Research Lightning Talks: Research Lightning Talks I
Sponsored by: ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors
Program Organizers: Victoria Christensen, University of California Santa Barbara; Michael Walden, Colorado School of Mines; Erin Louise Valenzuela, University of Birmingham; Katelyn Kirchner, Pennsylvania State University; Andrew Ericks, University of California Santa Barbara
Monday 2:00 PM
October 18, 2021
Room: B142/143
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center
Session Chair: Tess Marconie, Purdue University; Averyonna Kimery, Purdue University
2:00 PM Introductory Comments
2:10 PM
Will Low-cost Ceramic Water Filters Really Work?: Ian Nettleship1; 1University of Pittsburgh
Waterborne diarrheal diseases continue to kill over 500,000 children under five every year. Simple and effective low-cost ceramic water filters have been specifically designed to be made in marginalized communities from locally sourced materials. Unfortunately, after more than two decades this technology has not scaled to the magnitude of the need. This presentation will suggest how the ceramics community could help.
2:15 PM
Refractories for the Food Industry: Ryan Hershey1; 1Allied Mineral Products, Inc.
Either hidden from sight in the kitchen or in plain view producing rapidly cooked pizza, precast shaped refractories are taking an increasing role in quickly cooking food items in restaurants across the country. These applications require uniquely cast shapes as well as special material properties. Details of these refractories will be discussed.
2:20 PM
Using Unsupervised Learning to Understand Thin Film Growth: Kimberly Gliebe1; Alp Sehirlioglu1; 1Case Western Reserve University
Thin films have a variety of novel applications because of unique dimensional affects as well as their ability to fit in confined spaces such as on-chip devices. A common method to make thin films is pulsed laser deposition, which has a monitoring technique called reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). RHEED is an extremely powerful tool, but it can be difficult to interpret; therefore, unsupervised learning techniques can be utilized to understand the most important features from their data as well as to separate out noise. These techniques will enable a greater understanding of the growth process so that it is easier to grow more novel films. Additionally, unsupervised learning can be applied to other tools such as transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction.
2:25 PM
Direct Ink Writing with Highly Loaded Aqueous Silicon Carbide Suspensions: Tess Marconie1; Kyle Cox1; Jeffrey Youngblood1; Rodney Trice1; 1Purdue University
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a material of interest for many applications due to its good mechanical properties, oxidation resistance, and high thermal conductivity. Colloidal processing and pressureless sintering can enable forming of complex shaped, dense SiC parts. Direct ink writing (DIW) is a colloidal processing technique where ceramic suspensions are extruded through a nozzle along a path, building up a part layer-by-layer. Ceramic suspensions appropriate for DIW must exhibit shear thinning behavior for extrusion, have a yield stress to retain their shape after extrusion, and have a high particle loading to reduce drying defects. In this work, highly loaded (>50% by volume) aqueous SiC suspensions are developed using small amounts (<5% by volume) of polyethylenimine and polyvinylpyrrolidone additives. The effect of particle loading and polyvinylpyrrolidone amount on the rheological properties and print quality are determined. Density, microstructure, and mechanical properties of direct ink written, pressurelessly sintered SiC will be presented.
2:30 PM
Germanium Photodiodes for Capture of High Energy X-rays: Joseph Wood1; Klaus van Benthem1; Charles Hunt1; 1University of California, Davis
Despite recent advances in many alternative energy fields, fusion energy remains the veritable holy grail of cheap stable clean energy. The primary goal of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is to achieve stable fusion. While fusion has been achieved, significant optimization and improvements still need to be made. In order to improve operating parameters, a complete understanding of what occurs within the reactor and within the hohlraum is necessary. Due to the forces and time scales involved, current detectors are insufficient at fully capturing the fusion events. To address this, we seek to develop photodiode detectors composed of germanium. Compared to silicon, germanium offers superior x-ray stopping power and superior charge carrier mobilities, allowing for thinner and faster diodes. In our work we develop a model of the etching behavior of germanium, both doped and undoped, and then establish a compatible fabrication procedure.
2:35 PM
Joining of Silicon Carbide for High-temperature Applications: Olivia Brandt1; Rodrigo Orta Guerra1; Rodney Trice1; Jeffrey Youngblood1; 1Purdue University
Silicon carbide (SiC) is an engineering ceramic that is useful for high-temperature applications due to its corrosion resistance and strength retention at elevated temperatures. Often the components needed for high-temperature applications are complex and difficult to manufacture. To decrease production costs these complex parts are often created by joining simpler geometries together. For joining to be considered, the joints must have mechanical strength that is comparable to the bulk material and must be able to retain their structural integrity at elevated temperatures. Joints often fail due to residual stresses that arise during the processing of joints. This talk will focus on ways in which residual stresses can be minimized by controlling processing parameters and methods of joining that are conducive for high-temperature applications.
2:40 PM
Mechanical behavior of bonded-PDMS for biological payloads in microgravity: Annaliza Perez-Torres1; 1Space Tango
On Earth, the development of microfluidic or Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) technology has been of particular interest in the miniaturization of biological and chemical problems. Microfluidic systems are advantageous over macroscale counterparts due to their efficient automation, low cost, easy integration, and lower mass. These advantages allow microfluidics in components for spaceflight purposes by manipulating the flow of minuscule volumes of liquids through carefully arranged microscale channels. However, microfluidic systems must be characterized on Earth’s conditions first before perfecting microfluidics in space applications. A common material used for microfluidic devices is Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). PDMS is cost-effective, biocompatible, permeable, and easily replicates nanostructures. However, some disadvantages of using PDMS are the absorption of molecules aggravated in favorable pH, swelling on many solvents leading to unwanted channel deformations, and its inherent hydrophobic nature 1. Although the advantages outweigh the shortcomings of PDMS, careful mitigation strategies must be explored to create an efficient PDMS-based microfluidics system and enhance its durability as a mechanical backbone. The objectives of this project are: (i) evaluate bonding or crosslinking of substrates with PDMS; (ii) develop an appropriate method for bonding and crosslinking of PDMS substrates; (iii) characterize the effects of bonding and crosslinking on the mechanical behavior of the PDMS films using microindentation. We propose investigating bonded PDMS's structural integrity with substrates such as untreated glass, metal, thermoplastics, and coatings. The anticipated results will help tailor and understand the mechanical behavior of bonded PDMS to create an efficient microfluidic system and control its structural integrity. We aim to prolong microfluidics systems' life cycle to tackle precise experimental conditions in microgravity.
2:45 PM
Perfecting Steel Processing in the 21st Century: Alyssa Stubbers1; Thomas Balk1; 1University of Kentucky
Continuous casting methods for steel production have remained largely unchanged since their inception in 1858, and many of the problems associated with this method have persisted until present day. University of Kentucky is working with steel companies to understand and characterize these difficulties for application in a new state-of-the-art continuous casting line. Increased casting speeds, casting thicknesses, and modified bending and unbending regions pose new quality and safety concerns related to cracking and breakouts. But how do we understand what exactly is happening to the steel during the casting? A Gleeble 3500 Thermomechanical Simulator provides the ability to answer these questions with in depth casting simulations and hot ductility tests.
2:50 PM
Superalloy Development for Specific Applications: A Low CTE Alloy: Thomas Mann1; 1Purdue University
Nickel-based superalloys are vital in numerous roles in industry. Their unique combinations of properties allow them to excel in highly demanding environments where other materials would fail. It is not one exceptional property, but a combination of high-temperature strength, toughness, and oxidation and corrosion resistance that makes this class of alloys unique. Recent alloy development has focused on tailoring specific properties for certain applications. An example of an emerging alloy is Haynes® 244®, a high strength, high temperature alloy with a very low coefficient of thermal expansion for use in applications with very specific dimensional tolerances such as gas turbine rings and seals. This alloy is strengthened through a novel intermetallic phase not found in other superalloys. However, the deformation mechanisms of this alloy are not well understood, and the presented research aims to elucidate the nature of dislocation motion in this alloy.