Micro Energy and Chemical Systems (MIECS) are multi-scale microsystems, which rely
on embedded nano and micro-scale features to process bulk amounts of fluid in
applications ranging from man-portable heat pumps, distributed fuel reforming and insitu
waste remediation. Microlamination is a well-known process architecture for
fabricating the highly parallel, high aspect...
Advancing contact angles formed by water and aqueous ethanol solutions were
measured on both bare surfaces and film-covered surfaces of acrylic, glass, hydrophilic
and hydrophobic silicon, polycarbonate, polyester, and stainless steel. Each bare surface
was initially characterized with respect to its hydrophilic - hydrophobic balance. Both
protein films and milk...
Interactions between proteins and contact surfaces can have
important implications in the food industry. Such interactions
contribute to the course of fouling of membrane surfaces and they
appear to mediate bacterial and spore adhesion to some degree as
well. In addition to protein and solution properties, interfacial
behavior is strongly...
Polymer samples of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and a PTFE-glass weave (RF- 35P) are exposed to low pressure, non-equilibrium glow discharge plasmas for enhanced wettability as measured by static contact angles. Plasma treatments are performed in two parallel plate RF plasma systems, a downstream microwave plasma and a barrel etcher using feed...
As the drive continues to reduce the size of Printed Wiring Assemblies (PWAs),
improve performance of electronic assemblies, and reduce costs of these products,
reliable secondary (bottom) side reflow operations must be developed. Attaching Surface
Mount Technology (SMT) components to the secondary side of a Printed Circuit Board
(PCB) is...
The thermal contact conductance (TCC) between two machined pieces of stainless steel was studied. A guarded hot plate thermal conductivity test fixture was designed and built for the experiment. Factors investigated included the contact pressure, surface roughness, interface material and average test temperature. The contact pressure at the interface ranged...
The ion implantation process is a very precise, controllable, and
reproducible method used to enhance material properties of finished
components such as ball bearings. Essentially, the target material is
bombarded by accelerated ions to form a thin alloyed layer in the
substrate. As the ions deposit their kinetic energy in...
The experimental procedure for reactively sputtering
films of silicon nitride together with the methods for
measuring the film thickness have been investigated.
Some of the properties of these nitride films were studied.
These properties included: infrared spectrum,
etching properties, and index of refraction. The adherence
of the films was also...
Marine biofouling is a major problem in many industries. Shipping has been afflicted with reduced vessel speed and hindered maneuverability due to organisms attaching since the dawn of sailing. To date, the primary method developed to prevent fouling is the application of biocide laden coatings with various release mechanisms. Mass...
Boiling heat transfer is studied for its ability to dissipate high fluxes and achieve heat transfer coefficients two orders of magnitude greater than single-phase heat transfer systems. Heater surface enhancement with increased surface area, varied geometry, wettability contrast and micro/nano-structures can further enhance boiling heat transfer performance through bubble nucleation...