Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Generator Design: A Study Of Optimized Airflow, Rachel Wattleworth

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The core goal of this project was to prototype, test, and evaluate a new type of fan for the Safran Electrical & Power air-cooled generators. The idea of a new fan being made for these two generators arose when they were not adhering to design requirements. A base mixed-flow fan was created to test on multiple generators. Upon creating a prototype, it will be tested to prove if it can increase the air flow, decrease temperatures, and increase power and life of the machines. They all proved to be successful and achieve the main objectives for this project. Data such …

Form Stable Phase-Change Materials, Russell Dent, Marjan Kashfipour, Nitin Mehra, Jiahua Zhu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This work investigates the use of two different polyols, xylitol (Xyl) and erythritol (Ery), in conjunction with boron nitride (BN) aerogels, for the purpose of creating thermally conductive composites. While the BN filler in Xyl composites achieved a high anisotropic thermal conductivity of up to 4.53 W/m-K at 18.2 weight percent filler loading, they do not exhibit good phase-change material qualities due to a low solidification enthalpy even at low cooling rates. Alternatively, the BN-Ery composites have shown promising results with a solidification enthalpy of 225.14 J/g and a melting enthalpy of 385.84 J/g at a heat rate of 5 …

Deformation Correlations And Machine Learning: Microstructural Inference And Crystal Plasticity Predictions, Michail Tzimas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present thesis makes a connection between spatially resolved strain correlations and material processing history. Such correlations can be used to infer and classify prior deformation history of a sample at various strain levels with the use of Machine Learning approaches. A simple and concrete example of uniaxially compressed crystalline thin films of various sizes, generated by two-dimensional discrete dislocation plasticity simulations is examined. At the nanoscale, thin films exhibit yield-strength size effects with noisy mechanical responses which create an interesting challenge for the application of Machine Learning techniques. Moreover, this thesis demonstrates the prediction of the average mechanical responses …

Reflectivity And Photoemission Electron Microscopy Studies Of Magnetic Heterostructures, Chih-Yeh Huang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

When a thin film thickness becomes ultrathin, the magnetic properties of the thin film can be altered, degraded or even lost. The loss of magnetism has been called the magnetic dead layer (MDL). Considering the trend for miniaturization of information storage and other devices, the MDL is a significant challenge for materials science and engineering. La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) with x=0.3 is an excellent model material that exhibits ferromagnetism at room temperature to study the MDL. This dissertation focuses on understanding the MDL in LSMO films on their own and the effect of this dead layer when …

Investigation Of Nano-Ceria Catalyst Infiltration Of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (Sofc) Electrodes Using Bio-Inspired Catechol Surfactants, Ozcan Ozmen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes with nano-structured grains can show enhanced power density with high catalytic activity owing to the higher surface area to volume ratio of the particles. However, the addition of nano-particles during the conventional electrode manufacturing process causes inevitable structural changes due to the coarsening of nano-particles at sintering temperatures. Wet impregnation/ infiltration methods are a practical and well-utilized method to form nanoparticles within the porous electrode microstructure of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) which requires relatively low calcination temperatures. Critical factors that impact the reduction of the electrode polarization using the nano-catalyst impregnation …

Enhancing The Thermoelectric Performance Of Calcium Cobaltite Ca3co4o9 Through Single And Dual Elements Doping, Cesar Octavio Romo De La Cruz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Worldwide energy consumption losses more than 60% of the energy after its conversion, most of these losses are in the form of waste heat. Therefore, it is a matter of utmost importance to harness waste heat and reutilize this energy source to improve the overall conversion efficiency. Thermoelectric (TE) technology is one of the rising alternatives to harvest the excessive amount of energy lost as waste heat for a better and sustainable energy future. TE materials can utilize waste heat to improve efficiency in the ever-increasing demand for energy by converting a temperature difference directly into electricity due to the …

Exsolved Nanoparticle Decorated Redox Stable Ceramic Anode Material With High Performance For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, He Qi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an efficient high-temperature device that can directly convert chemical energy to electrical energy. Because of its high efficiency and environmental friendliness, extensive investigations have been made worldwide in past decades. Though broadly used as the anode material for Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells, Ni-YSZ is limited in some practical applications by severe carbon deposition on Ni in hydrocarbon fuels and a significant volume change of Ni-NiO among redox cycling. In order to overcome these problems and achieve excellent performance in the redox environment, a Ni-free ceramic material La_0.5Sr_1.5Fe_1.5Mo_{0.5 …}

Recovery Of Rare Earth Elements (Rees) From Coal Mine Drainage Sludge Leachate, Panpan Ren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the primary cause of aquatic habitat loss in the Appalachian Coal Basin and many other mining districts across the U.S. and the world. The objective of this work is to develop a cost-effective and environmentally benign process to treat and recover Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from AMD. Solvent extraction (SX) is one effective way to turn AMD into a commercially viable feedstock for rare earth production.

In this work, SX experiments were conducted on Y-Ca-Mg-Al-HDEHP-n-heptane-HNO3-H2O system to simulate AMD treatment for Yttrium recovery by changing four parameters: pH values, concentration ratio of Yttrium (Y) over …

Engineering Plasmonic Nanostructures For Light Management And Sensing, Sujan Phani Kumar Kasani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The two major global problems are to provide health safety and to meet energy demands for ever growing population on a large scale. The study of light interaction with nanostructures has shown a promising solution in improving the fields of bio-sensor and solar energy devices which addresses above mentioned two major global problems. Nanostructures have tunable physicochemical properties such as light absorption, electrical and thermal properties unlike bulk materials, which gives an advantage in applications like bio-sensing and energy harvesting devices. The development of nanofabrication techniques along with the discovery of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) and Plasmon Enhanced Fluorescence …

Experimental Measurement Of Dielectric Properties Of Powdery Materials Using A Coaxial Transmission Line, Robert Tempke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study proposes a standard methodology for coaxial dielectric property measurements of powdery materials (1-10GHz) using a coaxial transmission line. Four powdery materials with dielectric constants ranging from 3.5 to 70 (SiO2, Al2O3, CeO2, and TiO2) were experimentally investigated at varying volume loading fractions in a paraffin mixture. A statistically significant number of paraffin heterogeneous-mixtures was synthesized for all dielectric powders. The dielectric properties of the constitutive materials were determined using appropriate mixture equations. The sensitivity of the equations dielectric prediction to volume loading is discussed with guidance on selecting the best mixing equation. It was determined that low volume …

In Situ Measurement Of Fatigue Induced Crack Growth In Inconel 718 Using Direct Current Potential Drop Method, Joel C. Lindsay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With recent advances in air breathable engines comes more extreme temperature environments that engine components must tolerate. During the design of these engines, it is necessary to understand how material fatigue failures occur at these new, higher operating temperatures. In providing understanding, the following fundamental study focuses on the statistical nature of crack jumps (changes in crack length over time) during fatigue in a polycrystalline nickel-based superalloy, Inconel 718 (IN718). In situ measurement of the crack length at several loading conditions were conducted using a direct current potential drop (DCPD) measurement method. Experimental data was collected at six different fatigue …

Carbon Deposition On Ni/Ysz Anode Sofc For Direct Methane Steam Reforming, Haiyang Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are electrochemical devices that produce electricity directly from oxidizing fuels. Compared to direct combustion of hydrogen to generate power, it has a big advantage in aspects from efficiency and safety when using hydrogen as the fuel of SOFCs. Hydrocarbon reforming is one of the conventional methods to convert natural gas into hydrogen. While considering the difficulty in storage and transportation of hydrogen, we can utilize the supporting materials on the anode side of SOFCs as catalyst to generate hydrogen via hydrocarbon reforming process and pour the hydrogen as fuel into the SOFC system. Ni/YSZ is …

Modeling The Peak Absorption Of Meh-Ppv In Various Solvents Using Density Functional Theory, Corell H. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) and time-dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) are powerful tools for modeling orbital energy in conjugated molecules and have been useful tools for research in organic photovoltaics. In this work, DFT is first used to explain the red shift in the absorption spectrum and increased absorption observed in MEH-PPV. Initially, the modeling of the red-shift in the absorption peak of MEH-PPV is studied using Gaussian 03 software with the global hybrid functional B3LYP for exchange-correlation and the 6-31G basis set. DFT and TD-DFT are used to separately study the effects of polymer chain length, carbon-carbon double-bond stretching, …

Toward Improving Ambient Volta Potential Measurements With Skpfm For Corrosion Studies, Corey M. Efaw, Thiago Da Silva, Paul H. Davis, Lan Li, Elton Graugnard, Michael F. Hurley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM) is used in corrosion studies to quantify the relative nobility of different microstructural features present within complex metallic systems and thereby elucidate possible corrosion initiation sites. However, Volta potential differences (VPDs) measured via SKPFM in the literature for metal alloys exhibit large variability, making interpretation and application for corrosion studies difficult. We have developed an improved method for referencing SKPFM VPDs by quantifying the closely related work function of the probe relative to an inert gold standard whose modified work function is calculated via density functional theory (DFT). By measuring and tracking changes in …

Au@Tio2 Nanocomposites Synthesized By X-Ray Radiolysis As Potential Radiosensitizers, Maria C. Molina Higgins

Theses and Dissertations

Radiosensitization is a novel targeted therapy strategy where chemical compounds are being explored to enhance the sensitivity of the tissue to the effects of ionizing radiation. Among the different radiosensitizers alternatives, nanomaterials have shown promising results by enhancing tumor injury through the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this work, Gold-supported titania (Au@TiO₂) nanocomposites were synthesized through an innovative strategy using X-ray irradiation, and their potential as radiosensitizers was investigated. Radiosensitization of Au@TiO₂ nanocomposites was assessed by monitoring the decomposition of Methylene Blue (MB) under X-ray irradiation in the presence of the nanomaterial. …

Metallic Systems At The Nano And Micro Scale: Bimetallic Nanoparticles As Catalysts And Mcraly Bond Coats In Thermal Barrier Coatings, Kenneth Kane

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation is split into two parts. The first part will be focused on changes in material properties found at the nanoscale, as miscibility and electronic structure can change significantly with size. The formation of classically-immiscible bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) becomes favorable at the nanoscale and novel catalytic properties can emerge from the bimetallic alloying. The formation of alloyed and non-alloyed BNPs is achieved through pulse laser ablation (PLA) and a significant increase in catalytic activity is observed for both. Recently discovered, the increased activity in the non-alloyed BNPs, deemed multicomponent photocatalysis, is examined and the proposed mechanism discussed. The second …

Compositional Analysis Of Cerium And Cesium In Rapid Setting Cement As An Immobilization Agent For Nuclear Waste, Riyadh M. Motny

Theses and Dissertations

A feasibility of rapid setting cement (RSC) as an agent of immobilization for certain elements such as fission products or radioactive materials was explored. Cerium (Ce) and cesium (Cs) have been selected as a surrogate for U and/or Pu and fission products, respectively, in this study in three phases. In Phase I, RSC was evaluated for physical properties (e.g., porosity, density, pH values, etc.) using two groups methods—the cement powder at different concentrations of Ce (2 – 10 wt%) with deionized water (DIW) and artificial seawater (ASW). The results showed that the final setting time and compressive strength of RSC …

Mse Annual Report 2019, Department Of Materials Science And Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• Faculty and Staff News
• Faculty Research
• Student News
• Alumni News
• By the Numbers
• K-12 Outreach

Development Of Castrip Dual Phase Steel, Brenton Allen Hrebec

Masters Theses

“Thermomechanical processing necessary to produce DP 980 steel using CASTRIP hot band was investigated. The resultant steel has an ultimate tensile strength of 1038 MPa, yield strength of 744 MPa, and total elongation of 8.6%. These mechanical properties were achieved by batch annealing the hot band at 649°C for 48 hours and cold rolling to a 20% reduction. The steel was continuously annealed to simulate a galvanization cycle with an intercritical temperature of 810°C. The possibility of improving the texture of the steel by warm rolling under dynamic strain aging conditions was investigated. Dynamic strain aging in the CASTRIP hot …

Performance Of One-Part And Two-Part Class C Fly Ash-Based Alkali Activated Mortars, Cedric Chani Kashosi

Masters Theses

“Seeking an eco-friendly concrete, researchers have conducted studies to fully replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with fly ash (FA) producing alkali-activated concrete (AAC). Results showed better performance of AAC in terms of high early compressive strength, and durability compared to conventional concrete. However, much is still unknown about the behavior of AAC. From the type of materials used, the curing procedure, and long-term strength development of these binders; a thorough investigation is needed in order to fill the existing gap from previous studies and thus make a step forward to the safely use of AAC in the construction industry. The …

Inclusion Engineering In Femnal Steels, Rairu Vaz Penna

Masters Theses

"Low density high Mn and Al steels, or FeMnAl steels, show great promise for military vehicles and automotive applications in which high strength and toughness is a requirement. However, these steels are subject to processing challenges including development of oxide and nitride inclusions during melting and casting as well as a large as-cast grain size and heavy interdendritic segregation. This can lead to non-uniform heat treatment response and cracking during subsequent hot rolling. Adding up to 10%Al lowers the density of these steels by as much as 15%, unfortunately, this also results in large amounts of hard and faceted AlN …

Removal Of Antimony And Bismuth From Copper Electrorefining Electrolyte By Two Proprietary Solvent Extraction Extractants, Andrew Artzer

Masters Theses

"Antimony and bismuth are two of the most problematic impurities in copper electrorefining (ER). Because of this, much research has been done investigating the ways to remove them. Processes that are currently being used industrially include anode additions, liberators, ion exchange (IX), and solvent extraction (SX). Of these, liberators and anode additions are the most common while SX is the least, mostly being used for arsenic removal. There are other methods that have been evaluated, but are not in commercial use. These include the use of various electrolyte additives, and adsorbents such as bentonite clay and heavy metal sulfates.

Two …

Characterization Of The Surface Condition In Aa6061 Resulting From Deep Rolling As A Function Of Common Industrial Parameters, Andrew Kenneth Layer

Masters Theses

"Roller burnishing is widely used in industry to improve the surface finish and fatigue life of components. As weight reduction continues to grow in the automotive and transportation industries, deep rolling can help maintain product performance by mitigating the increase in component stresses resulting from lower weight systems. Deep rolling parameters such as tool, applied angle, feed rate, spindle speeds, and relative tool direction all affect cycle time, product performance, and appearance. The effects of common industrial parameters on the resultant surface roughness and residual stress profiles were studied in this investigation. The samples were manufactured on a CNC lathe …

Direct Polymer Grafting As A Method Of Maintaining The Mechanical Properties Of Cellulose Nanocrystals In The Presence Of Moisture, Mary Elizabeth Breen-Lyles

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a distinctive nanomaterial derived from cellulose, the most abundant natural polymer on Earth, and the primary reinforcing structural component of cellulose fibrils found within the plant cell wall. These nanocrystals exhibit mechanical properties comparable to synthetic aramid fibers but are advantageous as they are biodegradable, renewable, and can be produced sustainably as they are predominantly extracted from naturally occurring cellulosic materials. These qualities make it a sustainable, highly renewable and environmentally friendly material to be used in place of synthetic materials in a variety of applications. With their high surface area to volume ratio, low level …

Studying The Effect Of Vacancies On The Thermal Conductivity Of Metal-Coated Carbon Nanotubes Using Molecular Dynamics Atomistic Simulations, Ravindra Sunil Dhumal

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Breakthroughs in nanotechnology have made it possible for the size of electronic gadgets to be scaled down to micro/nano level. What follows however, is the side effect of high power densities and overheating as the heat dissipation is restricted to very small surface area. Thus, the need of an effective thermal management system is central to these developments. One way to counter this problem is to use Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) which promote heat transfer between heat source and sink.

Owing to their high thermal conductivity (up to 6000 W/mK), Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are thought of as strong candidates for …

The Study Of Scandate Cathode And Its Characterization Under Various Stages Of Processing, Xiaomeng Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Scandate cathode under various processing stages: scandia nano-powder, tungsten scandia mix powder, sintered and impregnated pellets, were characterized with techniques that included electron microscopy, EDS, XPS, and work function measurements. The size and shape uniformity of nano-scale scandia particles changed from round to square and polyhedron during heat treatment. Reduction in size and improvement in size uniformity as heat treating temperature increased were observed. When determining the highest Sc coverage, three assessment methods were used and with their combined results, it was concluded that set VII had the highest Sc at%. In the sintered pellets, it was observed with SEM …

Biomass-Derived Activated Carbons For Electrical Double Layer Supercapacitors: Performance And Stress Effect, Wenxin Cao

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The vigorous development of human civilization has significantly increased the energy consumption in recent years. There is a great need to use renewable energy sources to substitute the depleting traditional fossil fuels, such as crude oil, natural gas and coal. The development of low-cost and high-performance energy storage devices (ESDs) and systems have drawn great attention due to their feasibility as backup power supply and their applications in portable electronics and electric vehicles. Supercapacitors are among the most important ESDs because of their long charging-discharging cycle life, high power capability and a large operating temperature range. In this thesis, high-performance …

Mechanical Properties And Degradation Of High Capacity Battery Electrodes: Fundamental Understanding And Coping Strategies, Yikai Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Rechargeable lithium ion and lithium (Li) metal batteries with high energy density and stability are in high demand for the development of electric vehicles and smart grids. Intensive efforts have been devoted to developing high capacity battery electrodes. However, the known high capacity electrode materials experience fast capacity fading and have limited cycle life due to electromechanical degradations, such as fracture of Si-based electrodes and dendrite growth in Li metal electrodes. A fundamental understanding of electromechanical degradation mechanisms of high capacity electrodes will provide insights into strategies for improving their electrochemical performance. Thus, this dissertation focuses on mechanical properties, microstructure …

Nanoharvesting And Delivery Of Bioactive Materials Using Engineered Silica Nanoparticles, Md Arif Khan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) possess large surface areas and ample pore space that can be readily modified with specific functional groups for targeted binding of bioactive materials to be transported through cellular barriers. Engineered silica nanoparticles (ESNP) have been used extensively to deliver bio-active materials to target intracellular sites, including as non-viral vectors for nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) delivery such as for siRNA induced interference. The reverse process guided by the same principles is called “nanoharvesting”, where valuable biomolecules are carried out and separated from living and functioning organisms using nano-carriers. This dissertation focuses on ESNP design principles for both applications. …

The Fabrication And Characterization Of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Employed In Environmental Toxicity And Polymeric Nanocomposite Applications, Matthew Logan Hancock

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Ceria (cerium oxide) nanomaterials, or nanoceria, have commercial catalysis and energy storage applications. The cerium atoms on the surface of nanoceria can store or release oxygen, cycling between Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺, and can therefore act as a therapeutic to relieve oxidative stress within living systems. Nanoceria dissolution is present in acidic environments in vivo. In order to accurately define the fate of nanoceria in vivo, nanoceria dissolution or stabilization is observed in vitro using acidic aqueous environments.

Nanoceria stabilization is a known problem even during its synthesis; in fact, a carboxylic acid, citric acid, is …