Physics Commons^™

Mesoscale Computational Studies Of Thin-Film Bijels, Joseph M. Carmack

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bijels are a relatively new class of soft materials that have many potential applications in the technology areas of energy, medicine, and environmental sustainability. They are formed by the arrest of binary liquid spinodal decomposition by a dispersion of solid colloidal nanoparticles. This dissertation presents an in-depth simulation study of Bijels constrained to thin-film geometries and in the presence of electric fields. We validate the computational model by comparing simulation results with previous computational modeling and experimental research. In the absence of suspended particles, we demonstrate that the model accurately captures the rich kinetics associated with diffusion-based surface-directed spinodal decomposition. …

The Incorporation Of Graphene To Lithium Cobalt Oxide As A Cathode To Improve The Performance Of Lithium Ion Batteries, Kenan Wang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the objectives of this thesis work was to investigate the cathode performance of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) incorporated with graphene powder in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Graphene powder was incorporated into cathode materials to enhance the performance of LIBs. The other objective was to impede the construction of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) sheet using graphene sheet coating on its cathode.

The results of this work show that adding graphene powder improved the performance of LiCoO¬2 as a cathode material. With the incorporation of different weight percentages of graphene powder, the LiBs showed distinct changes in their charging …

Near Bandgap Two-Photon Excited Luminescence Of Inas Quantum Dots, Xian Hu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) confine carriers in three dimensions, resulting in atomic-like energy levels as well as size-dependent electrical and optical properties. Self-assembled III-V QD is one of the most studied semiconductor QDs thanks to their well-established fabrication techniques and versatile optical properties. This dissertation presents the photoluminescence (PL) study of the InAs/GaAs QDs with both above bandgap continuous-wave excitation (one-photon excitation) and below-bandgap pulse excitation (two-photon excitation). Samples of ensemble QDs, single QD (SQD), and QDs in a micro-cavity, all grown by molecular beam epitaxy, are used in this study. Morphology of these samples was examined using atomic force …

Characterization And Analysis Of Ultrathin Cigs Films And Solar Cells Deposited By 3-Stage Process, Grace Rajan, Krishna Aryal, Shankar Karki, Puruswottam Aryal, Robert W. Collins, Sylvain Marsillac

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In view of the large-scale utilization of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells for photovoltaic application, it is of interest not only to enhance the conversion efficiency but also to reduce the thickness of the CIGS absorber layer in order to reduce the cost and improve the solar cell manufacturing throughput. In situ and real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) has been used conjointly with ex situ characterizations to understand the properties of ultrathin CIGS films. This enables monitoring the growth process, analyzing the optical properties of the CIGS films during deposition, and extracting composition, film thickness, grain size, and surface roughness which …

Variable Temperature Thermochromic Switching Under Varying Illumination, Alexis Corbett, Danielle Hall, John E. Sinko

Huskies Showcase

Award for "Runner-Up Poster Presentation".

Abstract

Minnesota is home to some of the greatest temperature ranges in the United States, with lows reaching below -40º Celsius and highs reaching nearly 40ºC. This results in higher than average spending on the heating and cooling of buildings. We have been investigating into responsive building materials to help address this. In particular, we have been studying a thermochromic paint that can capture solar energy and transfer it into the building as heat at low temperatures and reflect the energy at higher temperatures to keep the building cooler.

Characterization Of Magnetic Thin Films Using The Magneto Optic Kerr Effect, Nicholas J. Savino

Student Scholar Showcase

Understanding magnetic properties of materials allows for advances in applications such as data storage. The Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect (MOKE) displays the reflective response a magnetic material has to a magnetic field. When polarized light reflects off of a magnetic material, the polarization orientation can change. The application of an external magnetic field can affect how much this polarization changes in a non-linear manner. Hysteresis loops are created when examining the relationship between intensity of the reflected light to the applied magnetic field provide information about magnetic properties of that material, such as the coercive field and field retention. Preliminary measurements …

Effect Of Fe Substitution On Structural, Magnetic And Electron-Transport Properties Of Half-Metallic Co2tisi, Juliana Herran, Parashu Kharel, Pavel Lukashev

Research in the Capitol

In recent years, research on magnetic materials has been one of the most technologically appealing developments in materials science. Among other applications, magnetic materials are essential components of data storage and information processing in computer hardware elements, such as hard drives and random access memories. Here, we present a theoretical study of structural, magnetic and electronic properties of ferrimagnetic Co₂Ti_1−xFe_xSi (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5), using density functional calculations. We show that the magnetic moment of Co₂Ti_1−xFe_xSi increases when Ti is substituted with Fe, consistent with experimental findings. …

Computational Discovery Of Energetic Polynitrogen Compounds At High Pressure, Brad A. Steele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High-nitrogen-content energetic compounds containing multiple N-N bonds are an attractive alternative towards developing new generation of environmentally friendly, and more powerful energetic materials. High-N content translates into much higher heat of formation resulting in much larger energy output, detonation pressure and velocity upon conversion to large amounts of non-toxic, strongly bonded N2 gas. This thesis describes recent advances in the computational discovery of group-I alkali and hydrogen polynitrogen materials at high pressures using powerful first-principles evolutionary crystal structure prediction methods. This is highlighted by the discovery of a new family of materials that consist of long-sought after all-nitrogen N􀀀 5 …

Swelling As A Stabilizing Mechanism During Ion Bombardment Of Thin Films: An Analytical And Numerical Study, Jennifer M. Swenson

Mathematics Theses and Dissertations

Irradiation of semiconductor surfaces often leads to the spontaneous formation of rippled structures at certain irradiation angles. However, at high enough energies, these structures are observed to vanish for all angles, despite the absence of any identified, universally-stabilizing physical mechanisms in operation. Here, we examine the effect on pattern formation of radiation-induced swelling, which has been excluded from prior treatments of stress in irradiated films. After developing a suitable continuum model, we perform a linear stability analysis to determine its effect on stability. Under appropriate simplifying assumptions, we find swelling indeed to be stabilizing at wavenumbers typical of experimental observations. …

Modeling Deformation Behavior And Strength Characteristics Of Sand-Silt Mixtures: A Micromechanical Approach, Mehrashk Meidani

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of six chapters. In the first chapter the motivation of this research, which was modeling the deformation behavior and strength characteristics of soils under internal erosion, is briefly explained. In the second chapter a micromechanis-based stress-strain model developed for prediction of sand-silt mixtures behavior is presented. The components of the micromechanics-based model are described and undrained behavior of six different types of sand-silt mixtures is predicted for several samples with different fines contents. The need for a more comprehensive compression model for sand-silt mixtures is identified at the end of this chapter. This desired compression model …

Functionalized Nanoporous Carbon Scaffolds For Hydrogen Storage Applications, Christopher Carr

Dissertations

Recent efforts have demonstrated confinement in porous scaffolds at the nanoscale can alter the hydrogen sorption properties of metal hydrides, though not to an extent feasible for use in onboard hydrogen storage applications, proposing the need for a method allowing further modifications. The work presented here explores how the functionalization of nanoporous carbon scaffold surfaces with heteroatoms can modify the hydrogen sorption properties of confined metal hydrides in relation to non-functionalized scaffolds (FS). Investigations of nanoconfined LiBH₄and NaAlH₄indicate functionalizing the carbon scaffold surface with nitrogen can shift the activation energy of hydrogen desorption in excess of …

Matter Distributions Of Light Nuclei Within The Three-Body Model, B. A. Urazbekov, A. S. Denikin

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

Matter distributions of light nuclei in the three body model [⁶He,⁶Li : (α + n + n) and⁹Be : (α + α + n)] is theoretically expressed. As a quantum state of the system was adopted a wave function based on the multi dynamic cluster model. Within the multi dynamical cluster model with Pauli projection, matter density distribution and matter rms radius for nuclei⁶He,⁶Li,⁹Be were analytically calculated. Comparisons of calculated matter radii with experimental data are presented.

Study Of Fe3o4 Nanoparticles Degradation Process, A. Kozlovskiy, D. Tuleubayeva, K. K. Kadyrzhanov

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

The purpose of this work was to study the oxidation and destruction processes of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. As a result, dynamic changes in structure and phase composition of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in various pH media was set. The acidity and time dependence of degradation degree on the pH medium was established. It was associated with the appearance of amorphous regions which is due to the presence of hydroxide compounds. By understanding of the nanoparticles degradation rate and degree it becomes possible to clarify the residence time for the nanoparticles, which in turn makes them potential materials …

Optical Assembly For Laser Alignment Of Shafts, I. G. Arslanov, I. G. Galeev, R. N. Suleymanov, O. V. Filimonov, K. T. Tincherov

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

The article presents a new method of increasing laser radiation power of the receiving device while performing align- ment for reducing excessive pump vibration. The optical arrangement and device design are presented. The possibility of application of glass system with definite refraction index of laser beam system sweeping in a line direction is theoretically justified. The paper presents that the beam sweeping in immediate proximity to a receiving device allows to increase the "beam force/disturbance force ratio" without increasing the laser power. The results of the experimental comparative testing are described. The experiment was conducted in plant conditions of Formation …

Influence Of Overlapping Between The Fluorescence Spectra Of Dye Molecules And The Spectrum Of Plasmon Absorption Of Silver Nanoparticles On The Luminescence Of Laser Dyes In Ethyl Alcohol, A. K. Aimukhanov, N. Kh. Ibrayev

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

In the present work, the influence of the degree of overlapping between the plasmon absorption spectrum of silver nanoparticles and the luminescence spectra of P6Zh, phenalamine 160, and oxazine 17 on their luminescence was studied. With the addition of Ag NPs to the ethanol solution, the absorption of dyes depends on the concentration of Ag nanoparticles. The overlapping integrals between the plasmon absorption spectrum of Ag NPs and the absorption spectra of the studied dyes were 24.2 for P6J, 52 for phenalemine 160 and 38.5 for oxazine 17, respectively. The optical density in the maximum increased 1.6-fold for P6Zh, 1.4-fold …

Development Of Energy-Saving Methods For Minimization Of Power And Load Losses, A. Khabdullin, Z. Khabdullina, G. Khabdullina

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

The article presents information on optimization of steady state regimes in power supply systems in order to minimize power losses. The following tasks were formulated and solved: engine parameters were determined; the steady state of the power supply system was calculated. Statistical characteristics of power losses in asynchronous and synchronous motors and transformers were obtained. Investigations have been carried out for the ore mining and processing enterprise. On the basis of the obtained universal model, a software package has been designed to perform computational and experimental research in order to obtain static characteristics of power losses and loads in the …

Setup For The Study Of The Paramagnetic Resonance Of Neutrons Of The First Kind, M. I. Tsulaia, D. B. Berikov, I. M. Salamatin, Yu. D. Mareev, Yu. N. Kopatch, K. Sh. Zhumadilov

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

The experimental setup KOLKHIDA has been designed to study the interactions of polarized neutrons with polarized nuclei, in particular to study the neutron nuclear precession (nuclear pseudomagnetism) and also for studying magnetic properties of crystals. The investigation has been performed at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, JINR.

Temperature Dependent Hadronic Bag And Qgp Phase Transition In Dual Qcd, G. Punetha, H. C. Chandola

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

Based on the magnetic symmetry structure of non-Abelian gauge theories, a dual QCD gauge theory has been constructed which takes into account the local structure as well as the topological features of the color gauge group into its dynamics in a completely dual-symmetric way. Using such dual version of QCD in thermal domain following the partition function approach and the grand canonical ensemble formulation, the phase transition from hadron to QGP phase has been investigated within the framework of temperature dependent hadronic bag in the entire T - μ plane. The various thermodynamic properties like pressure, energy density, speed of …

Reactions 11b + 209bi At Energies Above Coulomb Barrier, N. A. Demekhina, A. R. Balabekyan, Yu. E. Penionzhevich, N. K. Skobelev, S. M. Lukyanov, V. Burjan

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

Experimental data on production of radioactive residuals in¹¹B +²⁰⁹ Bi reaction a above-barrier projectile energy of 145.6 MeV are presented. The measurements and identification of reaction products were made using the method of induced activity. The residual nuclei in 24 < A < 211 mass range are considered as products of different interaction channels, occurring through evaporation at complete, incomplete fusion and the fission. The fragments in (60-160) atomic mass units range are regarded to the fission products and are confirmed with data from experiments with analogous fissile nuclei. The residual nuclei near target mass number can be presented as result of the different processes including emission of nucleons and light nuclei. Theoretical predictions within the frameworks of PACE-4 code simulation, allowing the predictions of formation, evaporation and fission of compound nuclei, were used for analyzing the measurement results. A substantial contribution to production of residual nuclei of the incomplete fusion and of additional mechanisms, proceeding at different impact parameters, were revealed at analysis of the experimental data.

Quark-Hadron Phase Transition Study In Hadron-Nucleus Interactions In Self-Affine Scaling Scenario, S. Pal

Eurasian Journal of Physics and Functional Materials

In the present work the phase transition and its dependence on target excitation has been studied in two dimensional (η-φ) self affine space using the experimental data of pions obtained from π^- -AgBr interactions at 350 GeV/c. For studying target excitation dependence the data for produced pions are divided into three sets depending on the number of grey particles (n_g). The different sets corresponds to the different degrees of target excitation. The Levy indices μ measured from the analysis fulfills the requirement of the levy stable region 0 ≤ μ ≤ 2 . The Levy index μ …

Comparison Of Plume Dynamics For Laser Ablated Metals: Al And Ti, William A. Bauer, Glen P. Perram, Timothy Haugan

Faculty Publications

Emissive plumes from pulsed laser ablation of bulk Ti and Al from KrF laser irradiation at laser fluence up to 3.5 J/cm² and argon background pressures of 0–1 Torr have been observed using gated intensified charged-coupled device imagery. Mass loss for Ti increases from 0.1 to 0.8 μg/pulse as pulse energy increase from 174 to 282 mJ/pulse (35–170 photons/atom) and decreases by ∼30% as pressure increases from vacuum to 1 Torr. Early plume energies are described by the free expansion velocities of 1.57 ± 0.02 and of 1.81 ± 0.07 cm/μs for Ti and Al, respectively, …

Demonstration Of Versatile Whispering-Gallery Micro-Lasers For Remote Refractive Index Sensing, Lei Wan, Hengky Chandrahalim, Jian Zhou

Faculty Publications

We developed chip-scale remote refractive index sensors based on Rhodamine 6G (R6G)-doped polymer micro-ring lasers. The chemical, temperature, and mechanical sturdiness of the fused-silica host guaranteed a flexible deployment of dye-doped polymers for refractive index sensing. The introduction of the dye as gain medium demonstrated the feasibility of remote sensing based on the free-space optics measurement setup. Compared to the R6G-doped TZ-001, the lasing behavior of R6G-doped SU-8 polymer micro-ring laser under an aqueous environment had a narrower spectrum linewidth, producing the minimum detectable refractive index change of 4 x 10⁻⁴ RIU. The maximum bulk refractive index sensitivity (BRIS) …

Nanostructural Origin Of Semiconductivity And Large Magnetoresistance In Epitaxial Nico2O4/Al2O3 Thin Films, Congmian Zhen, Xiaozhe Zhang, Wengang Wei, Wenzhe Guo, Ankit Pant, Xiaoshan Xu, Jian Shen, Li Ma, Denglu Hou

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Despite low resistivity (~1 mΩ cm), metallic electrical transport has not been commonly observed in inverse spinel NiCo₂O₄, except in certain epitaxial thin films. Previous studies have stressed the effect of valence mixing and the degree of spinel inversion on the electrical conduction of NiCo₂O₄ films. In this work, we studied the effect of nanostructural disorder by comparing the NiCo₂O₄ epitaxial films grown on MgAl₂O₄ (1 1 1) and on Al₂O₃ (0 0 1) substrates. Although the optimal growth conditions are similar for the …

Copper-Doped Lithium Triborate (Lib3o5) Crystals: A Photoluminescence, Thermoluminescence, And Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study, Brant E. Kananen, John W. Mcclory, Nancy C. Giles, Larry E. Halliburton

Faculty Publications

When doped with copper ions, lithium borate materials are candidates for use in radiation dosimeters. Copper-doped lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7) crystals have been widely studied, but little is known thus far about copper ions in lithium triborate (LiB3O5) crystals. In the present investigation, Cu+ ions (3d10) were diffused into an undoped LiB3O5 crystal at high temperature. These ions occupy both Li+ and interstitial positions in the crystal. A photoluminescence (PL) band peaking near 387 nm and a photoluminescence excitation (PLE) band peaking near 273 nm verify that a portion of these Cu+ ions are located at regular Li+ sites. After an …

Effects Of Edge Inclination Angles On Whispering-Gallery Modes In Printable Wedge Microdisk Lasers, Cong Chen, Lei Wan, Hengky Chandrahalim

Faculty Publications

The ink-jet technique was developed to print the wedge polymer microdisk lasers. The characterization of these lasers was implemented using a free-space optics measurement setup. It was found that disks of larger edge inclination angles have a larger free spectral range (FSR) and a lower resonance wavelength difference between the fundamental transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) whispering-gallery modes (WGMs). This behavior was also confirmed with simulations based on the modified Oxborrow’s model with perfectly matched layers (PMLs), which was adopted to accurately calculate the eigenfrequencies, electric field distributions, and quality parameters of modes in the axisymmetric microdisk resonators. …

Saw Assisted Domain Wall Motion In Co/Pt Multilayers, Westin Edrington, Uday Singh, Maya Abo Dominguez, James Rehwaldt Alexander, Rabindra Nepal, Shireen Adenwalla

Shireen Adenwalla Papers

The motion of domain walls in thin ferromagnetic films is of both fundamental and technological interest. In particular, the ability to use drivers other than magnetic fields to control the positions of domain walls could be exciting for memory applications. Here, we show that high frequency dynamic strain produced by surface acoustic waves is an efficient driver of magnetic domain walls in ferromagnetic films with perpendicular anisotropy. A standing surface acoustic wave of resonant frequency 96.6MHz increases the domain wall velocities in thin films of [Co/Pt]n by an order of magnitude compared to magnetic fields alone. This effect is highly …

Single-Site Catalyst Promoters Accelerate Metal- Catalyzed Nitroarene Hydrogenation, Liang Wang, Erjia Guan, Jian Zhang, Junhao Yang, Yihan Zhu, Yu Han, Ming Yang, Cheng Cen, Gang Fu, Bruce C. Gates, Feng-Shou Xiao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Atomically dispersed supported metal catalysts are drawing wide attention because of the opportunities they offer for new catalytic properties combined with efficient use of the metals. We extend this class of materials to catalysts that incorporate atomically dispersed metal atoms as promoters. The catalysts are used for the challenging nitroarene hydro- genation and found to have both high activity and selectivity. The promoters are single-site Sn on TiO2 supports that incorporate metal nanoparticle catalysts. Represented as M/Sn- TiO2 (M = Au, Ru, Pt, Ni), these catalysts decidedly outperform the unpromoted supported metals, even for hydrogenation of nitroarenes substituted with various …

Induced Ferromagnetism In Multilayered Graphene In Proximity With Cofe2o4, Himanshu Verma, Dereje Seifu, Shashi P. Karna, Haiping Hong, Mohindar S. Seehra

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Composites of anisotropic diamagnetic multilayer Graphene (MLG) and ferrimagnetic CoFe2O4 (CFO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized through a one-step sonication process in the presence of a surfactant. The samples were characterized at ambi- ent using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and magnetometry (vibrating sample magnetometer). An induced ferromagnetism was observed in MLG with saturation magnetization MS = 18 emu/g(MLG). This induced ferromagnetism is attributed to ferrimagnetic CFO uniformly distributed on the surface of diamagnetic MLG. SEM images confirm uniform dense distribu- tion of CFO nanoparticles on MLG. MFM images …

Modulated Photothermal Radiometry: Detector Sensitivity Study And Experimental Setup, Jessica Nicole Seals

Masters Theses

"This thesis outlines the development of a system used for determining the surface thermal diffusivity of both non-irradiated and irradiated materials. The motivation for this work is to establish a modulated photothermal radiometry (PTR) system on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology. One of the main efforts described in this thesis is the design and construction of the physical apparatus. Along the way, it was necessary to perform a detailed sensitivity analysis of the system to determine whether the expected signal emitted from the sample falls within the bounds of detectivity for the HgCdTe (MCT) detector used …

Nonlinear Coupled Effects In Nanomaterials, Sia Bhowmick

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Materials at the nanoscale have different chemical, structural, and optoelectrical properties compared to their bulk counterparts. As a result, such materials, called nanomaterials, exhibit observable differences in certain physical phenomena. One such resulting phenomenon called the piezoelectric effect has played a crucial role in miniature self-powering electronic devices called nanogenerators which are fabricated by using nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanofilms. These devices are capable of harvesting electrical energy by inducing mechanical strain on the individual nanostructures. Electrical energy created in this manner does not have environmental limitations. In this thesis, important coupled effects, such as the nonlinear piezoelectric …