Albert P. Pisano (Advisor)

The goal of this project is to design and develop an innovative nanoparticle/polymer composite material and then apply this nanocomposite to the development of a supercapacitor module with high energy and high power density. A new technique for creating films of core/shell nanoparticles in a polymer matrix could allow cost effective fabrication of capacitors with enhanced energy storage capacity as compared to conventional devices. The module can serve as efficient energy storage for back-up power in buildings and for hybrid/electric vehicles where lack of fast recharging time,...

This project aims at developing high quality factor (Q), large coupling coeffecient (k2) aluminum nitride (AlN) Lamb wave resonators (LWRs) exhibiting low loss and thermally stable performance for wireless communications (e.g. oscillators or filters) in harsh environments. Current technology using thin AlN membrane structures have proved to enable a high phase velocity, low velocity dispersion of the Lamb wave employing the lowest order symmetric mode (S0), thus ensures a high frequency and offers robust designs with low sensitivity to technological tolerances. However, these devices...

Silicon Carbide (SiC) Sensors are appealing for harsh environment MEMS applications, specifically because of their stability in corrosive environments and their ability to withstand high temperatures. The long range goal of this project is to develop a robust process to bond SiC sensors to various metal components in a way that will avoid disrupting high-precision measurements of strain, acceleration, pressure, and temperature in high-temperature, high-pressure, corrosive environments. Traditional bonding methods such as soldering, brazing, and welding are not suitable for joining...

Selective chemical sensing has a wide range of application in health and environmental monitoring. A small and flexible sensor that can detect a wide range of chemicals with precision can enable a host of new inventions, including clothing that detects environmental pollutants and soldier helmets that sense hazardous gases. Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene and molydenum disulfide, have many sought-after properties that will enable the creation of such a sensor. This project utilizes theses unique properties, such as high electron mobility and voltage-tunable optical...