As demonstrated by efforts in graphene commercialization, scalable synthesis and high-quality material availability are primary limiting factors for the realization of technologies based on two-dimensional (2D) materials. Thus, in considering the fate of emergent 2D materials such as the metal chalcogenides, the challenge of scalable synthesis is a highly relevant...
Self-assembly of colloidal particles at the nano- and microscale has been a powerful tool for producing structures with emergent properties in applications ranging from electro-mechanical systems to photonics and biomedical devices. Great success has been achieved in experiments, where a variety of exotic phases have been discovered and even reconfigurable...
Recent advances in high-performance computing have resulted in massive databases of materials properties calculated with techniques such as ab initio density functional theory. In fact, some of the largest of such databases have calculations of nearly all distinct, ordered, experimentally-reported compounds. This thesis discusses the application of data in one...
The high-temperature oxidation/reduction behaviors of iron and its oxides are important to a variety of energy conversion and storage technologies, such as the solid-oxide iron-air battery and chemical looping combustion. The useful lifetime of iron redox materials is limited, however, by structural degradation arising from (i) sintering, accelerated by phase...
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...
As conventional electronic materials approach the device scaling limits, new types of materials and structures have been examined for potential use in future electronic and optoelectronic applications including transistors, light emitting diodes, and solar cells. In recent years, atomically thin or two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials have emerged...
The commercial success of personal computing has led to the rapid creation and proliferation of diverse electronic systems including desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile devices, and embedded systems. For the past five decades, silicon has served as the base material for computing electronics. However, with increasing demand for unconventional electronics (e.g.,...
The complex structure of typical heterogeneous catalysts, where nanoparticles of active material are dispersed onto the surface of a thermally stable support with a high surface area, complicates the understanding of how the support can affect the resulting catalyst structure and properties. Using well-faceted and shape-controlled oxides as supports would...
Early-stage oxidation and corrosion mechanisms of CoCrMo and NiCrMo alloys can be analyzed on the nanoscale by transmission electron microscopy. Both alloys are attractive for a broad array of applications such gas turbines and aircraft engine components as they are known for their excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties at...
Low-dimensional materials have emerged as a promising platform for ultrathin electronic and optoelectronic devices. The span of electronic properties covers the spectrum from metallic through small and medium bandgap semiconductors to large bandgap insulators, providing all the necessary components to fabricate a variety of devices. Compared to bulk-semiconductor based devices,...