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Articles 7051 - 7080 of 16793

Full-Text Articles in Materials Science and Engineering

Fe-N Doped Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Linked By Carbon Nanotubes For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Ya-Lin Zhang, Chi Chen, Liang-Liang Zou, Zhi-Qing Zou, Hui Yang Dec 2018

Fe-N Doped Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Linked By Carbon Nanotubes For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Ya-Lin Zhang, Chi Chen, Liang-Liang Zou, Zhi-Qing Zou, Hui Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The development of non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential for large-scale application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Herein, we present the in situ formed Fe-N doped hollow carbon nanospheres linked by carbon nanotubes composite, synthesized by using ZIF-8 as sacrificed template to form polydopamine (PDA) hollow nanospheres, followed by complexing with FeCl3, high temperature heat-treatment and NH3-etching. ZIF-8 was gradually decomposed simultaneously with PDA coating due to the loss of Zn2+ grabbed by PDA. NH3 etching resulted in the improved surface area, while the reducibility of NH3 resulted in …


Facile Synthesis Of Pt-Cu Alloy Nanodendrites As High-Performance Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Liu-Xuan Luo, Guang-Hua Wei, Shui-Yun Shen, Feng-Juan Zhu, Chang-Chun Ke, Xiao-Hui Yan, Jun-Liang Zhang Dec 2018

Facile Synthesis Of Pt-Cu Alloy Nanodendrites As High-Performance Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Liu-Xuan Luo, Guang-Hua Wei, Shui-Yun Shen, Feng-Juan Zhu, Chang-Chun Ke, Xiao-Hui Yan, Jun-Liang Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Structures and compositions have significant effects on the catalytic properties of nanomaterials. Herein, a facile etching-based method was employed to synthesize Pt-Cu nanodendrites (NDs) with uniform and homogeneous alloy structures for enhancing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The formation of dendritic morphology was ascribed to the etching effect caused by the oxidative etchants of the Br-/O2 pair. The atomic ratio of Pt/Cu in Pt-Cu NDs could be easily tuned by altering the ratio of the Pt/Cu precursors, without deteriorating the dendritic morphology. The most active carbon-supported Pt1Cu1 NDs (Pt1Cu1 NDs/C) exhibited the …


Acid Treated Carbon As Anodic Electrocatalysts Toward Direct Ascorbic Acid Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells, He-Mu Chen, Chen-Xi Qiu, Yuan-Yuan Cong, Hui-Yuan Liu, Zi-Hui Zhai, Yu-Jiang Song Dec 2018

Acid Treated Carbon As Anodic Electrocatalysts Toward Direct Ascorbic Acid Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells, He-Mu Chen, Chen-Xi Qiu, Yuan-Yuan Cong, Hui-Yuan Liu, Zi-Hui Zhai, Yu-Jiang Song

Journal of Electrochemistry

In order to improve the hydrophilicity and electrocatalytic activity, commercial carbon black (BP 2000) was subjected to acid treatment to obtain acid-treated carbon (ATC). The generation of rich oxygen-containing groups on the surface of the ATC was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Fourier transform-infra red spectra (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and contact angle measurement. UV-vis spectra were firstly recorded to calculate activation energy (Ea) of ascorbic acid (AA) chemical oxidation in alkaline conditions by oxygen in air and the Ea value was determined to be 37.1 kJ·mol-1. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) were used to evaluate unprecedented …


Palladium Adatoms On Gold Nanoparticles As Electrocatalysts For Ethanol Electro-Oxidation In Alkaline Solutions, Hui-Mei Chen, Shang-Qian Zhu, Jia-Le Huang, Min-Hua Shao Dec 2018

Palladium Adatoms On Gold Nanoparticles As Electrocatalysts For Ethanol Electro-Oxidation In Alkaline Solutions, Hui-Mei Chen, Shang-Qian Zhu, Jia-Le Huang, Min-Hua Shao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Palladium (Pd) is a good catalyst for ethanol electro-oxidation in alkaline solutions. The activity of Pd is further improved in this study by modifying the gold (Au) nanoparticles with Pd adatoms using a simple spontaneous deposition process. The Pd overlayer on the Au core (Au@Pd) is un-uniform with some Au atoms exposed to the electrolyte. The activity of Au@Pd/C toward ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is much higher than that of Pd/C in an alkaline solution. The peak current density of Au@Pd/C is 4.6 times higher than that of Pd/C with a 100 mV lower onset potential. The enhanced activity may …


Pd/C Catalysts For Co2 Electroreduction To Co:Pd Loading Effect, Dun-Feng Gao, Cheng-Cheng Yan, Guo-Xiong Wang, Xin-He Bao Dec 2018

Pd/C Catalysts For Co2 Electroreduction To Co:Pd Loading Effect, Dun-Feng Gao, Cheng-Cheng Yan, Guo-Xiong Wang, Xin-He Bao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts have been widely used in the electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction reaction (CO2RR), which can simultaneously achieve the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to fuels and the storage of renewable energy sources. Carbon supported palladium nanoparticles (Pd/C) catalysts have been previously reported to show excellent CO2RR performance. However, the crucial role of the metal loading in supported electrocatalysts has been rarely reported. In this work, we study the Pd loading effect on the structure of Pd/C catalysts as well as their activity and selectivity of CO2RR to CO. The …


Durability Performance Of The High-Power Fuel Cell System, Ke-Yong Wang, Wei-Yu Shi, Ren-Fang Wang, Jia Liu, Zhong-Jun Hou Dec 2018

Durability Performance Of The High-Power Fuel Cell System, Ke-Yong Wang, Wei-Yu Shi, Ren-Fang Wang, Jia Liu, Zhong-Jun Hou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Fuel cell durability is the crucial challenge in fuel cell vehicle, and the lifetime of more than 5000 hours is believed to be necessary for vehicle application. Few works on durability test of the full fuel cell system have been reported. In this work, the long lifetime HySYS-30 fuel cell system was developed in Sunrise Power based on the improved MEA durability and system control strategy. The durability performance of the system was investigated under vehicle duty cycle for more than 6000 hours, and only 8.1% performance loss was observed, implying that the durability of HySYS-30 fuel cell system could …


Caging Porous Co-N-C Nanocomposites In 3d Graphene As Active And Aggregation-Resistant Electrocatalyst For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Lu-Yang Xiu, Meng-Zhou Yu, Peng-Ju Yang, Zhi-Yu Wang, Jie-Shan Qiu Dec 2018

Caging Porous Co-N-C Nanocomposites In 3d Graphene As Active And Aggregation-Resistant Electrocatalyst For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Lu-Yang Xiu, Meng-Zhou Yu, Peng-Ju Yang, Zhi-Yu Wang, Jie-Shan Qiu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the cornerstone reaction of many renewable energy technologies such as fuel cells and rechargeable metal-air batteries. The Pt-based electrocatalysts exhibit the highest activity toward ORR, but their large implementation is greatly prohibiting by unaffordable cost and inferior durability. During electrode manufacturing and electrochemical reaction, severe aggregation of catalyst nanoparticles induced by size effect further limits the operational performance of electrocatalysts. We report a new strategy for fabrication of active and aggregation-resistant ORR electrocatalyst by caging metal-organic frameworks derived Co-N-C nanocomposites in permeable and porous 3D graphene cages via sprayed drying the mixed colloids of ZIF-67 …


Lightweight Thermal Management Material For Enhancement Of Through-Thickness Thermal Conductivity, Matthew Collins Weisenberger Dec 2018

Lightweight Thermal Management Material For Enhancement Of Through-Thickness Thermal Conductivity, Matthew Collins Weisenberger

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

A flexible sheet of aligned carbon nanotubes includes an array of aligned nanotubes held in a polymer matrix material. The carbon nanotubes have an average length of between about 50 microns and about 500 microns. The polymer matrix has an average thickness of between about 10 microns and about 500 microns. The flexible sheet has a density of about 0.2 to about 1.0 glee and includes between about 98 to about 60 weight percent aligned carbon nanotubes and between about 2 and about 40 weight percent polymer. A tape of aligned carbon nanotubes, a method for producing a tape of …


Determination Of Chemical Speciation Of Arsenic And Selenium In High-As Coal Combustion Ash By X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Examples From A Kentucky Stoker Ash, Biao Fu, James C. Hower, Shifeng Dai, Sarah M. Mardon, Guijian Liu Dec 2018

Determination Of Chemical Speciation Of Arsenic And Selenium In High-As Coal Combustion Ash By X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Examples From A Kentucky Stoker Ash, Biao Fu, James C. Hower, Shifeng Dai, Sarah M. Mardon, Guijian Liu

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Knowledge of the chemical speciation of arsenic and selenium in coal fly ash is essential in the evaluation of the environmental behavior of fly ash disposed in a landfill in a natural environment. In this study, a series of high-As coal fly ash from stoker boilers were collected to determine the chemical forms of arsenic and selenium. The ash surface chemical characteristics and the speciation of arsenic and selenium were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray-induced Auger electron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the surface enrichment ratio for selenium (63.3–309.5) is higher than that of arsenic (1.2–21.2). The Wagner …


Electroless Nickel Plating And Spark Plasma Sintering Of Nano Zro2 For Mechanical Property Enhancement, Kunlong Jia Dec 2018

Electroless Nickel Plating And Spark Plasma Sintering Of Nano Zro2 For Mechanical Property Enhancement, Kunlong Jia

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

A new approach of combined electroless nickel plating (ENP) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to determine the feasibility of fracture toughness improvement of ZrO2. Nano-grained yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particles of 100nm average diameter were coated with about 1-5 nm of nickel coating by ENP. To reduce nano particle agglomeration throughout the ENP process; vigorous agitation with an ultrasonic horn was used. The coated powder was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study the microstructure and coating characteristics. The coating was identified to be predominantly nickel and of …


Optimization Of Useful Hard X-Ray Photochemistry, David Lewis Goldberger Dec 2018

Optimization Of Useful Hard X-Ray Photochemistry, David Lewis Goldberger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

X-ray induced damage is generally considered a nuisance, but in the field of Useful Hard X-ray Photochemistry we harness the highly ionizing and penetrating properties of hard X-rays (> 7 keV) to initiate novel photochemical decomposition and synthesis at ambient and extreme conditions. Preliminary experiments suggest that the energy of irradiating photons and the sample pressure play roles in determining the nature of X-ray induced damage. Here, we present the X-ray energy dependence of damage induced in strontium oxalate, strontium nitrate, and barium nitrate, as well as the pressure dependence of X-ray induced damage of strontium oxalate. Our results indicate …


Multifunctional Nanocomposites Based On Bacterial Cellulose, Qisheng Jiang Dec 2018

Multifunctional Nanocomposites Based On Bacterial Cellulose, Qisheng Jiang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cellulose is biodegradable, renewable, and abundant in nature thus cellulose (or paper)-based products can be inexpensively produced and recycled. Among cellulosic materials, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) draws a special research attention due to the inherent three-dimensional nanofibrous structure, excellent mechanical flexibility, high purity and well-defined surface chemistry, and cost-efficient, scalable and environment-friendly synthesis. BNC can be biosynthesized by Gluconacetobacter xylinus, which is the most characterized BNC producer among various microorganisms. BNC is composed of highly pure cellulose nanofibrils, produced from well-defined dextrose through biochemical steps and subsequent self-assembling of the secreted cellulose fibrils which has the dimension ranges from 25 to …


Multifunctional Nanocomposites Based On Bacterial Cellulose, Qisheng Jiang Dec 2018

Multifunctional Nanocomposites Based On Bacterial Cellulose, Qisheng Jiang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cellulose is biodegradable, renewable, and abundant in nature thus cellulose (or paper)-based products can be inexpensively produced and recycled. Among cellulosic materials, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) draws a special research attention due to the inherent three-dimensional nanofibrous structure, excellent mechanical flexibility, high purity and well-defined surface chemistry, and cost-efficient, scalable and environment-friendly synthesis. BNC can be biosynthesized by Gluconacetobacter xylinus, which is the most characterized BNC producer among various microorganisms. BNC is composed of highly pure cellulose nanofibrils, produced from well-defined dextrose through biochemical steps and subsequent self-assembling of the secreted cellulose fibrils which has the dimension ranges from 25 to …


Elevated Temperature Progressive Damage And Failure Of Duplex Stainless Steel, Darren P. Luke Dec 2018

Elevated Temperature Progressive Damage And Failure Of Duplex Stainless Steel, Darren P. Luke

Civil Engineering ETDs

Ductile failure of metals has been the focus of research efforts within academia and industry for many years since it is tremendously important for understanding the failure of structures under extreme loading conditions. However, limited research has been dedicated to elevated temperature ductile failure, which is critical for evaluating catastrophic events such as industrial, structural or shipping vessel fires. A detailed investigation was conducted on the structural response of Duplex Stainless Steel at elevated temperatures. The temperature dependence of elastic modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength, and ductility was measured up to 1000°C and a continuum damage plasticity model was developed. …


Economic Potential For Distributed Manufacturing Of Adaptive Aids For Arthritis Patients N The U.S., Nicole Gallup, Jennifer Bow, Joshua M. Pearce Dec 2018

Economic Potential For Distributed Manufacturing Of Adaptive Aids For Arthritis Patients N The U.S., Nicole Gallup, Jennifer Bow, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

By 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients continue to maintain independence and quality of life; however, their high costs limit accessibility for older people and the poor. One method used for consumer price reduction is distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers. In order to assess if such a method would be financially beneficial, this study evaluates the techno-economic viability of distributed manufacturing of …


A Simple And Robust Approach To Reducing Contact Resistance In Organic Transistors, Zachary A. Lamport, Katrina J. Barth, Hyunsu Lee, Eliot Gann, Sebastian Engmann, Hu Chen, Martin Guthold, Iain Mcculloch, John E. Anthony, Lee J. Richter, Dean M. Delongchamp, Oana D. Jurchescu Dec 2018

A Simple And Robust Approach To Reducing Contact Resistance In Organic Transistors, Zachary A. Lamport, Katrina J. Barth, Hyunsu Lee, Eliot Gann, Sebastian Engmann, Hu Chen, Martin Guthold, Iain Mcculloch, John E. Anthony, Lee J. Richter, Dean M. Delongchamp, Oana D. Jurchescu

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Efficient injection of charge carriers from the contacts into the semiconductor layer is crucial for achieving high-performance organic devices. The potential drop necessary to accomplish this process yields a resistance associated with the contacts, namely the contact resistance. A large contact resistance can limit the operation of devices and even lead to inaccuracies in the extraction of the device parameters. Here, we demonstrate a simple and efficient strategy for reducing the contact resistance in organic thin-film transistors by more than an order of magnitude by creating high work function domains at the surface of the injecting electrodes to promote channels …


Ascorbic Acid Degradation In Cut Lemon Packaged Using Oxygen Scavenging Active Film During Storage, Kurniawan Yuniarto, Setyo Purwanto, Bruce Ari Welt, Anang Lastriyanto Dec 2018

Ascorbic Acid Degradation In Cut Lemon Packaged Using Oxygen Scavenging Active Film During Storage, Kurniawan Yuniarto, Setyo Purwanto, Bruce Ari Welt, Anang Lastriyanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Oxygen scavenging active film can be used to prevent diffusion of free oxygen due to the action of permeation mechanism. In this study, biodegradable oxygen scavenging plastic film was designed by incorporating an antioxidant agent into plasticized polylactic acid or PLA-PEG (PPLA). Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was added at different concentrations into the matrix of the PPLA film using a direct casting method to produce oxygen scavenging active film. The antiradical activity of the oxygen scavenging active film was observed, which could be applied for preventing vitamin C degradation in cut lemon during storage. The antiradical activity of the active film …


Conversion Of Heat Energy From Cooling Water Of Diesel Engine To Electrical Energy Using Thermoelectric Generator, Muhammad Hasan Albana Dec 2018

Conversion Of Heat Energy From Cooling Water Of Diesel Engine To Electrical Energy Using Thermoelectric Generator, Muhammad Hasan Albana

Makara Journal of Technology

This research objective is to convert heat from the radiator fluid of a diesel engine to electrical energy by utilizing a thermoelectric generator (TEG). The TEG consists of 20 semiconductors (TE modules) and is equipped with a heat sink. The research shows that using the TEG, the heat of radiator fluid can be converted to electrical energy, although the electricity generated is small. The maximum electrical voltage generated by the TEG when modules were connected in series was 10 volts. When the TE modules were connected in parallel and series-parallel, the maximum voltages generated were 2.11 and 2.53 volts, respectively. …


Immittance Response On Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend With Polyvinyl Alcohol- Doped Ammonium Bromide-Based Biopolymer Electrolyte, Norfatihah Mazuki, Yuki Nagao, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin Dec 2018

Immittance Response On Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend With Polyvinyl Alcohol- Doped Ammonium Bromide-Based Biopolymer Electrolyte, Norfatihah Mazuki, Yuki Nagao, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin

Makara Journal of Technology

The blended carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with various compositions of ammonium bromide (NH4Br)-based solid biopolymer electrolytes (SBEs) were prepared by using the casting method. In this present work, CMC/PVA–NH4Br SBE thin film was used to investigate the electrical conductivity via electrical impedance spectroscopy. The maximum conductivity obtained was 3.21 X 10−4 S cm−1 for sample AB20 at ambient temperature (303 K), and this result might be due to the increased number of charge carrier. A dielectric study was conducted to understand the conductivity behavior. The electrical properties have been measured as a function of frequency of …


Transition Metal Dichalcogenide For High-Performance Electrode Of Supercapacitor, Saifful Kamaluddin Muzakir, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin, Bouchta Sahraoui Dec 2018

Transition Metal Dichalcogenide For High-Performance Electrode Of Supercapacitor, Saifful Kamaluddin Muzakir, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin, Bouchta Sahraoui

Makara Journal of Technology

Molybdenum dichalcogenides have been reviewed from the perspectives of bandgap, conductivity, and oxidation states of transition metal. Researchers have concluded that a narrow-bandgap transition metal dichalcogenide with high conductivity could be achieved for the high-performance electrode of a supercapacitor.


The Importance Of Usability Aspect In M-Commerce Application For Satisfaction And Continuance Intention, Yassierli Yassierli, Vinsensius Vinsensius, M. S. Syed Mohamed Dec 2018

The Importance Of Usability Aspect In M-Commerce Application For Satisfaction And Continuance Intention, Yassierli Yassierli, Vinsensius Vinsensius, M. S. Syed Mohamed

Makara Journal of Technology

There has been a rapid growing of m-commerce application in recent years due to the development of mobile communication technology and e-commerce business. However, only about 30% of online users, who conduct online searching, make online purchases. The low conversion rate seems to be correlated with poor usability aspect of most m-commerce applications and poor satisfaction reported by users. Research has reported that satisfaction and continuance intention in using m-commerce applications have relationships with service quality and information quality. In this study, a new model of user satisfaction and continuance intention in the context of mobile application was proposed by …


A 2.3/3.3-Ghz Dual Band Low Noise Amplifier Using Switchable Load Inductor In 0.18-Um Cmos Technology, Taufiq Alif Kurniawan, Hsiao-Chin Chen Dec 2018

A 2.3/3.3-Ghz Dual Band Low Noise Amplifier Using Switchable Load Inductor In 0.18-Um Cmos Technology, Taufiq Alif Kurniawan, Hsiao-Chin Chen

Makara Journal of Technology

In this paper, the dual band low noise amplifier is designed in 0.18-μm CMOS technology. By combining the proposed switchable load inductor for gain controlling and the conventional inductive source degeneration topology, narrow band gain and good impedance matching are achieved at 2.3/3.3-GHz frequency bands. The new mathematical analysis of low noise amplifier design is derived to define the component parameters of the proposed circuits. The proposed low noise amplifier exhibits gain of 17.18 dB and 15.5 dB, and noise figure of 2.67 dB and 2.52 dB at the two frequency bands, respectively.


Automated Compilation Test System For Embedded System, Mohamad Khairi Ishak, Ooi Jun Hwan, Teh Jiashen, Nor Ashidi Mat Isa Dec 2018

Automated Compilation Test System For Embedded System, Mohamad Khairi Ishak, Ooi Jun Hwan, Teh Jiashen, Nor Ashidi Mat Isa

Makara Journal of Technology

Embedded system testing involves testing an integration of software and hardware. It is increasingly difficult to evaluate the functionality of each module within a short time because of the increasing number of tests required. In this paper, a novel stepwise methodology involving the use of an automated compilation test system (ACTS) is proposed, to improve the quality of testing and optimize the testing time using automation. Using the proposed method, the testing coverage can be maximized, while minimizing the manual work and testing time required. This ACTS was used to automate the test code compilation and execution for different hardware …


Activated Carbon Fixed-Bed Adsorber Design For Treating Chromium Hexavalent Wastewater, Tedi Hudaya, Velicia Rachmat Dec 2018

Activated Carbon Fixed-Bed Adsorber Design For Treating Chromium Hexavalent Wastewater, Tedi Hudaya, Velicia Rachmat

Makara Journal of Technology

Pollution caused by industrial wastewater containing heavy metals is a major issue, primarily due to its toxic nature. A cheap yet effective method to deal with such wastewater is activated carbon adsorption. The purpose of this research is to evaluate and design a fixed bed adsorber with granular activated carbon as an adsorbent to process wastewater-containing chromium hexavalent (Cr 6+). Experiments show that the Langmuir isotherm fits the equilibrium data as effectively as the Freundlich isotherm. Activated carbon used in this research is Jacobi 2000® derived from bituminous coal. The lab scale inlet volumetric flow is 100 mL/h with different …


Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Phosphate Glass Matrix Nanocomposites With Additional Chapter On Phosphate Glass-Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Matrix Composites, Kyoungtae Kim Dec 2018

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Phosphate Glass Matrix Nanocomposites With Additional Chapter On Phosphate Glass-Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Matrix Composites, Kyoungtae Kim

Dissertations

Preparation and characterization of tin fluorophosphate glass (Pglass) matrix nanocomposites incorporating polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) were investigated on the structural, thermal, morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties. Various processes including synthesis, extrusion and sintering processes were applied to prepare the nanocomposite samples. Another application of POSS with hydrophobic functional groups on the well-structured nanoscale silicate cage with three silanol groups was investigated to present the feasibility to use POSS molecule as a coating material on the surface of the hydrophilic inorganic glass. In addition, Poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymer matrix composites incorporating Pglass was studied to present the benefits of the Pglass with …


Hydrogen Bond Mediated Water Structuring, Diffusion, And Elastic Properties In Acrylamide Copolymer Glycohydrogels, April Levu Fogel Dec 2018

Hydrogen Bond Mediated Water Structuring, Diffusion, And Elastic Properties In Acrylamide Copolymer Glycohydrogels, April Levu Fogel

Dissertations

Glycohydrogels have recently gained considerable interest as biocompatible and high water content hydrogels that have similar physicochemical nature to the cell membrane, making them ideal materials for targeted biomedical and personal care applications (e.g., drug delivery systems, biosensors, and contact lenses). Regardless of the specific application, water-polymer and water-water hydrogen bonding interactions have been shown to dictate hydration stability and diffusional properties in traditional hydrogel architectures (e.g., crosslinked HEMA). However, due to the development of glycohydrogel materials within the past two decades, most literature focuses on synthetic techniques and general hydration characteristics. Furthermore, scant literature examines the effect of hydrophobically …


Optimization And Validation Of Efficient Models For Predicting Polythiophene Self-Assembly, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Michael M. Henry, Paul Chery, Kyle Miller, Eric Jankowski Dec 2018

Optimization And Validation Of Efficient Models For Predicting Polythiophene Self-Assembly, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Michael M. Henry, Paul Chery, Kyle Miller, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We develop an optimized force-field for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and demonstrate its utility for predicting thermodynamic self-assembly. In particular, we consider short oligomer chains, model electrostatics and solvent implicitly, and coarsely model solvent evaporation. We quantify the performance of our model to determine what the optimal system sizes are for exploring self-assembly at combinations of state variables. We perform molecular dynamics simulations to predict the self-assembly of P3HT at ~350 combinations of temperature and solvent quality. Our structural calculations predict that the highest degrees of order are obtained with good solvents just below the melting temperature. We find our model produces …


Young’S Modulus As A Measurement To Estimate Damage Related With Alkali-Silica Reaction In Concrete., Anazaria J. Ortega Gonzalez Dec 2018

Young’S Modulus As A Measurement To Estimate Damage Related With Alkali-Silica Reaction In Concrete., Anazaria J. Ortega Gonzalez

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The main purpose of this research is to compare two nondestructive methods to assess Alkali-Silica reaction (ASR) in concrete. Fifteen concrete prisms were cast using aggregates with different Alkali-Silica reactivity such as Jobe sand and Van Buren sand. The change in strain, shear wave velocity and Young’s modulus were determined according to ASTM C129 and ASTM C215, respectively. This data was collected by Dillon K Self, who determined that the shear wave velocity and strain are inversely proportional. However, when single cracking in the concrete specimen transition to map cracking, the shear wave velocity dropped significantly, whereas the strain value …


Thermodynamic And Phase-Field Analysis Of Domain Structures And Switching Kinetics Of Bismuth Ferrite Thin Films, Ryan T. Hart Dec 2018

Thermodynamic And Phase-Field Analysis Of Domain Structures And Switching Kinetics Of Bismuth Ferrite Thin Films, Ryan T. Hart

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

In this study, thermodynamic analysis and phase field simulation are utilized to study the polarization, phase transitions, and phase coexistence in BFO thin films. The effect of temperature, substrate strain, and electrical bias on the phase stability and the phase transformation pathways were studied. Existing thermodynamic analysis methods are supplemented by a phase destrain model, which determines free energy minima as a function of biaxial strain and the fractions of BFO’s ferroelectric phases in a thin film. The results of this methodology are compared with phase field modeling. The phase de-strain model shows reasonable accuracy in determining boundaries at which …


Optimization Of The Practice Of Slow Cooling Steel Bars: A Redesign And Modernization Of Materials, Eryn Johnston Dec 2018

Optimization Of The Practice Of Slow Cooling Steel Bars: A Redesign And Modernization Of Materials, Eryn Johnston

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the process of steel making, certain grades of steel are a higher risk for defects caused by the inability to quickly diffuse hydrogen through the steel when cooled to room temperature at a normal rate based on the ambient air temperature. To reduce the hydrogen flaking defects that are caused due to hydrogen entrapment in the steel, the process of slow cooling is utilized. This process reduces the cooling rate of steel bars by keeping them at a higher temperature for extended periods and in turn gives the hydrogen a chance to fully dissipate from the steel. In many …