Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Fabrication Of Nano Capacitor And Its Electrical Properties, Ling Liu, Qin Zhou, Neng-Qin Jia, Zhi-Yu Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A step-by-step assembling method was developed for preparing nano capacitors using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as templates. The nano capacitor consisted of three parts: electrochemically polymerized PPy electrode/ el ectrochemically precipitated porous TiO₂ separator/chemically polymerized PPy electrode, and demonstrated the charge/discharge behavior as a typical electrochemical supercapacitor with good cyclic ability.

Influence Of Nitrogen Growth Pressure On The Ferromagnetic Properties Of Cr-Doped Aln Thin Films, Jun Zhang, Xingzhong Li, B. Xu, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

We report the magnetic properties of Cr-doped AlN thin films grown by reactive magnetron sputtering under various nitrogen pressures. Ferromagnetism is observed up to the highest temperature measured, 400 K, and shows strong dependence on the Cr concentration and, especially, the nitrogen growth pressure. By varying the nitrogen pressure during film growth, the magnetic properties of the films can be changed while keeping a constant Cr concentration. The ferromagnetism is enhanced in the films that were grown at low nitrogen pressures and thus nitrogen deficient, suggesting an important role of defects in the ferromagnetism of this material.

Magnetic Behavior Of Sm-Co-Based Permanent Magnets During Order/Disorder Phase Transformations, Shampa Aich, J. Kostogorova, Jeffrey E. Shield

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The structural transformation from the metastable disordered TbCu₇-type SmCo₇ structure to the equilibrium ordered Th₂Zn₁₇-type Sm₂Co₁₇ structure was revealed by x-ray diffraction analysis using Reitveld refinement. The magnetic properties depended strongly on the stage of the transformation, as the coercivity strongly depended on the annealing temperature. The as-solidified alloy in the TbCu7-type structure had a coercivity of 4 kOe, which increased to greater than 9 kOe. The coercivity decreased to around 5 kOe as the transformation neared completion upon annealing at higher temperatures. The magnetization processes were also strongly influenced …

Texture Formation In Fept Thin Films Via Thermal Stress Management, P. Rasmussen, X. Rui, Jeffrey E. Shield

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The transformation variant of the fcc to fct transformation in FePt thin films was tailored by controlling the stresses in the thin films, thereby allowing selection of in- or out-of-plane c-axis orientation. FePt thin films were deposited at ambient temperature on several substrates with differing coefficients of thermal expansion relative to the FePt, which generated thermal stresses during the ordering heat treatment. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed preferential out-of-plane c-axis orientation for FePt films deposited on substrates with a similar coefficients of thermal expansion, and random orientation for FePt films deposited on substrates with a very low coefficient of …

Role Of Phonon Scattering In Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors, Jing Guo, Mark Lundstrom

Other Nanotechnology Publications

The role of phonon scattering in carbon nanotube field-effect transistors 􏰏CNTFETs􏰀 is explored by solving the Boltzmann transport equation using the Monte Carlo method. The results show that elastic scattering in a short-channel CNTFET has a small effect on the source-drain current due to the long elastic mean-free path (mfp)(~ 1µm). If elastic scattering with a short mfp were to exist in a CNTFET, the on current would be severely degraded due to the one-dimensional channel geometry. At high drain bias, optical phonon scattering, which has a much shorter mfp (-10 nm), is expected to dominate, even in a short-channel …

The Fabrication And Electrochemical Studies On Carbon Nanotube Array Electrodes, Quan-Yong Gao, Jing Zhang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

An improved technique for fabrication of carbon nanotube array electrodes has been proposed in this work. Firstly, carbon nanotubes (CNs) array electrodes were prepared by combsination of Chemical Vapor Decomposition (CVD) method and sputtering techniques in anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. The CNs/AAO was immersed into HF solution to remove the barrier layer. Controlling the immersing time, the CNs array electrodes with different length contacted with electrolyte can be prepared. The morphology of CNs array electrodes was observed by SEM. The electrochemical properties of CNs array electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetric curves of …

Preparation And Electrochemical Property Of Aao Nano-Channels Filled With Nio, Chi Gu, Jun-Mei Yan, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The AAO template with nano-channels was synthesized and filled with transient metal-oxide NiO by sol-gel method, and their electrochemical properties were primarily studied. The results showed that the porous nano-channels were well defined with the diameter about 50nm. The nano-structured NiO was filled into the template's nano-channels successfully. Cyclic voltammetry studies show that the NiO in AAO template has good cycle stability. It was suggested that the AAO-metal-oxides composites could be used as novel anode materials for Lithium ion battery.

The Electrophoretic Deposition Of Nano Hydroxyapatite Coating On Titanium Surface, Fei Chen, Chang-Jian Lin, Zhou-Cheng Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A hydroxyapatite coating with nano-structure on the roughened titanium surface was prepared by electrophoretic deposition process. To decrease sintering temperature the HAp nanoparticles synthesizedby a wet chemical method was used. It is observed that the coating is uniform without cracks. After sintering the nano-strueture of HAp coating remains unchanged. The surface treatment of Ti is applied to form a distribution of small pits and TiO₂ thin layer that improve the adhesion of coatingto Ti substrate. It is shown that the bonding strength of coating is as high as 18±2.5MPa. The hardness and Young's modulus are 40.6 and 0.42 GPa, …

Wave Attenuations In Solids With Perfectly Aligned Cracks, Liyong Yang, Joseph A. Turner

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The theory of wave propagation and scattering in cracked media is applied to study the wave attenuations in an isotropic solid medium containing perfectly aligned penny-shaped microcracks. The unit normals of all cracks are assumed parallel to a given direction. The wave scattering model is formulated using an anisotropic Green’s dyadic approach. Explicit expressions are derived for attenuations of the three wave modes in terms of the microcrack density. Numerical results are presented and discussed. In particular, comparisons of the attenuation results presented in this letter with previous results for the Rayleigh limit are given.

Electronic Commerce Negotiation In A Supply Chain Via Constraint Evaluation, R. Wilhelm, B. Chu, R. Sun

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Negotiation is of critical importance in e-commerce applications where the supply chain is dynamic and reconfiguring. In this research supply chain negotiation problems are addressed as constraint-satisfaction problems. In general each negotiation is handled in the largest scope possible to avoid the suboptimality that can result from many local solutions. This global approach, however, must be balanced with time constraints that apply in e-commerce supply chain execution. In this paper, we describe a new approach for e-commerce supply chain negotiation via constraint evaluation. As well, results from prototype software, distributed across the internet, are discussed. Beyond the general formulation, we …

Magneto-Optical Spectra Of Closely Spaced Magnetite Nanoparticles, Damon Allen Smith, Yu A. Barnakov, B L. Scott, S A. White, Kevin L. Stokes

Physics Faculty Publications

The Faraday rotation spectrum of composites containing magnetite nanoparticles is found to be dependent on the interparticle spacing of the constituent nanoparticles. The composite materials are prepared by combining chemically synthesized Fe

3O4 smagnetited nanoparticles s8-nm diameterd and polysmethylmethacrylated . Composites are made containing a range of nanoparticle concentrations. The peak of the main spectral feature depends on nanoparticle concentration; this peak is observed to shift from approximately 470 nm for sdilute compositesd to 540 nm concentrated . We present a theory based on the discrete-dipole approximation which accounts for

optical coupling between magnetite particles. Qualitative correlations between theoretical calculations …

Cofe2o4 Nanostructures With High Coercivity, J S. Jung, J H. Lim, K H. Choi, S L. Oh, Y R. Kim, S H. Lee, D A. Smith, K L. Stokes, L Malkinski, C J. O'Connor

Physics Faculty Publications

Nanometer-sized ferrite magnetic materials are the subject of intense research interest due to their potential applications in high-density magnetic information storage. One of the most explored ferrite materials is the cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4).. We have synthesized cobalt ferrite nanowires using cobalt ferrite nanoparticles in a porous anodic alumina template (AAT). The process of embedding ferrimagnetic particles into the pores was assisted by the magnetic field of a permanent magnet placed in vacuum directly under the substrate. Particles synthesized in the template were subsequently annealed at 600 °C for 2 h in Ar gas forming arrays of cobalt ferrite nanowires inside …

Influence Of Composition And Heat-Treatment On The Charge Transport Properties Of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) And [6,6]-Phenyl C61-Butyric Acid Methyl Ester Blends, Jinsong Huang, Gang Li, Yang Yang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blends have been demonstrated to form highly efficient polymer photovoltaic devices. In this letter, the time-of-flight technique is used to investigate the influence of composition and heat treatment on charge transport properties of P3HT and PCBM blends. The transport of electrons and holes both display a transition from dispersive to nondispersive and return to dispersive again as the percentage of PCBM increases. A balanced mobility of both electron and hole is obtained at a composition of 1:1 weight ratio, and it is nearly independent of the electrical field in …

Self-Assembly Of Nanoparticles On Live Bacterium: An Avenue To Fabricate Electronic Devices, Ravi F. Saraf, Vikas Berry

Papers in Nanotechnology

Recently, hybrid structures of microorganisms with inorganic nanoscale moieties have received great interest owing to their potential in fabricating electronic systems. The electronic properties of metal nanoparticles, as a result of the singleelectron transport of current,[1] make them ideal materials for nanodevices. Concomitantly, the nanostructure of microorganisms such as bacteria,[2] viruses,[3, 4] and yeast[5] are attractive scaffolds for the templating of metal nanoparticles through the interactions of the former with surface charges and the affinity of certain metals for specific biological molecules.[2–7] However, the key challenges in building hybrid devices are 1) to pattern nanostructures without destroying the biological construct …

Boron-Rich Semiconducting Boron Carbide Neutron Detector, Andrew D. Harken, Ellen E. Day, Brian W. Robertson, Shireen Adenwalla

Shireen Adenwalla Papers

Data on the neutron detection capabilities of a variety of boron carbide/Si heterojunction diodes is presented. The pulse height spectra are compared with previously measured conversion layer devices and the variations in shape and position of the peaks are discussed.

Corrosion Barrier Development For Lbe Corrosion Resistance, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

In the last quarter, a specialized sample holder was developed for the anodization of alumina on steel. In addition, it was determined that oxalic acid was the most appropriate acid for the anodization of these structures. The steel samples obtained from LANL were first cut into a number of pieces, each measuring 11mm x 8mm x 1.6mm, to allow multiple experiments. Special care was taken to ensure that the cutting process did not damage the samples. After investigation of several techniques, including laser cutting, the samples were cut using EDM wires. The cut steel pieces did not show any damage …

Corrosion Barrier Development For Lbe Corrosion Resistance: Quaterly Report, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

With the demonstration of formation of nanoporous alumina on steel and its good adhesion to substrate under thermal cycling, the next project task was to synthesize Chromium nanowires inside the alumina pores. During the previous quarter, a specialized sample holder was developed towards this goal. Various techniques for the deposition of Chromium were investigated and electro-deposition was determined to be the most suitable approach due to the large aspect ratio of the pores. A challenge in using electro-deposition for porous alumina is the potential sealing of the pores in aqueous solutions at higher temperatures. To avoid this problem, a search …

Development Of Nanostructure Based Corrosion-Barrier Coatings On Steel For Transmutation Applications, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Advanced transmutation systems require structural materials that are able to withstand high neutron fluxes, high thermal cycling, and high resistance to chemical corrosion. The current candidate materials for such structures are ferritic and ferritic-martensitic steels due to their strong resistance to swelling, good microstructural stability under irradiation, and the retention of adequate ductility at typical reactor operating temperatures.

In parallel, lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) has emerged as a potential spallation target material for efficient production of neutrons, as well as a coolant in the accelerator system. While LBE has excellent properties as a nuclear coolant, it is also highly corrosive …

Modeling And Simulation To Investigate Effects Of Static Mixer, Carrier Gas, Temperature And Pressure On The Mixing Ratio Of Carbon Nanotubes Growth Reactors, David Addie Noye

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The problem of this study was to investigate the effects of static mixer, carrier gas, carrier gas inlet pressures, and reactor operating temperatures on the mixing ratio of carbon nanotube synthesizing reactor. The methodology included design of static mixers, mathematical modeling, and computer modeling and simulation experiments.

The simulation experiment was performed based on single phase carrier gas modeling due to difficulty and time for three phase fluid modeling. First only nitrogen carrier gas in addition to the other three factors under constant inlet flow velocity and inlet temperature was simulated. Secondly, the same procedure was applied to argon carrier …

Making Sense Of Nanocrystal Lattice Fringes, P. Fraundorf, Wentao Qin, Peter Moeck, Eric Mandell

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The orientation dependence of thin-crystal lattice fringes can be gracefully quantified using fringe-visibility maps, a direct-space analog of Kikuchi maps [Nishikawa and Kikuchi, Nature (London) 121, 1019 (1928)]. As in navigation of reciprocal space with the aid of Kikuchi lines, fringe-visibility maps facilitate acquisition of crystallographic information from lattice images. In particular, these maps can help researchers to determine the three-dimensional lattice of individual nanocrystals, to 'fringe-fingerprint' collections of randomly oriented particles, and to measure local specimen thickness with only a modest tilt. Since the number of fringes in an image increases with maximum spatial-frequency squared, these strategies (with help …

Imaging Using Lateral Bending Modes Of Atomic Force Microscope Cantilevers, A. Caron, U. Rabe, M. Reinstadtler, Joseph A. Turner, W. Arnold

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Using scanning probe techniques, surface properties such as shear stiffness and friction can be measured with a resolution in the nanometer range. The torsional deflection or buckling of atomic force microscope cantilevers has previously been used in order to measure the lateral forces acting on the tip. This letter shows that the flexural vibration modes of cantilevers oscillating in their width direction parallel to the sample surface can also be used for imaging. These lateral cantilever modes exhibit vertical deflection amplitudes if the cantilever is asymmetric in thickness direction, e.g., by a trapezoidal cross section.

Attenuation Of Ultrasonic Waves In Rolled Metals, Liyong Yang, Joseph A. Turner

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Scattering of ultrasonic waves in polycrystals with texture is studied in this article. The attenuations of the three wave modes are determined as a function of dimensionless frequency and propagation direction, respectively, for given orientation distribution coefficients (ODCs). The calculation is done in the case of a statistically orthorhombic sample made up of cubic crystallites. The wave propagation and scattering model is formulated by the Dyson equation using an anisotropic Green’s function approach.Within the limits of the first-order smoothing approximation, the Dyson equation is solved in the spatial Fourier transform domain. The results presented are shown to be directional dependent, …

Electrocatalytic Performances Of Carbon Nanotube Air Electrode For Oxygen Reduction, Feng-Ming Zhao, Chun-An Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

The air electrodes with different mass ratio of Pt/active carbon or carbon nanotube as catalyst layer material have been prepared. The electrocatalytic performances for oxygen reduction were evaluated by means of polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results disclosed that carbon nanotubes dealt with nitric acid in the catalyst layer had been improved obviously on the electrocatalytic activity. After the surface of carbon nanotube was oxygenated and aggraded with platinum, the catalyst had obviously effects on the electrocatalytic activity. The air electrode with the mass ratio of active carbon to Pt/carbon nanotube in 4∶1 showed better electrocatalytic activity, …

Science For Stewardship: Multidisciplinary Research On Uss Arizona, Matthew A. Russell, Larry E. Murphy, Donald L. Johnson, Timothy J. Foecke, Pamela J. Morris, Raphy Mitchell

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center and USS Arizona Memorial are conducting and coordinating research directed at understanding the nature and rate of natural processes affecting the deterioration of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS Arizona Preservation Project is designed to be multi-year, interdisciplinary and cumulative, with each element contributing to developing an overall management strategy designed to minimize environmental hazard from fuel oil release and provide the basic research required to make informed management decisions for long-term preservation. The primary project focus is toward acquiring requisite data for understanding the complex corrosion and deterioration processes …

Mechanical Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes Composites, David Hui, Mircea Chipara, Jagannathan Sankar, K. T. Lau

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A critical review of theoretical models aiming to explain the physical properties of composites based on polymeric matrices reinforced with carbon nanotubes is presented. Attention is paid to descriptions based on molecular dynamics, continuum mechanics, and finite element analysis. It is shown that both the continuum mechanics approximation and the finite size element analyses fail to describe composites with very thin interfaces, while the performances of molecular dynamics simulations are still restricted by computer's performances. The limitations of the continuum mechanics approximation are analyzed in detail.

Chemical Microetching Of Three-Dimensional Gear-Like Pattern On Nickel Surface, Zhu-Fang Liu, Li-Ming Jiang, Jing Tang, Li Zhang, Zhong-Qun Tian, Zhao-Wu Tian, Pin-Kuan Liu, Li-Ning Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The chemical micromachining on nickel surface with three-dimensional (3D) gear-like mold was realized by confined etchant layer technique (CELT). By using effective chemical etching and scavenging system (HNO₃ +NaOH) and optimizing experimental parameters, such as the etching time, etching current density, concentration of the etchant or and scavenger, we obtained the etched pattern, which is close to negative copy of the mold. The etched micro-pattern characterized by SEM and AFM, demonstrates that CELT can be applied to the 3-D microstructure replication on nickel surface.

Lithium Insertion Into Tio2(B) Nanobelts Synthesized By The "Soft Chemical" Method, Cha-Geng Nie, Zheng-Liang Gong, Lan Sun, Juan Zuo, Yue-Kun Lai, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

TiO₂(B) Nanobelts were synthesized by using the "Soft chemical"method. The products were characterized by means of transmission electron microscope(TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), Raman spectrum and energy dispersive spectrum(EDS). Galvanostatic charging and discharging tests showed that lithium-ion intercalation/deintercalation occurred reversibly in the TiO₂(B) nanobelts electrode, and a high capacity (265 mAh·g^-1) can be obtained. The results suggested that TiO₂(B) Nanobelts might be a promising negative electrode material of second Lithium battery.

Real-Time Measurements On The Effects Of Ultra-Short High Voltage Pulses On Hl-60 Cells, Michalis C. Artemiou

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The application of high voltage microsecond pulses that are above a critical value, to biological cells, has been shown to cause electroporation (Neumann, 1989). In addition, ultra-short pulses of several tens to hundreds of nanoseconds duration have been recently shown to affect intracellular structures without disturbing the plasma membrane (Schoenbach, 2001). However, such ultra-short intense pulses are expected to cause deformation of cells due to Maxwell stresses. This deformation was studied by means of an imaging technique with 10 ns temporal resolution on HL-60 cells. The imaging system consists of an inverted microscope where a spark light source was used …

Modeling Nerve Electro-Stimulation In The Nanosecond Regime, Feng Chen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Numerical simulations of electrical stimulation of frog gastrocnemius muscles have been carried out for pulse durations in the nanosecond regime. There are a number of potential advantages in using ultra-short pulses for neural stimulation, and no previous electro-stimulation work in the sub-microsecond regime has been reported. A timedependent, three-dimensional analysis model was developed and implemented for three distinct situations: (i) direct stimulation via electrode contact, (ii) indirect excitation based on electrodes immersed in a saline-filled bath, and (iii) remote electromagnetic stimulation through vacuum. The simulations yielded strength-dm ation (S-D) curves with pulse durations as short as 5 ns. Good agreement …

Studies Of Infrared Optical Properties Of Palladium Nanoparticles With Different Sizes And Dispersed States, Yan-Xia Jiang, Hong-Gang Liao, Wei Chen, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Pd nanoparticles with different sizes and dispersed states were prepared. Their infrared optical properties were studied with CO molecule probe. The infrared spectroscopic investigation revealed that Pd_n of 6.6 nm and Pd_n(cube)of 100～150nmexhibit normal IR absorption. The center of IR bands are around 1970 cm^-1 and 1910cm^-1. Pd_nis introduced into the surface of electrode, and is induced by interface electric fieldto form the aggregation of nanoparticles Pd_n(ag). The Pd_n(ag) has a different IR optical property from Pd_n. The direction of IR absorption band of Pd_{n …}