Ceramic Materials Commons^™

Fabrication & Characterization Of Hybrid Piezoelectric/Triboelectric Nanocomposite Nanogenerators Via Fusion Deposition Modeling, Khaled El Toukhy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to discuss the potential of using piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators (PTENGs) for energy harvesting, particularly in the sportswear industry. PTENG's main advantage is that it offers good flexibility making it suitable for high-strain applications. The piezoelectric effect is induced by embedding piezoelectric nanofillers into one of the two triboelectric layers. PTENGs can generate both piezoelectric and triboelectric signals when strained resulting in an enhanced output compared to regular piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). TPU was adopted as the matrix for PTENGs advantageous due to their flexibility, low electrical resistivity, and compatibility with additive manufacturing techniques. …

Ai-Enabled Assessment Of Roadway Integrity: Forecasting Bitumen Deformation And Road Stability Throughout The Lifecycle Under Traffic Impact, Sabahudin Vrtagic, Milan Dordevic, Fatih Dogan, Muhammed Codur, Mario Hoxha, Edis Softic

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt-paved Road junctions frequently encounter deformation and degradation challenges due to heavy vehicular traffic and varying climatic conditions, such as temperature fluctuations and precipitation. This study employs a multifaceted approach, incorporating a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) model, ancillary machine learning techniques, and optimization methodologies, to address these challenges effectively. The primary objectives are the prediction and analysis of pavement deformation, the optimization of maintenance strategies, and the evaluation of road effectiveness. Our findings underscore the substantial contribution of heavy vehicles to road erosion and the profound impact of vehicular retention and braking at intersections. A Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) model is utilized …

Fabrication Of Alumina Membranes From Uv Resin– Alumina Particle Slurries, Dominique Henry Porcincula

Master's Theses

Ceramics membranes are made in a wide variety of different techniques using a wide variety of different materials. However, many of the common techniques utilize a slurry of ceramic particles, additives, and either organic solvent or water that is shaped into a membrane, left to dry, and then sintered together. Drying is a time consuming process, often requiring several hours for the liquid medium to evaporate. Defect formation caused by development of partial pressures across the drying membrane, including cracks and warpage, also typically occurs during the drying process. To address this, slurries of ceramic particles made with a low …

Vacancy Ordering In Zirconium Carbide With Different Carbon Contents, Yue Zhou, Jeremy Lee Watts, Cheng Li, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zirconium carbide (ZrCx) ceramics with different carbon contents were prepared by reactive hot-pressing. The rock-salt structure of ZrCx was the only phase detected by x-ray diffraction of the hot pressed ceramics. The relative densities of ZrCx decreased as carbon content increased, in general. The actual carbon contents were measured by completely oxidizing the ZrCx ceramics to ZrO₂. For most compositions, the actual carbon contents were higher than nominal batched compositions, presumably due to carbon uptake from the graphite furnace and hot press dies. Selected area electron diffraction and neutron powder diffraction revealed the presence of carbon vacancy ordering …

Graphite And Dispersant Additives For Battery Paste Compositions, Fatih Dogan, Julian Kosacki

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Various graphite additives were incorporated into the positive battery paste composition to compare their effects on the positive active mass utilization of lead-acid batteries. The disclosure is related to battery paste composition for preparing a lead-acid battery plate comprising a graphite additive selected from the group consisting of globular natural graphite, natural flake graphite, expanded flake graphite, and combinations thereof. The disclosure is also related to a battery paste composition comprising a sodium polymethacrylate dispersant. The disclosure is further related to batteries prepared by these battery paste compositions.

A Transport Property-Based Assessment Of Triple Ionic-Electronic Conductors As Cathodes For Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells, Jack Harrison Duffy

All Dissertations

Triple ionic-electronic conductors (TIECs) are a widely studied class of materials for electrodes in ceramic electrochemical devices such as protonic ceramic fuel cells. These ceramics are perovskite-based and exhibit concurrent conductivity of protons, oxide ions, and electrons at elevated temperatures. Despite their numerous references in literature, few studies have systematically probed the fundamental surface- and bulk-level properties of TIECs. In this dissertation, dopant levels are systematically altered in the BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ-type perovskite TIEC to reveal the effects on structure, transport properties, and durability of each material. The results of this work …

Preparation Of High Entropy Titanite Pyrochlore And Radiation Stability Study, Adam Gootgeld

All Theses

Pyrochlore has been studied as a host phase for safe storage of radionuclides and exists naturally with long-term stability with good long-range order [1]. High entropy oxides show promising tunable properties that could demonstrate favorable bulk deposit of radioactive materials such as spent nuclear fuel (Uranium and other actinides). It is proposed that using high entropy oxides (HEOs) as the cation in this framework will shift the gibbs free energy so that radioactive nuclear waste will be stabilized for safe, long-term, eco-friendly storage. We have established a consistent method to fabricate high entropy titanite pyrochlores. In this study, ion beam …

Unlocking Road Stability: Machine Learning-Powered Prediction Of Bitumen Distortion Under Traffic Flow Influence, Sabahudin Vrtagic, Milan Dordevic, Fatih Dogan, Muhammed Codur, Mario Hoxha, Edis Softic

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Road intersections are made of asphalt pavement, a popular road surface material used worldwide. The pavement may suffer deformities and deterioration, resulting in higher maintenance expenses and an elevated likelihood of road accidents, due to factors such as heavy vehicles and environmental variables like temperature and rainfall. To tackle these obstacles, researchers have devised several machine-learning algorithms and optimization techniques. These tools aim to forecast and scrutinize pavement deformation, with the goal of refining pavement design and maintenance approaches, as well as obtaining a more comprehensive comprehension of the factors that impact pavement effectiveness. This paper shows that heavy vehicles …

Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production Through Molten Salt Electrolysis (Lisap-Mse), Jacob Ortega, Jeffrey D. Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David Bayless, William P. Schonberg, Daniel S. Stutts, Daoru Frank Han

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

The goal of Artemis is to establish a sustained presence on the Moon. To achieve so, numerous resources are necessary. The Moon contains several essential elements needed to sustain human presence. Most of those elements are trapped in the form of minerals. To refine those minerals into useful materials, reduction methods are needed. Most reduction methods on Earth require large amounts of mass and power which is unrealistic for early stages of building a lunar base. To solve this problem, we are developing a concept of Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE).

The LISAP-MSE project, if successful, …

Particle Migration In Large Cross-Section Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Components, Austin J. Martin, Wenbin Li, Jeremy Lee Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming-Chuan Leu, Tieshu Huang

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) is a direct ink writing process which allows for the creation of near theoretically dense ceramic components with large cross-sections due to oil-assisted drying. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) colloidal pastes (∼d50 ≲ 1 µm) were used in CODE to produce dense (multi-road infill and ≳ 98% relative density), large continuous volume (> 1 cm3), and high fidelity (nozzle diameters ≲ 1 mm) structural ceramic components. However, many of these printed components underwent significant particle migration after forming. The reason for this particle migration defect was investigated using the coffee-ring effect for dilute solutions and rheological methods for …

Anisotropic Thermal Expansion In High-Entropy Multicomponent Alb2-Type Diboride Solid Solutions, Frédéric Monteverde, Mattia Gaboardi, Federico Saraga, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory Hilmas

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy (HE) ultra-high temperature ceramics have the chance to pave the way for future applications propelling technology advantages in the fields of energy conversion and extreme environmental shielding. Among others, HE diborides stand out owing to their intrinsic anisotropic layered structure and ability to withstand ultra-high temperatures. Herein, we employed in-situ high-resolution synchrotron diffraction over a plethora of multicomponent compositions, with four to seven transition metals, with the intent of understanding the thermal lattice expansion following different composition or synthesis process. As a result, we were able to control the average thermal expansion (TE) from 1.3 x 10−6 to 6.9 …

Particle Migration In Large Cross-Section Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Components, Austin J. Martin, Wenbin Li, Jeremy Lee Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming-Chuan Leu, Tieshu Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) is a direct ink writing process which allows for the creation of near theoretically dense ceramic components with large cross-sections due to oil-assisted drying. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) colloidal pastes (∼d50 ≲ 1 µm) were used in CODE to produce dense (multi-road infill and ≳ 98% relative density), large continuous volume (> 1 cm3), and high fidelity (nozzle diameters ≲ 1 mm) structural ceramic components. However, many of these printed components underwent significant particle migration after forming. The reason for this particle migration defect was investigated using the coffee-ring effect for dilute solutions and rheological methods for …

Anisotropic Thermal Expansion In High-Entropy Multicomponent Alb2-Type Diboride Solid Solutions, Frédéric Monteverde, Mattia Gaboardi, Federico Saraga, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy (HE) ultra-high temperature ceramics have the chance to pave the way for future applications propelling technology advantages in the fields of energy conversion and extreme environmental shielding. Among others, HE diborides stand out owing to their intrinsic anisotropic layered structure and ability to withstand ultra-high temperatures. Herein, we employed in-situ high-resolution synchrotron diffraction over a plethora of multicomponent compositions, with four to seven transition metals, with the intent of understanding the thermal lattice expansion following different composition or synthesis process. As a result, we were able to control the average thermal expansion (TE) from 1.3 x 10−6 to 6.9 …

Anisotropic Thermal Expansion In High-Entropy Multicomponent Alb2-Type Diboride Solid Solutions, Frédéric Monteverde, Mattia Gaboardi, Federico Saraga, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy (HE) ultra-high temperature ceramics have the chance to pave the way for future applications propelling technology advantages in the fields of energy conversion and extreme environmental shielding. Among others, HE diborides stand out owing to their intrinsic anisotropic layered structure and ability to withstand ultra-high temperatures. Herein, we employed in-situ high-resolution synchrotron diffraction over a plethora of multicomponent compositions, with four to seven transition metals, with the intent of understanding the thermal lattice expansion following different composition or synthesis process. As a result, we were able to control the average thermal expansion (TE) from 1.3 x 10⁻⁶ to …

Particle Migration In Large Cross-Section Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Components, Austin J. Martin, Wenbin Li, Jeremy Lee Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming-Chuan Leu, Tieshu Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) is a direct ink writing process which allows for the creation of near theoretically dense ceramic components with large cross-sections due to oil-assisted drying. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) colloidal pastes (∼d50 ≲ 1 µm) were used in CODE to produce dense (multi-road infill and ≳ 98% relative density), large continuous volume (> 1 cm3), and high fidelity (nozzle diameters ≲ 1 mm) structural ceramic components. However, many of these printed components underwent significant particle migration after forming. The reason for this particle migration defect was investigated using the coffee-ring effect for dilute solutions and rheological methods for …

Development Of Novel Turbomachinery Manufacturing Methods, Timothy P. Winkler

Theses and Dissertations

Compact turbine engines are of increasing interest as a means of propulsion for small, lightweight, low cost, unmanned aerial systems. This study looks to leverage advancements in novel manufacturing technology to produce turbomachinery components while simultaneously reducing costs and manufacturing time. To determine the feasibility of drop-in replacements for stock components this study focused on several research areas. This included materials research on both polymer-reinforced and ceramic materials, specimen tensile testing to determine temperature-dependent material properties, finite element analysis of multiple candidate materials, design and fabrication of a spin test rig, and physical spin testing of manufactured components to predict …

Atomistic Simulation Studies Of Thin Film Growth And Plastic Deformation In Metals And Metal/Ceramic Nanostructures, Reza Namakian

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the significant improvements in manufacturing and synthesis processes of metals and ceramics in the past decades, there are still areas in which the procedure is still frequently more of an art or skill rather than a science. Therefore, systematic and combined experimental and computational studies are required to facilitate the development of techniques that offer thorough understanding of the events taking place during manufacturing and synthesis processes. With regard to these issues, it is paramount to address microscale characterizations and atomic scale understanding of the events during fabrication processes. One of the focuses of this study is unraveling fundamental …

Methods For Determining The Infrared Complex Refractive Indices N(Λ) And K(Λ) From Organic Solid Powders: Comparison Of A Sucrose Single Crystal And A Pressed Pellet, Michael O. Yokosuk, Danielle L. Saunders, Charles Tom Resch, Jeremy D. Erickson, Charmayne E. Lonergan, Sarah D. Burton, Mark E. Bowden, Kelly A. Peterson, Timothy J. Johnson, Tanya L. Myers

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

There exists a need to measure optical constants n and k for many materials, especially organic solids in the infrared spectral region, but at present, there are only two established methods for making such measurements: single-angle (SA) reflectance and infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE). the former derives the n/k vectors via measurement of the change in the amplitude of light reflected from the sample and then uses the Kramers-Kronig transform, while the latter measures the change in polarization of the reflected light from the sample to derive n/k. Here we make a direct comparison between the n/k vectors derived from SA …

Advanced Microstructural Characterization Of Functionally Graded Dental Ceramic Material For Materials-Informed Finishing, Angani Vigneswaran

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) has gained popularity as the choice of material for dental prosthetics. Ivoclar Vivadent’s IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime dental ceramic incorporates a unique gradient technology that varies the yttria content over the thickness of the material. The top layer is composed of 5Y-TZP which is desired for its optical properties while the bottom layer is composed of a much stronger 3Y-TZP. In between the two layers, 5Y-TZP and 3Y-TZP are mixed to form a transition layer. Varying the amount of yttria allows for more esthetically pleasing translucency in the visible areas of the restoration without compromising …

Xps Study Of Calcium Lanthanum Sulfide Ceramics, Brian E. Butkus

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Long wave infrared (LWIR) optics that transmit in the 8 to 14 m wavelength range and, additionally, can withstand severe physical and thermal stresses are needed for advanced remote sensing, guidance and communication-based applications. However, most non-oxide transparent LWIR optics do not have the wider transmission range, nor the hardness and resistance to thermal shock needed for extreme environments. Because of these limitations, research is circling back to a promising material, calcium lanthanum sulfide (CLS), that could meet LWIR needs for extreme environments.

In this thesis, we will demonstrate the abilities of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as a technique for …

Final-Stage Densification Kinetics Of Direct Current–Sintered Zrb2, Austin D. Stanfield, Steven M. Smith, Suzana Filipović, Nina Obradović, Vladimir Buljak, Gregory E. Hilmas, William Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Final-stage sintering was analyzed for nominally phase pure zirconium diboride synthesized by borothermal reduction of high-purity ZrO₂. Analysis was conducted on ZrB₂ ceramics with relative densities greater than 90% using the Nabarro–Herring stress–directed vacancy diffusion model. Temperatures of 1900°C or above and an applied uniaxial pressure of 50 MPa were required to fully densify ZrB₂ ceramics by direct current sintering. Ram travel data were collected and used to determine the relative density of the specimens during sintering. Specimens sintered between 1900 and 2100°C achieved relative densities greater than 97%, whereas specimens sintered below 1900°C failed to …

Effect Of Mechanical Activation On Carbothermal Synthesis And Densification Of Zrc, Nina Obradović, Lun Feng, Suzana Filipović, Miljana Mirković, Darko Kosanović, Jelena Rogan, William Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zirconium carbide ceramics were prepared by carbothermal reduction of ZrO₂ and C that were mixed by high-energy ball milling. Powders were milled for times from 0 to 120 min in air. As milling time increased, the surface area of the powders increased, indicating significant particle size reduction. Milled powders were reacted at 1600 °C and then densified by spark plasma sintering at 2000 °C, which was sufficient to convert the starting powders to zirconium carbide. Unmilled powders did not reach full density. Milled powders reached full density, but ZrO₂ impurities were found for specimens prepared from powders milled …

Mechanical Properties Of Zrb2 Ceramics Determined By Two Laboratories, Jeffrey J. Swab, Jecee Jarman, William Fahrenholtz, Jeremy Lee Watts

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The mechanical properties for zirconium diboride (ZrB2) were measured at two laboratories and compared. Two billets of ZrB2 were prepared by hot-pressing commercial powder. The relative densities of the billets were >99% and with an average grain size of 5.9 ± 4.5 µm. Both laboratories prepared American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C1161 B-bars for strength and ASTM C1421 bars with notch configuration A for fracture toughness. Specimens were machined by diamond grinding at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and electrical discharge machining (EDM) at Missouri S&T. Strength bars tested at Missouri S&T were polished to a.25 μm finish …

Thermal And Electrical Properties Of Spark Plasma Sintered (Ti,Cr)B2 Ceramics, Steven M. Smith, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Laura Silvestroni

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thermal and electrical properties were measured for TiB2 ceramics containing varying CrB2 contents up to 33 mol%. The room-temperature thermal diffusivity decreased with increasing Cr content from 0.330 ± 0.003 cm2/s for pure TiB2 to 0.060 ± 0.003 cm2/s for (Ti0.66Cr0.33)B2. The amount of anisotropy in the coefficients of thermal expansion increased with increasing Cr content and the c-axis had the greatest dependence on Cr addition, with an increase of more than 25% in the thermal expansion for 33 mol% CrB2 compared to TiB2, whereas the a-axis only increased by about 8%. The electrical conductivity was the lowest for (Ti0.66Cr0.33)B2 …

Cascaded Sapphire Fiber Bragg Gratings Inscribed By Femtosecond Laser For Molten Steel Studies, Dinesh Reddy Alla, Deva Prasad Neelakandan, Farhan Mumtaz, Rex E. Gerald, Laura Bartlett, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jeffrey D. Smith, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research reports a distributed fiber optic high-temperature sensing system tailored for applications in the steel industry and various other sectors. Recent advancements in optical sensor technology have led to the exploration of sapphire crystal fibers as a solution for sensing in harsh environments. Utilizing a femtosecond (fs) laser, cascaded fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) were meticulously fabricated within a multimode sapphire optical fiber. These FBGs endowed the system with distributed sensing capabilities and underwent rigorous testing under extreme temperatures, reaching up to 1,800 °C. The study delves into the investigation of the FBG reflection spectrum, facilitated by the development of …

Effects Of Confinement On Ionic Liquids And Deep Eutectic Solvents For The Design Of Catalytic Systems, Electrochemical Devices, And Separations, Andrew Drake

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Confinement of ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) within mesoporous materials such as silica helps to control the local environment within the pores for applications such as catalysis, electrochemistry, and absorption. Silica thin films with 2.5 and 8 nm pores and micron-sized silica particles with pore diameters of 5.4 and 9 nm were synthesized to study the effect of nanoconfinement on ILs 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF₆]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]), and DESs reline and ethaline (choline chloride and urea or ethylene glycol). Silica thin films with vertically aligned, well ordered, and accessible pores were synthesized via the evaporation-induced …

Development Of Interatomic Potential Of High Entropy Diborides With Artificial Intelligence Approach To Simulate The Thermo-Mechanical Properties, Nur Aziz Octoviawan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The interatomic potentials designed for binary/high entropy diborides and ultra-high temperature composites (UHTC) have been developed through the implementation of deep neural network (DNN) algorithms. These algorithms employed two different approaches and corresponding codes; 1) strictly local & invariant scalar-based descriptors as implemented in the DEEPMD code and 2) equivariant tensor-based descriptors as included in the ALLEGRO code. The samples for training and validation sets of the forces, energy, and virial data were obtained from the ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, including the simulation data from the ultra-high temperature region (> 2000K). The study …

Strength Retention Of Single-Phase High-Entropy Diboride Ceramics Up To 2000°C, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Yue Zhou, Jincheng Bai

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The mechanical properties of single-phase (Hf_0.2,Nb_0.2,Ta_0.2,Ti_0.2,Zr_0.2)B₂ ceramics with high purity were investigated. The resulting ceramics had relative density greater than 99%, and an average grain size of 4.3 ± 1.6 μm. At room temperature (RT), the Vickers hardness was 25.2 ± 0.6 GPa at a load of 0.49 N, Young's modulus was 551 ± 7 GPa, fracture toughness was 4.5 ± 0.4 MPa m1/2, and flexural strength was 507 ± 10 MPa. Flexural strength increased by more than 50% from 507 ± 10 MPa at RT to 776 ± …

The Effect Of Crystal Anisotropy On Fracture Toughness And Strength Of Zrb2 Microcantilevers, Tamás Csanádi, Ahmad Azizpour, Marek Vojtko, William Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The influence of crystal anisotropy on the micromechanical properties of ceramic grains plays an important role in the design of the macromechanical performance of bulk polycrystalline samples. To this end, the effect of crystal orientation on fracture toughness and strength was investigated by microcantilever bending experiments combined with finite element method (FEM) simulations in grains of a polycrystalline ZrB2 sample. The sample was prepared by hot pressing and the crystal orientations were determined by electron backscatter diffraction after careful surface preparation. The bending tests were carried out on notched and unnotched microcantilevers cut from specific grains along the prismatic (⊥ …

High Temperature Dielectric Properties Of Calcium Zirconate, Alan Devoe, Hung Trinh, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The electrical properties of dense, high purity CaZrO3 discs, sintered at 1380°C with and without added ZrO2, were investigated up to 950°C. Dielectric constant, loss tangent, and electrical conductivity were measured from 25 to 725°C, and the real and imaginary impedances were measured between 800 and 950°C by impedance spectroscopy techniques. Dielectric constant increased by 8% above 300°C and loss tangent increased from.1% at 25°C to ∼2% above 300°C. Activation energy of electrical conductivity determined between 300°C and 950°C by alternative current (AC) and direct current (DC) measurements. These results indicate that CaZrO3 could be a useful dielectric material for …