Polymer and Organic Materials Commons^™

Modeling Of Asphalt Concrete For Cross-Anisotropic Visco-Elasticity And Heterogeneity, Zafrul Hakim Khan

Civil Engineering ETDs

Asphalt Concrete (AC) is a cross-anisotropic viscoelastic material. This study has developed a methodology to backcalculate the cross-anisotropic properties of the AC layer from the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) sensor and pavement response data from embedded sensors inside a pavement section. This study has also developed a two-way coupled Multiscale Finite Element Model (MsFEM) with Phase Field Fracture (PFF) to study the microstructural heterogeneity and damage of the AC layer based on the actual field loadings. A Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) and Machine learning-based backcalculation algorithm were developed to determine the layer thickness and dielectric constant from air-coupled Ground …

Design, Fabrication And Characterization Of Zero Power Sensor/Harvester For Smart Grid Applications, Zeynel Guler

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This study presents a flexible sensor/harvester device to be used in both electromagnetic sensing and energy harvesting applications for smart grids. When a current passes through a wire, the sensor detects the magnetic field created by that current. The sensor magnet interacts with the wire magnetic field resulting in a transfer of energy through the piezoelectric cantilever. Piezoelectric, conductive, magnetic, and magnetostrictive composite thin films were prepared to fabricate this device.

Initially, the magnet of the cantilever was optimized considering its shape, thickness, length, taper angle etc. via both simulations and experiments. Peak to peak voltage versus cantilever position graph …

Explorations And Developments In Multifunctionality, 3d Printing, And Accelerated Aging For Thermoplastics And Thermosets, Zachary Brounstein

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

If the world is to progress through the fourth industrial revolution, rapid advances in materials science must complement new technological feats in manufacturing, computation and device functionality, and a broader understanding of how materials behave as they age and degrade. To this effect, much effort has been directed towards polymeric materials to address and solve many problems in this new era. This includes developing polymer composites that incorporate fillers to imbue multifunctionality, fabricating novel formulations for additive manufacturing, and conducting aging studies to assess the performance of these materials over long time spans. Building and expanding on the latest research …

Iron-Containing Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Chrionic Biofilm Infections In Cystic Fibrosis, Leisha M. A. Martin

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease resulting in the morbidity and mortality of Caucasian children and adults worldwide. Due to a genetic mutation resulting in malfunction of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein, CF patients produce highly viscous mucus in their respiratory tract. This leads to impairment of the mucociliary clearance of inhaled microbes. In addition to reduced microbial clearance, anoxic environmental conditions in the lungs promote biofilm-mode growth of the pathogenic bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chronic infections of P. aeruginosa begin in early childhood and typically persist until respiratory failure and death result. The …

Controlled Nanomorphology Of Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Multi-Component Composites Through Cooperative Non-Covalent Interactions, Lingyao Meng

Shared Knowledge Conference

Hybrid organic–inorganic nanocomposite polymers, with inorganic nanoparticles embedded in organic matrix have emerged as a special category of multifunctional materials. With rational materials design, these hybrids can show the synergistic effect of the properties from both phases. Homogenous dispersion and orderly arrangement of the organic and inorganic components are key in their functionalities. By controlling the interface and corresponding interfacial interactions between the organic and inorganic entities, we have developed a logical approach to form stable and controlled hybrid nanofiber structures. We demonstrate the formation of hybrid polymer/quantum dots (or iron oxide nanoparticles) nanocomposites through non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonding, ionic …

Cementitious Sensors Exhibiting Stopbands In Acoustic Transmission Spectra, Shreya Vemuganti

Shared Knowledge Conference

Ultrasonic monitoring in cementitious materials is challenging due to the high degree of attenuation. In wellbore environments, monitoring becomes more challenging due to inaccessibility. Meta materials, also known as acoustic bandgap materials, exhibit an interesting feature of forbidding the propagation of elastic/sound waves and isolate vibration in a certain frequency band. Traditionally, acoustic bandgap materials are developed with inclusions such as tin, aluminum, gold, steel in a polymer matrix. In this study, we present the development of three-dimensional cementitious sensors capable of exhibiting stopbands in the acoustic transmission spectra using carbon nanotubes. Relatively wide stopbands were engineered using Floquet-Bloch periodic …

Characterization And Modeling Of Asphalt Concrete For Dynamic Properties And Performances, A S M A. Rahman

Civil Engineering ETDs

The recently developed mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG, also known as Pavement M-E design method) uses the nationally calibrated, binder viscosity-based dynamic modulus predictive model for the design and analysis of asphalt pavements. In this study, this model is assessed for its appropriateness for asphalt-aggregate mixtures typically used in New Mexico. In essence, this study investigates the predictability issue of complex modulus of New Mexico mixes. A total of 54 Superpave mixes with different aggregate gradations, air voids, and binder grades were collected from the mixing plants and from the pavement construction sites. The loose asphalt mixtures were then compacted, …

The Processing And Polarization Reversal Dynamics Of Thin Film Poly(Vinylidene) Fluoride, Noel Mayur Dawson

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Many ferroelectric devices benefit from the ability to deposit thin ferroelectric layers. Poly(vinylidene) fluoride (PVDF) is the prototypical ferroelectric polymer, but processing of thin film ferroelectric PVDF remains a challenge due to the formation of large voids in the film during traditional thin film processing. The research described in this dissertation starts by investigating the origin of these voids. The cause of these voids is found to be caused by vapor induced phase separation (VIPS). Guided by the thermodynamics of VIPS, a process is then designed to produce void-free ferroelectric PVDF thin films on polar and non-polar substrates. The films …

Molecular Tetrapods For Optoelectronic Applications, Jianzhong Yang

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Most conjugated molecules including polymers and small molecules applied in organic solar cells (OSCs) have linear structures containing multiple aromatic groups connected in series. However, unfavorable film forming ability and grain boundaries both originated from high crystallinity of linear small molecules are detrimental to device performances. Thus, among multi-dimensional structures, tetrapodal molecules are especially interesting owing to their unique ability to mutually interlock, which prevents dislodging and provides high structural stabilities. Such molecular design can also increase absorption cross-sections and provide more extensively percolating pathways for charge transport, making such molecular tetrapods promising in OSCs applications. In my dissertation, I …