Papers by Author: Richard D. Sisson

Abstract: Chemical synthesis is cheap and easy to be tailored. Reduction of graphite oxide to form graphene nanosheets is a necessary step that determines yield, quality, chemical and surface properties of graphene nanosheets. In this report, the reduction of graphite oxides by chemical and thermal methods has been employed to convert graphite oxide synthesized by the same wet chemical method using KMnO₄ and H₂O₂. The characterization results from the two reduction methods indicate that a combination of wet oxidation of graphite and thermal reduction method is an efficient and environmental friendly way to produce graphene.

Abstract: Initiated by the need of industry for gas carburizing process control and optimization, this paper focuses on understanding the effect of the time, temperature and carbon potential on the mass transfer coefficient and carbon diffusivity in Austenite. A method for direct flux integration has previously been proposed to calculate these kinetic parameters from the experimental carbon concentration profiles. AISI 8620 steel discs were gas carburized at different levels of atmosphere carburizing potential for selected austenizing temperatures. Analyses of the carburized parts included experimental measurement of weight gain, surface carbon concentration and carbon concentration profiles. The time-dependent weight gain and surface carbon content measurements allowed calculation of the time average mass transfer coefficient, while carbon concentration profiles were used to calculate the concentration dependent carbon diffusivity for selected process parameters. Excellent agreement was found between the calculated mass transfer coefficient and carbon diffusivity values and those reported in the literature. The calculated values served as input in the previously developed carburizing model validating the predicted results by comparison with the experimental concentration profiles.