The analysis and development of robust sensing platforms based on solidly-mounted ZnO bulk acoustic wave devices was proposed. The exploitation of acoustic energy trapping was investigated and demonstrated as a method to define active sensing areas on a substrate. In addition, a new "hybrid" acoustic mode experiencing acoustic energy trapping was studied theoretically and experimentally. This mode was used as an explanation of historical inconsistencies in observed thickness-shear mode velocities. Initial theoretical and experimental results suggest that this mode is a coupling of thickness-shear and longitudinal particle displacements and, as such, may offer more mechanical and/or structural information about a sample under test. Device development was taken another step further and multi-mode ZnO resonators operating in the thickness-shear, hybrid, and longitudinal modes were introduced. These devices were characterized with respect to sample viscosity and conductivity and preliminary results show that, with further development, the multi-mode resonators provide significantly more information about a sample than their single-mode counterparts. An alternative to resonator-based platforms was also presented in the form of bulk acoustic delay lines. Initial conceptual and simulation results show that these devices provide a different perspective of typical sensing modalities by using properly designed input pulses, device tuning, and examining overall input and output signal spectra.

Submitted by Maria Medeiros (maria.dilva1@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-16T14:17:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DANIELLE FREIRE DE ARAÚJO - TESE (PPGEQ) 2017.pdf: 4185527 bytes, checksum: e932aa4fa6aa33e42656b4c6d33e01b5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T14:17:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DANIELLE FREIRE DE ARAÚJO - TESE (PPGEQ) 2017.pdf: 4185527 bytes, checksum: e932aa4fa6aa33e42656b4c6d33e01b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08 / Capes / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo o estudo do aprisionamento de hidrogênio em aços da classe API 5L X60, X65 e X70, classificados como aços de alta resistência e baixa liga (ARBL). A respectiva implicação da difusão do hidrogênio, isto é, adsorvido e dissolvido na matriz metálica dos aços, o aprisionamento em defeitos microestruturais, foram abordados através do estudo da cinética de aprisionamento, com a determinação das taxas de liberação (k) e captura (p), da da obtenção da energia de aprisionamento (EA) e da densidade de sítios aprisionadores (N). Através da energia de aprisionamento, determinada via eletroquímica, foi possível fazer a caracterização dos típos de sítios aprisionadores, presentes nos materiais estudados, no qual se configurou a presença de sítios reversíveis e cuja característica microestrutural mostra a existência de contornos de grãos com fases de ferrita e perlita, identificadas após ataque químico com nital à 2% e pela microscopia óptica. Os resultados obtidos para os parâmetros cinéticos de aprisionamento são condizentes com os resultados encontrados na literatura e por análises de dessorção térmica para esses tipos de aços. / The objective of the present work was to study the hydrogen trapping in steel class API 5L X60, X65 and X70, classified as High-strength low-alloy (HSLA). The respective implication of the diffusion of hydrogen, i.e., adsorbed and dissolved in the metallic matrix of the steels, the trapping in microstructural defects, were approached through the study of the trapping kinetics, with the determination of the release (k) and capture (p ), The trapping energy (EA) and the density of trap sites (N). Through the trapping energy, determined by electrochemistry, it was possible to characterize the types of trap sites, present in the studied materials, in which the presence of reversible sites was configured and whose microstructural characteristic it shows the existence of grain boundaries, with phases of ferrite and perlite, identified after chemical attack with 2% nital and by optical microscopy. The results obtained for the kinetic entrapment parameters are consistent with the results found in the literature and by thermal desorption analysis for these types of steels.

<p dir="ltr">Structural instability, traditionally deemed undesirable in engineering, can be leveraged for beneficial outcomes through intelligent design. One notable instance is elastic buckling, often leading to structures with two stable equilibria (bistable). Connecting bistable elements to form multistable mechanical metamaterials can enable the discretization and offer tunability of mechanical properties without the need for continuous energy input.<i> </i>In this work, we study the physics of these multistable metamaterials and utilize their state and property alterations along with snap-through instabilities resulting from state change for engineering applications. These materials hold potential for diverse applications, including mechanical and thermo-mechanical defrosting, energy absorption, energy harvesting, and mechanical storage and computation.</p><p dir="ltr">Focusing on defrosting, we find that the energy-efficient mechanical method using embedded bistable structures in heat exchanger fins significantly outperforms the thermal methods. The combination of manufacturing methods, material choice, boundary conditions, and actuation methodologies is systematically investigated to enhance defrosting performance. A purely mechanical strategy is effective against solid, glaze-like ice accumulations; however, performance is substantially diminished for low-density frost. To address this limitation, we study frost formation on the angular shape morphing fins and subsequently introduce a thermo-mechanical defrosting strategy. This hybrid approach focuses on the partial phase transition of low-density frost to solid ice through thermal methods, followed by mechanical defrosting. We experimentally validate this approach on a multistable heat exchanger fin pack.</p><p dir="ltr">Recent advancements have led to a new paradigm of reusable energy-absorbing materials, known as Phase Transforming Cellular Materials (PXCM) that utilize multiple negative stiffness elements connected in series. We explore the feasibility of this multistable metamaterial as frequency up-conversion material and utilize these phase transformations for energy harvesting. We experimentally demonstrate the energy-harvesting capabilities of a phase-transforming unit-cell-spring configuration and investigate the potential of multicell PXCM as an energy harvesting material.</p><p dir="ltr">The evolution towards intelligent matter, or physical intelligence, in the context of mechanical metamaterials can be characterized into four distinct stages: static, responsive, adaptive, and intelligent mechanical metamaterials. In the pursuit of designing intelligent mechanical metamaterials, there has been a resurgence in the field of mechanical computing. We utilize multistable metamaterials to develop mechanical storage systems that encode memory via bistable state changes and decode it through a global stiffness readout. We establish upper bounds for maximum memory capacity in elastic bit blocks and propose an optimal stiffness distribution for unique and identifiable global states. Through both parallel and series configurations, we realize various logic gates, thereby enabling in-memory computation. We further extend this framework by incorporating viscoelastic mechano-bits, which mimic the decay of neuronal action potentials. This allows for temporal stiffness modulation and results in increased memory storage via non-abelian behavior, for which we define a fundamental time limit of detectability. Additionally, we investigate information entropy in both elastic and viscoelastic systems, showing that temporal neural coding schemes can extend the system’s entropy beyond conventional limits. This is experimentally validated and shown to not only enhance memory storage but also augment computational capabilities.</p><p dir="ltr">The work in this thesis establishes multistability as a key design principle for developing responsive, adaptive, and intelligent materials, opening new avenues for future research in the field of multistable metamaterials.</p>