The kinetics of nanoscale Cu-rich precipitates of multicomponent concentrated steels has been investigated utilizing primarily APT and supplemented with a synchrotron radiation experiment, first-principles calculations, Thermo-Calc study, and CTEM (at the longest aging time). Results on mechanical properties and microstructure at a greater length scale are also presented. The studied...
The neurotropic alphaherpesviruses infect and spread trans-synaptically within the vertebrate nervous system. Recurrent diseases are often manifested at the periphery of the host organism but occasional dissemination of the virus to the brain results in fatal encephalitis. Interactions between viral and host cellular proteins are integral to the success of...
This dissertation combines critical ethnography, critical performance and historical analysis to examine three Trinidadian dance companies - Malick Folk Performing Company, Shiv Shakti Dance Company, and Noble Douglas Dance Company Inc. - asking how each choreographs Trinidadian discourses of race/ethnicity, class and national belonging through its own uniquely crafted embodied...
The addition of nanoparticles into polymer materials has been observed to dramatically change the mechanical, thermal, electrical, and diffusion properties of the host polymers, promising a novel class of polymer matrix composite materials with superior properties and added functionalities that are ideal candidates in many applications, including aerospace, automobile, medical...
The work presented in this dissertation focuses on ceramic anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The primary goal was to characterize the anode and relate the electrochemical behavior to the microstructure. The anode that was most extensively studied in this work was a composite of Gd0.10Ce0.90O1.95 (GDC) and...
Two experimental methods have been developed to induce flexural waves in concrete piles for which a portion of the shaft is accessible, and the test results were compared to theoretical solutions of flexural guided wave propagation. The pile response is measured and the results are analyzed to compute the group...
The important application for the infrared photodetectors is mainly thermal imaging by focal plane arrays (FPAs) for military and commercial purposes. So far, most mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) FPAs are based either on HgCdTe (MCT) or quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). Even though those technologies are well...
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a well-developed technique for growing thin films of a wide variety of materials, which relies on the development of new and better performing metal-organic precursors. To this end, three studies have been conducted into the compatibility of sulfur and phosphine containing ligands with low- and...
This thesis summarizes our research efforts on the application of the nano-structured anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane in heterogeneous catalysis. Procedures for growing the AAO membrane in the center of an aluminum disc have been developed by appropriately masking the disk's perimeter during the anodization and etching steps. The remaining...
Metallic nanostructures are able to confine and manipulate electromagnetic fields because light can couple to free electron oscillations called surface plasmons (SPs). These plasmons exist on metal surfaces as localized (short-range) or as propagating (long-range) modes depending upon the size and geometry of the nanostructure. This dichotomy is primarily an...