Publications related to Thick GaN growth via GaN nanodot formation by HVPE

Influence of fiber orientation on the tensile behavior of UHPFRC and reinforced UHPFRC under static and fatigue loadings

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composite (UHPFRC) is a modern class of cementitious building materials. Because of its superior mechanical properties and durability, it is increasingly used globally to rehabilitate, strengthen and mod ...

EPFL2024

A global framework for data-informed bridge examination

Eugen Brühwiler, Philippe Schiltz, Numa Joy Bertola

Examining the performance of an existing bridge requires information on several aspects, such as design choices, material properties, and ongoing degradation processes. It often happens that some critical information is not available. The traditional appro ...

2024

Short-term behavior of glass fiber-polymer composite bending-active elastica beam under service load application

Thomas Keller, Landolf-Giosef-Anastasios Rhode-Barbarigos, Tara Habibi

Bending-active elastica beam is a structural configuration that is based on the elastic deformation of an initially straight beam. This deformation occurs when horizontal displacements are applied to a sliding support, causing the beam to bend into an arch ...

2024

Influence of model uncertainty and long term deformations in action effects calculation in reinforced concrete structures

Xhemsi Malja

Most codes of practice adopt a semi probabilistic design approach for the dimensioning and assessment of structures. Accordingly, structural safety is ensured by performing limit state verifications using design values determined with adequately calibrated ...

EPFL2024

Long live(d) CsPbBr3 superlattices: colloidal atomic layer deposition for structural stability

Raffaella Buonsanti, Alexander Nicolas Chen, Philippe Benjamin Green, Victoria Lapointe

Superlattice formation afforded by metal halide perovskite nanocrystals has been a phenomenon of interest due to the high structural order induced in these self-assemblies, an order that is influenced by the surface chemistry and particle morphology of the ...

Royal Soc Chemistry2024

Structure and dynamics of liquid water from ab initio simulations: adding Minnesota density functionals to Jacob's ladder

Ursula Röthlisberger, Justin Villard, Martin Peter Bircher

The accurate representation of the structural and dynamical properties of water is essential for simulating the unique behavior of this ubiquitous solvent. Here we assess the current status of describing liquid water using ab initio molecular dynamics, wit ...

Royal Soc Chemistry2024

Microstructural and electrical characterization of high temperature passivating contacts for silicon solar cells

Sofia Libraro

Recombination at metal/semiconductor interfaces represents the main limitation in mainstream c-Si solar cells, primarily based on the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) concept. Full-area passivating contacts based on SiOx/poly-Si stacks are a candida ...

EPFL2024

Instabilities in Elastic and Magneto-Elastic Beams and Shells: from Shell Buckling to the Design of a Programmable Braille Reader

Arefeh Abbasi

In this thesis, we conduct a comprehensive investigation into structural instabilities of both elastic and magneto-elastic beams and shells, resulting in a creative proposal to design a programmable braille reader. Methodologically, we combine numerical si ...

EPFL2024

FLO:RE – A new floor system made of reused reinforced concrete and steel elements

Maléna Bastien Masse, Numa Joy Bertola, Célia Marine Küpfer, Corentin Jean Dominique Fivet

Carefully extracting reinforced concrete (RC) elements from soon-to-be demolished structures and reusing them as load-bearing components is an emerging circular low-carbon alternative to building new structures. As floor construction typically accounts for ...

IABSE2024

Reliability analysis and partial safety format calibration considering the characteristics of the resistance of reinforced concrete structures

Qianhui Yu

Every engineering calculation is an approximation of reality, with inevitable uncertainties involved. This fact implies that a reliability verification accounting for the uncertainties is a necessary step in the design and assessment of structures. Nowaday ...

EPFL2023

Combined Passive and Active Ultrasonic Stress Wave Monitoring of UHPFRC Properties on a Structural Level

Eugen Brühwiler, Numa Joy Bertola, Thomas Schumacher

Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite (UHPFRC) is becoming popular in designing lightweight and durable structures. UHPFRC structural elements remain crack-free and waterproof under service conditions, significantly improving durab ...

2023

Energy geotechnology: A new era for geotechnical engineering practice

Lyesse Laloui, Melis Sütman

Energy geotechnology provides low carbon, cost-effective and local energy solu-tions to structures and infrastructures, which opens a new era for the geotechnical engineering practice, by extending the conventional role of structural design to the ...

CRC Press2023

An Edible Bistable Tilt Sensor Enabling Autonomous Operation of a Partially Eatable Rolling Robot

Dario Floreano, Bokeon Kwak

Edible electronics and robotics are emerging areas intimately bridging food science and engineering to deliver technology using food-derived materials. Edible devices offer unprecedented opportunities thanks to features such as bioresorbability, nutritiona ...

2023

Preliminary design of the cold mass supports for the EU DEMO feeders

Kamil Sedlák, Roberto Guarino

The Cold Mass Support (CMS) is a basic structural component of the feeder system of the EU DEMO tokamak. The function of this structural element is not only to provide support to the containment duct - wiring the cryogenic lines, electrical bus bars and in ...

2023

Crack tip kinematics reveal the process zone structure in brittle fracture

John Martin Kolinski, Chenzhuo Li, Xinyue Wei

When brittle hydrogels fail, several mechanisms conspire to alter the state of stress near the tip of a crack, and it is challenging to identify which mechanism is dominant. In the fracture of brittle solids, a sufficient far-field stress results in the co ...

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD2023

In Search of Covalent Organic Framework Photocatalysts: A DFT-Based Screening Approach

Berend Smit, Kevin Maik Jablonka, Andres Adolfo Ortega Guerrero, Beatriz Bueno Mouriño

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) stand out as prospective organic-based photocatalysts given their intriguing optoelectronic properties, such as visible light absorption and high charge-carrier mobility. The "Clean, Uniform, Refined with Automatic Tracki ...

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH2023

Analysis of barrette foundations subjected to mechanical and thermal loads

Lyesse Laloui, Alessandro Francesco Rotta Loria

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the use of rectangular barrette foundations for the structural support and energy supply of tall buildings when circular piles become inefficient or uneconomical. In such applications, so-called energy ...

2022

Facet Engineering for Stable, Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Michael Graetzel

Facet engineering is an important strategy for tuning the physical, chemical, and electronic properties of a crystal surface, and it also provides an effective route to improve the device performance in many fields. Complex crystal structures with rough mo ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2022

Inverse Analysis of R-UHPFRC Beams to Determine the Flexural Response under Service Loading and at Ultimate Resistance

Eugen Brühwiler, Emmanuel Denarié, Bartlomiej Wojciech Sawicki

Ultra high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (UHPFRCs) have demonstrated their outstanding efficiency as structural materials. Determination of the bending resistance of members combining UHPFRC with steel reinforcement bars (R-UHPFRC) u ...

2022

Engineering of Existing Structures: The Need and Place for Non-destructive Evaluation

Eugen Brühwiler, Numa Joy Bertola, Thomas Schumacher

Structural engineers today are still educated mainly to design new structures. This ignores the fact that structures already exist and need to be maintained. Students are thus often ill-equipped to deal with maintenance and preservation of existing structu ...

2022