The OGI School of Science and Engineering, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States was one of four schools at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). Until June 2001, it functioned independently as a private graduate school, the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology (OGI). OGI operated four departments and had approximately 330 students. In 2008, the school's name was changed to the Department of Science and Engineering and by 2010, the department was dissolved and the academic programs and research were disseminated to other OHSU institutes and departments..
Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis is a technique traditionally used at synchrotron radiation facilities, but it is now possible to obtain adequate measurements using laboratory-based equipment as well. In addition, cryo-furnaces that enable in situ measurements while controlling temperature have been well established for some time. PDF analysis requires data from a wide range of reciprocal space, along with measurements at short wavelengths. However, the development of time-resolved PDF measurements, which can be captured within a short time span, has also made significant progress. In this study, we demonstrate the reliability of PDF measurements using laboratory equipment and perform a local structure analysis of materials exhibiting an interesting structural phase transition in LaCu6-xAgx through temperature-dependent in situ PDF analysis. By comparing these results with those obtained from synchrotron sources, we provide further validation of the laboratory-based measurements. Our results confirm that in situ PDF measurements obtained with laboratory-based equipment are reliable and effective for studying structural disorder in various materials.
Sulfide-based solid electrolytes are increasingly recognized as crucial materials for the practical application of all-solid-state batteries. In particular, halogen-rich argyrodites, featuring hybrid doping with chlorine and bromine, demonstrate that the Li-ion conductivity is influenced by the degree of elemental disorder among chlorine, bromine, and sulfur at the anion sites (4a, 4d). This study employed in situ XRD/PDF during the annealing process of sample synthesis to investigate the formation of disorder at these anion sites. Initially, a sulfur-rich argyrodite phase formed at lower annealing temperatures (200–320 °C). Subsequently, in the higher temperature range (320–460 °C), lithium halide amorphization and thermal diffusion led to the formation of a halogen-rich argyrodite phase. This phase is characterized by the substitution of sulfur with halogen at the 4a/4d sites in argyrodites.
Since Ethiopia relies on biomass resources for about 90% of its energy sources, problems such as deforestation and soil degradation have been intensified more than ever. To mitigate these problems, a possibility of using excess aquatic biomass such as water hyacinth as alternative energy is being investigated. In this study, fuel characteristics of biochar briquettes made from combination of water hyacinth biochars, different binders, and organic matter used in Ethiopia were evaluated. Water hyacinth was dried and pyrolyzed at 400 and 800°C (WHB400 and WHB800, respectively). Water hyacinth biochar was mixed with different binders (molasses and Ethiopian soil) at a ratio of [6:4:0] without organic matter, or at a ratio of [6:3:1] with organic matter ([water hyacinth biochar:binder:organic matter]). The experimental results showed that WHB400 with molasses as binder without organic matter [6:4:0] was the best mixing ratio as biochar briquette with the highest higher heating value and the greatest compressive strength among all other biochar briquettes. Therefore, this study showed water hyacinth biochar could be a great potential as an alternative fuel to conventional acacia charcoal.
