Seminars Fall 2004

Materials Science and Engineering Seminars
Washburn 323
Thursdays 12:00-12:50 pm

"Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Heat Treatment Processes"(September 16, 2004)
"Pavement Engineering-Progress and Challenge" (September 23, 2004)
"Carbon Nantubes as Mechanical Structures and Other Applications of Atomic-force Microscopy to Materials Science" (September 30, 2004)
"Lateral Superlattices for Nanometric Electro-Magnetic-Optic Applications" (October 7, 2004)
"Cement Based Composites for Structural Applications" (October 14, 2004)
"Harvesting and Manipulating Zeolite Nanocrystals" (October 28, 2004)
"Materials Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste" (November 4, 2004)
Multilayered Thin Films for Device Applications Including Photo-Switchable Surface Wettability, and Photovoltaics" (November 11, 2004)
"Materials Engineering Challenges for the Society of "Tomorrow": Housing, Transportation, Health and Food Delivery Needs" (November 18, 2004)
Multiscale analysis and testing of MEMS and NEMS" (December 2, 2004)
"Composite Palladium and Palladium-alloy Membranes for Hydrogen Separation and Membrane Reactor Applications" (December 9, 2004)
"Holiday party for attendees and presenters" (December 16, 2004)

"Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Heat Treatment Processes"

Thursday, September 16, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Prof. Yiming Rong
Manufacturing Engineering

Abstract

Heat treatment is an important manufacturing process which determines the mechanical properties of metal products. To ensure the quality and productivity, as well as the production cost and energy consumption, of heat treatment processes, the part load in furnace and furnace temperature control needs to be better designed and controlled. The research is focused on numerical modeling and simulation of thermal process in furnace and the material micro-structure evolution and property determination. The presentation will introduce the numerical models and simulation results in comparison with production data, as well as the software development for batch furnace, continuous furnace, and induction hardening.

"Pavement Engineering-Progress and Challenge"

Thursday, September 23, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Rajib Mallick
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Abstract

Pavement engineering continues to develop from a purely empirical to a mechanistic-empirical process. This presentation will attempt to summarize some major developments. In addition, it will include a brief summary of application of two major emerging techniques - use of accelerated loading and non-destructive testing in material characterization and design. The multifaceted problems facing the pavement engineers, including better integration of material characterization models with performance prediction models, will be discussed. The presentation will include a look to the future - possibilities of inter-department cooperative work will be explored.

"Carbon Nanotubes as Mechanical Structures and Other Applications of Atomic-Force Microscopy to Materials Science"

Thursday, September 30, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Nancy Burnham
Associate Professor of Physics

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes are miniscule rolled-up sheets of graphite that have very interesting electronic and mechanical properties. This talk will introduce materials students to these wonderful structures and also discuss how the mechanical properties of nanotubes and other nanostructures can be probed using an instrument called an atomic force microscope.

"Lateral Superlattices for Nanometric Electro-Magnetic-Optic Applications"

Thursday, October 7, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Jianyu Liang
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Exploiting materials of dimension less than 100 nm for potential applications has been proved a fascinating enterprise. However, efforts so far have concentrated on individual nanostructures. The collective behaviors of nanostructures in a large ensemble remain largely unexplored.

As the first step into the nano realm, investigation of isolated nanostructures and characterization of individual nanodevices are of great importance and naturally of strong appeal to researchers. Yet more challenging and probably of greater impact is the assembly and manipulation of multiple nanostructures into integrable functional units. It is both desirable and timely to seek for ways to advance both the fabrication capabilities and the science explorations beyond the realm of individual nanostructures.

In this talk, a non-lithographic technique that utilizes highly ordered anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) porous membrane as a template will be introduced as a general fabrication means for the formation of an array of vastly different 2-dimensional lateral superlattices. The fact that material systems are as different as metals, semiconductors, and carbon nanotubes can be treated with the same ease attests to the generality of this nano-fabrication approach. The original AAO membranes determine the uniformity, packing density, and size of the nanostructures. The flexibility of using a variety of materials, the accurate control over fabrication process, and the command over AAO template attributes give us the freedom of engineering various physical properties determined by the shape, size, composition, and doping of the nanostructures.

A fundamentally new nanoheteroepitaxial growth method based on the as fabricated semiconductor nanostructures will also be presented. Employing this approach, high quality semiconductor thin films and quantum dots have been successfully grown by molecular beam epitaxy on nanopatterned semiconductor substrates.

Optical and structural characterizations have shown that the novel nanomaterial platform realized by this unique non-lithographic technique is powerfully enabling a broad range of applications.

"Cement Based Composites for Structural Applications"

Thursday, October 14, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Tahar El-Korchi
Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Abstract

The Cementitious Composites Axial Tensile Tester (CCATT) has been used to evaluate the tensile strength of a number of structural materials, such as: cement-based composites, silica-fume cementitious composites, carbon fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, glass fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, cement composites wrapped with FRP sheets and graphite and high-strength ceramics. Test results showed that the uniaxial tensile strength of cementitious composites tested using the ASCERA hydraulic tensile tester is higher than those obtained using the traditional uniaxial tensile test. Furthermore, the tensile strength of cementitious composites, obtained using the ASCERA hydraulic tensile tester, is about 20 % to 35% higher than the traditional uniaxial tensile test. The use of PAN based carbon fiber enhanced the tensile strength of the cementitious by as much as 32% with the addition of 1% fiber vol. and 41% with the addition of 1.5 % Models for strength behavior were developed and Weibull statistics was used for reliability assessment. Bond strength of high strength concrete was also evaluated with respect to water-cement ratio, silica fume, aggregate type and gradation.

"Harvesting and Manipulating Zeolite Nanocrystals"

Thursday, October 28, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Robert Thompson
Professor of Chemical Engineering

Abstract

Working in a laboratory with hazardous materials requires individuals to be vigilant about safe work practices and a knowledge of applicable health and safety standards. The purpose of this seminar is to provide information resources to help lab workers better assess the potential hazards that they may be exposed to, and identify exposure control methods to reduce their risks. An overview of the regulatory requirements of hazardous waste management and emergency response will also be presented.

"Materials Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste"

Thursday, November 4, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

David Messier
Manager of Environment & Occupational Safety

Abstract

"Multilayered Thin Films for Device Applications Including Photo-Switchable Surface Wettability, and Photovoltaics"

Thursday, November 11, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

W. Grant McGimpsey
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Abstract

The self-assembly of mono- and multilayered thin films on metallic and non-metallic surfaces allows the fabrication of nanodevices for a wide variety of applications. Sequential deposition of organic ligands and metal ions on surfaces results in the formation of rugged, non-covalently stabilized multilayered films. Depending on the organic ligand, films can be engineered to possess conducting or semiconducting properties for nanoelectronic applications, photocurrent generating behavior for photovoltaic devices and switchable surface wettability for micro- and nano-manipulation of fluid motion. Examples of each application are discussed.

"Materials Engineering Challenges for the Society of "Tomorrow": Housing, Transportation, Health and Food Delivery Needs"

Thursday, November 18, 2004, 12:00 noon, Salisbury Labs 105

Presented by:

Diran Apelian
Director of the Metal Processing Institute

Abstract

The last century has marked fundamental transformations as agrarian societies gave way to an era of manufacturing and as manufacturing is transforming due to the information revolution. The passage of time is often mapped by how we communicate and how we do business. Historically, materials have played an immense role in societal transformations as evidenced by the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the age of Steel, etc. The importance of materials has perhaps never been as monumental as it is today, in an ever expanding global marketplace and a world in which there are increasingly more people, with increasingly greater needs. The world population has gone from 2.6 billion in 1950 to 6.4 billion in 2004, and is estimated to climb over 9 billion in 2050. Though at present much emphasis in the material forum is on nanotechnology and other functional materials (vis a vis structural materials), the world is in dire need for materials engineering solutions that address the basic needs of its inhabitants. The challenges for materials engineering from a societal perspective will be reviewed and discussed. Particular attention will be paid to issues concerning housing, transportation, health, food delivery and distribution, and the packaging needs for medicine and critical substances throughout the globe. Materials solutions ought to be impelled by the basic needs of society. By looking beyond the scope of high-end technology and in addressing today's evolved primary needs, we may uncover a deeper understanding of the future of materials engineering and the challenges of the coming era.

"Multiscale analysis and testing of MEMS and NEMS"

Thursday, December 2, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Cosme Furlong
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nanoelectromechanical Systems (NEMS) are key disciplines that are enabling the development of revolutionary products with unprecedented capabilities and that are having major impacts in every single discipline, the economy, and the society. It is estimated that there are two MEMS devices per person today in the U.S. and this number is expected to grow in the near future. As the capabilities of MEMS and NEMS become more widely recognized, however, it is also recognized that the biggest obstacle to growth of applications enabled by MEMS and NEMS technologies is the design-to-product cycle time, which depends on tightly coordinated application of multidisciplinary approaches involving design, analysis, fabrication, and testing tools. Effective development of MEMS and NEMS components requires the synergism of advanced computer-aided design (CAD), multi-physics computer-aided analysis and engineering (CAE), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and fabrication methodologies, materials science and technology, and also of effective quantitative testing methodologies for characterizing the performance, reliability, and integrity of MEMS and NEMS at the different levels of their electronic packaging. In this presentation, an integrated approach for the design, analysis, fabrication, and testing of MEMS and NEMS devices is discussed. The integration, having especial emphasis on analysis and testing, is expected to have significant effects in discovering and understanding of procedures for developing, enabling, and improving applications and performance of MEMS and NEMS. Research efforts created by such integration will lead to development of educational activities that are necessary to satisfy the increasing demand for professionals knowledgeable in these emerging technologies.

"Composite Palladium and Palladium-alloy Membranes for Hydrogen Separation and Membrane Reactor Applications"

Thursday, December 9, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Presented by:

Yi H. Ma
Professor of Chemical Engineering

Abstract

Strong interests in developing the global hydrogen economy for the 21st Century have generated considerable worldwide R&D effort in hydrogen production. A recent DOE report states "Membranes and separation technologies are key determinants of efficiency and economy for hydrogen production and use". Therefore, the development of membrane technologies for hydrogen separation is of great importance for achieving the hydrogen economy. One of the best ways to produce pure hydrogen is to use inorganic membranes for hydrogen separation and membrane reactor applications. The utilization of an integrated catalytic membrane reactor and membrane separator for pure hydrogen production requires membranes that have long-term chemical, thermal and mechanical stability at elevated temperatures and pressures, high hydrogen fluxes and high separation selectivity. Dense composite Pd and Pd/alloy membranes supported on porous metal substrates (e.g., Porous Stainless Steel (PSS)) are especially suited for these applications because of their good high temperature thermal and mechanical stability, high separation factors and thin Pd layers for better permeation fluxes and lower membrane cost. This presentation will provide an overview of the WPI's research activities on composite Pd and Pd-alloy membranes supported on porous stainless steel substrates for high temperature hydrogen separations and reactor applications. The WPI's patented technology of controlled in situ oxidation to produce an intermetallic diffusion barrier layer to minimize the intermetallic diffusion between elements in the substrate and the palladium layer, coupled with electroless plating of Pd, has been experimentally shown to be effective for synthesizing ultra thin (5 - 10 µm) Pd membranes with long term (thousands of hours) thermal stability (up to 575 C). The use of the synthesized membrane as a membrane reactor for methane steam reforming showed a five-fold increase of the conversion of methane to hydrogen in a conventional fixed bed reactor. SEM, EDS and XRD were used to investigate the effectiveness of the oxide layer as an intermetallic diffusion barrier layer and the Pd grain growth as a function of temperature was examined by HTXRD (High Temperature XRD). Permeation tests showed that the hydrogen permeation flux for WPI membranes has exceeded the near-term target set by US DOE. The presentation will be concluded with some perspectives on the future of supported dense metallic membranes for high temperature hydrogen separations and productions.

End of Series

Thursday, December 16, 2004, 12:00 noon, Washburn 323

Holiday party for attendees and presenters

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Last modified: Nov 02, 2005, 13:38 EST