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At least 127 records · Page 7

Nozzle assembly and method for forming nozzle assembly

A nozzle assembly is disclosed, including a CMC nozzle shell, a nozzle spar, and an endwall. The CMC nozzle shell includes a CMC composition and an interior cavity. The nozzle spar is partially disposed within the interior cavity and includes a metallic composition, a cross-sectional conformation, a plurality of spacers protruding from the cross-sectional conformation, the plurality of spacers contacting the CMC nozzle shell, and a spar cap. The endwall includes at least one surface in lateral contact with the spar cap and maintains a lateral orientation of the CMC nozzle shell and the nozzle spar relative to the endwall. The lateral orientation maintains a predetermined throat area of the nozzle assembly. A method for forming the nozzle assembly includes inserting the nozzle spar into the interior cavity, rotating the CMC nozzle shell and the nozzle spar laterally relative to the endwall, and maintaining the lateral orientation.

Hafner, Matthew Troy↗

Assemblies, riveted assemblies, methods for affixing substrates, and methods for mixing materials to form a metallurgical bond

Riveted assemblies are provided that can include a substrate extending between two ends to define opposing substrate surfaces having a first opening extending between the opposing substrate surfaces; a metal-comprising substrate extending between two ends to define opposing metal-comprising substrate surfaces having a second opening extending between the opposing metal-comprising substrate surfaces. The riveted assemblies can further provide that the first and second openings complement one another when the substrate and metal-comprising substrate are engaged; and a rivet shaft extends through the openings and engages the substrate with the rivet head and the metal-comprising substrate with the rivet stop head, at least a portion of the stop head being mixed with, and forming a metallurgical bond with the metal-comprising substrate. Assemblies are provided that can include a rivet stop head mixed with, and metallurgically bonded with a metal-comprising substrate.Methods for affixing substrates to one another are also provided. The methods can include providing a substrate defining an opening configured to receive a rivet shaft; providing a metal-comprising substrate defining a complimentary opening; operatively engaging the substrates with the rivet shaft; and forming a stop head from the rivet shaft to affix the substrates. The method further includes that the stop head mixes with, and forms a metallurgical bond with the metal-comprising substrate. Methods for mixing materials to form a metallurgical bond are also provided. The methods can include forming a metallurgical bond between a stop head of a rivet and a metal-comprising substrate.

Whalen, Scott A.↗

Facile electrostatic self-assembly of silicon/reduced graphene oxide porous composite by silica assist as high performance anode for Li-ion battery

Silicon(Si)/graphene composite has been regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next generation anode materials with high power and energy density in lithium ion batteries. Introduction of graphene in Si anodes could improve the electronic conductivity, suppress the severe volume expansion of Si, and facilitate the formation of stable solid electrolyte interphase, etc. However, traditionally mechanical mixing of Si and graphene cannot realize uniform distribution of Si particles on the graphene sheets, which would largely weaken the effectiveness of the graphene in the composite. In this work, nano-Si/reduced graphene oxide porous composite (p Si/rGO) has been fabricated by a facile electrostatic self-assembly approach via using SiO2 as the sacrificial template. Compared with the simply mechanically mixed nano-Si and rGO (Si/rGO), the nano-Si particles could be more uniformly dispersed among the rGO sheets in the p Si/rGO, which significantly increases its electronic conductivity. Moreover, the drastic volume expansion of nano-Si during repeated lithiation/delithiation cycles also has been effectively accommodated by the large number of pores left after removing the SiO2 template in the composite. Thus, the p Si/rGO presented largely enhanced electrochemical performances, showing a high reversible capacity up to 1849?mA?h?g-1 at 0.2?A?g-1 with good capacity retention, and high rate capability (535?mA?h?g-1 at 2?A?g-1).

Silicon, Reduced graphene oxide, Electrostatic sel↗

Self-assembly and metal-directed assembly of organic semiconductor aerogels and conductive carbon nanofiber aerogels with controllable nanoscale morphologies

A versatile and highly tunable synthesis for nanofiber aerogels based on the n-type organic semiconductor perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI) is presented. PTCDI nanofiber aerogels are demonstrated to incorporate the organic semiconductor into a high surface area and porous morphology and can also be graphitized to synthesize carbon nanofiber (CNF) aerogels by thermal annealing. Using this approach, CNF aerogels with variable density and crystallinity are synthesized. Furthermore, by incorporating metal salts into the synthesis, metal-directed assembly yields a variety of nanoscale morphologies. The selection of post-synthesis thermal treatment can result in metal-directed assembly of PTCDI aerogels, low crystallinity graphitic aerogels decorated with metal nanoparticles, or highly crystalline graphitic aerogels with controllable nanoscale morphologies. The high surface area and porosity afforded by the aerogel morphology coupled with the intrinsic properties of PTCDI or CNFs is important for improving their performance in a number of applications including energy storage and catalysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

2D nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined molecules

Two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted broad interest owing to their unique physical and chemical properties with potential applications in electronics, chemistry, biology, medicine and pharmaceutics. Due to the current limitations of traditional 2D nanomaterials (e.g., graphene and graphene oxide) in tuning surface chemistry and compositions, 2D nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined molecules (e.g., DNAs, proteins, peptides and peptoids) have recently been developed. They represent an emerging class of 2D nanomaterials with attractive physical and chemical properties. In this mini-review, we summarize the recent progress in the synthesis and applications of this type of sequence-defined 2D nanomaterials. The challenges and opportunities in this new field are also discussed.

2D nanomaterials↗

Ionic Liquids as Additives to Polystyrene- Block -Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Enabling Directed Self-Assembly of Patterns with Sub-10 nm Features

Polystyrene- block -poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS- b -PMMA) is one of the prototypical block copolymers in directed self-assembly (DSA) research and development, with standardized protocols in place for processing on industrially relevant 300 mm wafers. Scaling of DSA patterns to pitches below 20 nm using PS- b -PMMA, however, is hindered by the relatively low Flory–Huggins interaction parameter, $χ$. In this work, we investigate the approach of adding small amounts of ionic liquids (ILs) into PS- b -PMMA, which selectively segregates into the PMMA domain and effectively increases the $χ$ parameter and thus the pattern resolution. The amount of IL additive is small enough to result in limited changes in PS- b -PMMA’s surface and interfacial properties, thus maintaining industry-friendly processing by thermal annealing with a free surface. Three different ILs are studied comparatively regarding their compositional process window, capability of increasing $χ$, and thermal stability. By adding ~3.1 vol % of the champion IL into a low-molecular-weight PS- b -PMMA ( M n = 10.3k- b -9.5k), we demonstrated DSA on chemically patterned substrates of lamellar structures with feature sizes <8.5 nm. Compatibility of the PS- b -PMMMA/IL blends with the standardized processes that have been previously developed suggests that such blend materials could provide a drop-in solution for sub-10 nm lithography with the processing advantages of PS- b -PMMA.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Stiff and Transparent Multilayer Thin Films Prepared Through Hydrogen-Bonding Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Graphene and Polymer [Super Stiff and Highly Transparent Multilayer Thin Films Prepared through Hydrogen-Bonding Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Graphene and Polymer]

Due to their exceptional orientation of 2D nanofillers, layer–by–layer (LbL) assembled polymer/graphene oxide thin films exhibit unmatched mechanical performance relative to any conventionally produced counterparts with similar composition. Unprecedented mechanical property improvement, by replacing graphene oxide with pristine graphene, is demonstrated in this work. Polyvinylpyrrolidone–stabilized graphene platelets are alternately deposited with poly(acrylic acid) using hydrogen bonding assisted LbL assembly. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and the Halpin–Tsai model are used to demonstrate, for the first time, that intact graphene can be processed from water to generate polymer nanocomposite thin films with simultaneous parallel–alignment, high packing density, and exfoliation. A multilayer thin film with only 3.9 vol% of highly exfoliated, and structurally intact graphene, increases the elastic modulus (E) of a polymer multilayer thin film by 322% (from 1.41 to 4.81 GPa), while maintaining visible light transmittance of ≈90%. This is one of the greatest improvements in elastic modulus ever reported for a graphene–filled polymer nanocomposite with a glassy (E > 1 GPa) matrix. In conclusion, the technique described here provides a powerful new tool to improve nanocomposite properties (mechanical, gas transport, etc.) that can be universally applied to a variety of polymer matrices and 2D nanoplatelets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Water‐Based Assembly of Polymer–Metal Organic Framework (MOF) Functional Coatings

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained attention for their porosity, size selectivity, and structural diversity. There is a need for MOF‐based coatings, particularly in applications such as separations, electronics, and energy; yet forming thin, functional, conformal coatings is prohibitive because MOFs exist as a powder. Layer‐by‐layer assembly, a versatile thin film coating approach, offers a unique solution to this problem, but this approach requires MOFs that are water‐dispersible and bear a surface charge. Here, these issues are addressed by examining water‐based dispersions of MIL‐101(Cr) that facilitate the formation of robust polymer–MOF hybrid coatings. Specifically, the substrate to be coated is alternately exposed to an aqueous solution of poly(styrene sulfonate) and nano MIL‐101(Cr) dispersion, yielding linear film growth and coatings with a MOF content as high as 77 wt%. This approach is surface‐agnostic, in which the coating is successfully applied to silicon, glass, flexible plastic, and even cotton fabric, conformally coating individual fibers. By contrast, prior attempts at forming MOF‐coatings are severely limited to a handful of surfaces, require harsh chemical treatment, and are not conformal. The approach presented here unambiguously confirms that MOFs can be conformally coated onto complex and unusual surfaces, opening the door for a wide variety of applications.

De, Souvik↗

One-Shot Synthesis and Melt Self-Assembly of Bottlebrush Copolymers with a Gradient Compositional Profile

Morphological control plays a central role in soft materials design. Herein, we report the synthesis of a gradient bottlebrush architecture and its role in directing molecular packing in the solid state. Bottlebrush copolymers with gradient interfaces were prepared via one-shot ring-opening metathesis polymerization of exo- and endo- norbornene-capped macromonomers. Kinetic studies revealed a gradient compositional profile separating the two blocks along the backbone. Side-chain symmetric gradient bottlebrush copolymers exhibited a strong tendency to assemble into cylindrical microstructures, in contrast to their block copolymer analogs with sharp interfaces. Furthermore such exquisite architectural control of the interfacial composition affords a delicate handle to direct macromolecular assembly.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reversible self-assembly of superstructured networks

Soft structures in nature, such as protein assemblies, can organize reversibly into functional and often hierarchical architectures through noncovalent interactions. Molecularly encoding this dynamic capability in synthetic materials has remained an elusive goal. We report on hydrogels of peptide-DNA conjugates and peptides that organize into superstructures of intertwined filaments that disassemble upon the addition of molecules or changes in charge density. Experiments and simulations demonstrate that this response requires large-scale spatial redistribution of molecules directed by strong noncovalent interactions among them. Simulations also suggest that the chemically reversible structures can only occur within a limited range of supramolecular cohesive energies. Storage moduli of the hydrogels change reversibly as superstructures form and disappear, as does the phenotype of neural cells in contact with these materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Design and Assembly of SPT-3G Cold Readout Hardware

The third-generation upgrade to the receiver on the South Pole Telescope, SPT-3G, was installed at the South Pole during the 2016–2017 austral summer to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Increasing the number of detectors by a factor of 10 to ~16,000 required the multiplexing factor to increase to 68 and the bandwidth of the frequency-division readout electronics to span 1.6–5.2 MHz. This increase necessitates low-thermal conductance, low-inductance cryogenic wiring. Our cold readout system consists of planar thin-film aluminum inductive–capacitive resonators, wired in series with the detectors, summed together, and connected to 4K SQUIDs by 10-μm -thick niobium–titanium (NbTi) broadside-coupled striplines. Here, we present an overview of the cold readout electronics for SPT-3G, including assembly details and characterization of electrical and thermal properties of the system. We report, for the NbTi striplines, values of R≤10 -4 Ω , L=21±1 nH , and C=1.47±.02 nF . Additionally, the striplines’ thermal conductivity is described by kA=6.0±0.3 T 0.92±0.04 μW mm K -1 . Finally, we provide projections for cross talk induced by parasitic impedances from the stripline and find that the median value of percentage cross talk from leakage current is 0.22 and 0.09% from wiring impedance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗