An All-Passive and Macropatterned Architecture Design for Water Harvesting.

Solar evaporation designs show great promise in water harvesting without electricity inputs. Unfortunately, they have been heavily limited by a low water yield. To overcome this challenge, we introduced a new architecture featuring both system-level and materials-level designs.

Dual-Interface-Reinforced Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells for Enhanced Performance and Mechanical Reliability.

Two key interfaces in flexible perovskite solar cells (f-PSCs) are mechanically reinforced simultaneously: one between the electron-transport layer (ETL) and the 3D metal-halide perovskite (MHP) thin film using self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and the other between the 3D-MHP thin film and the hole-transport layer (HTL) using an in situ grown low-dimensional (LD) MHP capping layer. The interfacial mechanical properties are measured and modeled. This rational interface engineering results in the enhancement of not only the mechanical properties of both interfaces but also their optoelectronic properties holistically.

Knowledge extraction and transfer in data-driven fracture mechanics.

Data-driven approaches promise to usher in a new phase of development in fracture mechanics, but very little is currently known about how data-driven knowledge extraction and transfer can be accomplished in this field. As in many other fields, data scarcity presents a major challenge for knowledge extraction, and knowledge transfer among different fracture problems remains largely unexplored. Here, a data-driven framework for knowledge extraction with rigorous metrics for accuracy assessments is proposed and demonstrated through a nontrivial linear elastic fracture mechanics problem encountered in small-scale toughness measurements.

Redox-couple investigations in Si-doped Li-rich cathode materials.

In this investigation, the improved electrochemical behavior in Si-doped Li-rich cathodes is studied with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Z-contrast images show a layered structure that develops a thin, spinel-like surface layer after the first charge cycle. Si-doping increases discharge capacity by ∼25% and appears to retard the surface phase transformation.

Stress Bearing Mechanism of Reduced Graphene Oxide in Silicon-Based Composite Anodes for Lithium Ion Batteries.

Despite the significant research that has been carried out to improve cycling performance of lithium ion batteries (LIB) with silicon (Si) based composite electrodes, limited studies have been performed on these materials to evaluate the effects of internal microstructural changes and stress evolution on the electrochemical performance. Here, combined ex situ and in situ investigations on the accommodation of volume expansion in Si-based nanocomposite electrodes are reported. This work emphasizes the importance of conductive agents in light of the poor electronic conductivity of Si.

Anisotropic chemical strain in cubic ceria due to oxygen-vacancy-induced elastic dipoles.

Accurate characterization of chemical strain is required to study a broad range of chemical-mechanical coupling phenomena. One of the most studied mechano-chemically active oxides, nonstoichiometric ceria (CeO2-δ), has only been described by a scalar chemical strain assuming isotropic deformation. However, combined density functional theory (DFT) calculations and elastic dipole tensor theory reveal that both the short-range bond distortions surrounding an oxygen-vacancy and the long-range chemical strain are anisotropic in cubic CeO2-δ.

Strain-Induced Lithium Losses in the Solid Electrolyte Interphase on Silicon Electrodes.

The chemical and mechanical stability of SEI layers are particularly important for high capacity anode materials such as silicon, which undergoes large volume changes (∼300%) during cycling. In this work, we present a novel approach for applying controlled strains to SEI films with patterned Si electrodes to systematically investigate the impact of large volume changes on SEI formation and evolution. Comparisons between patterned silicon islands and continuous silicon thin films make it possible to correlate the irreversible capacity losses due to expansion and contraction of underlying silicon.

Role of grain size on redox induced compositional stresses in Pr doped ceria thin films.

In constrained geometries and in varying oxygen partial pressures and operating temperatures, exchange of oxygen ions between non-stoichiometric oxide thin films (for example, doped and undoped ceria systems) and the gas phase can lead to stresses. In this study, these compositional stresses were investigated in thin films of nanocrystalline 10% praseodymium doped ceria (PCO), as a function of average grain size. In situ wafer curvature measurements, along with High Temperature X-Ray Diffraction (HTXRD), were employed to measure stresses and strains, respectively on the PCO films during oxidation-reduction cycling, over the pO range of 10-10 atm at 750 °C.

Ab initio diffuse-interface model for lithiated electrode interface evolution.

The study of chemical segregation at interfaces, and in particular the ability to predict the thickness of segregated layers via analytical expressions or computational modeling, is a fundamentally challenging topic in the design of novel heterostructured materials. This issue is particularly relevant for the phase-field (PF) methodology, which has become a prominent tool for describing phase transitions. These models rely on phenomenological parameters that pertain to the interfacial energy and thickness, quantities that cannot be experimentally measured.

Synergetic Effects of Inorganic Components in Solid Electrolyte Interphase on High Cycle Efficiency of Lithium Ion Batteries.

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), a passivation layer formed on electrodes, is critical to battery performance and durability. The inorganic components in SEI, including lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) and lithium fluoride (LiF), provide both mechanical and chemical protection, meanwhile control lithium ion transport. Although both Li2CO3 and LiF have relatively low ionic conductivity, we found, surprisingly, that the contact between Li2CO3 and LiF can promote space charge accumulation along their interfaces, which generates a higher ionic carrier concentration and significantly improves lithium ion transport and reduces electron leakage.

In situ atomic force microscopy study of initial solid electrolyte interphase formation on silicon electrodes for Li-ion batteries.

Precise in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to monitor the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on Si electrodes. The stability of these passivation films on negative electrodes is critically important in rechargeable Li-ion batteries, and high capacity materials such as Si present substantial challenges because of the large volume changes that occur with Li insertion and removal. The results reported here show that the initial rapid SEI formation can be stabilized before significant Li insertion into the Si begins and that the rate at which this occurs varies significantly with the nature of the surface.

Improved spatial resolution and lower-dose pediatric CT imaging: a feasibility study to evaluate narrowing the X-ray photon energy spectrum.

This feasibility study has shown that improved spatial resolution and reduced radiation dose can be achieved in pediatric CT by narrowing the X-ray photon energy spectrum. This is done by placing a hafnium filter between the X-ray generator and a pediatric abdominal phantom. A CT system manufactured in 1999 that was in the process of being remanufactured was used as the platform for this study.

Li segregation induces structure and strength changes at the amorphous Si/Cu interface.

The study of interfacial properties, especially of their change upon lithiation, is a fundamentally significant and challenging topic in designing heterogeneous nanostructured electrodes for lithium ion batteries. This issue becomes more intriguing for Si electrodes, whose ultrahigh capacity is accompanied by large volume expansion and mechanical stress, threatening with delamination of silicon from the metal current collector and failure of the electrode. Instead of inferring interfacial properties from experiments, in this work, we have combined density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) measurements of the lithium depth profile, to study the effect of lithiation on the a-Si/Cu interface.

Space charge induced surface stresses: implications in ceria and other ionic solids.

Volume changes associated with point defects in space charge layers can produce strains that substantially alter thermodynamic equilibrium near surfaces in ionic solids. For example, near-surface compressive stresses exceeding -10 GPa are predicted for ceria. The magnitude of this effect is consistent with anomalous lattice parameter increases that occur in ceria nanoparticles.

Understanding osteoblast responses to stiff nanotopographies through experiments and computational simulations.

An increasing number of studies have demonstrated the positive role nanotopographies can have toward promoting various cell functions. However, the relevant mechanism(s) behind this improvement in biological interactions at the cell-material interface is not well understood. For this reason, here, osteoblast (bone forming cell) functions (including adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation) on two carefully-fabricated diamond films with dramatically-different topographies were tested and modeled.

Farm-scale evaluation of ozonation for mitigating ammonia concentrations in broiler houses.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of in-house ozonation within the public health standard limit (0.1 parts per million [ppm]) for mitigating ammonia (NH3) concentrations inside commercial broiler houses. The project was conducted in four identical tunnel-ventilated houses.

Tailoring nanocrystalline diamond coated on titanium for osteoblast adhesion.

Diamond coatings with superior chemical stability, antiwear, and cytocompatibility properties have been considered for lengthening the lifetime of metallic orthopedic implants for over a decade. In this study, an attempt to tailor the surface properties of diamond films on titanium to promote osteoblast (bone forming cell) adhesion was reported. The surface properties investigated here included the size of diamond surface features, topography, wettability, and surface chemistry, all of which were controlled during microwave plasma enhanced chemical-vapor-deposition (MPCVD) processes using CH4-Ar-H2 gas mixtures.

The impact of diamond nanocrystallinity on osteoblast functions.

Nanocrystalline diamond has been proposed as an anti-abrasive film on orthopedic implants. In this study, osteoblast (bone forming cells) functions including adhesion (up to 4h), proliferation (up to 5 days) and differentiation (up to 21 days) on different diamond film topographies were systematically investigated. In order to exclude interferences from changes in surface chemistry and wettability (energy), diamond films with nanometer and micron scale topographies were fabricated through microwave plasma enhanced chemical-vapor-deposition and hydrogen plasma treatment.

Orthopedic nano diamond coatings: control of surface properties and their impact on osteoblast adhesion and proliferation.

The superior mechanical and tribological properties of diamond coatings suggest their promise for improving current orthopedic implants. Therefore, understanding and controlling biological responses on diamond coatings are important and necessary for their advancement in orthopedics. For this reason, the objective of the present study was to correlate surface properties of diamond coatings with osteoblast (OB) adhesion and proliferation.

Kinetic model of stress evolution during coalescence and growth of polycrystalline thin films.

We outline a simple continuum model of the stresses that result from the coalescence and growth of islands during deposition of a polycrystalline thin film. Our model includes a detailed description of attractive forces between neighboring islands, and also accounts for mass transport along surfaces and grain boundaries. The finite element method is used to calculate the island shape changes as well as the stresses and displacements in the film during the growth process.

Metal oxide coated cell culture arrays for rapid biological screening.

The biointerface of metallic alloy implants is a spontaneously formed metal oxide layer. This study presents a novel method for creating titanium oxide xerogel coated microplates for high-throughput biological screening that overcomes several limitations of using bulk metal samples to study oxides. Metal-organic precursors were used to evaluate the influence of Al, V, Ca, and P doped smooth and textured titanium oxide xerogel coatings on the bioresponse of human fibroblasts to increase understanding of the soft tissue sealing around transepithelial devices.

Identifying the components in eggshell membrane responsible for reducing the heat resistance of bacterial pathogens.

The biological activity (D-value determination) of eggshell membrane (ESM) was examined to determine the membrane components and mechanisms responsible for antibacterial activity. Biological and enzymatic activities (i.e.