Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Investigation Of Space Charge Effects On Co2 Electrocatalytic Reduction On Gd-Doped Ceria Via Scanning Kelvin Probe And Model-Based Bayesian Analysis, Alejandro Mejia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In studying novel energy conversion and storage systems, such as high-temperature electrolysis, numerous underlying fundamental physical processes remain unclear or inadequately understood. Among these, the modeling and comprehension of surface reaction mechanisms, coupled with the intricate effects of space‑charge interfaces, remains an unclear and challenging area of research.

The work of this dissertation involves the development of a 2D finite element analysis model, leveraging the robust MOOSE framework from INL. This model, featuring inhomogeneous defect thermodynamics for near-surface chemistry, formulated through Poisson‑Cahn variational theory, has been exploited for studying the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ on gadolinia doped ceria. The …

Processing, Stability, And High-Temperature Properties Of Doped Lacro3-Based Refractory Ceramics And Composites For Harsh Environments Sensing Applications, Javier A. Mena

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In order to test and monitor the operational stability and conditions of various energy, transportation, and manufacturing systems and their components, accurate sensors capable of operating at temperatures over 1000 °C in various environments for long durations are required. In addition, many of these harsh environmental systems do not permit sensors to be directly inserted into the environment, so the sensors need to be embedded into the surrounding support or thermal protective materials. Some technological and industrial applications that require the use of harsh environment conditions sensing include nuclear and chemical reactors, jet engines, heavyduty gas turbines, rotating bearings in …

Design And Characterization Of A Novel Eef2k Degrader With Potent Therapeutic Efficacy Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Changxin Zhong, Rongfeng Zhu, Ting Jiang, Sheng Tian, Xiaobao Zhao, Xiaoya Wan, Shilong Jiang, Zonglin Chen, Rong Gong, Linhao He, Jin-Ming Yang, Na Ye, Yan Cheng

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Dysregulated eEF2K expression is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), making it a plausible therapeutic target. However, specific eEF2K inhibitors with potent anti-cancer activity have not been available so far. Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a new strategy for drug discovery. In this study, a novel small molecule chemical is designed and synthesized, named as compound C1, which shows potent activity in degrading eEF2K. C1 selectively binds to F8, L10, R144, C146, E229, and Y236 of the eEF2K protein and promotes its proteasomal degradation by increasing the interaction between eEF2K and the …

Corrosion Case Study On Pipeline, Kangze Ren

Corrosion Research

The Kashagan pipeline leaks were likely caused by sulfur stress corrosion cracking, a combined corrosion mechanism developed by the presence of high pressure, the high level of hydrogen sulfide(the main "ingredient" of sour gas), and poor metallurgical choice. Improper welding and poor metallurgical examination were blamed for causing the leaking issue. The purpose of the current review is to raise the alarm about the inappropriate corrosion management of Kashagan oil production and its societal and environmental consequences.

Machine Learning Prediction Of Hea Properties, Nicholas J. Beaver, Nathaniel Melisso, Travis Murphy

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

High-entropy alloys (HEA) are a very new development in the field of metallurgical materials. They are made up of multiple principle atoms unlike traditional alloys, which contributes to their high configurational entropy. The microstructure and properties of HEAs are are not well predicted with the models developed for more common engineering alloys, and there is not enough data available on HEAs to fully represent the complex behavior of these alloys. To that end, we explore how the use of machine learning models can be used to model the complex, high dimensional behavior in the HEA composition space. Based on our …

Optimizing Mn-Al Permanent Magnet Performance Through Control Of The Phase Transformation, Ternary Element Addition, And Advanced Processing, Thomas R. Keller

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The growing need for electrical power in machines and vehicles brings with it a growing need for critical materials. The current high-performance permanent magnets (PMs) based on rare-earth (RE) elements Nd and Sm cannot escape the problem of raw material cost, geographic scarcity in the earth’s crust, and lack of circular global supply chains. This poses a problem of industrial ecology: can PMs be made from inexpensive, more abundant materials while still meeting sufficient performance criteria? PMs based on the magnetic τ phase of Mn-Al offer a possible alternative to REPMs. However, years of innovation have not yet achieved real-world …

Exploring The Potential Of Pavegen’S Kinetic Energy Generating Floor For Sustainable Energy Solutions: A Proposal For Cal Poly Slo, Brandon J. Cuneo

Construction Management

This paper proposes the installation of Pavegen's kinetic energy generating floors at Cal Poly’s campus as a sustainable energy solution. Pavegen has developed a pioneering technology that converts footsteps into clean and renewable energy. The versatility of these floors is demonstrated through successful implementations in various settings, such as transportation hubs and public spaces, generating power from foot traffic. Collaborations with Schneider Electric, installation at Dupont Circle, and integration at Heathrow Airport showcase the potential for sustainable urban infrastructure. This paper outlines research conducted on Pavegen and similar solutions, including communication with company representatives and examining proposed installation locations at …

Effective Nanomembranes From Chitosan/Pva Blend Decorated Graphene Oxide With Gum Rosin And Silver Nanoparticles For Removal Of Heavy Metals And Microbes From Water Resources, Mohamed Morsy

Nanotechnology Research Centre

No abstract provided.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Sodium Cathode Materials, He Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

As sodium batteries hold great promise as a next-generation energy storage device to replace lithium batteries, the development of sodium battery materials has become increasingly urgent. The current study aims to investigate two potential sodium-ion battery cathode materials, Sodium Vanadium Phosphate, and Sodium Manganese Hexacyanoferrate, optimize the experimental procedures, conduct a systematic analysis of material properties and characterization, and ultimately determine the ideal synthesis conditions for these materials.

In the first part of the study, we focused on optimizing the synthesis of Sodium Vanadium Phosphate. By investigating various synthesis conditions, such as annealing temperature, pressure, ascorbic acid content, and material …

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 …

Femtotesla Magnetometry And Nanoscale Imaging With Color Centers In Diamond, Yaser Silani

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Intriguing photophysical properties of color centers in diamond make them ideal candidates for many applications from imaging and sensing to quantum networking. In the first part of this work, we have studied the silicon vacancy (SiV) centers in diamond for nanoscale imaging applications. We showed that these centers are promising fluorophores for Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy, owing to their photostable, near-infrared emission and favorable photophysical properties. In the second part, we built a femtotesla Radio-Frequency (RF) magnetometer based on the diamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers and magnetic flux concentrators. We used this sensor to remotely detect Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance …

Intergranular And Pitting Corrosion Mechanisms Of Sensitized Aluminum Alloy Aa5083, Clayton Egleston

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The motivation and objectives of this project is to examine the mechanisms of intergranular corrosion (IGC) and pitting corrosion of sensitized AA5083. In this regard, different characterization techniques were used, including optical analysis of microstructure, cyclic potentiodynamic polarization with Tafel fitting, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with electrical equivalent circuit (EEC) fitting, and potentiostatic current transient monitoring. The transition from IGC to pitting corrosion occurs when the grain boundaries become saturated with the β-phase (Mg₂Al₃). It was found that AA5083 becomes more vulnerable to pitting corrosion as the degree of sensitization increases.

Wetting Transition Of Texturized Surfaces, Jenna Stephens

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Building on previous research, this project aims to continue the investigation of the wettability of various liquids on a uniform, texturized surface. Different surface energies can impact the wettability of a surface. The surface can be hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or in between. The goal of this project is to research how features of texturized surfaces affect the wetting transition of water, oil, and a mixture of both. Additionally, this project aims to improve the quality of the 3D printed surfaces. The surfaces that will be studied are constructed using UV cured resin 3D printing and are made up of an array …

Development Of High Kinetic Inductance Superconducting Nanowire Devices On High Permittivity Strontium Titanate Substrates, Jamie Timmons

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis involves the fabrication and characterization of devices made from two different superconducting materials: yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO), a high-TC complex oxide, and niobium nitride (NbN), a low-TC transition metal nitride. Both types of devices are fabricated on strontium titanate substrates, which provides a good lattice match to YBCO and also an extremely large permittivity at low temperature. We demonstrate that wet etching of YBCO thin films via bromine can be a viable microfrabriation technique for the material. Using approximately 35 nm thick epitaxially grown YBCO on an STO substrate, we were able to fabricate YBCO “microwires” with …

Mechanical And Morphological Characterization Of Energy Materials By Nanoindentation And Scanning Probe Microscopy, Jacob Hempel

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The demand for robust materials in energy-based applications such as solid electrolytes for batteries, piezoelectric composites for mechanical energy harvesting, or new polymer materials for polymer binders in composite electrodes is on the rise. Mechanical degradation is the most common way for devices to fail in operation, thus a thorough understanding of a material’s mechanical properties is essential for application purposes.

In this dissertation, the mechanical characterization of novel boron cluster solid electrolytes is presented. Therein, we determine the elastic modulus and hardness of these compounds using instrumented indentation. A comparison is made against other solid electrolytes. It is found …

Towards A Prototype Paleo-Detector For Supernova Neutrino And Dark Matter Detection, Emilie Marie Lavoie-Ingram

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using ancient minerals as paleo-detectors is a proposed experimental technique expected to transform supernova neutrino and dark matter detection. In this technique, minerals are processed and closely analyzed for nanometer scale damage track remnants from nuclear recoils caused by supernova neutrinos and possibly dark matter. These damage tracks present the opportunity to directly detect and characterize the core-collapse supernova rate of the Milky Way Galaxy as well as the presence of dark matter. Current literature presents theoretical estimates for these potential tracks, however, there is little research investigating the experimental feasibility of this technique. At the University of North Florida, …

Ambient Ammonia Synthesis Via Microwave-Catalytic Materials And Plasma Chemistry, Siobhan Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ammonia is critical to supporting human life on earth because of its use as fertilizer. The Haber-Bosch process to produce ammonia has been practiced for over 100 years. This process operates at high pressure and temperature to overcome the thermodynamic and kinetic limitations of the ammonia synthesis reaction thus researchers have tried to overcome it for decades. At present this process represents 1% of global energy usage and 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. The proposed chemical looping ammonia synthesis approach seeks to reduce the environmental impact of this critical process and to elucidate microwave-catalytic principles.

This research aims to …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Cage-Structured Compounds As Promising Thermoelectric Materials, Nusrat Yasmin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The development of new thermoelectric materials is of great interest due to their potential to convert waste heat into useful electricity. The primary problem is that the physical factors that are utilized to assess thermoelectric performance conflict with one another. One way to improve their performance is to hinder the lattice from conducting heat through its vibrations while maintaining the heat conduction via the electrons. This can be done by creating cage structures that allow heavy atoms to jiggle. In this study, we report the synthesis of a group of such compounds, using the self-flux method. They all belong to …

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 …

Quantum-Mechanical Evaluation Of Defects In Uranium-Bearing Materials, Megan Hoover

All Dissertations

Quantum-mechanical calculations using density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation were employed to investigate the effects dopants have on the uranium dioxide (UO₂) structure. Uraninite is a common U⁴⁺ mineral in the Earth's crust and an important material used to produce energy and medical isotopes. Though the incorporation mechanism remains unclear, divalent cations are known to incorporate into the uranium dioxide system. Three charge-balancing mechanisms were evaluated to achieve a net neutral system, including the substitution of (1) a divalent cation for a tetravalent uranium atom and oxygen atom; (2) two divalent cations for a tetravalent …

Controlled Manipulation Of Droplets On Fibers: Fundamentals And Printing Applications, Yueming Sun

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, the drop interactions with a single fiber is discussed under an application angle for the development on new Drop-on-Demand (DOD) printhead using a fiber-in-a-tube platform[1] to print highly viscous materials[2]. To control the drop formation and manipulation on fiber, one needs to know how the fiber wetting properties and the fiber diameter influence drop formation. And then, one needs to know the effects of fiber movement in the device on drop formation. These two questions constitute the main theme of this dissertation.

Before this study, it was accepted that the liquids could not form axisymmetric droplets if …

A Modular Synthesis Of Processable And Thermally Stable Semi-Fluorinated Aryl Ether Polymers Via Step-Growth Polymerization Of Fluoroalkenes, Ketki Eknath Shelar

Theses and Dissertations

Tailored fluoropolymers remain the leading choice for a wide variety of advanced high-performance applications, including electronic/optical and energy conversion, owing to their unique blend of complementary high-performance properties. Amorphous semi-fluorinated polymers exhibit improved solubility and melt processability when compared to traditional perfluoropolymers. A leading class of semi-fluorinated aryl ether polymers includes perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB), perfluorocycloalkenyl (PFCA), and fluoroarylene vinylene ether (FAVE) polymers. Monomers containing aromatic trifluorovinyl ethers (TFVE) are used to synthesize PFCB polymers via radical-mediated [2+2] cyclodimerization. On the other hand, FAVE and PFCA polymers are polymerized via base-mediated nucleophilic addition/elimination of bisphenols with TFVE monomers and decafluorocyclohexene respectively. The …

Design And Fabrication Of Nanostructured Electrodes For Complementary Electrochemical And Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting, Kholoud El Sayed Abousalem

Theses and Dissertations

Designing highly active, durable, and nonprecious electrodes for overall water splitting is of urgent scientific importance to realize sustainable hydrogen production. Accordingly, the need to search efficient energy production systems is of crucial necessity. In this thesis, two various systems for sustainable hydrogen production have been reported using electrochemical and photoelectrochemical pathways. In the first part of the thesis, electrochemical water splitting involving both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been established. To this end, an innovative approach is demonstrated to synthesize flower-like 3D homogenous trimetallic Mn, Ni, Co phosphide catalysts directly on nickel foam via …

Materials And Methodologies For Spectroscopic And Optical Analytical Applications In Cultural Heritage Conservation Science, Lyndsay Nichole Kissell

Dissertations and Theses

The field of conservation science falls in the intersection of science and art. The work of conservation scientists may include any single subdiscipline of chemistry, though it is most commonly a highly interdisciplinary field taking skills from analytical, organic, and inorganic chemistry, as well as surface and materials science. The aims of conservation scientists are to answer questions about the production and aging of material cultural heritage. Knowing the materials used by an artist can lead to insight about the intentions of the object and knowing how those materials degrade will enable the use of preventative measures to ensure the …

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis Of Corrosion Of Reinforcing Steel In Fly Ash Mortar By Means Of Transmission Line Modeling, Padraig Stack

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an important non-destructive tool that allows for a deeper understanding of the electrochemical processes and mechanisms occurring in an electrochemical cell. Equivalent electrical circuits (EECs) are used to model the impedance data into electrical components, such as resistors and capacitors, on a circuit. Current potentiostat offers software packages that can analyze the frequency response, but the software only supports “simple” EEC that can be written as fixed electrical components in some combination of series and parallel. Park and Macdonald propose a transmission line model (TLM) that does not use lumped-element models, instead, the values of …

Magnetic Field Penetration Technique To Study Field Shielding Of Multilayered Superconductors, Iresha Harshani Senevirathne, Alex Gurevich, Jean R. Delayen, A-M Valente-Feliciano

Physics Faculty Publications

The SIS structure which consists of alternative thin layers of superconductors and insulators on a bulk niobium has been proposed to shield niobium cavity surface from high magnetic field and hence increase the accelerating gradient. The study of the behavior of multilayer superconductors in an external magnetic field is essential to optimize their SRF performance. In this work we report the development of a simple and efficient technique to measure penetration of magnetic field into bulk, thin film and multilayer superconductors. Experimental setup contains a small superconducting solenoid which can produce a parallel surface magnetic field up to 0.5 T …

Modeling, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Rf-Based Passive Wireless Sensors Composed Of Refractory Semiconducting Ceramics For High Temperature Applications, Kavin Sivaneri Varadharajan Idhaiam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Real-time health monitoring of high temperature systems (>500^oC) in harsh environments is necessary to prevent catastrophic events caused by structural failures, varying pressure, and chemical reactions. Conventional solid-state temperature sensors such as resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) and thermocouples are restricted by their operating environments, sensor dimensions and often require external power sources for their operation. The current work presents the research and development of RF-based passive wireless sensing technology targeting high temperatures and harsh environmental conditions. Passive wireless devices are generally classified as near-field and far-field devices based on the interrogation distance. Near-field sensors are placed at …

Degumming Of Hemp Fibers Using Combined Microwave Energy And Deep Eutectic Solvent, Bulbul Ahmed

LSU Master's Theses

Hemp is considered as one of the sustainable agricultural fiber materials. Degumming or surface modification of hemp bast is needed to produce single fibers for ensuing textile and industrial applications. The traditional degumming process necessitates a high amount of alkali, which causes detrimental environmental pollution. This study offers a new method to degum hemp fibers with reduced use of harmful alkali and precious water resources. In this work, hemp bast fibers were degummed by using combined microwave energy and deep eutectic solvent (DES). The properties of hemp fibers manufactured by this method were investigated and compared with the traditional alkali …

Novel And Fast Peridynamic Models For Material Degradation And Failure, Siavash Jafarzadeh

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fracture is one of the main mechanisms of structural failure. Corroded surfaces with chemically-induced damage are, notably, potential sites for crack initiation and propagation in metals, which can lead to catastrophic failure of structures. Despite some progress in simulating fracture and damage using classical models, realistic prediction of complex damage progression and failure has been out of reach for many decades. Peridynamics (PD), a nonlocal theory introduced in 2000, opened up new avenues in modeling material degradation and failure. Existing numerical methods used to discretize PD equations, however, are quite expensive as the PD nonlocal interactions make them unaffordable for …

Pressure Driven Desalination Membranes: Lyotropic Liquid Crystals Containing Single Walled Carbon, Matteo A. Del Giudice, Samantha Castillo Merigold

Materials Engineering

This project presents a potential alternative desalination technique that utilizes the ion rejection properties of single walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in a lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) matrix. Previous research has pointed to the polymerizable surfactant methacryloxy ethyl hexadecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (C16MA) having capabilities of filtering molecular components smaller than a nanometer, when oriented in cylindrical micelles. SWCNTs were dispersed in deionized water by probe sonication and addition of surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) due to SWCNTs’ hydrophobic properties. Membranes were produced containing 55wt% C16MA, 37wt% DI water, 0.1wt% with respect to the monomer (WRM) SWCNTs, 1.9 wt% WRM 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (photointiator), …