Fabrication And Characterization Of Polycarbonate Polyurethane (Pcpu) Nanofibers Impregnated With Nanofillers, Hruday Chand Katakam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polycarbonate polyurethane (PCPU) has been studied as a novel polymer impregnated with nanoparticles for improved mechanical, thermal and adhesion properties [4]. This study investigates the synthesis of polycarbonate polyurethane (PCPU) polymeric nanofiber membranes by the process of electrospinning. This study further examines all the parameters associated with electrospinning a novel PCPU polymeric solution impregnated with nanofillers, such as nanoparticles, to produce fiber membranes. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N, N dimethylformamide (DMF) are used as solvents to dissolve PCPU polymer. One percent (1%) of nanofillers like silver and silica nanoparticles are added to PCPU polymer solution to investigate the impact on polymer …

Investigation Of Opuntia Ficus-Indica Mucilage Nanofiber Membrane Filtration For Water Systems, Rasudha Muppaneni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates the fabrication, characterization and testing of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage nanofibers to be utilized in water filtration systems. These mucilage nanofibers are formed using different polymers through a process called electrospinning. The polymers used to promote the formation of nanofibers are poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and polystyrene (PS). The mucilage is a jelly like substance extracted from the pads of the cactus plant. It is a mixture of proteins, complex polysaccharides and monosaccharaides. It is an inexpensive, non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible material which is present in abundance. The mucilage extracted from the pads is mixed with acetic acid …

Fem Of Electrospinning Compared To Inkjet Printing Model, Maikel Ghaly

Theses

Electrospinning is a process that uses electrostatic forces to produce nanofibers, or fibers in the nano scale. Nanofibers are widely used in many fields like drug delivery and tissue engineering. Nowadays, it is gaining much attention in the research community as an advantageous process. However, there are many parameters that controlnanofiber formation. This research intends to develop a model of electrospinning on the basis of an inkjet printer technique by using a computer aided simulation (COMSOL). Inkjet printing is a technique that delivers small volumes at high repetitions which can betransported by electrostatic forces through the air onto their intended …

Effect Of Nanofiber Morphology On Pvdf Air Filter Performance, Andrew W. Marton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) can be formed into small nanofibers by electrospinning that are useful for a variety of applications. Air filters produced with PVDF are known to capture ionic particles with high efficiency. Existing studies have focused on the effects of electrospinning conditions on nanofiber morphology. In this study fibers were generated with varying morphologies. Air filters were then made from each sample and then characterized by TSI. Air filters were found to have increased resistances relative to their capture efficiencies according to particle diameter. Capture efficiencies did not correlate strongly with particle diameter, and the presence of beads in …

Mechanically Active Electrospun Materials, Jaimee Marie Robertson

Dissertations - ALL

Electrospinning, a technique used to fabricate small diameter polymer fibers, has been employed to develop unique, active materials falling under two categories: (1) shape memory elastomeric composites (SMECs) and (2) water responsive fiber mats. (1) Previous work has characterized in detail the properties and behavior of traditional SMECs with isotropic fibers embedded in an elastomer matrix. The current work has two goals: (i) characterize laminated anisotropic SMECs and (ii) develop a fabrication process that is scalable for commercial SMEC manufacturing. The former ((i)) requires electrospinning aligned polymer fibers. The aligned fibers are similarly embedded in an elastomer matrix and stacked …

Lab-On-A-Brane: A Novel Physiologically Relevant Planar Arterial Model To Study Transendothelial Transport, Karim I. Budhwani

All ETDs from UAB

The tremendous quality of life impact notwithstanding, cardiovascular diseases and Cancer add up to over US$ 700bn each year in financial costs alone. Aging and population growth are expected to further expand the problem space while drug research and development remain expensive. However, preclinical costs can be substantially mitigated by substituting animal models with in vitro devices that accurately model human cardiovascular transport. Here we present a novel physiologically relevant lab-on-a-brane that simulates in vivo pressure, flow, strain, and shear waveforms associated with normal and pathological conditions in large and small blood vessels for studying molecular transport across the endothelial …

Biosurfactants In Electrospinning, Jonathan Russell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Surfactants are useful in electrospinning to help improve the fiber morphology. Crocin is a naturally occurring biosurfactant from saffron that is highly soluble in water. By electrospinning a biocompatible polymer, such as polyethylene oxide (PEO) and Crocin, one can improve the fiber morphology. A systematic study of PEO was conducted by varying the voltage, flow rate, and gap distance. The viscosity of the solution was determined using a viscometer and the surface tension was determined using the pendant drop method. Fiber morphology was examined using SEM and fiber diameters were determined using ImageJ to measure the fibers in the SEM …

Reusable Adhesive Tapes From Electrospun Polymer Fibers, Vishal K. Chaurasia

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many emerging applications demand an adhesive that has reusable properties. The adhesive must exhibit high adhesion strength to various surfaces and be able to be removed easily and then reapplied with minimal to no loss in adhesion strength. This work aims to tackle this problem by creating an adhesive tape fabricated by electrospinning polymer solutions onto a substrate. Electrospun adhesive nano/micro fibers have the ability to display the reusable characteristics desired. Several adhesive custom formulations were first developed and optimized for electrospinning. Then these formulations were successfully electrospun on to various substrates after much fine tuning of electrospinning parameters. The …

Nylon-6 Fabric Nanocomposite Resistance Temperature Detectors - Effects Of Oxidant, Mwcnt, And Nylon-6 Concentration, Rebecca Howdyshell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this honors project is to construct and test temperature detectors, which can be used for the advancement of exercise devices, prosthetic sockets, or medical applications. Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) are an effective way to measure temperature due to the dependence of the RTD material’s resistance on temperature. The focus of this project was to develop an RTD for prosthetic socket or exercise applications, where the RTD is in close contact with the skin of the user. Generally, RTDs are constructed from platinum, copper, or nickel. However, metal RTDs have a tendency to be large and rigid, …

Electrospinning Of S-B-S Triblock And S-I-S Triblock Copolymers For Use In Fuel Filtration, Kevin Houser

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following research project looked into the potential of using nanofibers of syrene-isoprene-styrene triblock copolymer produced through the electrospinning process for the filtration of water out of fuel as well as a comparison of styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock to the styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock nanofibers produced at equivalent operating parameters. Based on the work completed, it is concluded that the styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock is not suitable for use in filtration with the current electrospinning conditions. On average, the styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock produced nanofibers of lower average diameter and lower standard deviation in diameter when compared to styene-butadiene-styrene triblock.

Peracetic Acid Sterilization Of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds, Suyog Yoganarasimha

Theses and Dissertations

Sterilization of tissue engineered scaffolds is an important regulatory issue and is at the heart of patient safety. With the introduction of new biomaterials and micro/nano structured scaffolds, it is critical that the mode of sterilization preserve these built-in features. Conventional sterilization methods are not optimal for engineered polymeric systems and hence alternate systems need to be identified and validated. PCL is polyester with a low melting point (heat labile), susceptible to hydrolysis and is popular in tissue engineering. Electrospinning generates some nanoscale features within the scaffold, the integrity of which can be affected by sterilization method. Chapter 1 explores …

Peracetic Acid: A Practical Agent For Sterilizing Heat-Labile Polymeric Tissue-Engineering Scaffolds, William R. Trahan

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced biomaterials and sophisticated processing technologies aim to fabricate tissue-engineering scaffolds that can predictably interact within a biological environment at a cellular level. Sterilization of such scaffolds is at the core of patient safety and is an important regulatory issue that needs to be addressed prior to clinical translation. In addition, it is crucial that meticulously engineered micro- and nano- structures are preserved after sterilization. Conventional sterilization methods involving heat, steam and radiation are not compatible with engineered polymeric systems because of scaffold degradation and loss of architecture. Using electrospun scaffolds made from polycaprolactone (PCL), a low melting polymer, and …

Bio-Hybrid Tubular Electrospun Scaffold For Vascular Tissue Engineering Application, Harsh Narendrakumar Patel

All ETDs from UAB

Atherosclerosis is an asymmetric thickening of the intima (innermost layer) of the artery due to plaque (a combination of lipids, debris, connective tissue elements and cells) build up causing the artery to become narrower and stiffer, resulting in a major hemodynamic disturbance[1, 2]. When atherosclerosis affects coronary arteries and prevents blood flow to the heart muscles posing a threat of, or a actual myocardial infarction, that condition is identified as coronary artery disease (CAD). To treat severely blocked coronary arteries,coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) have became the gold standard for when angioplasty and stent placement has failed to unclog the …