Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Green Acidic Catalyst From Cellulose Extracted From Sugarcane Bagasse Through Pretreatment By Electron Beam Irradiation And Subsequent Sulfonation For Sugar Production, Thitirat Rattanawongwiboon, Prim Chanklinhorm, Threeraphat Chutimasakul, Tanagorn Kwamman, Wilasinee Kingkam, Rattapon Khamlue, Sarute Ummartyotin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The objective of this research is to prepare a green acidic catalyst from cellulose derived from sugarcane bagasse (SB). Initially, SB was pretreated by electron beam irradiation with a dose of 50 kGy to 200 kGy and subsequent acid hydrolysis to obtain cellulose. The cellulose derived from SB was carbonized at different temperatures for 4 h and then sulfonated with heating at 120°C under reflux. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to confirm the successful preparation of acidic catalyst by irradiation pretreatment and subsequent sulfonation. The cellulose derived from irradiated SB at the lowest dose …

Sugarcane Waste-Derived Activated Carbon For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries With Enhanced Performance By Thiourea Doping, Yanisa Thumkaew, Vipada Petson, Thanapat Jorn-Am, Natee Sirisit, Chalathorn Chanthad, Jedsada Manyam, Xiao Liang, Shufeng Song, Peerasak Paoprasert

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this work, bio-renewable sugarcane bagasse and leaf were utilized for the preparation of activated carbon (BAC and LAC), which was then employed as the host material in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The activated carbon, for the first time, was doped with nitrogen and sulfur via the addition of thiourea during the synthesis of carbon char via a simple, one-step hydrothermal method. The activated carbon was used to fabricate the cathodes of the CR2032 coin cells. The amount of added thiourea was found to influence the nitrogen/sulfur content, porosity, amorphous/graphitic structure, and performance of the activated carbon.  At 0.2C, BAC2 (4.15 …

Preparation Of Spent Coffee Grounds-Rubber Composites Using Natural Rubber Latex As Binder, Varittha Mitsaichon, Kanok-On Ruaesrijan, Pranee Phinyocheep, Taweechai Amornsakchai, Preeyanuch Junkong, Sombat Thanawan

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The aim of this work was to explore the use of natural rubber latex (NRL) as a natural binder (according to the BCG concept) to replace commercial synthetic binders such as polyurethane resin. A composite sheet of spent coffee ground (SCG) and natural rubber (NR) was prepared by mixing of SCG in NRL compounds having concentrations of 30% and 60% dry rubber content (DRC). The amount of SCG in the composites was varied from 33 to 167 part per hundred rubber (phr). The mixture was cast in a mold to form a thin sheet then left drying at room temperature …

Erratum To: In Search For Near-Room-Temperature Superconducting Critical Temperature Of Metal Superhydrides Under High Pressure: A Review, Udomsilp Pinsook

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Different Crystal Modifiers On Ultra-Low Embodied Energy Curing Fiber-Reinforced Cement Composites, Passakorn Sonprasarn, Wichit Prakaypan, Sureerat Polsilapa, Nuntaporn Kongkajun, Edward A. Laitila, Nutthita Chuankrerkkul, Parinya Chakartnarodom

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Fiber-reinforced cement composites (FRCC) are widely used in the construction of houses and commercial buildings in many countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the European countries, and the Asian countries such as China, India, and Thailand. Conventionally, the FRCC is manufactured from Portland cement, silica sand, and cellulose fiber using the so-called autoclaved curing under a designate hydrothermal condition to accelerate the hydration reaction resulting in superior properties. However, the autoclave-curing process needs a huge investment and generates highly environmental impact specially greenhouse gases due to its heavy energy consumption. Hence, this research aims to develop the …

Controlling Microalloy Interactions On Precipitation, Hot Ductility, And Microstructure -- Mechanical Property Relationships, Madhuri Varadarajan

Masters Theses

“One of the main problems faced in the continuous casting of micro-alloy steels is the formation of transverse cracks. Transverse cracks are surface, or near-surface cracks formed perpendicular to the casting direction. The research focuses on using laboratory hot tensile tests methods to determine the low ductility ranges in high strength steel grades with different micro-alloy additions of titanium, niobium, and vanadium. The hot ductility of commercially produced as-cast slab and beam blank samples was evaluated using two experimental methods: tensile testing utilizing a servo-hydraulic load frame with a resistance furnace and thermomechanical testing using rapid Joule heating. The tests …

Fundamental Effects Of Al And Ta On Microstructure And Phase Transformations In The Al–Cr–Mo–Ta–Ti Refractory Complex Concentrated Alloy System, Austin E. Mann, Joseph William Newkirk

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of aluminum and tantalum concentrations on a refractory metal complex concentrated alloy is reported, particularly with respect to their effect on microstructure and phase composition of the alloy in cast and annealed form. Alloys with an equiatomic composition, (AlCrMoTaTi), an aluminum-lean composition (Al0.75CrMoTaTi), and a tantalum-lean composition (AlCrMoTa0.75Ti) are produced via arc melting. The alloys exhibit multiphase structures, confirmed by X-ray diffraction, microstructural characterization, and thermal analysis. The minor off-equiatomic adjustments of aluminum and tantalum in this alloy system did not drastically alter the prevalence of the Cr–Ta-based Laves phase. Correlations between thermodynamic predictions and observed phase transformations …

The Effects Of Mixing Multi-Component Hlw Glasses On Spinel Crystal Size, C. (Charmayne) E. Lonergan, J. Rice, C. Skidmore, M. J. Schweiger, P. Hrma

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant will vitrify radioactive waste into borosilicate glass. The high-level waste (HLW) glass formulations are constrained by processing and property requirements, including restrictions aimed at avoiding detrimental impacts of spinel crystallization in the melter. To understand the impact of glass chemistry on crystallization, two HLW glasses precipitating small (∼5 μm) spinel crystals were individually mixed and melted with a glass that precipitated large (∼45 μm) spinel crystals in ratios of 25, 50, and 75 wt.%. The size of spinel crystals in the mixed glasses varied from 5 to 20 μm. Small crystal size was …

Plasma Spheroidization Of Gas-Atomized 304l Stainless Steel Powder For Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process, M. Hossein Sehhat, Austin T. Sutton, Chia-Hung Hung, Ben Brown, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jonghyun Park, Ming-Chuan Leu

PSMRC Faculty Research

Particles of AISI 304L stainless steel powder were spheroidized by the induction plasma spheroidization process (TekSphero-15 spheroidization system) to assess the effects of the spheroidization process on powder and part properties. The morphology of both as-received and spheroidized powders was characterized by measuring particle size and shape distribution. The chemistry of powders was studied using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy for evaluation of composing elements, and the powder’s microstructure was assessed by X-ray diffraction for phase identification and by electron backscattered diffraction patterns for crystallography characterization. The Revolution Powder Analyzer was used to quantify powder flowability. The mechanical properties …

A Flexible Dual-Mode Pressure Sensor With Ultra-High Sensitivity Based On Bto@Mwcnts Core-Shell Nanofibers, Bangze Zhou, Chenchen Li, Yanfen Zhou, Zhanxu Liu, Xue Gao, Xueqin Wang, Liang Jiang, Mingwei Tian, Feng-Lei Zhou, Stephen Jerrams, Jianyong Yu

Articles

Wearable flexible sensors have developed rapidly in recent years because of their improved capacity to detect human motion in wide-ranging situations. In order to meet the requirements of flexibility and low detection limits, a new pressure sensor was fabricated based on electrospun barium titanate/multi-wall carbon nanotubes (BTO@MWCNTs) core-shell nanofibers coated with styrene-ethylene-butene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS). The sensor material (BTO@MWCNTs/SEBS) had a SEBS to BTO/MWCNTs mass ratio of 20:1 and exhibited an excellent piezoelectricity over a wide range of workable pressures from 1 to 50 kPa, higher output current of 56.37 nA and a superior piezoresistivity over a broad working range …

The Role Of Microstructure On High-Temperature Oxidation Behavior Of Hafnium Carbide, Jonathan A. Scott, Xiaoqing He, David W. Lipke

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microstructure development of the products formed upon oxidation of hafnium carbide (HfCx, x = 0.65, 0.81, or 0.94) at 1300°C and 0.8 mbar oxygen pressure was investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. For all specimens a multilayered oxide scale was observed featuring an outermost porous hafnia layer and an interlayer adjacent to the parent carbide containing hafnia interspersed with carbon. The outermost hafnia features coarse pores presumably formed during initial stages of oxidation to allow rapidly evolving gaseous products to escape from the oxidation front. As the oxidation scale thickens, diffusional resistance results in …

Effect Of Spallation On Oxidation Kinetics Of Heat-Resistant Cr–Ni Austenitic Steels On Air And Combustion Atmosphere, Simon N. Lekakh, Oleg Neroslavsky, Mei Li, Larry Godlewski, Wenhui Zhu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thin-walled castings made from Cr–Ni austenitic steels offer a combination of light weight of a near-net component with significant high temperature corrosion protection by forming a surface oxide layer. However, above critical service conditions (temperature, atmosphere, thermal cycling), oxidized surface can result in intensive surface degradation due to scale spallation. Scale spallation can decrease the wall thickness which could be detrimental to the in-service life of thin-walled castings. Experiments and stochastic simulations of spallation assisted oxidation were performed with three cast austenitic heat-resistant steels having different Cr–Ni concentrations at temperatures between 900 and 1000 ℃ on air and water vapor …

Re-Crosslinking Particle Gel For Co2 Compliance Control And Co2 Filtration Blocking, Yifu Long, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Patents

The present invention generally relates to the composition of particle gels for CO2 - EOR and CO2 storage . More particularly , CO2 resistant particle gels are provided that can re - crosslink at subterranean conditions . These particle gels can be deployed to improve the conformance of CO , flooding , CO , huff - puff , or Water - Alternative - Gas ( WAG ) . The applications may also involve CO2 storage , such as the blocking of CO2 leakage and similar CO2 processing .

Hot Rolled Light-Gauge Martensitic Steel Sheet And Method For Making The Same, James W. Watson, Paul Kelly, David C. Van Aken, Christopher Ronald Killmore

Patents

A hot rolled light - gauge martensitic steel sheet made by the steps comprising : ( a ) preparing a molten steel melt comprising : ( i ) by weight , between 0.20 % and 0.35 % carbon , less than 1.0 % chromium , between 0.7 % and 2.0 % manganese , between 0.10 % and 0.50% silicon , between 0.1 % and 1.0 % copper , less than 0.05 % niobium , less than 0.5 % molybdenum , and silicon killed containing less than 0.01 % aluminum , and ( ii ) the remainder iron and impurities result …

Fiber Assisted Re-Cross-Linkable Polymer Gel And Preformed Particle Gels For Fluid Loss And Conformance Control, Baojun Bai, Ze Wang, Zhe Sun, Jingyang Pu, Thomas P. Schuman

Patents

Described herein are compositions useful for controlling fluid flow, for example in a target zone of a subterranean environment, and methods of forming and using the same. The composition generally comprises a quantity of fibers and a quantity of swellable particles, which may be dispersed in a carrier fluid. The composition may be synthesized in the form of a bulk gel or may be gelatinated during use. The fibers in the compositions provide improved performance as compared to prior PPG and RPPG particle containing compositions. Specifically, the compositions reinforce the re-cross-linked/re-associated hydrogel plug in underground features and support proper rehydration …

Aluminum-Free Steel Alloys And Methods For Making The Same, Daniel Morye Field, David C. Van Aken

Patents

Disclosed herein are TRIP (transformation induced plasticity) steel alloy thin metal strips or, stated differently, high strength, high ductility steel alloy thin metal strips formed of a composition described herein, being substantially free or free of aluminum. In being substantially free, the aluminum content is equal to or less than 0.01 % by weight.

Additive Manufacturing Of Continuous Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Sic Ceramic Composite With Multiple Fiber Bundles By An Extrusion-Based Technique, Ruoyu Chen, Adam Bratten, Joshua Rittenhouse, Ming-Chuan Leu, Haiming Wen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the high cost, complex preparation process and difficulty in structural design, the traditional methods for carbon fiber reinforced SiC ceramic composite preparation have great limitations. This paper presents a technique for the additive manufacturing multiple continuous carbon fiber bundle-reinforced SiC ceramic composite with core-shell structure using an extrusion-based technique. A conventional nozzle system was modified to print simultaneously a water based SiC paste with continuous carbon fibers. Different levels of binder contents were investigated to optimize the stickiness, viscosity, thixotropy and viscoelasticity of the paste. After sintering, SiC whiskers were generated on the surface of fiber, which is …

Liquid Core Detection And Strand Condition Monitoring In A Continuous Caster Using Optical Fiber, Deva Prasaad Neelakandan, Dinesh Reddy Alla, Jie Huang, Ronald J. O'Malley

PSMRC Faculty Research

Real-time monitoring of the liquid core position during the continuous casting of steel has been demonstrated using low-cost distributed optical-fiber-based strain sensors. These sensors were installed on the containment roll support structures in the segments of a production continuous caster to detect the position of the solid–liquid interface and monitor the strand condition during the continuous casting. Distributed Fiber Bragg Grating sensors (FBGs) were used in this work to monitor strain at six roll positions in the caster. The sensor performance was first validated by comparing optical strain measurements with conventional strain gauge measurements in the lab. Next, optical strain …

A Study Of Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Metal Core Wire For Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Alexander L. Reichenbach

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to determine the technical feasibility of fabricating reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel parts, using a wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The WAAM process, manufactures a part by depositing layers of metal onto a substrate to build a large scale near net shape part. RAFM alloy steels are next generation steels designed to resist radiation effects in the radiation intense working environments, such as nuclear reactors. To achieve this, process development and testing to design the WAAM production process with the custom RAFM filler wire was carried out. Several welding waveform modes were tested, and it …

Effects Of Titanium And Cerium Addition On Grain Size And Mechanical Properties Of Ductile Iron Castings, Shelton F. Fowler Iv

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

According to the Hall-Petch equation, the refinement of grains in metals increases the yield strength of the material. Austenite grain size influences the fineness of microstructural constituents in the ferrous alloys. It is well studied that cerium and titanium refine the austenite in steels and some gray irons, but no studies have been done to systematically explore the effects of cerium and titanium additions on austenite in ductile iron. This study sought to determine the effects of selected levels of these elements on the grain size within ductile iron. A hypoeutectic iron was chosen for testing as the proeutectic phase …

Combinatorial Approaches For Effective Design, Synthesis, And Optimization Of Enzyme-Based Conjugates, Jordan Scott Chapman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The specificity and efficiency with which enzymes catalyze selective chemical reactions far exceeds the performance of traditional heterogeneous catalysts that are predominant in industrial applications such as conversion of commodity chemicals to value-added products, fuel cells, and petroleum refinement. Moreover, biocatalysts exhibit exceptionally high product turnover at ambient conditions with little health and environmental burden. These advantageous qualities have led to the prolific use of enzyme catalysis in pharmaceutical, detergents, and food preservation industries wherein their use has greatly reduced waste generation, Unfortunately, the full slate of benefits that enzymes can impart to a broader range of chemical processes is …

Theoretical Investigation Of Sofc/Soec Degradation Mechanisms And Mitigations, Fuming Jiang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

America has a rapid growth in the development of renewable power generation in the twenty-first century. Hydrogen energy especially is the major topic in development of renewable power generation because it has the ability to provide for energy in transportation, combined heat and power generation and energy storage systems with little or no impact on the global ecosystem. Electrolysis and fuel cell technology for hydrogen energy storage has brought interest to the researchers worldwide.

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) and Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are promising hydrogen energy technologies that can utilize chemical energy to produce and store electricity. …

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopic Detection Of Ethanol: A Side-By-Side Comparison Of Zno And Hkust-1 Mofs As Sensing Media, Papa K. Amoah, Zeinab Mohammed Hassan, Pengtao Lin, Engelbert Redel, Helmut Baumgart, Yaw S. Obeng

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The most common gas sensors are based on chemically induced changes in electrical resistivity and necessarily involve making imperfect electrical contacts to the sensing materials, which introduce errors into the measurements. We leverage thermal- and chemical-induced changes in microwave propagation characteristics (i.e., S-parameters) to compare ZnO and surface-anchored metal-organic-framework (HKUST-1 MOF) thin films as sensing materials for detecting ethanol vapor, a typical volatile organic compound (VOC), at low temperatures. We show that the microwave propagation technique can detect ethanol at relatively low temperatures (<100 >°C), and afford new mechanistic insights that are inaccessible with the traditional dc-resistance-based measurements. In addition, …

Pilot-Scale Spinning And Sucrose-Tetra-Aldehydes-Crosslinking Of Feather-Derived Protein Fibers With Improved Mechanical Properties And Water Resistance, Bingnan Mu, Faqrul Hassan, Qianmei Wu, Yiqi Yang

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Faculty Publications

Pliable and water-resistant protein fibers from feathers were developed via continuous one-step spinning and crosslinking using sucrose-tetra-aldehydes. Though flexible protein fibers from feathers were developed, poor wet stability and low tenacity still limit the large and high-end applications of feather-derived fibers. Despite that saccharide aldehydes are considered as an efficient and sustainable crosslinker, substantial concerns such as generation of formaldehyde, high consumption of modifiers, loss of mechanical properties, yellowing, and decline in dyeability of fibers, exist after crosslinking. In this work, we controlled structures of crosslinkers and incorporated disaccharide-tetra-aldehydes into a continuous wet-spinning line. No formaldehyde was generated in the …

Effects Of Vacancies And Electron Temperature On The Electron Phonon Coupling In Cubic Silicon Carbide And Their Connection To The Inelastic Thermal Spike, Salah Al-Smairat

Doctoral Dissertations

“The electron-phonon interaction is an important interaction in many solids as it influences transport phenomena and related quantities such as the electrical and thermal conductivities, especially in nuclear and space applications. The importance of the electron-phonon interaction in primary damage production in 3C-SiC is the subject of this research.

The electron-phonon coupling factor was calculated using a hybrid Density Functional Perturbation Theory - Classical Electron Gas model. The coupling factor was calculated as a function of electron temperature in pristine and defective 3C-SiC, and relaxed defective cells. The electron-phonon coupling is found to depend strongly on the electronic temperature and …

Production Of Non-Oriented Electrical Steel Thin Strip Simulating Conditions Of The Direct Twin-Roll Casting Process, Yizhou Du

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this study, a method to cast non-oriented (NGO) electrical steel with conditions of an industrial twin roll thin strip casting (TRSC) process was investigated. A novel vacuum assisted fast cooling (VA) sampling method was developed to produce 2 mm thick strip simulating conditions of an industrial TRSC process. The effects of solidification cooling rate, hot rolling deformation, and annealing time on inclusion distribution, magnetic properties, grain growth, and texture evolution of 3.4 wt.% Si NGO electrical steel with different carbon and sulfur (C&S) levels were analyzed. Samples were thermo-mechanically treated which simulated an industrial TRSC process. After a long …

The Effect Of Mass Transport On Deposit Quality In Copper Electrowinning, Joseph Bauer

Doctoral Dissertations

"Roughness and nodulation of copper electrodeposits depend strongly on mass transfer conditions of copper ions to the electrode surface. Mass transfer properties in electrowinning electrolytes were first characterized. The effective diffusivity of cupric ion was measured with a rotating disk electrode in CuSO₄-H₂SO₄ electrolytes at temperatures relevant to electrowinning, with and without additives. Adding 20 mg L^-1 of chloride ion increased the measured diffusion coefficient, but commercial smoothing additives had little effect. An empirical formula to predict cupric diffusivity was generated for later use in mass transport modeling.

Boundary layer thickness information for commercial …

Novel Ferromagnetic Materials With Improved Mechanical Performance, Wesley Alexander Everhart

Doctoral Dissertations

"The ductility of intermetallics has long been a hindrance to their broad adaptation despite a significant range of properties such as magnetic, half-metallic, and shape memory behavior. The lack of a general theory for the ductility of intermetallics along with the lack of prior art that experimentally measured mechanical properties drives the need for significant investment in many of these novel magnetic materials in order to even understand, let alone correct, poor ductility.

This dissertation includes work that explored the effect of vanadium content and quenching rate on the microstructure and ductility of Fe-Co alloys. Results indicated that a martensitic …

Effect Of Freestream Noise On Hypersonic Crossflow-Induced Boundary-Layer Transition, Andrew Bustard, Thomas J. Juliano, Harrison B. Yates, Mark Noftz, Joseph Jewell

Publications

Between the windward and leeward rays, boundary-layer transition on cones at angle of attack in hypersonic flow is dominated by the crossflow instability [1, 2], wherein stationary and/or traveling crossflow vortices develop and can breakdown into turbulence [3]. Stationary crossflow modes are caused by surface roughness or any other steady forcing and produce disturbances that are fixed in place on the surface [3–6]. Stationary vortices create a generalized inflection point in the velocity profile that is inviscidly unstable [7]. This distorted mean flow develops secondary instabilities, whose growth and breakdown is one path to turbulence [8–10]. Traveling crossflow modes are …

Implementation Of Multiscale Mechanisms In Finite Element Analysis Of Active Composite Structures, Amany G. Micheal Prof., Yehia Bahei-El-Din

Mechanical Engineering

Interrogation of composite structures for inherent damage is investigated implementing three-tier analysis scheme. The analysis starts at the structure level where a general-purpose Finite Element code ABAQUS is employed to obtain the stress field in the second level of analysis that is the composite laminate. A special material routine is prepared to propagate the local fields to the individual plies and hence to the third level of analysis which is the microstructure modelling of the composite. Through the third level of analysis, interface damage between fiber and matrix is checked implementing a certain failure criteria. The interaction between the different …