Effect of Surface Morphology on Crack Growth at a Sol-Gel Reinforced Epoxy/Aluminum Interface

The Boeing sol-gel conversion coating (Boegel-EPII), derived from an acid-catalyzed aqueous solution of organofunctional silane and zirconium alkoxide precursors, is being used as an adhesion promoter for adhesive bonding and painting applications in the aerospace industry. A unique advantage of the sol-gel process is that strong and durable bonds are produced without the hazardous chemical usage and rinse-water requirements of conventional anodizing or etching processes. In this study, a fracture mechanics method was used to investigate the adhesion properties of sol-gel-reinforced epoxy/aluminum joints. The Hugh Brown asymmetric double cantilever beam (ADCB) wedge test was employed, which allowed the measurements of the critical energy-release rate, subcritical crack-growth kinetics, and threshold energy-release rate on a single sample in a reasonably short period of time. These experiments were carried out with aluminum substrates on which the surface morphology was systematically varied by polishing, sanding, grit-blasting, and chemical etching. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to identify the locus of failure. The surface morphology of the substrates was characterized with SEM, optical profilometry, and spreading kinetics. The macrorough structures drive the crack to within a thin epoxy layer close to the polymer/metal interface, which enhances the initial strength of the sol-gel-reinforced interface. The microroughness of the substrate is, however, more effective than the macroroughness in enhancing the durability. Lastly, an attempt has been made to correlate the energy-release rate with the fractal dimension for sol-gel-reinforced joints with macrorough substrates.     

Novel High‐Temperature Antiferroelectric‐Based Dielectric NaNbO3–NaTaO3 Solid Solutions Processed in Low Oxygen Partial Pressures

The (1?x)NaNbO₃–(x)NaTaO₃ solid solution was investigated for x ≤ 0.4 in terms of new high‐temperature and high‐permittivity dielectric system that is suitable for base metal inner electrode capacitor applications. The addition of Ta significantly enhanced the resistivity of the dielectric, resulting in superior resistivity than the dielectrics‐formulated BaTiO₃ systems that dominate the multilayer ceramic capacitor dielectric devices. The voltage dependence of the permittivity was also superior to BaTiO₃‐based materials, providing higher capacitance at higher temperatures. A transmission electron microscopy study illustrated that the grains had so‐called core‐shell structure. According to the electron diffraction analysis, the core region had an inhomogeneous structure between antiferroelectric and ferroelectric phases, and shell region had an incommensurate ferroelectric‐like structure. The core and shell region had Nb‐ and Ta‐rich composition, respectively, and their interface was compositionally sharp, implying that shell region was formed via a liquid phase during the sintering process with an incongruent Ta dissolution reprecipitation. We anticipate that these or similar materials based on the alkali‐niobate perovskites can be further enhanced to provide capacitor solutions from 150°C to 250°C, which is an important range for a number of new AC–DC invertor and engine control units.     

Increasing seed oil content in Brassica species through breeding and biotechnology

Increasing the seed oil content of Brassica species and other major oilseed crops is of paramount importance in maintaining a future supply of vegetable oil for a growing global population. Currently, commercially‐available Brassica species with enhanced seed oil content have all been developed through plant breeding. Many quantitative trait loci including gene interactions are involved in the control of seed oil content. Despite this complexity, manipulation of specific steps in storage lipid biosynthesis using genetic engineering has resulted in transgenic lines of Brassica napus with increased seed oil content. Recent studies suggest that engineering of seed oil content can be guided using methods in metabolic analysis.     

Integration Concepts for the Fabrication of LTCC Structures

At the Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory at Penn State University, low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) material systems have been used to fabricate a number of devices for a variety of applications. This article presents an overview of the integration of the concepts and materials that we have used to achieve miniaturization and unique device function. Examples of microwave filters, metamaterial antennas, and a dielectrophoretic cell sorter will be presented, with emphasis on device modeling and design, prototype construction methods, and test results.     

Computational screening of metal‐organic frameworks for xenon/krypton separation

A variety of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) with varying linkers, topologies, pore sizes, and metal atoms were screened for xenon/krypton separation using grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations. The results indicate that small pores with strong adsorption sites are desired to preferentially adsorb xenon over krypton in multicomponent adsorption. However, if the pore size is too small, it can significantly limit overall gas uptake, which is undesirable. Based on our simulations, MOF‐505 was identified as a promising material due to its increased xenon selectivity over a wider pressure range compared with other MOFs investigated. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Positional distribution of CLA in TAG of lamb tissues

The content and positional distribution of CLA in TAG fractions of lamb tissues was examined with either preformed CLA or the linoleic acid precursor of CLA in the diet as experimental treatments. The CLA content of phospholipid (PL) from these tissues was also examined. Thirteen lambs were randomized to the following dietary treatments: (i) control diet (no supplement); (ii) CLA supplementation (0.33 g d⁻¹ for 21 d prior to weaning) to milk-replacer of pre-ruminating lambs, or (iii) feeding linoleic acid-rich oil (6% safflower oil on a dry matter basis) to weaned ruminating lambs. At slaughter, tissue samples were procured from diaphragm, rib muscle, and subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue. Safflower oil supplementation in the diet resulted in an increase in CLA content of the TAG from diaphragm, rib muscle, and SC adipose tissue by about threefold (P<0.05) on a mol% basis. CLA was localized to the sn-1/3 positions of TAG. Animals that received pre-formed CLA, however, had increased proportions of CLA at the sn-2 position of TAG from SC adipose tissue, suggesting that there were tissue-specific dietary effects and possible age-related effects on the mode of FA incorporation into TAG. Safflower oil supplementation in the diet had no effect on the CLA content of PL from diaphragm, rib muscle, and SC adipose tissue, suggesting that CLA was preferentially incorporated into the TAG of these tissues.     

An improved accelerated weathering protocol to anticipate Florida exposure behavior of coatings

A new accelerated weathering protocol has been developed which closely replicates the performance of automotive and aerospace coating systems exposed in South Florida. IR spectroscopy was used to verify that the chemical composition changes that occurred during accelerated weathering in devices with a glass filter that produced a high fidelity reproduction of sunlight’s UV spectrum matched those that occurred during natural weathering. Gravimetric water absorption measurements were used to tune the volume of water absorption during accelerated weathering to match that which occurred during natural weathering in South Florida. The frequency of water exposure was then scaled to the appropriate UV dose. A variety of coating systems were used to verify the correlation between the physical failures observed in the accelerated weathering protocol and natural weathering in South Florida. The new accelerated weathering protocol correctly reproduced gloss loss, delamination, cracking, blistering, and good performance in a variety of diverse coating systems. For automotive basecoat/clearcoat paint systems, the new weathering protocol shows significant acceleration over both Florida and previous accelerated weathering tests. For monocoat aerospace systems, the new weathering protocol showed less acceleration than for automotive coatings, but was still an improvement over previous accelerated tests and was faster than Florida exposure.     

Monazite Coatings on Fibers: I, Effect of Temperature and Alumina Doping on Coated-Fiber Tensile Strength

Monazite was continuously coated onto Nextel 720 fibers, using an aqueous precursor and in-line heat treatment at 900°–1300°C. Some experiments were repeated with alumina-doped precursors. Coated fibers were heat-treated for 100 h at 1200°C. Coatings were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and analytical transmission electron microscopy. Coated-fiber tensile strengths were measured by single-filament tensile tests. The precursors were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetric analysis, and mass spectrometry. Coated-fiber tensile strength was lower for fibers coated at higher deposition temperatures. Heat treatment for 100 h at 1200°C decreased tensile strength further. The coatings were slightly phosphate-rich and enhanced alumina grain growth at the fiber surface, but phosphorus was not detected along the alumina grain boundaries. Fibers with alumina-doped coatings had higher tensile strengths than those with undoped coatings after heat treatment for 100 h at 1200°C. Alumina added as α-alumina particles gave higher strengths than alumina added as colloidal boehmite. Alumina doping slowed monazite grain growth and formed rough fiber–coating interfaces after 100 h of heat treatment at 1200°C. Possible relationships among precursor characteristics, coating and fiber microstructure development, and strength-degradation mechanisms are discussed in this paper.