These studies are remarkable for offering a circumvention of obstacles to optimal emission dictated by the indirect band gap nature of group IV semiconductors in general and crystalline Si in particular at various emission wavelengths. The proposed research will concentrate on optimum conditions for dopants to modify band gap of Si and indirect band gap semiconductors to favor radiative carrier recombination over heat generation non-radiative ones. The goals of this ambitious research are to explore the best mechanisms for dopants to modulate the band gap of Si; thus, controlling the dynamic electronic properties in devices established around the implanted region or modified surfaces, supported strongly by collaborators such as the SANDIA National Laboratories facility in New Mexico, USA and other interested collaborating scientists without any cost to the project.

The post Achieving Enhanced Radiative Properties for Semiconductors by Surface Modification via Ion Implantation appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

The capability of grey mangroves (Avicennia marina), the only species present in the UAE to repel 60鈥�80% salt in roots, and unexplored mechanism of seawater propagation in Salicornia (S. bigelovii), motivate us to understand the morphological microstructures and quantify the role of each part of plant towards natural passive desalination. Recent advances in micro 3D printing enable us to print artificial leaves, stems, and roots at a very high resolution comparable to the microstructures of halophytes. These 3D printed artificial leaves, stems, and roots, with controlled surface chemistry and microstructures, empower us to perform mechanistic study systematically. This also leads us to design synthetic plants with high鈥恜erformance solar thermal energy conversion efficiency, owing to the insightful understanding of the phenomena: (i) sunlight harvesting of absorber surface like leaves; (ii) liquid propagation in superhydrophilic hierarchical microchannels as in stem; and (iii) salt repelling microchannels as in roots; ultimately leading towards vapor condensation and freshwater collection.

The proposed approach is valuable to both large鈥恠cale distillation and portable applications in rural areas or off鈥恎rid islands. The ability to generate vapor and collect fresh water under ambient sunlight passively holds promise for significant cost reduction of existing solar thermal systems while opening up new applications such as desalination, wastewater treatment, and sterilization. The scope of the proposed work is well aligned with one of the strategic research categories of AARE: energy, water, and environment.

The post Bioinspired Passive Solar Desalination Empowered by Micro-3D Printing appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

The present project aims at establishing design principles for thermoelectric materials based on 2D heterostructures. It is planned to study heterostructures of different TMDCs, as well as heterostructures comprising TMDCs and other 2D materials. The interdependency between the chosen component materials and the thermoelectric behavior will be investigated in detail. In addition, the effects of intercalation of metal ions or dielectric layers in the van der Waals gap of the heterostructures will be addressed in order to evaluate whether intercalation can be an efficient tool for materials design. Computer simulations based on first-principles calculations and Boltzmann transport theory will be employed to tackle these tasks. For a reliable prediction of the thermoelectric properties, both the van der Waals interaction and spin-orbit coupling will be taken into consideration.

The proposed project will help identify efficient thermoelectric materials and provide atomic level understanding of the physics and chemistry determining the thermoelectric properties of 2D heterostructures. Progress in thermoelectric technology makes it possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels by increasing the contribution of green resources to the national energy mix. The proposal is aligned with the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which targets that about 44% energy should be produce through clean energy.

The post Design Principles for Thermoelectric Materials Based on 2D Heterostructures appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

Till date, graphene has been predominantly used for sensors and thermal management, but its installation in load bearing aero-structures have not been explored yet in spite of its superlative mechanical properties. Designers can exploit a combination of properties of interest to realize a single multifunctional component using graphene. For instance, a single part based on the graphene can act as a structural component, while at the same time as a heat sink and/or an electrical sensor. The multi-functionality of a single part, as a result, will minimize the number of parts required and also will simplify the manufacturing cycle.

The proposed research aims to develop multifunctional load bearing aero-structures for next-generation aircrafts. This will be a step forward toward the future of aircrafts, which shall be more smart, more electric, and well-connected with higher sensing capabilities. The findings of this research will bring advancement to Abu Dhabi鈥檚 aerospace technological know-how in terms of using smart aircraft structures with sufficient structural integrity in combination with higher sensing, which is one of the strategic priority areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The smart composite structure will be able to monitor its health condition while in service, and will provoke preventive maintenance measures of the aero-structural components that could possibly avoid catastrophic, non-alarming failure. The project will join the forces of its multi-disciplinary faculty and young Emirati researchers, highlighting Abu Dhabi鈥檚 strategic priority in manufacturing, aerospace, and other critical national and global needs.

The post More Smart and Well-connected Advanced Composites for Next-generation Aircraft Structures (ARIC) appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

Here, we propose to develop a novel strategy for the design and fabrication of geometrically tailored mechanical metamaterials with enhanced specific strength, stiffness, and energy absorption capacity. By combining detailed finite element calculations with a heuristic optimization scheme, we will design unit cells with geometrically tailored structural features that maximize the specific strain energy storage in bend-dominated cellular networks. State-of-the-art 3D printing technology will be used to fabricate the geometrically tailored lattice designs developed in this project, and their mechanical properties will be experimentally evaluated and benchmarked against already existing stretch and bend dominated metamaterials.

The project will have a broader impact on the UAE society and economy by providing a superb research platform that will enable the development of innovative engineering systems for the future of the nation鈥檚 economic growth, particularly in the Aerospace and Defense sector. Furthermore, the project will strongly contribute to the development of human capital through training and mentoring of graduate students and provide promising potential for the generation of intellectual property and technology transfer to the industry.

The post Bend-dominated Mechanical Metamaterials with High Specific Strength and Stiffness Enabled by Additive Manufacturing appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

The core technological innovation is to find one or more VDWHS systems with high electrical conductivity and put this material to form cellular solids where its internal microstructure is optimized by design for electromagnetic wave shielding and for mechanical wave suppression. The optimized scaffold of internal structure is produced by 3D printing and later removed after coating with VDWHS, leaving a cellular solid of purely VDWHS. We will address two key research challenges: (a) to design, synthesize, and characterize novel VDWHSs; and (b) to design, develop, and characterize cellular solids made of VDWHS for the aforementioned aims. At the conclusion of the project, we expect to deliver a novel technology for producing a material with high effectiveness for EMI shielding, lightening protection, as well as for mechanical vibration suppression with designated band gaps. In addition, we will be training a few Emirati students at the undergraduate and master level and produce three to four technical papers in leading international journals.

The post Ultra-lightweight Cellular Solids of Two-dimensional Heterogeneous Materials for EMI Shielding, Lightening Protection, and Mechanical Wave Suppression appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

The post Low-temperature PEM Fuel Cell Modeling appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

The proposed research aims to elucidate the physical mechanism responsible for the enhanced emission and to determine structures for producing optimal quantum efficiencies. It will build on evidence that the emission of band-gap photons is promoted by non-uniform elastic strains in the silicon near the interface adjacent to a sol-gel film containing non-uniform stresses. The theoretical framework posits that carrier localization within such strain fields enhances radiative recombination in silicon by increasing electron-hole interactions.

The experimental approach is to use test structures processed on Si and sili卢con-on-insulator (SOI) material for improved optical and electronic isolation and resolution. Experimental techniques for studying relevant aspects of the materials and photonics science are specifically: excitation-matrix photoluminescence, lifetime measurements, emission depth profiling, strain measurement by X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, MOS capacitor analysis, and electrical transport. Sol-gel film study encompasses its formulation chemistry and cation doping with species both optically active and not.

The goal of this research is to characterize the optically active region in the silicon, indicated to lie adjacent to the interface with the sol-gel film, and quantifying internal and external emission quantum efficiencies. Relating film composition and mechanics to optical modifications of the adjacent silicon will also be fully explored.

The post Processing for Efficient Band-gap Emission from Silicon Interfaced with Sol-gel Films appeared first on 今日吃瓜.

Nanotechnology can offer unique opportunities for bottom-up development of novel bacteriostatic and bactericidal formulations. The unique bactericidal effect of nanoparticles is attributed to their small size and high surface to volume ratio, which allows them to interact closely with microbial membranes. Our recent work resulted in the development of very efficient nanostructured antibacterial agents based on graphene with bimetallic loadings while it was recently expanded with the development of novel nanostructured agents consisting of stabilized metallic species in pure ionic form that exhibited an even higher antibacterial efficacy.

The objective of the ADEK project is to build upon this prior developments and investigate the growth of highly efficient agents based on bi-metallic of multi-metallic loadings using properly engineered, high surface area porous supports, able to bound metallic species in nanoparticle but also in ionic forms. This will be combined with the expertise and capability of the group to design, modify, functionalize, and customize a variety of nanomaterials and porous nanostructures toward the development of the next-generation of antimicrobial agents.聽

The post Highly Efficient Nanoporous Antibacterial Hybrids appeared first on 今日吃瓜.