Digital Commons Network^™

Thin Film Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Nanostructured Materials: Tailoring Size, Porosity, Morphology Of Zinc Stannate Perovskites (Abx3), Christopher Munoz

Theses and Dissertations

Three dimensional (3D) piezoelectric zinc stannate (ZnSnO3) nanoweb arrays are synthesized using a combination of treatment methods deposited in PDMS thin films for electrochemical analysis of its piezoelectric response. Advantages of hydrothermal, molten salt, and solvothermal synthesis methods were leveraged to facilitate several chemical and surface engineering techniques. The combination of these treatments reduce the size of zinc stannate to approximately ~40nm-80nm weblike networks, much smaller than previously reported ZnSnO3 sub-micro cubes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis reveal a mesoporous protonated tristannate (H2Sn3O7) nanoweb template with connecting wirelike strands having diameters ranging from 12-27nm across and …

Ultrasensitive Tapered Optical Fiber Refractive Index, Erem Ujah, Meimei Lai, Gymama Slaughter

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Refractive index (RI) sensors are of great interest for label-free optical biosensing. A tapered optical fiber (TOF) RI sensor with micron-sized waist diameters can dramatically enhance sensor sensitivity by reducing the mode volume over a long distance. Here, a simple and fast method is used to fabricate highly sensitive refractive index sensors based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Two TOFs (l = 5 mm) with waist diameters of 5 µm and 12 µm demonstrated sensitivity enhancement at λ = 1559 nm for glucose sensing (5-45 wt%) at room temperature. The optical power transmission decreased with increasing glucose concentration due …

A New Study Of Dynamic Mechanical Analysis And The Microstructure Of Polyurethanefoams Filled, Noureddine Boumdouha, Zitouni Safidine, Achraf Boudiaf

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Polyurethane foams have good shock-absorbing properties. This article discusses the study of the physical, dynamic analysis, and microstructure of filled polyurethane foams (PUR). We used mineral fillings nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and calcium carbonate (C1) to support and strengthen the foam cell structure to develop shock absorption and thermal resistance properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and compression tests compared the mechanic characterization results with different modelling approaches. For studies of physicochemical properties, we used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). We deduced the flame retardancy mechanism. It appears that a detailed description of the characteristics of viscosity …

Evaluation Of The Potential Of Automated Sem-Eds Analysis For The Discrimination Of Inorganic Soil Particles, Anna S. Duggar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Soil, that complex mixture of minerals, organic particles, chemicals, and anthropogenic materials, is ubiquitous and easily transferred, which gives it forensic relevance. Forensic soil analysis has traditionally included the identification and comparison of both organic and inorganic components, the inorganic portion being most commonly examined by light microscopy and other instrumental techniques. Predominantly, the inorganic materials in soil are naturally-occurring minerals, contributed as grains from the surrounding bedrock, which gives a soil its regional character. That parent material then undergoes physical, chemical, and anthropogenic changes producing wide geographic variation within a single region. This variation forms the basis for potential …

Hot Electron Chemistry On Bimetallic Plasmonic Nanoparticles, Bryn E. Merrill, Bingjie Zhang, Jerry Larue

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Catalysis provides pathways for efficient and selective chemical reactions through the lowering of energy barriers for desired products. Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) show excellent promise as plasmonic catalysts. Localized surface plasmon resonances are oscillations of the electron bath at the surface of a nanoparticle that generate energetically intense electric fields and rapidly decay into energetically excited electrons. The excited electrons have the potential to destabilize strongly bound oxygen atoms through occupation of accessible anti-bonding orbitals. Tuning the anti-bonding orbitals to make them accessible for occupancy will be achieved by coating the AuNP in a thin layer of another transition metal, such …

Scanning Electron Microscopy (Sem) Investigation Of Morphology Changes In The Reduction Of Silica Nanoparticles To Elemental Silicon, Allison M. Cairns

University Honors Theses

The application of silicon nanoparticles varies from energy storage materials, to drug-delivery, and molecular recognition. Various chemical and physical properties of the Si nanoparticles arise from their morphology. This paper aims to reveal the morphology of Si nanoparticles following magnesiothermic reduction of silica (SiO₂) nanoparticles. Two sets of SiO₂ nanoparticles were used, commercially available NanoXact nanoparticles and laboratory-synthesized Stöber nanoparticles. A Zeiss Sigma VP FEG SEM was used to examine the morphology. Following the magnesiothermic reduction, the nanoparticles were etched with HF. Ten sets of images were taken of both Stöber and NanoXact nanoparticles: 1,2: the SiO …

Highly Improved Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Dimethylamine Borane On Silvernanoparticles Modified Polymer Composite Electrode, Çağri Ceylan Koçak, Süleyman Koçak, Şükri̇ye Karabi̇beroğlu, Zekerya Dursun

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Dimethylamine borane (DMAB) is a promising fuel alternative for fuel cell applications. In this work cyclic voltammetric behavior of DMAB was investigated on the polymerized aminophenol film decorated with Ag nanoparticles in alkaline media. The polymer film was formed on the glassy carbon electrode by electrochemical technique and then, the surface was modified with Ag nanoparticles. The surface of the modified electrode was identified by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The developed electrode has displayed high electrocatalytic activity for DMAB oxidation in alkaline media depending on the supporting electrolyte concentration. Experimental …

Properties Of New York/New Jersey Harbor Sediments, K. W. Jones, Huan Feng, E. A. Stren, U. Neuhäusler, J. Osán, N. Marinkovic, Z. Song

Huan Feng

Sediments found in waterways around the world may contain toxic compounds of anthropogeilic origin that can harm the environment and human health. As a result, it is often necessary to remove them and find disposal methods that are environmentally and economically acceptable. Here, we report on results obtained in an experimental program to characterize the nature of the sediment contamination. The objective was to gain a better understanding of the properties of the sediments to develop better methods for understanding the fate and transport of the contaminants and for improving methods for their removal from the sediments. Our investigations made …

Reaction Induced Morphology Changes Of Tetracene And Pentacene Surfaces, Feifei Li, Jacob W. Ciszek

Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Morphology plays a critical role in determining the properties of solid-state molecular materials, yet fluctuates wildly as these materials undergo reaction. A prototypical system, a vapor–solid Diels–Alder reaction of tetracene and pentacene thin-films, is used to observe the evolution of morphology features as the reaction transitions from surface to bulk. The initial stages of reaction display little topographical change as measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and substrates are coated with a uniform layer of product 1–2 molecules thick, as determined by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The highly textured surfaces of late stage reactions are …

Synchrotron Radiation Analysis Of Daguerreotypes: Surface Characterization, Electrocleaning, And Preservation, Madalena S. Kozachuk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The first commercially viable photographic image, the daguerreotype, captured images from 1839 to 1860. While daguerreotypes provide a significant historical record of 19^th century individuals and events, deterioration now disfigures many of these images. This work describes the application of synchrotron radiation (SR) to the study of daguerreotypes.

Three goals were addressed in this thesis: 1) to utilize SR to further elucidate the physics and chemistry of the daguerreotype and how the surface varies with time, 2) to study the effects of the electrocleaning system on the daguerreotype surface, and 3) to propose suggestions to improve their preservation and …

On The Use Of Vibrational Spectroscopy And Scanning Electron Microscopy To Study Phenolic Extractability Of Cooperage Byproducts In Wine, Berta Baca‑Bocanegra, Julio Nogales‑Bueno, Brian Gorey, Francisco José Heredia, Hugh Byrne, José Miguel Hernández‑Hierro

Articles

Wood is an important source of phenolic compounds, which can be transferred to wine during aging process, improving its properties, from an organoleptic point of view. Therefore, understanding and optimizing the extractability of phenolic compounds from wood are crucial in the oenological field. The structural composition of oak wood samples has been evaluated using Raman and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopies, and their main spectral features have been linked to phenolic compound extractabilities, as measured by classic chemical analyses. To support the analysis, microscopic images of the samples were also recorded using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The …

Microstructural Changes To Proso Millet Protein Bodies Upon Cooking And Digestion, Paridhi Gulati, You Zhou, Christian Elowsky, Devin J. Rose

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Cooking results in a drastic decline in digestibility of proso millet proteins, panicins. Scanning electron and confocal microscopy were used to observe morphological changes in proso millet protein bodies upon cooking and digestion that could be associated with the loss in digestibility. Spherical protein bodies (1–2.5 mm) were observed in proso millet flour and extracted protein. Cooking did not result in any noticeable change in the size or shape of the protein bodies. However, upon digestion with pepsin the poor digestibility of cooked proso millet protein was clearly evident from the differences in microstructure of the protein bodies: large cavities …

Thermal Conductivity Performance Of Polypropylene Composites Filled With Polydopamine-Functionalized Hexagonal Boron Nitride, Lin Chen, Hong-Fei Xu, Shao-Jian He, Yi-Hang Du, Nan-Jie Yu, Jun Lin, Sergei I. Nazarenko

Faculty Publications

Mussel-inspired approach was attempted to non-covalently functionalize the surfaces of boron nitride (BN) with self-polymerized dopamine coatings in order to reduce the interfacial thermal barrier and enhance the thermal conductivity of BN-containing composites. Compared to the polypropylene (PP) composites filled with pristine BN at the same filler content, thermal conductivity was much higher for those filled with both functionalized BN (f-BN) and maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP-g-ma) due to the improved filler dispersion and better interfacial filler-matrix compatibility, which facilitated the development of more thermal paths. Theoretical models were also applied to predict the composite thermal conductivity in which the …

Electrospinning Of Polymeric Solutions Using Opuntia Ficus-Indica Mucilage And Iron Oxide For Nanofiber Membranes For Treating Arsenic Contaminated Water, Venkatesh Eppili

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water is the essential part of every organism and it is also a vital constituent of healthy living and diet. Unfortunately water contamination over the past decade has increased dramatically leading to various diseases. As technology advances, we are detecting many pollutants at smaller levels of concentrations. Arsenic (As) is one of those major pollutants, and Arsenic poisoning is a condition caused due to excess levels of arsenic in the body. The main basis for Arsenic poisoning is from ground water which naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic. A case study from 2007 states that over 137 million people in …

Electrochemical Synthesis Of Nanostructured Noble Metal Films For Biosensing, Jay Kishan Bhattarai

Dissertations

Nanostructures of noble metals (Au and Ag) are of interest because of their important intrinsic properties. Noble metals by themselves are conductive, physically robust, chemically inert, and strongly bind to thiols. However, when the nanostructures are formed, they in addition possess high surface area and unique optical properties tunable by adjusting the shape and size. All of these properties make nanostructures of noble metals suitable candidates to be used as a transducer for biosensing. Individual nanostructures might be easier to prepare but difficult to handle to be used as a transducer. Therefore, we prepared and analyzed nanostructured films/coating of noble …

Formation, Functionalization, Characterization, And Applications Of A Mixed-Mode, Carbon/Diamond-Based, Core-Shell Phase For High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Landon A. Wiest

Theses and Dissertations

My work has focused on a variety of different types of diamond-based, core-shell particles. These particles are formed with inert cores and poly(allylamine)/nanodiamond shells. Their intended purpose is to form an LC stationary phase that is stable from pH 1 – 14 and at elevated temperatures. At the beginning of my studies, the particles that had been made in the Linford laboratory were pH stable, but irregular and had poor mechanical stability. Since that time, I have worked to improve the particles by using more spherical zirconia and carbon cores, and I have improved their mechanical stability via chemical crosslinking …

Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Copper Sulfide Nanostructured Thin Film From Newly Synthesized Single-Source Precursor, Sohail Saeed, Naghmana Rashid, Khurram Shahzad Ahmad

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The copper(II) complex of N-[ethyl(butyl)carbamothioyl]- 3,5-dinitrobenzamide (1) has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that complex 2 decomposes in 2 steps to form copper sulfide. The complex was used as a single-source precursor for the deposition of copper sulfide thin film by aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition at 350 °C. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of thin film of the complex showed the deposition of monoclinic roxbyite Cu_7S_4 and orthorhombic anilite Cu_7S_4 phases at 350 °C with spherical crystallites. The degree of film surface roughness was determined by atomic …

The Effects Of Small Metal Additions (Co,Cu,Ga,Mn,Al,Bi,Sn) On The Magnetocaloric Properties Of The Gd5ge2si2 Alloy, R D. Shull, V Provenzano, A J. Shapiro, A Fu, Michael W. Lufaso, J Karapetrova, G Kletetschka, V Mikula

Michael W. Lufaso

The structural and magnetic properties of arc-melted and homogenized (1300 °C, 1 h) alloys of Gd5Ge1.9Si2X0.1 (X = Cu, Co, Ga, Mn, Al, Bi, or Sn) were investigated by powder x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and magnetometry. The addition of Cu, Ga, Mn, and Al completely eliminated the large hysteresis losses present in the undoped Gd5Ge2Si2 alloy between 270 and 330 K, broadened the magnetic entropy change ΔSm peak, and shifted its peak value from 275 to 305 K similar to that observed earlier for Gd5Ge1.9Si2Fe0.1. The addition of Bi or Sn had a negligible effect on …

Positional Control Over Nanoparticle Deposition Into Nanoholes, Moshood K. Morakinyo, Shankar B. Rananavare

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Controlled deposition of metal nanoparticles (NPs) into lithographic patterned nanoholes has been a major challenge. Electrostatic attraction was employed in directing gold NPs of precise size into e-beam lithographically patterned holes. Citrate stabilized gold NPs with a net negative surface charge were deposited on a positively charged well-bottom surface generated by adsorption of long-chain amino-terminated organosilane N-(2-aminoethyl)-11-aminoundecyltrimethoxy- silane (AATMS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicate that deposition of NPs into patterned holes is a function of deposition time and NPs concentration. Other factors affecting NP fill fraction are thickness of silane and resist layer and spacing between the nanoholes.

Enhanced Oxygen Activation Over Supported Bimetallic Au-Ni Catalysts, Bert D. Chandler, Cormac G. Long, John D. Gilbertson, Christopher J. Pursell, G. Vijayaraghavan, K. J. Stevenson

Chemistry Faculty Research

New bimetallic Ni-Au supported nanoparticle catalysts were prepared by using dendrimer templated nanoparticles. Amine-terminated generation 5 polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were anchored to a commercial silica with a siloxane linked anhydride. The dendrimer was then alkylated and used to template Ni-Au nanoparticles, which were subsequently extracted into organic solution as thiol monolayer protected clusters (MPCs). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicated bimetallic nanoparticles of about 2 nm in size. Nanoparticles were deposited onto P-25 TiO2, and the capping thiol ligands were removed under flowing H2. DRIFTS infrared spectra of adsorbed CO showed only Au on the catalyst …

Properties Of New York/New Jersey Harbor Sediments, K. W. Jones, Huan Feng, E. A. Stren, U. Neuhäusler, J. Osán, N. Marinkovic, Z. Song

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Sediments found in waterways around the world may contain toxic compounds of anthropogeilic origin that can harm the environment and human health. As a result, it is often necessary to remove them and find disposal methods that are environmentally and economically acceptable. Here, we report on results obtained in an experimental program to characterize the nature of the sediment contamination. The objective was to gain a better understanding of the properties of the sediments to develop better methods for understanding the fate and transport of the contaminants and for improving methods for their removal from the sediments. Our investigations made …

Shear Induced Orientation In Polymer-Clay Solutions And Their Influence On The Structure In Multilayered Films, Matthew Michael Malwitz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The influence of shear on viscoelastic solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and clay (Cloisite, CNA) was investigated by rheology and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) under shear. These measurements determined the shear-induced orientation of the clay and the polymer as well as their relaxation behavior after cessation of shear. Comparison of PEO-CNA solutions (~100 nm diameter platelets) to previously studied PEO-Laponite gels (~30 nm diameter platelets) found that the orientation of CNA platelets occurs at much lower shear rates. Additionally, the relaxation times were much longer for CNA platelets than for Laponite platelets. From these solutions and gels, multilayered nanocomposite …