Spring 2021 Archive
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A Comprehensive Review and Process simulation of Carbon Dioxide Separation From Natural Gas
Student: Abdilwahab Eidi Committee: Dr. Shuguang Deng & Dr. Bin Mu Abstract: The removal of CO2 from natural gas is called the sweetening process. The sweetening process is used to achieve the pipeline specification for CO2, which is <2% of volume in the natural gas. Absorption, membrane separation, and adsorption are three technology methods
April 21, 2021
A Review of the Effect of Excessive Pb on the Stability and Performance of Pb-halide Perovskite Solar Cells against Photo-induced Degradation
Student: Philip Asare Committee: Dr. Terry Alford Abstract: Perovskite solar cells have evolved significantly since their inception. However, stability is still a major concern. We fabricated devices using a glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MAPbI3/PCBM/Al device configuration. Devices fabricated using the Pb-acetate precursors showed an efficiency of 13%. This work reports the effect of adding excess lead to the
April 20, 2021
Analysis of a Generic Three-Stream Double-Bypass Adaptive Cycle Engine
Student: Christopher Handgis Committee: Dr. Werner Dahm Abstract: The objective of this project is to explore the performance benefits that a three-stream adaptive cycle engine (ACE) has over a low-bypass turbofan typically found on military fighter aircraft. Key features of an ACE are the variable area bypass injectors (VABIs) and the addition of a
November 19, 2021
Analysis of Skin Contact Measurement With Interfacial Thermocouple
Student: Tanmay Dhanote Committee: Dr. Konrad Rykaczewski Abstract: In the design of the electronic devices, thermal display, an artificial hand, haptic device, and wearable thermal system, understanding heat conduction in finger in contact with cooler or hotter objects is essential. In the most common experimental approach to study this process, a micro-thermocouple is placed
April 20, 2021
Application of Nonlinear IMC to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Student: Angel Valero Villavicencio Committee: Dr. Daniel Rivera & Dr. Arul Varman Abstract: Nonlinear feedback controllers can have advantages over linear ones (such as PID) but can be difficult to implement. Therefore, the goal of this project was to design and evaluate a Newton-Raphson based nonlinear Internal Model Control (IMC) feedback algorithm that could
April 21, 2021
Calculation of the Joint Muscular Torque Using Inverse Dynamics in a Knee Exoskeleton
Student: Sooraj Sivakumar Committee: Dr. Wenlong Zhang Abstract: In this Applied project, I present a mathematical model used to calculate the Joint Muscular Torque exerted by a human subject while using a knee exoskeleton. The calculation of the JMT can be used in the application of rehabilitative medicine where exoskeletons can be designed to
Comparing Combined Heat and Power with Conventional Forced Air/Grid in Residential Buildings
Student: Danielle Caron Committee: Dr. Ryan Milcarek Abstract: Combined heat and power (CHP) systems in residential settings are uncommon in the United States, but they provide many benefits in terms of energy and cost. When comparing a conventional furnace system to one with CHP in a residence located in Boston, MA, significant cost and
Continuous Multimaterial Printing Via Structural Beam Assisted Stereolithography
Student: Krishna Koparde Committee: Dr Xiangjia Li Abstract: Conventional manufacturing involves enormous waste materials and consumes a lot of energy and time. Additive Manufacturing provides a sustainable manufacturing environment with zero waste and possesses the ability to produce parts within minutes. The project focuses on analyzing structural beam-based 3D printing that allows continuous, ultra-fast and
Design and Control of Two-Segments Multi Degree-of-Freedom Soft Fabric Robotic Arm
Student: Xiong Bao Committee: Dr. Wenlong Zhang Abstract: Soft robots have shown the ability to interact with humans or abject in a complicated environment due to their shape-changing properties and high robustness, they have been widely used in manipulators, locomotion robots, and wearable products. As a prototype of Soft Poly Limb (SPL) which can
April 20, 2021
Design and Development of Lizard Inspired Tube Inspection (LTI) Robot
Student: Manoj Rudraboina Committee: Hamid Marvi Abstract: To perform routine condition monitoring to detect structural defects in pipelines of aging power plants and industries in the USA, a lizard inspired tube inspection (LTI) robot has been designed and developed. The LTI robot has been designed using friction based gripping technology in combination with 9 degrees
November 19, 2021
Design and Fabrication of a Lizard-inspired Tube Inspection Robot
Student: Ankit Das Committee: Dr. Hamid Marvi Abstract: Boiler tubes in power plants can be subjected to highly aggressive conditions including high operating temperatures and pressure. This can lead to structural damages to the tubes over the years. With a lack of accessibility to the damaged structures due to the unsafe and hazardous conditions,
April 20, 2021
Detection of Color Blindness using Anomaloscope
Student: Hari Prakash Veeravalli Prabu Committee: Dr. Nathan Newman Abstract: Detecting inherent color blindness has become the need of the hour, especially, when present in early ages. There is a concerning proportion of children who don’t learn about their color deficiencies until they become much older. Although there are existing techniques that could detect
Developing Tensile Testing Apparatus for Electrospun Hydrogel Scaffolds
Student: Lincoln Busselle Committee: Dr. Julianne Holloway & Dr. Matthew Green Abstract: Many tissues in the body consist of heterogenous properties that transition from one tissue to another. Musculoskeletal heterogenous tissues, such as the tendon-bone or muscle-tendon junction consist of gradients in fiber alignment, chemistry, and stiffness to dissipate mechanical loadings. Current procedures that
April 21, 2021
Dynamic Model to Forecast Energy Demand and Crop Yield for Greenhouses
Student: Muhammad Saqlain Haider Committee: Dr. Patrick Phelan Abstract: Efficient use of energy and its conservation is essential for greenhouse because they need a lot of energy even more than conventional agricultural systems. Optimization of energy is necessary to minimize its consumption per unit of crop yield. An efficient model is needed to predict
April 20, 2021
Enhanced Fracture Properties and Stochastic Interphase Characterization in Three-phase Nanocomposites
Student: Alek Pensky Committee: Dr. Masoud Yekani Fard Abstract: Two- and three-phase carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites are studied on multiple length scales to understand the effect of carbon nanotube particles on interphase properties and fracture performance. 3-phase samples containing CNT particles are subjected to mode-I fracture. GIC is improved by 23% over the
April 22, 2021
Experimental Research of Octopus’s Arm Movement
Student: Po-Ting Chen Committee: Dr. Hamidreza Marvi Abstract: Octopus arms have the infinite degrees of freedom, which is the goal for roboticists. In order to achieve to this goal, researching the function of their hydrostatic muscle structure is required. Hence, this work explores the functions of the major muscle groups presented in octopus’s arms
April 20, 2021
Exploring thermal conductivity of Nanodiamond-Acrylate nanocomposite using DLP 3D printing
Student: Kaustubh Alhad Joshi Committee: Dr. Qiong Nian Abstract: Nanocomposite (NC) resins have demonstrated its capability to improve properties of parts fabricated by Digital Light Processing (DLP) additive manufacturing (AM) thus fostering their end use application. Nanodiamond (ND) filled acrylate polymers have observed significant improvement in thermal conduction of the NC. However, studies on
Fabrication and Optimization of Nanofibers Incorporating ZIF8 Metal-Organic Framework and Zeolite-5A Particles Using Electrospinning Process
Student: Kunj Parmar Committee: Dr. Bin Mu & Dr. Kailong Jin Abstract: The electrospinning process is considered to produce fibers in the order of a few nanometers and are able to provide superior mechanical properties and functionalization flexibility over pure MOFs. Four types of polymer blends with suspended zeolite 5A or ZIF8 crystals were
Feasibility Study of Grid-Independency through Solar Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System For a Residential Home in Phoenix, Arizona
Student: Levi Siwek Committee: Dr. Patrick Phelan Abstract: The technological advancements in solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) have led to the potential for some residential homes to go completely off-grid with renewable energy. The attractive solar availability and competitive solar costs in places like Phoenix, Arizona are of particular interest,
Field Accelerated Stress Testing (FAST) of Glass/Glass and Glass/Backsheet Modules
Student: Shreya Reddy Committee: Dr. Govindasamy Tamizhmani Abstract: Four cell glass-glass (GG) and glass-polymer backsheet (GB) were evaluated by Field Accelerated Stress Testing (FAST) at Arizona. Ten modules comprised of EVA and POE encapsulants were placed outdoors with two different insulation conditions – no insulation and two-inch foam insulation. Temperatures of the modules were
April 21, 2021
Fliterating and reducing computation based car following control of a connected and autonomous vehicle platoon using CARLA Simulator
Student: Rohan Sharma Committee: Dr. Spring Berman Abstract: An autonomous vehicle works using a plethora of sensors for understanding the world around it. The data from these sensors not only measure different physical quantities. Merging the data for those physical quantities is a challenge. In addition to this, the uncertainty of the measurement related
November 19, 2021
Flowability Studies of Granular Materials
Student: Radhalakshmi Ramasubramanian Committee: Dr.Heather Emady, Dr. David Nielsen & Dr. Brent Nannenga Abstract: Granular materials are of great interest in today’s world due to their usage in several industries, starting from food production to pharmaceuticals. Hoppers, silos and bins are equipments that are designed to store/transport the granular materials. Hoppers, being the most
April 20, 2021
High-Fidelity Numerical Simulation of the Complex Ginzburg-Landau Equation
Student: Poorbayan Das Committee: Dr. Jeonglae Kim Abstract: The Complex Ginzburg-Landau equation is one of the most studied nonlinear equations in the physics community. It describes a vast variety of phenomena from nonlinear waves to second-order phase transitions, from superconductivity, super-fluidity, and Bose-Einstein condensation to liquid crystals and strings in field theory. The aim
Identification of Cancer-Causing Free Radicals: Examination using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Student: Dominic Anthony Vetrano Committee: Dr. Nathan Newman Abstract: While antioxidants in our body are our bodies defense against free radicals, the ingestion of even moderate quantities of foods containing free radicals has been linked to enhanced levels of cancer. The goal of this project is to determine if the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique
November 19, 2021
Investigating the Effect of Silver Oxide Layer on the Electrical and Optical Properties of a Perovskite-Based Structure/Device
Student: Priscilla Agyemang Committee: Dr. Terry Alford Abstract: Perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) have evolved as highly promising solar advancements in recent years because of their highly cost-effective manufacturing processes while demonstrating excellent performance. However, the commercialization of perovskite solar cells is hindered by the fact that they are highly unstable, and power conversion efficiency
April 21, 2021
Joint Neural Network Selection and Motion Planning with Temporal Specifications
Student: Anirudhudu Duddilla Committee: Dr. Zhe Xu Abstract: Existing Object Detection methods in autonomous driving are trained on the data sets that are biased towards good weather conditions which often fail in rare weather conditions. Specifically, we modeled the agent’s behavior as an uncertain Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP), a widely used model
November 30, 2021
Kinetics of p-xylene Sensing Response and Recovery of Au-ZnO Sensors
Student: Jose Edgardo Lopez Cazares Committee: Dr. Jerry Y. S. Lin Abstract: P-xylene is a volatile organic compound with relevant industrial applications mainly used as raw material in the polyesters industry. It is also known that safety precautions should be taken due to its inherent fire and toxicity hazards [1]. Effective safety management requires
April 20, 2021
Manufacture of 3D Printed Composite Structures via Multiphase Direct Ink Writing
Student: Mounika Kakarla Committee: Dr. Kenan Song Abstract: Although additive manufacturing is a rapid prototyping technology, the printing resolution for most commercial printers are limited to microscales, especially the lack of high-resolution structural control in the case of polymer/nanocomposites. This research study demonstrated the efficient technology for 3D printing nanocomposites using multiphase direct ink
November 19, 2021
Matrix Stiffness Regulates The Endothelial Cell Morphology
Student: Rufus Joe Benedict Nelapati Committee: Dr. Kuei-Chun Wang Abstract: The objective of this project is to study how substrate rigidity, a critical biophysical cue, modulates vascular endothelial cell (ECs) morphology. The ECM’s mechanical forces have been largely overlooked, according to the literatures it has been recently discovered to play a critical role in progression
April 21, 2021
Mechanical Performance of Additively Manufactured Stainless Steel under Corrosive & Non- Corrosive Environment
Student: Praveen Silori Committee: Dr. Bruno Azeredo Abstract: Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has grown up from its research stage to the fabrication of a wide range of commercial functional applications. Metal AM is now popular in industries to build and repair various components. This project focuses on pipeline failure that results in increased maintenance
Modeling Ethanol Fermentation for Design and Operational Optimization
Student: Raj Kumar Hariharan Committee: Dr. David Nielsen & Dr. Xuan Wang Abstract: The use of high-pressure vessels for ethanol fermentation is not widely renowned. Thus a basic understanding of the key design and operational aspects at a bioprocess level becomes necessary. It is proposed that a comprehensive bioprocess model will be designed using
Modeling Surface-Bulk Oxygen Diffusion in Zr, Pr, Gd-doped Ceria
Student: Bennett Mandal Committee: Dr. Christopher Muhich & Dr. Jay Oswald Abstract: Diffusion modeling of mixed metal oxide materials is investigated to create a computational method for determining anionic diffusivity. First principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations are performed to determine surface transition activation energy barriers to oxygen diffusion. These results are combined with
April 20, 2021
MXene Particle Synthesis and their Scalability
Student: Pruthvirajsinh Vala Committee: Dr. Kenan Song Abstract: The objective of the research is to synthesize MXene (Ti3AlC2) nanoparticles of a few microns in lateral dimension, without surface defects for microscale patterning. The in-situ HF (LiF + HCl) was used to perform chemical etching of the MAX (Ti3AlC2) phase. The anisotropic deposition of MXene
Nylon/Carbon Nano Fiber-Composites
Student: Benjamin Owusu Committee: Dr. Kenan Song (PhD) Abstract: Fiber-reinforced composite materials remain one of the fields of industrial material science areas that receive much attention. With an ongoing research effort to decrease weight while maintaining or increasing efficiency of high-performance materials and products in industries such as aerospace, naval, transportation, construction, missile, and
Ohmic and Schottky Contacts to Diamond
Student: Sarah Blythe Committee: Dr. Terry Alford Abstract: Metal-semiconductor contacts are an important component of many semiconductor devices. A metal-semiconductor contact is a component in which metal is directly in contact with a semiconductor. The two key types of metal-semiconductor contacts are Ohmic and Schottky contacts. In a transistor, an Ohmic contact makes up
April 21, 2021
Optimal Thermostat Programming for Time of Use and Demand Charges
Student: Michael Yaw Baah Wadieh Committee: Dr. Matthew M. Peet Abstract: This project seeks to utilize an optimization approach in programming HVAC thermostats, minimizing combined Time-of-Use and Demand charges for residential consumers. Energy storage capabilities of walls and surfaces in rooms are analyzed to investigate how best they impact electricity billing rates. In Arizona,
Optimization of Performance of Battery Thermal Management Using Phase Change Materials
Student: Aniketh Lolam Committee: Dr. Arunachala M. Kannan Abstract: The temperature control technology based on phase change material (PCM) demonstrates excellent performance in the field of battery thermal management system (BTMS). The present study aims at optimizing Li-ion BTMS using composite phase change materials (CPCM). The study involves making a CPCM from a combination
paKG MPs Potentiate Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases
Student: Tien Le Committee: Dr. Abhinav Acharya Abstract: Autoimmune diseases are inflammatory diseases where the immune systems attacks healthy tissue. The etiology of autoimmune diseases is still widely unknown, however, pro-inflammatory dendritic and T cells have been shown to be implicated in disease pathogenies. In a previous study, we generated alpha ketoglutarate polymer (paKG)
April 20, 2021
Polymer Nanocomposite Production and Processing: A Literature Review
Student: David Oney Committee: Dr. Matthew Green & Dr. Lenore Dai Abstract: Polymer nanocomposites have recently garnered significant interest in regards to polymer synthesis and industrial applications. This is due mainly to the unique characteristics that such composites can exhibit. A polymer nanocomposite is a material comprised of a polymer with nanoscopic filler materials
Preparation and Characterization of Leukocyte Membrane-Cloaked Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery
Student: Srushti Kolekar Committee: Dr. Kuei-Chun Wang Abstract: To develop polymeric nanoparticles camouflaged in the leukocyte cell membrane for targeted delivery of DNA and/or small RNAs to sites of vascular injury and atherosclerotic lesions. Polymeric cores with DNA oligos as payload by a modified double emulsion method with poly D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid were prepared
April 21, 2021
Prototyping a Mobile Industrial Kuka Arm Robot that is Controlled Using a Smartphone App
Student: Asjad Malik Committee: Dr. Sangram Redkar Abstract: Robots’ primary purpose is to assist humans in performing tasks, whether in the workplace or everyday household tasks. This project presents the development and prototyping of a smartphone-controlled industrial Kuka arm robot that also has a mobile platform. It serves as a demonstration of the use
April 20, 2021
Reducing Contact Resistance in p-doped Diamond Semiconductors
Student: Sathyajith Shankar Committee: Dr. Trevor Thornton Abstract: Diamond is an allotrope of carbon in which the atoms are arranged in a specific configuration of the cubic lattice, called the diamond lattice. Though diamond is considered to be an insulator, they can also be considered as wide bandgap semiconductors (Eg = 5.47 eV) and
April 23, 2021
Role of Basilisk Lizard’s Toe Fringes in Effective Water Running
Student: Daniel Stockwell Committee: Dr. Hamid Marvi Abstract: The basilisk lizard’s toe fringes were studied to understand their impact on the animal’s ability to run across water. The study’s primary focus was on how adhering the toe fringes together effected the forces exerted on the water and the kinematics of the animal. The toe
April 20, 2021
Simulation of Ice Environments for Robotic Applications
Student: Dallas Wells Committee: Dr. Hamidreza Marvi Abstract: The use of simulations allows for reduction in cost and the ability to remotely gain experimental test data. Ice as a material is difficult to simulate due to strong non-linear properties that can vary with temperature and fracturing can cause singularities resulting in simulation failure. In
November 19, 2021
Temperature-dependent analysis of spectrally selective emitter for thermophotovoltaic system
Student: Cheng-An Chen Committee: Liping Wang Abstract: This work investigated the detailed theoretical analysis for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) with the spectrally selective emitter at high temperatures. The thick film and the thin film emitter have the Ge or Si layer between the top and bottom silver layer. The thin film emitters show a high peak
The Use of the Plasma Resonance in InSb to Potentially Detect Axions, a Likely Dark Matter Candidate
Student: Shamika Sanjaykumar Dolas Committee: Dr. Nathan Newman Abstract: The approach is to project an overview of the theoretical and experimental investigation of the properties of carrier concentrations in selected semiconductors suitable for axion detection in materials. We have performed experiments at low temperatures and high magnetic fields to obtain the general traits of the
April 20, 2021
Thermogalvanic Ceiling Tile Prototype
Student: Gokul Nath Sivakumar Committee: Dr. Patrick Phelan Abstract: The presence of huge amounts of low-grade waste heat and the fact that no product is commercially available to make use of this low-grade waste heat in commercial buildings, makes this an appreciable research topic. In every commercial building with ceiling tiles, there exists a
April 21, 2021
Understanding and Engineering the Function of SUL1 Transporters in S. Cerevisiae
Student: Rakshith Chandra Subhashchandra Committee: Dr. David Nielsen & Dr. Brent Nannenga Abstract: Sul1 and Sul 2 are key sulfate transporters in S. Cerevisiae which belong to the SLC26/SULP family. The SLC26/SULP family are one of the widely researched anion transporters and the previous research on Sul1 and Sul2 homologues served as the foundation
April 20, 2021
Vibration Analysis of 3D Printed Clamped-Clamped Beams
Student: Lucas Petersen Committee: Dr. Marc Mignolet Abstract: The objective of this research was to investigate the suitability of using single-piece 3D-printed specimens to simulate a clamped-clamped beam. Enforcing a clamped-clamped condition using fasteners and other components can be challenging and inaccurate. It was hypothesized that a beam specimen with “blocks” at the ends
April 21, 2021
Vision-Based Collision Avoidance using LSTM Motion Model
Student: Mitul Magu Committee: Dr. Yezhou Yang Abstract: This work presents a centralized approach for collision avoidance among a set of mobile robots that are moving towards their respective goals in a shared space. An encoder-decoder LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) based trajectory prediction model is implemented to recognize and prevent a future collision from
April 20, 2021
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