Engineering Commons^™

Study On The Interactions Between Nanomaterials And Proteins, Yueqi Bi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Incorporating proteins with nanomaterials is an effective way to enhance the stability and function of proteins. The protein-nanomaterials hybrid systems have been extensively applied in drug delivery and biocatalysis. This thesis focuses on the different interactions between proteins and nanomaterials. Three sub-projects have been studied as follows;

1) Chemical interaction: Gold nanoparticles with a particle size of 15nm were applied to label bovine serum albumin (BSA), a globular protein, for realizing a colorimetric protein assay. The results of FTIR and Raman spectra indicate that gold nanoparticles bond to BSA via the amine bonds. The surface plasma resonance (SPR) of …

Calcium Phosphate-Based Resorbable Biomaterials For Bone Regeneration, Daniel O. Costa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Bone defects are a prevalent problem in orthopedics and dentistry. Calcium phosphate-based coatings and nanocomposites offer unique solutions towards producing scaffolds with suitable physical, mechanical and biological properties for bone regeneration.

We developed a novel method to synthesize hydroxyapatite (HA) particles with high aspect ratio using sol-gel chemistry and hydrothermal treatment. We obtained tunable pure-phase carbonated-HA in the form of micro/nanorods and nanowires (diameters 25-800 nm). To mimic the structure of bone, HA nanowires were homogenously mixed within poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to produce nanocomposites with improved mechanical properties as determined by uniaxial tensile testing.

Surface chemistry and topography of biomaterials play …

Experimental & Empirical Correlations For The Determination Of The Overall Volumetric Mass Transfer Coefficients Of Carbon Dioxide In Stirred Tank Bioreactors, Syeda Anam Kazim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One of the most important parameters to cultivate microalgae is carbon dioxide absorption by microalgae. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient (K_La) of carbon dioxide to quantify CO₂ transfer from the gaseous to the liquid phase. Until now, finding K_La of CO₂ for microalgae cultivation has been a challenge as there is not much information available about it in the literature and most of the time the CO₂ transfer to microalgae is approximated. In this study, correlations to directly calculate K_La of CO₂ in …

Bubble-Free Oxygen And Carbon Dioxide Mass Transfer In Bioreactors Using Microporous Membranes, Ravi Balgobin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Increasing gas-liquid mass transfer in bioreactors is a major goal for performance improvement in bioprocesses. The effects of bubble-free oxygen and carbon dioxide mass transfer using microporous membranes were tested in a flat module and a hollow fiber module for applications in a bio-fuel cell and cultivation of microalgae. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient, K_La, was compared to conventional bubbling. Liquid agitation rates influenced the mass transfer, as the limiting factor was the liquid boundary layer thickness. The K_La increased as the membrane hydrophobicity increased. The effect of pore size was found to be negligible …