Hard X-Ray Induced Chemistry At Extreme Conditions, Daniel Thomas Sneed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recent theoretical work published in Nature Chemistry postulates the existence of cesium in high oxidation states when bonding with fluorine. It is thus predicted to behave as a p-block element (such as xenon) at pressures above 5 GPa. At these pressures, fluorine atoms may bond with the inner p-shell electrons forming CsFn, where n may vary from 2 up to 6; thus the oxidation state of Cs may change up to 6+. My research focused on physically synthesizing these compounds and to verify that, given the right conditions, bonding doesn't only occur with valence electrons, but with the inner p-shell …

Rare Earth Emissions From Polyethylene Terephthalate Fiber, Joshua Jenkins Furtick

All Theses

Rare earth-polymer blends can be useful in many applications including safety, security, displays, and novelty. Polyester, specifically polyethylene terephthalate, is a ubiquitous material in the world today and offers many opportunities for the usefulness of visible light rare earth emissions.

In this work we have attempted to incorporate rare earth complexes with polyester yarn using various methods including coating, extrusion, and dyeing, with the latter having the most success. Nanoparticles were used initially for these experiments, however certain limitations of the particles could not be overcome, for example the size of the particles and the incompatibility of the inorganic matrix …

Detecting Delamination In Carbon Fiber Composites Using Piezoresistive Nanocomposites, Sandeep Chava

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Carbon fiber prepreg composites are utilized successfully as structural materials for different lightweight aerospace applications. Delamination is a critical failure mode in these composite materials. As composite plies separate from each other, the composite loses some of its ability for supporting expected loads. Therefore, detection of delamination at right time is a foremost significance. This study presents a new way for detecting delamination in composite plates using piezoresistive nanocomposites. This new procedure is setup and studied through both experimental and computational investigations. In this research, nanocomposites with 5% coarse graphene platelets are fabricated for detecting delamination. 8-ply carbon fiber prepreg …

Miss Lonesome: Old Boats Past Their Prime, Garth Woodruff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Material Selection And Testing For A Radiation Therapy Catheter, Philip James Wadlow

Master's Theses

Three different polymers (a high-density polymer and two other polymers) were tested for use as an x-ray catheter in a radiation therapy application. This report describes the testing of these three materials to determine which material is the best option for a long use catheter. Tests included tensile, simulated clinical life, and other tests. Some testing was performed using nitrogen and an industrial coolant. Testing revealed significant non-circularities for some catheters. With increasing pressure, the circularity of these catheters increased. The tensile tests were performed on samples with varying doses of radiation. Tensile testing showed significant decreases in ultimate tensile …

Alginate Hydrogels As Three-Dimensional Scaffolds For In Vitro Culture Models Of Growth Plate Cartilage Development And Porcine Embryo Elongation, Taylor D. Laughlin

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The establishment of in vitro culture models utilizes tissue engineering principles to design functional mimics of in vivo environments in vitro. Advantages for the use of in vitro culture models include ethical alleviation of animal models for therapeutic testing, cost efficiency, and a greater ability to study specific mechanisms via a systematic, ground-up approach to development. In this thesis, alginate hydrogels are utilized in the development of in vitro culture models of porcine embryo elongation and growth plate cartilage development. First, the effect of scaffold and modifications to the scaffold were explored in both projects. In order to modulate …

Self-Similar Random Process And Chaotic Behavior In Serrated Flow Of High Entropy Alloys, Shuying Chen, Liping Yu, Jingli Ren, Xie Xie, Xueping Li, Ying Xu, Guangfeng Zhao, Peizhen Li, Fuqian Yang, Yang Ren, Peter K. Liaw

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The statistical and dynamic analyses of the serrated-flow behavior in the nanoindentation of a high-entropy alloy, Al_0.5CoCrCuFeNi, at various holding times and temperatures, are performed to reveal the hidden order associated with the seemingly-irregular intermittent flow. Two distinct types of dynamics are identified in the high-entropy alloy, which are based on the chaotic time-series, approximate entropy, fractal dimension, and Hurst exponent. The dynamic plastic behavior at both room temperature and 200 °C exhibits a positive Lyapunov exponent, suggesting that the underlying dynamics is chaotic. The fractal dimension of the indentation depth increases with the increase of temperature, and …

58th Annual Rocky Mountain Conference On Magnetic Resonance

Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance

Final program, abstracts, and information about the 58th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance, co-endorsed by the Colorado Section of the American Chemical Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Held in Breckenridge, Colorado, July 17-21, 2016.

Film Performance Of Poly(Lactic Acid) Blends For Packaging Applications, Carlos A. Diaz, Hsunpao Y. Pao, Sungyoung Kim

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a biodegradable thermoplastic derived from renewable resources, stands out as a substitute to petroleum-based plastics. PLA based films for food packaging has been an area of both commercial and research interest within the context of sustainability. In spite of its high strength, packaging applications have been limited because PLA is more brittle than traditional oil-based plastics. Because of this, films display low tear and impact resistance and produce a loud crackling sound when manipulated. Although many studies address the toughening of PLA in the bulk, little attention has been placed on the film performance. The present study …

Occurrence Of Reverse Side Effects In Corona Treatment Of Dispersion-Coated Paperboard And Its Influence On Grease Barrier Properties, Sami-Seppo Ovaska, Ringaudas Rinkunas, Tadeusz Lozovksi, Robertas Maldzius, Jonas Sidaravicius, Leena-Sisko Johansson, Monika Österberg, Kaj Backfolk

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

The uncoated side of dispersion-barrier-coated paperboards was exposed to positive and negative direct current corona treatments in order to confirm the occurrence of backside treatment and clarify its effects on the usability of the paperboard. The main component of the coating dispersions was hydroxypropylated potato starch and the effects of talc and styrene-butadiene latex additions on backside treatment were evaluated. Coatings with a high talc proportion showed excellent initial grease resistance, but corona-induced strikethroughs caused a drastic decrease in grease penetration time. The root-mean-square roughness measurements revealed moderate surface roughening at the backside, indicating thus backside treatment. The alterations in …

Design Of Nanoparticle-Based Carriers For Targeted Drug Delivery, Xiaojiao Yu, Ian Trase, Muqing Ren, Kayla Duval, Xing Guo, Zi Chen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nanoparticles have shown promise as both drug delivery vehicles and direct antitumor systems, but they must be properly designed in order to maximize efficacy. Computational modeling is often used both to design new nanoparticles and to better understand existing ones. Modeled processes include the release of drugs at the tumor site and the physical interaction between the nanoparticle and cancer cells. In this paper, we provide an overview of three different targeted drug delivery methods (passive targeting, active targeting, and physical targeting) and compare methods of action, advantages, limitations, and the current stages of research. For the most commonly used …

Monolayer Mos2 Bandgap Modulation By Dielectric Environments And Tunable Bandgap Transistors, Junga Ryou, Yong-Sung Kim, Santosh Kc, Kyeongjae Cho

Faculty Publications

Semiconductors with a moderate bandgap have enabled modern electronic device technology, and the current scaling trends down to nanometer scale have introduced two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. The bandgap of a semiconductor has been an intrinsic property independent of the environments and determined fundamental semiconductor device characteristics. In contrast to bulk semiconductors, we demonstrate that an atomically thin two-dimensional semiconductor has a bandgap with strong dependence on dielectric environments. Specifically, monolayer MoS2 bandgap is shown to change from 2.8 eV to 1.9 eV by dielectric environment. Utilizing the bandgap modulation property, a tunable bandgap transistor, which can be in general made of …

Studies On The Electrical Transport Properties Of Carbon Nanotube Composites, Taylor Warren Tarlton

Doctoral Dissertations

This work presents a probabilistic approach to model the electrical transport properties of carbon nanotube composite materials. A pseudo-random generation method is presented with the ability to generate 3-D samples with a variety of different configurations. Periodic boundary conditions are employed in the directions perpendicular to transport to minimize edge effects. Simulations produce values for drift velocity, carrier mobility, and conductivity in samples that account for geometrical features resembling those found in the lab. All results show an excellent agreement to the well-known power law characteristic of percolation processes, which is used to compare across simulations. The effect of sample …

Effect Of Precipitation Aging Temperatures On Rejuvenation Heat Treated Microstructures, Hardness And Γ' Phase Stability In Udimet-500, C Niemkong, S Polsilapa, P Wangyao

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

This research has studied the effect of precipitation aging temperatures on size and area density of γ' particles of the reheat treated microstructures incast nickel basesuperalloy, grade Udimet-500. All specimens were performed the same solutioning treatment at temperature of 1,150ºC for 4 hours following with various precipitation aging temperatures of 760, 780, 800 and 820ºC for 16 hours. Furthermore, these reheat treated specimens were also performed long-term heating at temperatures of 900ºC and 1000ºC for 200 hours to evaluate γ'-phase stability. Finally, hardness measurements were also carried out. Form all obtained results, it was found that the standard precipitation aging …

X-Ray Attenuation Of Cotton Fabrics Coated With Barium Sulphate, B Kusuktham, C Wichayasiri, S Udon

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The x-ray attenuation performance of barium sulphate coated cotton fabrics was evaluated. 10-50 wt% barium sulphate/binder mixture was prepared and then coated onto cotton fabrics. For x-ray shielding evaluation, the fabrics with the different layers were tested under the x-ray radiation at 50kV-100 kV energy levels. The results showed that the shielding x-ray radiation were in the range of 1.48-77%, indicating that x-ray attenuation significantly increased with an increase in BaSO4 content. In addition, the number of fabric layers also played an important role. Finally, it was found that BaSO4 coated cotton fabrics exhibited satisfactory durability with respect to rubbing …

Experimental And Numerical Evaluation Of A New Composite Pressure Pipe For A Trenchless Rehabilitation Technology, Xuanchen Yen

Doctoral Dissertations

The information presented in this dissertation is based on research work conducted at Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University. This work was performed through a contract with China University of Geoscience (CUG) for a gas company. China's gas pipelines need replacement or rehabilitation after 15 to 30 years of service. China's gas industry is looking for suitable techniques to transfer into their market.

When compared to conventional excavation pipeline renewal or replacement methods, there are obvious advantages of TRT for gas pipelines that can impact the triple bottom-line of economic, social and environmental benefits. An introduction of TRT …

Carbon Nanotube Based Groundwater Remediation: The Case Of Trichloroethylene, Kshitij C. Jha, Zhuonan Liu, Hema Vijwani, Mallikarjuna Nadagouda, Sharmila M. Mukhopadhyay, Mesfin Tsige

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Adsorption of chlorinated organic contaminants (COCs) on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been gaining ground as a remedial platform for groundwater treatment. Applications depend on our mechanistic understanding of COC adsorption on CNTs. This paper lays out the nature of competing interactions at play in hybrid, membrane, and pure CNT based systems and presents results with the perspective of existing gaps in design strategies. First, current remediation approaches to trichloroethylene (TCE), the most ubiquitous of the COCs, is presented along with examination of forces contributing to adsorption of analogous contaminants at the molecular level. Second, we present results on TCE adsorption …

Formation Of Phase Icosahedral And Decagonal Quasicrystalline Alloys Al62,2cu25,3fe12,5/Al65ni15co20 Influence On The Oxidation, Lcla Jamshidi, Rj Rodbari, L Nascimento

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this article we will cover a study of the formation of icosahedral and decagonal phases two quasicrystals Al62,2Cu25,3Fe12,5 And Al65Ni15Co20,and the influence of oxidation in this alloy. For this purpose research used the diffraction of X-ray (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TG) .The results displayed found aspects of morphological structural as well as the surface of the two compositions of quasicrystals, these were prepared and obtained in electric arc furnaces and induction and arc. Oxidation of Al62,2Cu25,3Fe12,5 alloy, intermetallic phases presented with combinations of alloying elements and above 675C …

Properties In Hardness Of Al-Cu Couples Diffused At 813 K, J Hinojosa-Torres, Jm Aceves-Hernández

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Al-Cu couples were heated to 813 K during 200, 320 and 480 hours. The heat treatment conditions caused the welding of the metals. After the mentioned conditions, it was observed the formation of two contiguous plates like (~15 to 30 micrometres, width) in parallel direction to the contact section. These plates like were chemically identified and its compositions corresponded to the h2 (CuAl) phase and to the q (CuAl2) phase of the aluminium-copper system. The measurements of micro hardness that were carried out on these plates like gave values of 620HV0.05 and 500HV0.05 (on the average) respectively. In the Cu-rich …