Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Liquid-Phase Exfoliation Of Two-Dimensional Graphite For Ink-Jet Printing, Monica Michel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the last decade, the study of two-dimensional (2D) materials has seen an incredible growth due to their unique thermal, mechanical and electronic properties. Solution phase manufacturing offers a way in which they can be produced at large scale by creating dispersions from the exfoliated material. Once created, different options for assembling devices exist. One technique for large scale manufacturing of materials in this form is ink-jet printing, which is a form of additive manufacturing that has proven to be attractive for the printed electronics industry. One challenge that ink-jet printing still faces is the shortage of inks with appropriate …

Investigation Of Ti-6al-4v Alloy Response To Atmospheric Re-Entry Exposure, Jessica Lynn Buckner

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ti-6Al-4V is a widely used aerospace alloy for its high strength-to-weight ratio and high operating temperature properties. Despite widespread use, titanium and its alloys have been shown to ignite in oxygen and nitrogen rich test streams. The reactivity of titanium is attributed to the high solubility for oxygen that increases with temperature, accelerating the oxidation rate and resulting in a combustion reaction. When introduced to the monatomic oxygen rich and high enthalpy re-entry environment, Ti-6Al-4V X-link components from the space shuttle Columbia exhibited accelerated oxidation and combustion behavior. Ti-6Al-4V metal plates tested in the simulated re-entry environment of an arc-jet …

Phase Transformation And Growth Kinetics In Reaction Zone Between Uranium Alloy And Zirconium Diffusion Barrier, Young Joo Park

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U-10wt.%Mo (U10Mo) alloy as a part of monolithic fuel system is being developed under Material Management and Minimization Reactor Conversion (MMMRC) program, tasked with replacing high-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel with low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel in civilian research and test reactors. Use of U10Mo fuel alloy entails a Zr diffusion barrier to avoid the undesirable interdiffusion and reactions between the U10Mo and Al-alloy cladding. To better understand the interaction between these fuel system constituents, microstructural development and diffusion kinetics in U-Mo-Zr, U-Zr and fuel plate assembly processed by co-rolling and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) were investigated using a variety of analytical …

Urea Pre-Treatment Of N2-Annealed Transition Metal Oxides For Low Cost And Efficient Counter Electrodes In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell, Hytham Elbohy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photovoltaic cells have shown great promise as an alternative to fossil fuel-based energy sources. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have shown potential as low-cost replacement to silicon solar cells owing to their reduced material costs and simple fabrication techniques. Platinum (Pt) was used as a catalyst in the counter electrode for DSSCs. Metal oxides have been used as an alternative material to Pt. The introduction of oxygen vacancies inside metal oxides helps to facilitate electron transport to the electrolyte to enhance the reduction process of triiodide ions. Annealing n-type metal oxides under a reducing agent gas such as hydrogen (H2) at …

Integrated Tandem Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (Dssc)-Lithium Ion Battery, Geetha Varnekar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Efficient renewable energy harvesting and storage are needed for present challenges related to clean environment and increasing energy demand. Different types of energy harvesting technologies such as solar, thermal and wind require excess energy to be stored in batteries, which further adds to the complication and increase in cost to the overall renewable energy system. Integrating the generation and storage of solar energy in a single device would be a more cost effective way towards meeting the increasing energy demand due to its simplicity in design and less space consumptions. Herein, a sustainable photovoltaic cell integrated with an energy storage …

Low Temperature Solution-Processed Sb:Sno2 Nanocrystals For Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells, Yang Bai, Yanjun Fang, Yehao Deng, Qi Wang, Jingjing Zhao, Xiaopeng Zheng, Yang Zhang, Jinsong Huang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Inorganic metal oxide electron-transport layers (ETLs) have the potential to yield perovskite solar cells with improved stability, but generally need high temperature to form conductive and defect-less forms, which is not compatible with the fabrication of flexible and tandem solar cells. Here, we demonstrate a facile strategy for developing efficient inorganic ETLs by doping SnO₂ nanocrystals (NCs) with a small amount of Sb using a low-temperature solution-processed method. The electrical conductivity was remarkably enhanced by Sb-doping, which increased the carrier concentration in Sb:SnO₂ NCs. Moreover, the upward shift of the Fermi level owing to doping results in improved …

Drying Methods For The Fabrication Of Polymer Foam Material, Dalton Echard

Theses and Dissertations

This is a report on the study of the drying of nanoporous polymer foam material fabricated by photolithogtaphic methods. Three drying methods were employed, which were air drying, supercritical drying and freeze drying. After fabrication and drying, physical properties of the polymer foams were measured. These measurements included density of the material, Young’s modulus, surface area, and the shape of the skeletal particles. The measurements determined the effect of the polymer concentration and the effect of drying methods. It was determined that polymer concentration had a much larger effect on the properties of the materials than the drying method.

Effect Of Poisson’S Ratio On Material Properties Characterization By Nanoindentation With A Cylindrical Flat Tip Indenter, Md Mehadi Hassan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nano indentation technology is commonly used to determine the mechanical properties of different kinds of engineering materials. The young’s modulus of the materials can be calculated with the load depth data obtained from an indentation test with a known Poisson’s ratio. In this investigation the NANOVEA micro/nanoindentation tester with a cylindrical flat-tip indenter will be used to find the elastic modulus, hardness and Pile up. Low carbon steel AISI1018, alloy steel AISI 4340 and aluminum alloy 6061 were selected for the case study. Finite element (FE) analysis using axisymmetric 3-D models used to establish the relationship between Poisson’s ratio and …

Fully Solution Processed Pedot:Pss And Silver Nanowire Semi-Transparent Electrodes For Thin Film Solar Cells, Bjorn Vaagensmith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), such as semitransparent organic solar cells (OSC) for power generating windows, is a promising method for implementing renewable energy under the looming threat of depleting fossil fuels. OSC require a solution processed transparent electrode to be cost effective; but typically employ a nonsolution processed indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrode. PEDOT:PSS and silver nanowire transparent electrodes have emerged as a promising alternative to ITO and are solution processed compatible. However, PEDOT:PSS requires a strong acid treatment, which is incompatible with high throughput solution processed fabrication techniques. Silver nanowires suffer from a short lifetime when subject to …

Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte For Lithium Ion Batteries, Roya Naderi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Batteries have been ubiquitously utilized in enormous applications such as portable electronics, satellites, computers, medical instruments, and electric cars. The development of battery technology has been through a long journey since the 17th century, paving its way to commercialization of lithium ion batteries in 1991 by Sony. Rechargeable lithium ion batteries represent the most favorable type of batteries for portable applications due to their high energy density compared to other alkali metals. In 1997, lithium polymer batteries with solid polymer/composite electrolyte were introduced where the safety drawbacks of the liquid electrolyte were eliminated but the ionic conductivity of the batteries …

Equi-Biaxial Fatigue Behaviour Of Magnetorheological Elastomers In Magnetic Fields, Yanfen Zhou, Mark Johnson, Shipeng Wen, Tony Betts, Stephen Jerrams

Articles

The equi-biaxial fatigue behaviour of silicone based magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) in external magnetic fields was studied. Wöhler curves relating fatigue life to stress amplitude and dynamic stored energy for MREs with a range of magnetic particle contents were derived. It was found that the fatigue life of MREs in magnetic fields was higher than that without magnetic fields. Under constant stress amplitude conditions, the presence of magnetic fields resulted in longer times for the samples to undergo large deformations and thus complex modulus (E*) decreased at a slower rate during the fatigue process, especially for low stress amplitudes. MRE samples …

Performance Of Masonry Blocks Containing Different Proportions Of Incinator Bottom Ash, Niall Holmes, Hugh O'Malley, Paul Cribbin, Henry Mullen, Garrett Keane

Articles

No abstract provided.

Bio-Inspired Synthesis Of Nanostructured Materials On Substrates For Environmental And Energy Applications, Xinghua Meng Meng

Wayne State University Dissertations

It is still a challenging task to develop simple methods for facile synthesis of functional nanostructures on substrates under mild conditions without using expensive instruments. We have successfully developed a bio-inspired method using simple diaphragm-assisted system to synthesize functional nanostructures on various substrates under mild conditions. We have systematically studied the effects of experimental parameters on the formation of nanostructures under controlled conditions. The fundamental mechanism involved has been systematically studied and revealed. By growing the unique networks of nanostructures on a piece of substrate, a double-rough surface, with structures at both nanoscale and microscale, has been achieved, showing interesting …

Substrate Effects And Dielectric Integration In 2d Electronics, Bhim Prasad Chamlagain

Wayne State University Dissertations

The ultra-thin body of monolayer (and few-layer) two dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials such as transitional metal dichalconiges (TMDs), black phosphorous (BP) has demonstrated tremendous beneficial physical, transport, and optical properties for a wide range of applications. Because of their ultrathin bodies, the properties of 2D materials are highly sensitive to environmental effects. Particularly, the performance of 2D semiconductor electronic devices is strongly dependent on the substrate/dielectric properties, extrinsic impurities and absorbates. In this work, we systematically studied the transport properties of mechanically exfoliated few layer TMD field-effect transistors (FETs) consistently fabricated on various substrates including SiO2,Parylene –C, Al2O3, SiO2 modified …

Texture And Microstructure Of Ipvd Copper Manganese Seed In 1 Μm & 70 Nm Wide Damascene Trenches, Robert Stuart Brown

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This thesis describes the grain texture and microstructure of Ionized Physical Vapor Deposition (iPVD) Copper Manganese seed in 1 µm and 70 nm wide damascene trenches. Using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) imaging and diffraction pattern analysis, the grain size and general orientation of the grains were determined. It was found that the 1 µm wide trenches contained larger grains and more texture than that of the 70 nm wide trenches. While this thesis builds upon previous work by Brendan O’Brien in the Dunn group, one significantly different finding will be presented regarding the structure on the sidewall of the trenches. …

Experimental And Theoretical Investigations Of Cadmium Diffusion In Vacancy-Rich Cu(In, Ga)Se₂ Material, Norb Biderman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Copper indium gallium selenide (Cu(In,Ga)Se2 or CIGS) has become a significant topic of research and development for photovoltaic application. CIGS photovoltaic devices have demonstrated record conversion efficiencies however are still below the maximum solar conversion efficiency. Losses in performance have been attributed structural defects including vacancies, doping, grain boundaries, and compositional non-uniformity that are poorly understood and controlled.

Investigating The Size Dependent Material Properties Of Nanoceria, Bushra B. Alam

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Nanoceria is widely being investigated for applications as support materials for fuel cell catalysts, free radical scavengers, and as chemical and mechanical abrasives due to its high antioxidant capacity and its oxygen buffering capacity. This antioxidant or oxygen buffering capacity has been reported to be highly size dependent and related to its redox properties. However, the quantification of this antioxidant capacity has not been well defined or understood and has been often been carried out using colorimetric assays which do not directly correlate to ceria nanoparticle properties. Fabrication rules for developing materials with optimal antioxidant/oxygen buffering capacities are not yet …

Investigation Of Contact Properties At Metal Graphene Junctions, Their Degradation And Intrinsic Limitations, Zhenjun Zhang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Graphene is a two-dimensional material, comprised of a monolayer of carbon in a hexagonal lattice. Since 2004, the most promising applications of this material are high frequency devices (such as mixers and power amplifiers), as well as flexible and transparent electronics. However, these applications can’t be realized without a proper contact metal. With more understanding of the contact properties, the range of prospects for graphene’s applications can be better defined.

Development Of Enhanced Window Layers For Cigs Photovoltaic Devices, James Nicholas Alexander

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Photovoltaic devices are among the promising options for sustainable future energy generation. Thin film solar cells have demonstrated the ability to be a low-cost solution to clean renewable energy and are cost competitive with current silicon based photovoltaic devices. One of the most promising thin film devices right now is the Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) solar cell with maximum reported power conversion efficiency of 22.3%. The Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO) which is the top layer of the CIGS device also known as the window layer, is responsible for collecting the electrons generated in the CIGS device and conducting them …

Degradation And Exciton Energy Transfer Studies In Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Bundles, Abhishek Gottipati

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) due to their unique optical behavior, large surface area, robust mechanical strength and electrical properties make them one of the ideal candidates for sensing and opto-electronic applications. In this work, we explore the energy transfer (exciton energy transfer-EET) phenomena occurring between nanotubes in bundles, using resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Tailoring The Optical Properties Of Silicon With Ion Beam Created Nanostructures For Advanced Photonics Applications, Perveen Akhter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In today’s fast life, energy consumption has increased more than ever and with that the demand for a renewable and cleaner energy source as a substitute for the fossil fuels has also increased. Solar radiations are the ultimate source of energy but harvesting this energy in a cost effective way is a challenging task. Si is the dominating material for microelectronics and photovoltaics. But owing to its indirect band gap, Si is an inefficient light absorber, thus requiring a thickness of solar cells beyond tens of microns which increases the cost of solar energy. Therefore, techniques to increase light absorption …

Magnetoresistance Of A Low-K Dielectric, Brian Thomas Mcgowan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Low-k dielectrics have been incorporated into advanced computer chip technologies as a part of the continuous effort to improve computer chip performance. One drawback associated with the implementation of low-k dielectrics is the large leakage current which conducts through the material, relative to silica. Another drawback is that the breakdown voltage of low-k dielectrics is low, relative to silica [1]. This low breakdown voltage makes accurate reliability assessment of the failure mode time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) in low-k dielectrics critical for the successful implementation of these materials. The accuracy with which one can assess this reliability is currently a …

Development Of Iii-Sb Based Technologies For P-Channel Mosfet In Cmos Applications, Shailesh Kumar Madisetti

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The continuous scaling of silicon CMOS predicts the end of roadmap due to the difficulties such as that arise from electrostatic integrity, design complexities, and power dissipation. These fundamental and practical limitations bring the need for innovative design architectures or alternate materials with higher carrier transport than current Si based materials. New device designs such as multigate/gate-all-around architectures improve electrostatics while alternate materials like III-Vs such as III-As for electrons and III-Sbs for holes increase operational speed, lower power dissipation and thereby improve performance of the transistors due to their low effective mass and faster transport properties. Further, application of …

Mechanical Testing Of Fused Filament 3-D Printed Components For Distributed Manufacturing, Nagendra Gautam Tanikella

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fused filament fabrication (FFF)-based open-source 3-D printers offer the potential of decentralized manufacturing both in developing and developed countries. Unfortunately, a severe lack of data and standards relating to material properties and printed components limit this potential. This thesis first investigates the mechanical properties of a wide-range of FFF materials and provides a database of mechanical strength of the materials tested. The results demonstrate that the tensile strength of a 3-D printed specimen depends largely on the mass of the specimen, which provides a means to estimate the strength of 3-D printed components. Then this information is used to evaluate …

Computation Aided Design Of Multicomponent Refractory Alloys With A Focus On Mechanical Properties, Paul Daniel Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantum mechanical calculations paired with exponential growth in computer processing speed has created a paradigm shift in materials discovery. Simulations can be carried out to accurately predict structure-composition-property relationships of novel systems. This work focuses on calculating elastic properties of high entropy alloys, a new class of alloys that are built from 4+ elements in equi-atomic proportion. These alloys often exhibit simple microstructures and each constituent element contributes its properties to the overall bulk properties of the amalgamated material. This "cocktail" effect has led to the discovery of many alloys which could drive technical advances in the future. Elastic properties …

Quantum Yield Optimization For Semiconductor Photocatalysis Systems, Ryan Catabay

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

The utilization of photocatalysis has a well-known potential for mineralizing organic contaminants in water purification processes. A continuous flow photocatalytic reactor was developed in order to test the quantum yield of titanium dioxide, a semiconductor material well known for its photocatalytic properties. In order to build this reactor, multiple manufacturing methods were performed: manual and CNC machining, laser cutting, waterjet cutting, and chemical synthesis. A continuous flow reactor was particularly designed for a controlled, variable radiant flux of ultraviolet light. This continuous UV radiation excites the photocatalyst, generating electron hole pairs that form hydroxyl radicals, which in turn mineralize organic …

Enhancement Of Cancer Vaccine Efficacy Via Nanoparticle Or Molecular-Based Adjuvants, Myunggi An

Wayne State University Theses

Adjuvants are immunomodulators which enhance immune responses to vaccines. However, parenteral administration of unformulated adjuvants fails to reach lymph nodes (LNs), the anatomic organ where the primary functions of immune cells are orchestrated. The LN-targeting delivery plays the key roles in promoting immune activation and has the great potential to transform disease treatment. The main goal of this thesis is to develop efficient vaccine delivery systems to target therapeutics into draining lymph nodes (dLNs) for ensuring their immunostimulatory activity. We introduced therapeutic applications of activating TLR9 with synthetic CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) agonists in nanoparticle or molecular form to activate immune …

Novel Design And Synthesis Of Transition Metal Hydroxides And Oxides For Energy Storage Device Applications, Peifeng Li

Wayne State University Theses

Supercapacitors (SCs) and Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are two types of important electrical energy storage devices with high power density and high energy density respectively. However, to satisfy the increasing demand of high-performance energy storage devices, the energy density of SCs and power/energy densities of LIBs have to be further improved. The exploration, research, and development of electrode materials with high-performance for applications in SCs and LIBs are still needed to meet the ever-increasing demand on energy and power densities. Herein, the amorphous Ni-Co-Mo ternary hydroxides nanoflakes for SCs and oxides nanoflakes for LIBs with ultrathin stature, abundant open spaces, and …

Bioluminescent Magnetic Nanoparticles As Potential Imaging Agents For Mammalian Spermatozoa, Erick Salvador Vasquez, Jean M. Feugang, Scott T. Willard, Peter L. Ryan, Keisha B. Walters

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Nanoparticles have emerged as key materials for developing applications in nanomedicine, nanobiotechnology, bioimaging and theranostics. Existing bioimaging technologies include bioluminescent resonance energy transfer-conjugated quantum dots (BRET-QDs). Despite the current use of BRET-QDs for bioimaging, there are strong concerns about QD nanocomposites containing cadmium which exhibits potential cellular toxicity.

Results: In this study, bioluminescent composites comprised of magnetic nanoparticles and firefly luciferase (Photinus pyralis) are examined as potential light-emitting agents for imaging, detection, and tracking mammalian spermatozoa. Characterization was carried out using infrared spectroscopy, TEM and cryo-TEM imaging, and ζ-potential measurements to demonstrate the successful preparation of these nanocomposites. Binding …

Uv Light-Induced Aggregation Of Titania Submicron Particles, Can Zhou, Yashar Bashirzadeh, Timothy A. Bernadowsky Jr., Xiaoyu Zhang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, aggregation of TiO₂ (rutile and anatase) submicron particles in deionized (DI) water under ultra-violet (UV) light irradiation was investigated. While no aggregation was observed in the dark, rutile and anatase submicron particles started aggregating upon application of UV light and ceased aggregation in about 2 and 8.4 h, respectively. It has been demonstrated that UV light directly mitigated the particle mobility of TiO₂, resulting in a neutralization effect of the Zeta potential. It was also observed that rutile particles aggregated much faster than anatase particles under UV radiation, indicating that the Zeta potential of …