Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Kinetic Barriers For Leakage Reduction In Dna Autocatalytic Strand Displacement Networks, Drew Lysne

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Currently medical diagnostic methods suffer from the need for skilled labor, bulky, sophisticated and expensive equipment, ideal lab environments and ample time. A point-of-care biosensor can alleviate these problems and allow for more mobile disease detection. To meet this need, researchers have looked to DNA strand displacement networks to perform molecular level computation through a series of DNA strand displacement reactions in which disease associated biomarker inputs can trigger a cascaded signal to produce a readable output downstream in a matter of minutes. Such quick readable outputs require signal amplification. While amplification can be achieved through enzymatic activity, enzymes introduce …

The Growth And Characterization Of Inn Quantum Dots Using Droplets Epitaxy In Mbe, Malak Refaei

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

III-nitride semiconductor material systems offer great potential for next-generation optoelectronic devices due to their direct bandgaps, which vary from 0.7 eV (InN) to 3.5 eV (GaN) to 6.2 eV (AlN), as well as their other unique properties. InN has gained much less attention than GaN and AlN within this family of semiconductors due to its complicated low-temperature growth. However, the prediction that an InN quantum well on GaN can become a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator has resulted in expanding the research interest in InN. At the same time, this renewed interest has begun to reveal that the formation of an …

Dispersion Study Of Metal-Organic Frameworks And Synthesis Of Mof-High-Density Polyethylene Fibers, Sathvika Gondi

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a highly versatile class of materials with a wide range of potential applications in gas storage, separation, catalysis, drug delivery, and sensing. The ability to tailor the properties and functionalities of MOFs by varying the organic linkers and inorganic nodes makes them highly attractive for a wide range of applications. The unique properties of MOFs also make them promising materials for fundamental studies in materials science and chemistry. The current investigation focuses on the dispersion study of MOFs and the synthesis of MOF-Polymer composites. The dispersions of MOFs in various organic solvents like ethanol, isopropanol, tetrahydrofuran, …

Super P-Sulfur Cathodes For Quasi-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur-Batteries., Milinda Bharatha Kalutara Koralalage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have become a promising candidate to meet the current energy storage demand, with its natural abundance of materials, high theoretical capacity of 1672 mAhg-1, high energy density of 2600 Whkg-1, low cost and lower environmental impact. Sulfide based solid state electrolytes (SSEs) have received greater attention due to their higher ionic conductivity, compatible interface with sulfur-based cathodes, and lower grain boundary resistance. However, the interface between SSEs and cathodes has become a challenge in all solid-state Li-S batteries due to the rigidity of the participating surfaces. A hybrid electrolyte containing SSE coupled with a small amount of …

Iii-Nitride Triangular Microcantilevers For Multimodal Sensing Applications, Balaadithya Uppalapati

All Dissertations

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensors have gained significant attention due to their ability to sense, measure, and process various physical, chemical, and biological parameters. The small size of MEMS sensors provides numerous advantages, including low power consumption, high sensitivity, and rapid response time, making them suitable for various applications in healthcare, automotive, aerospace, and consumer electronics.

In the past few years, AlGaN/GaN MEMS devices have been found to offer several advantages over silicon-based MEMS devices. One of the main advantages of AlGaN/GaN MEMS is their high sensitivity to surface stresses and forces due to their high piezoelectric coefficients. This sensitivity allows …

Mesoscale Modeling And Machine Learning Studies Of Grain Boundary Segregation In Metallic Alloys, Malek Alkayyali

All Dissertations

Nearly all structural and functional materials are polycrystalline alloys; they are composed of differently oriented crystalline grains that are joined at internal interfaces termed grain boundaries (GBs). It is well accepted that GB dynamics play a critical role in many phenomena during materials processing or under operating environments. Of particular interest are GB migration and grain growth processes, as they influence many crystal-size dependent properties, such as mechanical strength and electrical conductivity.

In metallic alloys, GBs offer a plethora of preferential atomic sites for alloying elements to occupy. Indeed, recent experimental studies employing in-situ microscopy revealed strong GB solute segregation …

High-Pressure Slurry Ablation For Improving Separation Of Copper/Molybdenum And Flotation Of Gold Tailings, Mitchell Harvey

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Disa Technologies’ High-Pressure Slurry Ablation (HPSA) is a patented particle attrition technology for the comminution and selective liberation of minerals. Two slurry streams are pumped at high pressure through opposing nozzles and collisions between solid particles suspended in the slurry streams cause breakage of the feed material. HPSA was evaluated for improving the rougher flotation of molybdenite from Cu-Mo bulk concentrate and gold-bearing pyrite from gold tailings.

Copper/molybdenum samples were provided by Montana Resources in Butte, Montana. A two-factor factorial design of experiments was used to identify HPSA operating conditions which gave the highest increase in flotation performance. Variables were …

Elucidating The Mechanical And Transport Properties Of Lignin-Based Hydrogel Composites, Nicholas Gregorich

All Dissertations

The use of lignin in the fabrication of soft composites has become an emerging area of research in polymer science and polymer chemistry. These lignin-based materials present numerous benefits, notably, a reduction in the use of petroleum-based precursor, improved structural benefits to otherwise soft host polymers, as well as the inherent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of lignin, making it suitable for biomaterials. Herein, we present two chemical reaction pathways of incorporating lignin that was fractionated and cleaned using the Aqueous Lignin Purification with Hot Agents (ALPHA) process into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel composites for aqueous-based separations. By leveraging the ALPHA …

Molecular Dynamics Simulation On Molybdenum Disulfide: Thermal-Mechanical Properties And Phase Transitions Under External Loading, Mahabubur Rahman

All Dissertations

Due to their remarkable properties, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have received much scientific interest throughout the past decade. Two layers of chalcogen atoms (S, Se, Te) sandwich a layer of transition metal atoms (Mo, W, Ta) to form the three-atom thick unit cell in TMDs. The interaction between TMD "single layers" is mediated by neighboring chalcogen planes and bonded by Van der Waals forces. Due to this weak out-of-plane interaction, bulk samples can be thinned down to a single layer by exfoliation. Among the TMDs, Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS₂) shows promise in the field of electronics, optics, and sensing …

Mesoscale Modeling Of Controlled Degradation In Polymer Networks And Melts, Vaibhav Palkar

All Dissertations

Controlled degradation of polymers finds various applications in fields ranging from the design of functional soft materials to recycling of polymers. In several of these applications, the characteristic length scale at which relevant processes occur ranges from nanometers to microns, typically referred to as the mesoscale. Although analytical models and continuum approaches inform our current understanding, analysis of degradation at the mesoscale is exceptionally limited. For modeling degradation at the mesoscale, we use the Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) technique and the LAMMPS simulation software. Within the DPD framework, we model controlled degradation or the breaking of covalent bonds within a …

Review Of Magnetic Properties And Texture Evolution In Non-Oriented Electrical Steels, Yizhou Du, Ronald J. O'Malley, Mario F. Buchely

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrical steels can be classified into two groups: grain-oriented (GO) and non-oriented (NGO) electrical steel. NGO electrical steels are mainly considered as core materials for different devices, such as electric motors, generators, and rotating machines. The magnetic properties and texture evolution of NGO electrical steels depend on multiple factors (such as chemical content, heat-treatment, and rolling process) making the development of new products a complex task. In this review, studies on the magnetic properties of NGO electrical steels and the corresponding texture evolution are summarized. The results indicate that further research is required for NGO electrical steels to ensure high …

Closed-Loop, Recyclable Plastics From Ethyl Cyanoacrylate, Allison Joy Christy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Ethyl cyanoacrylate, commonly known as super glue, has held a prominent role as an adhesive for decades due to its propensity to rapidly polymerize into poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) (PECA) under ambient conditions. Ethyl cyanoacrylate monomers and their resulting PECA polymers are bio-friendly, which has allowed them to be used as medical adhesives and to be applied to drug delivery systems. However, PECA has not been used as a plastic material due to the perceived difficulty of handling the ethyl cyanoacrylate monomer. Here, we present a novel PECA plastic that displays thermal stability and tensile strength values that are comparable to atactic …

Engineered Material Systems For Mimicking Tissue And Disease, Margrethe Ruding

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This thesis comprises two studies involving design and application of soft material systems. The goal of the first study was to design, fabricate, and characterize hydrogel lattice structures with consistent, controllable, anisotropic mechanical properties. Lattices, based on four types of unit cells (cubic, diamond, vintile, and Weaire-Phelan), were printed using stereolithography (SLA) of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA). In order to create structural anisotropy in the lattices, unit cell design files were scaled in one direction by a factor of two in each layer and then printed. The mechanical properties of the scaled lattices were measured in shear and compression and …

Dual Crosslinked Poly(Acrylamide-Co-N-Vinylpyrrolidone) Microspheres With Re-Crosslinking Ability For Fossil Energy Recovery, Jingyang Pu, Baojun Bai, Jiaming Geng, Na Zhang, Thomas Schuman

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microspheres have been proposed to be applied in controlling wastewater production for mature oilfields and migrating leakage for gas and nuclear waste storage. However, it remains challenging for stacked microspheres to maintain strong blocking ability in micron-sized small pores or fractures. in this study, a novel microsphere was developed with comprehensive properties including high deformability and long re-crosslinking time upon tunable swelling ratio for the applications. a dual covalent and physical crosslinking strategy was used to develop novel microspheres reinforced by a hydrogen bond (H-bond, between pyrrole ring and amide group) and coordination bond (between chromium acetate (CrAc) and carboxyl …

Structure-Property-Processing Analysis Of Graphene Bioscaffolds For Viability And Differentiation Of C2c12 Cells, Lynn Karriem

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

We investigated the structure – property – processing correlation of graphene bioscaffolds produced using three different methods. Bioscaffolds were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sublimation of Silicon Carbide (SiC), and printed solvent assisted exfoliated graphene ink. To gain insight into the roughness and topography of graphene, AFM was performed on each bioscaffold. Raman spectroscopy mapping demonstrated differences in the I_2D/I_G ratio for each scaffold. Young’s modulus was determined by nanoindentation and indicated that epitaxial graphene had the highest average stiffness, followed by CVD, with printed graphene demonstrating the lowest average stiffness. To investigate the biocompatibility of …

Black Phosphorus Ink Formulation For Aerosol Jet Printing, Florent Muramutsa

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

As the demand for data-driven technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things increases, the value of data centers rises. However, the cost of optical interconnects that convert optical signals to electrical signals and vice versa limits the bandwidth in these data centers. Historically the optoelectronic materials of group III–V semiconductor materials are grown using epitaxy and transferred to silicon microelectronics using robotic pick-and-place technology. This costly method restricts the large-scale production of on-chip optoelectronic components such as diodes, photodetectors, and lasers. In this dissertation, we investigated the potential of black phosphorus (BP) as a material …

Nb3Sn Coating Of Twin Axis Cavity And Other Complex Srf Cavity Structures, Jayendrika Kumari Tiskumara

Physics Theses & Dissertations

In the field of Accelerator Science, for the low cost and increased quality factor, thin films coated niobium cavities are used in the modern SRF research. Within the potential substances, Nb₃Sn has shown higher critical temperature than niobium. Here the tin vapor diffusion method is used as the preferred technique to coat niobium cavities. So far, only elliptical cavities have been coated with Nb₃Sn and this technique has not yet been applied to cavities with complex geometries, which are also helpful in the accelerator science field. The Half-wave resonator could provide us data across frequencies of …

Formulation And Optimization Of Algae-Filled Polylactic Acid Thermoplastic Compounds For Improved Biodegradation, Sydney A. Cole

Honors Theses

Conventional plastics derived from non-renewable petrochemicals – especially from fossil reserves – have become an integral part of human life because their structure can be chemically manipulated to obtain a wide range of properties and geometries necessary in nearly all industries. The volume and rate at which petroleum plastics are produced, used, and discarded has incited several significant issues related to human health, environmental conservation, and ecological biodiversity. To address these issues, many institutions have begun investigating solutions in both the development and end-oflife phases of plastic production and waste. In this thesis, a Chlorella-dominated algae mixture is dried and …

Low-Cost Microstereolithography 3d Printing With Microfluidic Microsampling Applications, Lauren Twombly

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

The growing field of stereolithography 3D printing has welcomed a new age ofmicrofluidic device fabrication techniques. When compared to previous planar fabrication techniques such as soft-lithography, stereolithography 3D printing offers highly automated procedures, reduced fabrication times, and greater complexity of device features. To date, the greatest tradeoff for 3D printing in microfluidic device fabrication is poorer resolution when compared to soft-lithography which can produce feature sizes on the nanometer scale. The poorer resolution of 3D printing limits the feasible size of features. While highly sophisticated 3D printers are capable of achieving sub 10 μm resolution, these instruments are incredibly expensive …

Lignin Copolymer Property Prediction Using Machine Learning, Collin Larsen

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lignin, an abundant biopolymer, is a waste byproduct of the paper and pulp industry. Despite its renewable nature and potential applicability in various products, such as plastics and composites, the development of lignin-based materials has been impeded by the cumbersome, Edisonian process of trial and error. This research proposes a novel approach to forecasting the properties of lignin-based copolymers by utilizing a recurrent neural network (RNN) based on the Keras models previously created by Tao et al. Example units of modified lignin were synthesized via esterification and amination functional group modifications. To increase the efficiency and accuracy of the prediction …

Separation Of Organic Acids Through Direct Catalysis From Sugars, Katelyn Robinson

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Society relies on plastic products, whether they are single use or durable. A downside of plastic is that the most common type is a product of oil and oil is not only a limited resource but also a climate-damaging resource. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a bio-based, biodegradable plastic. However, the process of converting biomass to polylactic acid polymer has the largest environmental impact of the PLA production process, so alternative methods of conversion are needed (Moretti et al., 2021). The polylactic acid polymer can be made with lactic acid, which can be converted from glucose.

Understanding And Tuning Magnetism In Van Der Waals Magnetic Compounds, Rabindra Basnet

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) magnetism has attracted intensive attention due to possible magnetic phenomenon arising from 2D magnetism and their promising potential for spintronics applications. The advances in 2D magnetism have motivated the study of layered magnetic materials, and further enhanced our ability to tune their magnetic properties. Among various layered magnets, tunable magnetism has been widely investigated in metal thiophosphates MPX3. It is a class of magnetic van der Waals (vdW) materials with antiferromagnetic ordering persisting down to atomically thin limit. Their magnetism originates from the localized moments due to 3d electrons in transition metal ions. So, their …

Classification Of Electrical Current Used In Electroplastic Forming, Tyler Grimm

All Dissertations

Electrically assisted manufacturing (EAM) is the direct application of an electric current to a workpiece during manufacturing. This advanced manufacturing process has been shown to produce anomalous effects which extend beyond the current state of modeling of thermal influences. These purported non-thermal effects have collectively been termed electroplastic effects (EPEs).

While there is a distinct difference in results between steady-state (ideal DC) testing and pulsed current testing, the very definition of these two EAM methods has not been well established. A "long" pulse may be considered DC current; a "short" pulse may produce electroplastic effects; and even "steady-state" current shapes …

Machine Learning-Based Data And Model Driven Bayesian Uncertanity Quantification Of Inverse Problems For Suspended Non-Structural System, Zhiyuan Qin

All Dissertations

Inverse problems involve extracting the internal structure of a physical system from noisy measurement data. In many fields, the Bayesian inference is used to address the ill-conditioned nature of the inverse problem by incorporating prior information through an initial distribution. In the nonparametric Bayesian framework, surrogate models such as Gaussian Processes or Deep Neural Networks are used as flexible and effective probabilistic modeling tools to overcome the high-dimensional curse and reduce computational costs. In practical systems and computer models, uncertainties can be addressed through parameter calibration, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty quantification, leading to improved reliability and robustness of decision and …

Investigation Of Light Management Strategies And Photochemistry Of Si/Tio2 Tandem Microwire Slurries For Solar Hydrogen Generation., Saumya Gulati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intermittent nature of the Sun makes it difficult to use it as a primary source of electricity and often needs to be supplemented by electricity from the grid which comes from fossil fuels. This motivates the need for solar energy storage. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting has been explored as a means to convert solar energy into hydrogen (and oxygen), which can be stored as fuel. The current method of coupling PV and electrolyzer units has been widely commercialized, however, the cost of H₂ generated is far from the target of $1/kg set by the DOE under the Energy EarthShot …

The Study Of Corrosion On Additive-Manufactured Metals., Braydan Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the corrosion mechanisms between wrought and additive-manufactured (3D-printed) copper and stainless steel. The experimental procedure consisted of measuring the open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, Tafel analysis, surface topology, and scanning electron microscopy for each metal within salt water, tap water, sulfuric acid, and synthetic body fluid (excluding copper in synthetic body fluid).

Overall, printed stainless steel was more corrosion-resistant than wrought stainless steel in tap water and synthetic body fluid based on OCP, LSV, and surface topology results. Additionally, printed copper was more corrosion-resistant than wrought …

Optimization Of Porosity In Cold Spray Produced Copper And Zinc Coatings, Cameron Hughes

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Since its invention in 1981, the cold spray (CS) additive manufacturing (AM) process has been studied and optimized to produce well-adhered, dense material coatings. CS can operate at a wide range of temperatures if the feed material remains in a solid state. Copper and zinc were studied to characterize and understand the effects of heating element voltage, travel speed, and standoff distance on deposit porosity, grain size, microhardness, and coating thickness. Samples were sprayed on 3.2 mm x 25 mm x 150 mm 6061 aluminum substrates. Sections were taken from the middle of the samples to represent steady-state conditions. Sample …

A Hyperbaric Aerodynamic Levitator For Containerless Materials Research, Sydney E. Boland, Stephen K. Wilke, Jonathan A. Scott, Sarah M. Schlossberg, Alex Ivaschenko, Richard J.K. Weber, David W. Lipke

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A hyperbaric aerodynamic levitator has been developed for containerless materials research at specimen temperatures exceeding 2000 °C and pressures up to 10.3 MPa (1500 psi). This report describes the prototype instrument design and observations of the influence of specimen size, density, pressure, and flow rate on levitation behavior. The effect of pressure on heat transfer was also assessed by studying the heating and cooling behavior of levitated Al2O3 liquids. A threefold increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient was estimated as pressure increased to 10.3 MPa. The results demonstrate that hyperbaric aerodynamic levitation is a promising technique for containerless materials …

Analytical And Experimental Investigation Of Interphase And Dispersion Effects On The Mechanical Stiffness Of Cellulose Nanocomposites, Will Goldberg

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The effect of dispersion and interphase properties on the elastic behavior of cellulose nanocomposites was investigated using a number of composite models, experimental data and a thorough literature review. Cellulose nanocomposites consisting of soy protein isolate (SPI) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) or polydopamine coated cellulose nanocrystals (PD-CNC) were prepared via solution casting method and tested for mechanical stiffness. These outcomes were compared to standard composite models as well as novel methods adapted from the literature that incorporate data regarding dispersion quality and interphase properties. The literature review verified that both dispersion and interphase properties are highly dependent on interfacial chemistry …

High-Yield Bioinspired Atmospheric Water Capture Through Hydrogels, Yiwei Gao

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water scarcity is a global issue affecting billions of people, and atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology has been identified as a potential solution. However, existing single-material AWH approaches have limited water harvesting yields due to alternated water capture, storage, and release stages, and only function within a high relative humidity range. In my doctoral research project, we developed a bio-inspired, hydrogel-based multi-layer AWH approach that allows for segregated capture, storage, and release stages, and is envisioned to have higher daily water harvesting efficiency even in low-humidity areas. My research began with understanding the relations between hydrogel mechanical stiffness, hydraulic permeability, …