Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Revealing Student Misconceptions And Instructor Blind Spots With Muddiest Point Formative Feedback, Cindy Waters, Stephen J. Krause, Janet Callahan, Barry Dupen, Mary B. Vollaro, Peggie Weeks

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Of interest to all engineering disciplines, well-designed formative feedback has the potential to enhance both instructor teaching and student learning. Delivering fundamental courses year after year, can ultimately lead faculty to use stale notes or slides from past years. This approach may save time, but does not meet the shifting needs of our students who have high expectations from their instructors. One simple method to improve teaching is to employ muddiest point reflections. Muddiest point reflections involve simply asking students to anonymously reflect on what was “muddy”, i.e. confusing, during class and to rank their level of confusion which not …

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 …

Power Maximization For Pyroelectric, Piezoelectric, And Hybrid Energy Harvesting, Murtadha A. Shaheen

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation consists of improving the efficiency of energy harvesting using pyroelectric and piezoelectric materials in a system by the proper characterization of electrical parameters, widening frequency, and coupling of both effects with the appropriate parameters.

A new simple stand-alone method of characterizing the impedance of a pyroelectric cell has been demonstrated. This method utilizes a Pyroelectric single pole low pass filter technique, PSLPF. Utilizing the properties of a PSLPF, where a known input voltage is applied and capacitance C_p and resistance R_p can be calculated at a frequency of 1 mHz to 1 Hz. …

The Dawn Of New Quantum Dots: Synthesis And Characterization Of Ge1-Xsnx Nanocrystals For Tunable Bandgaps., Richard J. Esteves

Theses and Dissertations

Ge_1-xSn_x alloys are among a small class of benign semiconductors with composition tunable bandgaps in the near-infrared spectrum. As the amount of Sn is increased the band energy decreases and a transition from indirect to direct band structure occurs. Hence, they are prime candidates for fabrication of Si-compatible electronic and photonic devices, field effect transistors, and novel charge storage device applications. Success has been achieved with the growth of Ge_1-xSn_x thin film alloys with Sn compositions up to 34%. However, the synthesis of nanocrystalline alloys has proven difficult due to larger discrepancies (~14%) in …

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 …

Geometric Deformations Of Sodalite Frameworks, Ciprian Borcea, Ileana Streinu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

In mathematical crystallography and computational materials science, it is important to infer flexibility properties of framework materials from their geometric representation. We study combinatorial, geometric and kinematic properties for frameworks modeled on sodalite.

Coupled Crystal Orientation-Size Effects On The Strength Of Nano Crystals, Rui Yuan, Irene J. Beyerlein, Caizhi Zhou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We study the combined effects of grain size and texture on the strength of nanocrystalline copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) using a crystal-plasticity based mechanics model. Within the model, slip occurs in discrete slip events exclusively by individual dislocations emitted statistically from the grain boundaries. We show that a Hall-Petch relationship emerges in both initially texture and non-textured materials and our values are in agreement with experimental measurements from numerous studies. We find that the Hall-Petch slope increases with texture strength, indicating that preferred orientations intensify the enhancements in strength that accompany grain size reductions. These findings reveal that texture …

Refractive Index And Thermo-Optic Coefficients Of Ge-As-Se Chalcogenide Glasses, Benn Gleason, Kathleen Richardson, Laura Sisken, Charmayne Smith (Lonergan)

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Seventeen glasses in the Ge-As-Se ternary glass-forming region have been fabricated and analyzed to provide input for optical design data and to establish composition- and structure-based relationships to aide development of novel chalcogenide glasses with tailored optical functionality. While known that Ge addition to binary As-Se glasses enhances the mean coordination number (MCN) of the network and results in increased Tg and decreased CTE, this work highlights the impact on optical properties, specifically mid-wave (λ = 4.515 μm) index and thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT). Trends in property changes were correlated with an excess or deficiency of chalcogen content in the glassy …

Antibody Targeting Facilitates Effective Intratumoral Sirna Nanoparticle Delivery To Her2-Overexpressing Cancer Cells, Maria C. Palanca-Wessels, Garrett Booth, Anthony J. Convertine, Brittany B. Lundy, Geoffrey Y. Berguig, Michael F. Press, Patrick S. Stayton, Oliver W. Press

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The therapeutic potential of RNA interference (RNAi) has been limited by inefficient delivery of short interfering RNA (siRNA). Tumor-specific recognition can be effectively achieved by antibodies directed against highly expressed cancer cell surface receptors. We investigated the utility of linking an internalizing streptavidinconjugated HER2 antibody to an endosome-disruptive biotinylated polymeric nanocarrier to improve the functional cytoplasmic delivery of siRNA in breast and ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in an intraperitoneal ovarian cancer xenograft model in vivo, yielding an 80% reduction of target mRNA and protein levels with sustained repression for at least 96 hours. RNAi-mediated site specific cleavage …

Direct Experimental Evidence For Differing Reactivity Alterations Of Minerals Following Irradiation: The Case Of Calcite And Quartz, Isabella Pignatelli, Aditya Kumar, Kevin G. Field, Bu Wang, Yingtian Yu, Yann Le Pape, Mathieu Bauchy, Gaurav Sant

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Concrete, used in the construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs), may be exposed to radiation emanating from the reactor core. Until recently, concrete has been assumed immune to radiation exposure. Direct evidence acquired on Ar⁺-ion irradiated calcite and quartz indicates, on the contrary, that, such minerals, which constitute aggregates in concrete, may be significantly altered by irradiation. More specifically, while quartz undergoes disordering of its atomic structure resulting in a near complete lack of periodicity, calcite only experiences random rotations, and distortions of its carbonate groups. As a result, irradiated quartz shows a reduction in density of around …

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.

Structure And Corrosion Behavior Of Sputter Deposited Ce-Al-O Coating On Al 2024-T3 Alloy Substrates, Yuanyuan Liu, Jiamu Huang, James B. Claypool, Matthew J. O'Keefe

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Deposition of Ce-Al-O coatings on Al 2024-T3 alloy substrates was conducted by magnetron co-sputtering of CeO₂ and Al targets. The incorporation of Al into the CeO₂ film resulted in an amorphous or nanocrystalline structure with binding energy states different from Al, Al₂O₃, and CeO₂. Electrochemical measurements indicated that the amorphous or nanocrystalline Ce-Al-O coating increased the corrosion resistance of bare Al 2024-T3 substrates by more than three orders of magnitude and exhibited a very different cathodic and anodic protective mechanism compared to Al and CeO₂ coated and as-polished Al 2024-T3 samples. …

Design For Fractal Grid Generated Turbulence, Moira Gion

Undergraduate Research & Mentoring Program

Fractal geometry can be used to find organization or order in something that appears to be in disorder, or chaos. Turbulence is viewed as one place where fractal geometry can be found in nature. The irregularity in fluid flow is dependent on the initial conditions. In the past, the idea of self-similarity has been used to develop statistical theories of energy cascade in a turbulent flow. Recent studies have done experiments on obstructing flows with fractal objects to observe intermittency, (or self-similarity) within a turbulent flow. Experiments on fractal grid generated turbulence has been performed by other research groups, so …

Complex Capillary Fluidic Phenomena For Passive Control Of Liquids In Low-Gravity Environments, Logan Torres

Undergraduate Research & Mentoring Program

In an effort to further apply the recent results of puddle jumping research, we seek to expand the oblique droplet impact studies of others by exploiting large liquid droplets in the near weightless environment of a drop tower. By using the spontaneous puddle jump mechanism, droplets of volumes 1 mL ≤ V ≤ 3 mL with corresponding Weber numbers of We ≈ 1 are impinged on surfaces inclined in the range 40° ≤ α ≤ 80° (measured from the horizontal plane). Impact surface wetting characteristics exhibit static contact angles θstatic = 165 ± 5°. All impacts result in complete rebound. …

Quantum Yield Optimization For Semiconductor Photocatalysis Systems, Ryan Catabay

Undergraduate Research & Mentoring Program

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Fabrication And Testing Of Cfrp Composites With Embedded Piezoelectric Particles For Temperature Sensing And Energy Harvesting, Emilio Tarango Valles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As a part of this world's continuous evolution and technological advancements, smart materials and functional composites have become an attractive topic. In many cases, these new functional composites are replacing the traditional engineering material due to their customizable mechanical properties. This Thesis analyzes and demonstrates the signal response, sensing capabilities and structural properties from Carbon/Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Composites (CFRP) with embedded Lead Zirconate Titanate Particles (PZT). The added PZT particles function as actuators, giving the composites a functionality. The PZT quantity inside each composite was variated to study better and characterize the mechanical and electrical properties; the variations were …

Implementation Of New System For Oxygen Generation And Carbon Dioxide Removal, Angelo Peter Karavolos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research effort develops an integrated system for CO2 removal and O2 production. A unique material, dodeca-tungsto-phosphoric acid (H3PO4W12O3; henceforth referred to as DTPA) is mixed with tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate Si(OC2H5)4 or TEOS. This mixture exhibits unique properties of heat absorption and high electrical conductivity. In the system described herein, the DTPA resides within a cross linked arrangement of TEOS. The DTPA furnishes a source of O2, while the TEOS furnishes structural support for the large DTPA crystals. In addition, the large amount of H2O within the crystal also adsorbs CO2. It can also be cross-linked with other polymers such as polycarbonate, …

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 …

An Overview Of The Development Of Cement-Based Batteries For The Cathodic Protection Of Embedded Steel In Concrete, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton

Conference papers

This paper presents an overview of the cement-based batteries developed in DIT for use in the cathodic protection of embedded steel in reinforced concrete undergoing chloride-induced corrosion. Cathodic protection delivers an external current (approximately 20mA per m2 of embedded steel) which effectively polarises the internal current generated during corrosion. The batteries developed in DIT comprise of a cement-based electrolyte containing different additives including sand, aggregate, salts, carbon black and plasticiser with protruding anode and cathode metal plates. These batteries produced an initial electrical output of 1.5V and 23mA through a 10 resistor as measured using data acquisition units and a …

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.