Localized corrosion involves the selective attack of a metal at a small, exposed site. This can be particularly devastating for load-bearing structures like bridges, which can fail catastrophically even with very little material loss. Unfortunately, such corrosion is very hard to prevent, predict, and detect. Corrosion can be prevented by...
Solid acid fuel cells confer unique advantages over nearby technologies, such as polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) or solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), due to the solid acid electrolyte – a solid-state, anhydrous, intermediate-temperature proton conductor.Despite these encouraging unique properties, solid acid fuel cells have performed unfavorably in comparison...
In the face of a changing climate caused by anthropomorphic release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, major governments have committed to the reduction of CO2 and other emissions over time, requiring increased reliance on forms of carbon-free renewable energy. The inherent intermittency of renewable electricity sources creates a...
Wireless power strategies are critical to system level implementation of bio-integrated devices. To achieve mechanically robust, manufacturable systems, batteries are often integrated as an on-board power source to support sensing, wireless communication and signal conditioning. Unfortunately, most sources of battery power use hazardous and environmentally harmful materials, which frustrate incorporation...
The study of magnetic frustration has attracted considerable interest in the fields of materials science and condensed matter physics. Artificial Spin Ices (ASIs) are the primary systems in which magnetic frustration has been studied. To date, most studies on ASIs have been on fully periodic systems. In this thesis, we...
Solid oxide fuel and electrolysis cells (SOFCs and SOECs) must be engineered with the entire lifetime of their performance in mind. Electrochemical activity will decrease as degradative processes take effect, leading to higher overpotentials and decreased power outputs. Materials science and engineering can stave off these inefficiencies through an understanding...
Plasmonic metasurfaces are leading the development of next-generation optical devices with unprecedented compactness and functionality. In contrast to bulk refractive optics, these planar surfaces manipulate light with rationally designed subwavelength building blocks. This thesis focus on how emerging materials and design methods advance the eld of metasurfaces. Chapter 1 reviews...
Conventionally cross-linked polymers, which comprise the vast majority of commercial thermosets, cannot be decross-linked after curing or flow upon heating. Therefore, they cannot be effectively recycled into high-value products at end-of-life. Their lack of recyclability is due to the permanent cross-links, which restrict the flow of the chains in the...
The relationship between the structure and function of proteins is a fundamental problem in biology with implications for the future of biotechnology and global health. For example, changes to the structure of a coronavirus spike protein led to a global pandemic where our best defenses were vaccines that could only...
The effect of Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) on concrete mechanical behavior and the multi-physics considerations that come along are highly complex. Hydration and other chemical reactions occur at the micrometer scale. Hygro-thermal phenomena and concrete cracks due to ASR are typically studied at the meso-scale, i.e. at the aggregate level. At...