Ultrafast Pulsed-Laser Applications for Semiconductor Thin Film Deposition and Graphite Photoexfoliation.

This thesis focuses on the application of ultrafast lasers in nanomaterial synthesis. Two techniques are investigated: Ultrafast Pulsed Laser Deposition (UFPLD) of semiconductor nanoparticle thin films and ultrafast laser scanning for the photoexfoliation of graphite to synthesize graphene. The importance of the work is its demonstration that the process of making nanoparticles with ultrafast lasers is extremely versatile and can be applied to practically any material and substrate. Moreover, the process is scalable to large areas: by scanning the laser with appropriate optics it is possible to coat square meters of materials (e.g., battery electrodes) quickly and inexpensively with nanoparticles. With UFPLD we have shown there is a nanoparticle size dependence on the laser fluence and the optical emission spectrum of the plume can be used to determine a fluence that favors smaller nanoparticles, in the range of 10-20 nm diameter and 3-5 nm in height. We have also demonstrated there are two structural types of particles: amorphous and crystalline, as verified with XRD and Raman spectroscopy. When deposited as a coating, the nanoparticles can behave as a quasi-continuous thin film with very promising carrier mobilities, 5-52 cm2/Vs, substantially higher than for other spray-coated thin film technologies and orders of magnitude larger than those of colloidal quantum dot (QD) films. Scanning an ultrafast laser over the surface of graphite was shown to produce both filamentary structures and sheets which are semi-transparent to the secondary-electron beam in SEM. These sheets resemble layers of graphene produced by exfoliation. An ultrafast laser “printing” configuration was also identified by coating a thin, transparent substrate with graphite particles and irradiating the back of the film for a forward transfer of material onto a receiving substrate. A promising application of laser-irradiated graphene coatings was investigated, namely to improve the charge acceptance of lead-acid battery electrodes. We demonstrated improvements of 63 % in the cycle lifetime and 23 % in the electrode charging conductance.PHDApplied PhysicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120790/1/ioraiqat_1.pd

Creating the Future: Research and Technology

With the many different technical talents, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) continues to be an important force behind many scientific breakthroughs. The MSFC's annual report reviews the technology developments, research in space and microgravity sciences, studies in space system concepts, and technology transfer. The technology development programs include development in: (1) space propulsion and fluid management, (2) structures and dynamics, (3) materials and processes and (4) avionics and optics

Summaries of FY 1997 Research in the Chemical Sciences

The objective of this program is to expand, through support of basic research, knowledge of various areas of chemistry, physics and chemical engineering with a goal of contributing to new or improved processes for developing and using domestic energy resources in an efficient and environmentally sound manner. Each team of the Division of Chemical Sciences, Fundamental Interactions and Molecular Processes, is divided into programs that cover the various disciplines. Disciplinary areas where research is supported include atomic, molecular, and optical physics; physical, inorganic, and organic chemistry; chemical energy, chemical physics; photochemistry; radiation chemistry; analytical chemistry; separations science; heavy element chemistry; chemical engineering sciences; and advanced battery research. However, traditional disciplinary boundaries should not be considered barriers, and multi-disciplinary efforts are encouraged. In addition, the program supports several major scientific user facilities. The following summaries describe the programs

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center technical publications announced in 1987

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific and engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1987. All the publications were announced in the 1987 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses

Commonwealth of Independent States aerospace science and technology, 1992: A bibliography with indexes

This bibliography contains 1237 annotated references to reports and journal articles of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) intellectual origin entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during 1992. Representative subject areas include the following: aeronautics, astronautics, chemistry and materials, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, physics, social sciences, and space sciences

Hydrodynamics

The phenomena related to the flow of fluids are generally complex, and difficult to quantify. New approaches - considering points of view still not explored - may introduce useful tools in the study of Hydrodynamics and the related transport phenomena. The details of the flows and the properties of the fluids must be considered on a very small scale perspective. Consequently, new concepts and tools are generated to better describe the fluids and their properties. This volume presents conclusions about advanced topics of calculated and observed flows. It contains eighteen chapters, organized in five sections: 1) Mathematical Models in Fluid Mechanics, 2) Biological Applications and Biohydrodynamics, 3) Detailed Experimental Analyses of Fluids and Flows, 4) Radiation-, Electro-, Magnetohydrodynamics, and Magnetorheology, 5) Special Topics on Simulations and Experimental Data. These chapters present new points of view about methods and tools used in Hydrodynamics

Micro/Nano Manufacturing

Micro- and nano-scale manufacturing has been the subject of ever more research and industrial focus over the past 10 years. Traditional lithography-based technology forms the basis of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing, but also precision manufacturing technologies have been developed to cover micro-scale dimensions and accuracies. Furthermore, these fundamentally different technology platforms are currently combined in order to exploit the strengths of both platforms. One example is the use of lithography-based technologies to establish nanostructures that are subsequently transferred to 3D geometries via injection molding. Manufacturing processes at the micro-scale are the key-enabling technologies to bridge the gap between the nano- and the macro-worlds to increase the accuracy of micro/nano-precision production technologies, and to integrate different dimensional scales in mass-manufacturing processes. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on novel methodological developments in micro- and nano-scale manufacturing, i.e., on novel process chains including process optimization, quality assurance approaches and metrology