NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract [18] “Creative Final Projects in Mathematics and Science”, A. Cherif and S. Gialamas Journal of College Science Teaching 29, 272 (2000). [19] “Post-Use Review: University Physics by Ronald Lane Reese”, R.D. Ramsier, Am. J. Phys. 68, 874 (2000). [20] See the most recent term’s solutions at: http://nebula.physics.uakron.edu/~ramsierr/291Homework_Page.html [21] See for example: “Hysteresis in a Light Bulb: Connecting Electricity and Thermodynamics with Simple Experiments and Simulations”, D.A. Clauss, R.M. Ralich and R.D. Ramsier, Euro. J. Phys. 22, 385 (2001). [22] “The Physics of Materials – How Science Improves Our Lives”, (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1997). REX RAMSIER – Dr. Ramsier earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994 and after two years in industry joined the faculty at The University of Akron. He is currently an Associate Professor with joint appointments in several departments. He is active in promoting student success, and has received the campus-wide outstanding teacher award as well as many other teaching related honors. His research interests include functionalized materials and surface coatings, nanofibers and nanolithography, and surface science. FRANCIS BROADWAY – Dr. Broadway’s Ph.D. is in elementary education, which he earned in 1997 from the University of South Carolina. He holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry and worked as a middle and secondary school instructor before attaining his Ph.D. He is very active in pre- and in-service teacher education programs, and participates in many professional education societies. Prof. Broadway also plays a major role in cross-college collaborations involving the colleges of Education, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences. His research interests involve cognitive learning and assessment of student performance. H. MICHAEL CHEUNG – Dr. Cheung’s training is in chemical engineering. He earned his B.S. in 1979, his M.S. in 1982, and his Ph.D. in 1985, all at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and is a registered professional engineer (Ohio). He joined the chemical engineering faculty at The University of Akron in the fall of 1984 as an assistant professor, was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1989, and became full professor in 1998. His research areas include supercritical fluids processing, nanostructured materials synthesis, ultrasound driven processes, and laser measurement methods. EDWARD EVANS – Dr. Evans earned his Ph.D. in 1998 from Case Western Reserve University and has been teaching Chemical Reaction Engineering and Materials Science for the last five years in the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Akron. He has included material from the National Effective Teaching Institute Workshop (6/17/99-6/19/99) in many of these courses. Dr. Evans is currently funded under an NSF Bridges for Engineering Education (BEE) grant and a Department Level Curriculum Reform (DLCR) grant to implement novel approaches to engineering education. Dr. Evans participates in a multidisciplinary research group that studies vapor deposition of nanostructured materials. HELEN QAMMAR – Dr. Qammar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. She earned her PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Virginia in 1986 and worked as a research fellow at Resources for the Future prior to joining the University of Akron. She is actively involved on campus in the scholarship of teaching and learning including chairing the college ABET committee. Research interests include the application of nonlinear dynamics to process identification and control. Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education

Kant suggested that Newton's Inverse Square Law (ISL) determines the dimensions of space to be three. Much has been written in the philosophical literature about Kant's suggestion, including specific arguments attempting to link the ISL to three-dimensionality. In this article, we explore one such argument and demonstrate that it fails to support the link Kant purports to make between the ISL and the three-dimensionality of space. At best, the link that can be made is between the ISL and symmetry.

We present a teaching activity whose aim is to enhance students' understanding of color perception by introducing them to intersubjective color variations among normal perceivers. The approach can be used in different disciplines, including biology, philosophy, psychology, physics, or statistics, for different purposes and with college students having various levels of sophistication and scientific training.

Submicron-sized Al2O3 fibers were formed by calcination of electrospun aluminum acetate/PVP composite fibers. At 650 °C, the fibers were amorphous. As the calcination temperature increased to 750 °C, the fibers transitioned from amorphous to 49 % crystalline gamma phase Al2O3. The crystallinity further increased with calcination temperature to 80 % gamma Al2O3 at 950 °C, but decreased above 950 °C as the crystal structure began to change to alpha phase. The fiber diameters tended to decrease as calcination temperature increased to 950 °C but increased as the alpha phase was formed at temperatures above 950 °C. Surface areas as measured by BET decreased as gamma phase crystallinity increased. Further decrease in surface area as the gamma phase crystal structure transitioned to alpha phase indicated changing internal pore structures of the fibers.

According to metaphysical tensism, there is an objective, albeit ever changing, present moment corresponding to our phenomenal experiences (Ludlow in Philosophy of language, Oxford handbook on tense and aspect. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2012; Brogaard and Marlow in Analysis 73(4):635–642, 2013). One of the principle objections to metaphysical tensism has been Einstein’s argument from special relativity, which says that given that the speed of light is constant, there is no absolute simultaneity defined in terms of observations of light rays (Einstein in Ann Phys 17:891–921, 1905). In a recent paper, Brogaard and Marlow (Analysis 73(4):635–642, 2013) argue that this objection fails. We argue that Brogaard and Marlow’s argument fails to show that special relativity does not pose a threat to metaphysical tensism.

Copper oxide thin films were synthesized by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering at different oxygen gas ratios. The chemical and physical properties of the thin films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). XPS results revealed that the dominant oxidation states of Cu were Cu-0 and Cu+ at 0% oxygen ratio. When the oxygen ratios increased above 5%, Cu was oxidized as CuO as detected by X-ray induced Auger electron spectroscopy and the Cu(OH)(2) phase was confirmed independent of the oxygen ratio. The valence band maxima were 1.19 +/- 0.09 eV and an increase in the density of states was confirmed after formation of CuO. The thickness and roughness of copper oxide thin films decreased with increasing oxygen ratio. The crystallinity of the copper oxide films changed from cubic Cu through cubic Cu2O to monoclinic CuO with mean crystallite sizes of 8.8 nm (Cu) and 16.9 nm (CuO) at the 10% oxygen ratio level.

Tetraisopropyl titanate, zinc acetate dihydrate, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were mixed to obtain a composite solution for producing TiO2–ZnO nanofibers. Electrospinning and subsequent calcination at 973K were employed to produce composite metal-oxide nanofibers with diameters ranging from 50 to 150nm. Characterization of the TiO2–ZnO composite nanofibers was carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometry. TGA reveals a total weight loss of 49% and no change in mass above 873K. The nanofibers are predominantly made of titania and exhibit two different energy band gap values of 3.0 and 3.5eV. Our findings indicate that in the composite TiO2–ZnO nanofibers three different phases (anatase and rutile TiO2 and wurtzite ZnO) can co-exist and retain their individual characteristic properties.

Composite fibers of TiO2–Al2O3 were prepared by electrospinning a sol–gel and polymer mixture to form template polymeric fibers followed by calcination. The resulting fibers were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Calcination at 973K resulted in mixture of anatase (A) titania and gamma (γ) alumina phases. We calculated a band gap energy of 3.3eV and found the average diameter of the resulting fibers in the 150–400nm range. Both XEDS and XPS reveal that fibers are predominantly made of titania.

Alumina nanofibers containing either platinum or rhodium crystalline nanoparticles have been successfully fabricated by electrospinning a solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone mixed with platinum or rhodium chloride and subsequent calcination and hydrogen reduction. Transmission electron microscopy images indicate that the platinum and rhodium nanoparticles are well dispersed on the electrospun alumina nanofibers. X-ray diffraction results demonstrate that the platinum and rhodium nanoparticles are crystalline, while the alumina matrix is amorphous. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the chemical nature of these nanofibers containing noble metals before and after calcination and hydrogen processing.

The most common clinical cause of long-term failure in total joint replacement surgery is inflammatory aseptic osteolysis; a condition in which bone surrounding the prosthetic implant, and to which the implant is attached, is resorbed, rendering the artificial device loose and painful. Historically, the severity of this bone resorptive process has been thought to be predominately attributed to the size and shape of wear-debris particles, particularly the metallic particulates that interact biologically/immunologically with cells in the joint. Because the cytotoxic reactions are the result of interactions between the cells and the surfaces of the particulates, it is not clear in the realm of orthopedics to what extent different surface stoichiometric ratios contribute to instigating bioreactive or cytotoxic cellular responses that can lead to aseptic osteolysis. Using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), this study presents data and analyses concerning the respective bulk and surface stoichiometric ratios of two commercially pure metal micro-particulates (tantalum and titanium), two prosthetic F75 cobalt–chromium–molybdenum alloy micro-particulates, and prosthetic F136 titanium–aluminum–vanadium alloy micro-particulates, each containing elements common to total joint replacement surgery. Cell culture viability data from four volunteer donors are also presented, which suggest that micro-particulates containing large percentages of surface titanium and aluminum can cause moderate cellular toxicity, and micro-particulates containing large percentages of surface cobalt can result in extremely severe cellular toxicity. This work further suggests that surface analysis techniques, such as XPS, are essential to determine surface elemental characterization of metallic materials prior to interpreting cellular response results.

Zinc oxide nanofibers doped with aluminum oxide were prepared by sol–gel processing and electrospinning techniques using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), zinc acetate and aluminum acetate as precursors. The resulting nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–Vis spectroscopy, and current–voltage (I–V) properties. The nanofibers had diameters in the range of 60–150nm. The incorporation of aluminum oxide resulted in a decrease in the crystallite sizes of the zinc oxide nanofibers. Aluminum oxide doped zinc oxide (AOZO) nanofibers exhibited lower bandgap energies compared to undoped zinc oxide nanofibers. However, as the aluminum content (Al/(Al+Zn)×100%) was increased from 1.70at.% to 3.20at.% in the electrospinning solution, the bandgap energy increased resulting in lower conductivity. The electrical conductivity of the AOZO samples was found to depend on the amount of aluminum dopant in the matrix as reflected in the changes in oxidation state elucidated from XPS data. Electrospinning was found to be a productive, simple, and easy method for tuning the bandgap energy and conductivity of zinc oxide semiconducting nanofibers.

Local oxidation of metal, semiconductor, and polymer surfaces has provided a common basis from which to explore fundamental principles of nanolithography and prototype functional nanostructures for many years now. This article summarizes an investigation of local oxidation for iron and Group IV metal thin films using both scanning probe microscopy and high-voltage nanoimprinting methods. We illustrate how the underlying kinetics of metal oxidation in the presence of nitrogen, which is incorporated into the metal film during the growth process, is dramatically enhanced compared with that of single-crystal silicon. We then go on to demonstrate subsequent selective etching of latent features and a potential magnetic application.

Titania nanofibers were successfully synthesized by sol-gel coating of electrospun polymer nanofibers followed by calcining to form either the pure anatase or rutile phases. Characterization of these materials was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-vis spectroscopy techniques. The average diameter of these ceramic nanofibers was observed to be around 200 nm for both the rutile and anatase forms. The valence band structure and optical absorption thresholds differ, however, indicating that nano-fibrous mats of titania can be selectively developed for different applications in catalysis and photochemistry.

Sputter deposited Mo thin films on soda-lime glass are studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found that the proportion of metallic Mo at the surface decreases and the number of Mo6+ species increases as the Ar gas pressure used for sputtering is increased. Sodium, diffusing during deposition from the substrate, is also detected on the surface of the Mo thin films. The implications for optimizing Mo thin films for Cu(InGa)Se2 applications are discussed.

Nanostructured metal oxides and particularly nanofiber based materials can provide significant advances for the miniaturization of electronic, optoelectronic, photonic, sensor, and energy conversion devices with enhanced performance based on their unique material properties. In this study, indium doped zinc oxide (IZO) nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning. These nanofibers have diameters in the range 50–100nm. The effects of indium addition on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the zinc oxide nanofiber matrices were investigated. The IZO nanofibers undergo significant changes in their optical and electrical properties compared to undoped zinc oxide nanofibers.

Electrospinning is a simple, versatile, and cost effective method for generating nanoscale fibers, wires, and tubes. Nanowires and nanotubes could be important building blocks for nanoscale electronics, optoelectronics, and sensors as they can function as miniaturized devices as well as electrical interconnects. We report on a simple method to fabricate free standing ceramic nanofiber heterostructures, which exhibit rectifying behavior of a p-n junction.