Engineering Commons^™

Tobacco Mosaic Virus Implemented As An Interfacial Layer In Organic Photovoltaic Cells, Monica D. Del Real, Bryan Boudouris

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are flexible, light weight, and economical to produce due to low processing temperatures, solution processing, and print fabrication. This makes them optimal for a wide range of applications. However, the efficiencies of OPVs are currently not high enough for them to be viable in the market or to be able to compete with inorganic photovoltaics. Therefore the integration of new materials and methods into OPVs in order to increase their efficiency is a vital field. One way to increase the efficiency of OPVs is to increase the surface area in-between layers to allow for enhanced electron transport. …

Experimental Study Of Co2 Recycling Using Metal-Oxide Enhanced Coconut Char Gasification: Catalytic Effect Of Potassium Carbonate On Gasification, Mengqi Gao, Indraneel Sircar, Jay P. Gore

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biomass gasification is an important process in the production of bio-derived fuels and renewable energy. Biomass gasification with CO₂ is an endothermic process requiring high temperatures, resulting in low process-efficiency. Metals found in the ash in biomass feedstock have shown rate-promoting effects on the C-CO₂ reaction and have motivated the study of low-temperature catalytic gasification. The present study investigates the catalytic effects of potassium (K) on the biomass gasification reactivity of a coconut-derived char (>99.9% carbon) within the temperature range of 600 – 1000 ^oC. A wet-impregnation technique is used to prepare K-treated chars. Gasification of …

Database For Solar Energy Group, Lei Zhong, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) is the abundant quaternary semiconducting compound which could be used to make solar thin film. Even though its efficiency is lower than the silicon based film, the cost of CZTS solar film will be lower compared to the current silicon based film. Therefore it is really worth to do research and make improvement on its efficiency. So far, the solar energy group already collected a great bunch of data, which could be employed to guide the future experiment. Hence, it is really necessary to build a database to arrange the information we got. Our project …

Biomarkers For Vincristine-Induced Neuropathy, Danni Li, Jayachandran Devaraj, Doraiswami Ramkrishna

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Vincristine is a vinca alkaloid, a commonly used chemotherapy drug for treating leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and some pediatric cancers. Its major dose-limiting side effect is peripheral neuropathy. The current dosing of “standard-dose-for-all” ignores the genetic and phenotypic variations among different patients, and causes severe neuropathy in some patients while ineffectively treats the others. In the present study, we aim to discover novel biomarkers involved in vincristine-induced neuropathy and identify patients with varied metabolic characteristics. Thus treatment can be tailored accordingly to improve outcomes of vincristine treatment. Pre-dose and post-dose serum samples were collected from two groups of patients (low …

Adhesive Elastomeric Proteins, Haefa Mansour, Julie Liu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Sutures and staples commonly used to close surgical wounds tend to be much stiffer than the surrounding tissue, often resulting in external tissue damage. Surgical adhesives provide a promising alternative to these sutures and staples. Ideal surgical adhesives are biocompatible, able to set well and remain sticky in moist conditions, possess strong adhesive and cohesive properties, and exhibit mechanical properties that mimic those of the surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, the adhesives available today are unable to satisfactorily meet all of these criteria. We are utilizing protein engineering techniques to design, create, and test a new surgical adhesive that combines the adhesive …

Photolithography In Fabrication Of Thin-Film Solar Cells, Yusheng Zhu, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Solar energy has steadily increased its efficiency and cost-effectiveness throughout the past three decades and seems poised to compete with current primary energy (natural gas, oil, coal) as the need for alternative energy sources rises. One type of solar cell, thin-film cells, often relies on use of permanent photomasks in order to imprint a pattern onto the front metal contact. However, these machined metal masks are rigid and do not allow for different designs to be explored as current masks encounter difficulties in machining grids thin enough for optimization. Photolithography, traditionally used in the microfabrication field, provides a method in …

Solvent Selection For Liquid-Liquid Extraction Of Acetic Acid From Biomass Hydrolysate, Emma A. Barber, Mahdieh Aghazadeh, Abigail Engelberth

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels are one of the most hopeful alternative energy sources to fossil fuels. However, the processing and production of biofuels needs improvement to be economically competitive in the current market. One drawback is the presence of naturally occurring compounds that decrease the bioethanol production rate and yield; these are called inhibitors. A resolution to this problem is to remove the inhibitors from biomass fermentation broth prior to fermentation. This project examined liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for removal of acetic acid, a major inhibitor. Initially, a stock solution of glucose, xylose, acetic acid, and water was combined with an additional organic solvent …

Characterization Of The Saturation Level Of Nucleosome Arrays And Plasmids By Mnase Digestion, Wenjie Liu, Nathan Nurse, Chongli Yuan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Studying processes involving DNA such as DNA replication and transcription is best done in the context of chromatin because the structure of DNA influences the efficiency of such processes. Chromatin structure is derived from DNA wrapping around histone octamers with the histone octamer density termed saturation level. For in vitro studies on DNA replication and transcription, it is important to maintain a constant saturation level so that saturation level can be removed as a variable. Our goal is to characterize the saturation level of plasmids using the rate of MNase digestion. MNase digestions were first performed on reconstituted nucleosome arrays …

Atomic Level Study Of Water-Gas Shift Catalysts Via Transmission Electron Microscopy And X-Ray Spectroscopy, Mehmed Cem Akatay

Open Access Dissertations

Water-gas shift (WGS), CO + H₂ O [Special characters omitted.] CO₂ + H₂ (ΔH° = -41 kJ mol ^-1 ), is an industrially important reaction for the production of high purity hydrogen. Commercial Cu/ZnO/Al₂ O₃ catalystsare employed to accelerate this reaction, yet these catalysts suffer from certain drawbacks, including costly regeneration processes and sulfur poisoning. Extensive research is focused on developing new catalysts to replace the current technology. Supported noble metals stand out as promising candidates, yet comprise intricate nanostructures complicating the understanding of their working mechanism.

In this study, the structure of the supported …

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Study Of Copper-Exchanged Zeolites For The Selective Catalytic Reduction Of Nox With Ammonia, Shane Adam Bates

Open Access Dissertations

The recent application of metal-exchanged, small-pore zeolites for use in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO_x with ammonia NH₃ for automotive deNO_x applications has been a great stride in achieving emission standard goals. Copper-exchanged SSZ-13 (Cu-SSZ-13), the small-pore zeolite in this study, has been shown to be very hydrothermally stable and active under conditions presented in the exhaust of the lean-burn diesel engine. In this work, detailed studies were performed to identify many aspects of the active site(s) in Cu-SSZ-13 in order to learn about the standard SCR mechanism.

A series of seven Cu-SSZ-13 samples were …

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Characterization Of Catalytic Materials For The Conversion Of Biomass-Derived Compounds, Paul James Dietrich

Open Access Dissertations

As economies look to transition away from petroleum for social, economic, and political reasons, biomass will continue to attract attention as a renewable feedstock for the fuels and chemicals industry. In order to turn biomass into end use fuels and chemicals, the oxygen content must be lowered significantly, requiring large hydrogen inputs. For these processes to be completely renewable, the hydrogen must come from biomass or biomass-derived compounds. In this work, catalysts for the aqueous phase reforming (APR) of biomass-derived sugars were characterized by a combination of reaction kinetics, X-ray spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and theoretical computation to determine the active …

The Effect Of Composition On The Linear And Nonlinear Mechanical Properties Of Particulate Filled Elastomers, Oluwaseyi Ogebule

Open Access Dissertations

Engineering elastomers are materials capable of undergoing large deformation upon load application and recovering upon load removal. From car tires to building vibration isolator systems, elastomers are the most versatile of engineering materials. The inclusion of particulate fillers into elastomers enhances their mechanical properties (modulus, tensile strength, toughness, tear resistance, etc) thereby extending their applicability to more demanding functions. The automotive, healthcare, construction, adhesives and consumer products are some of the many industries that produce finished goods containing elastomeric parts.

Despite the various concepts on reinforcement in filled elastomers, a complete understanding of their linear viscoelastic properties and the nonlinear …

Elucidation Of Chiral Recognition Mechanisms Of Solutes By Amylose Tris[(S)-Alpha-Methylbenzylcarbamate] Sorbent, Hung-Wei Tsui

Open Access Dissertations

Enantioselective separations of chiral molecules are important in various chemical fields, such as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals industries. Polysaccharide-based sorbents have been widely used in chiral liquid chromatography. The recognition mechanisms which determine their enantioselectivities are not completely understood.

In this dissertation, the chiral recognition mechanisms of a widely used commercial sorbent, amylose tris[(S)-alpha-methylbenzylcarbamate], for benzoin (B) enantiomers were first studied. The HPLC data for benzoin with pure n-hexane as the mobile phase have been obtained. The behavior of sorbent-solute-hexane systems can be interpreted by considering only sorbent solute two-component interactions. Infrared (IR) spectra showed evidence of substantial hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) …

Design And Assembly Of Nanostructured Complex Metal Oxide Materials For The Construction Of Batteries And Thermoelectric Devices, Gautam Ganapati Yadav

Open Access Dissertations

Thermoelectric devices and lithium-ion batteries are among the fastest growing energy technologies. Thermoelectric devices generate energy from waste heat, whereas lithium-ion batteries store energy for use in commercial applications. Two different topics are bound with a common thread in this thesis - nanotechnology! In fact, nanostructuring is a more preferred term for the approach I have taken herein. Another commonality between these two topics is the material system I have used to prove my hypotheses - complex metal oxides.

Complex metal oxides can be used for both energy generation and storage as they are stable at high temperatures, are benign …

Development Of Quantitative Ft- Ir Methods For Analyzing The Cure Kinetics Of Epoxy Resins, Sang Ha Son

Open Access Dissertations

Epoxy thermosets are important engineering materials with applications in coating, adhesives, packaging and as structural components in a variety of advanced engineering products. The ultimate performance of polymer critically depends upon the details of the cure chemistry used to produce the thermoset. In order to better understand and monitor the cure chemistry, quantitative analysis of the FT-IR response has been developed for describing the epoxy-amine curing reaction as well as monitoring the hydrogen bonding that occurs in these systems The FT-IR analysis includes (i) quantitative deconvolution of complex peaks into individual spectral contributions, (ii) peak identification via DFT analysis and …

Preparation Of Mesoporous Silica Supported Ruthenium Oxides And The Application And Kinetic Study In The Catalysis Of Water Oxidation, Yang Zhang

Open Access Dissertations

Photo-induced water splitting of water into H2 and O2 has been a major focus in the development of clean and renewable energy. The development of viable and efficient catalysts that facilitates O2 production remains the major challenge in the study of the corresponding half-reaction of water oxidation. There are plenty of metal oxides reported active in the catalysis of water oxidation. However, several important performance bench marks of those materials, such as the non-stoichiometric production of O2, slow reaction rate and/or low quantum efficiency, remain to be improved.

Ruthenium oxide (RuO2) has long been known as one of the most …

High-Pressure Vapor-Phase Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation Of Lignin-Derived Compounds To Hydrocarbons On Bimetallic Catalysts In The Range Of 0.2-2.4 Mpa., Sara Lynn Yohe

Open Access Dissertations

Biomass, as the only renewable source of carbon, presents a sustainable alternative to liquid fossil fuels for the production of renewable transportation fuels and chemicals. The lignin portion of biomass poses a significant challenge in the upgrading and conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals, and in many current biorefineries is not utilized. However, the lignin fraction is a valuable feedstock due to its aromatic structure, lower O:C ratio than cellulose and hemicellulose, and high energy content (up to 40%) and weight fraction (average 25 wt%) of biomass. Several processes (including fast-pyrolysis, fast-hydropyrolysis, and liquid phase processing) are able …

Comprehensive Computational Modeling Of Hypergolic Propellant Ignition, Swanand Vijay Sardeshmukh

Open Access Dissertations

Ignition and combustion of hypergolic propellants mono-methyl hydrazine (MMH) and red fuming nitric acid (RFNA) is investigated computationally. A hierarchical approach is chosen to study parametric behavior of isolated processes and complex interactions thereof, in this transient phenomenon. Starting with a homogeneous reactor, performance of three reduced kinetic mechanisms is assessed first, followed by the study of auto-ignition delay as a function of initial composition and thermal state of the mixture. Macroscopic features as well as the structure of opposed diffusion flame are studied next, followed by the study of opposed liquid jets and the gas layer at the interface. …

Energy Systems Analysis For A Solar Economy, Dharik Sanchan Mallapragada

Open Access Dissertations

The use of solar energy for human needs faces challenges owing to its relatively low energy intensity and intermittent availability, coupled with the constrained availability of renewable carbon and land resources. This study uses systems analysis tools to identify carbon and energy efficient transformations of solar energy for different purposes, including transportation fuels and grid-scale energy storage. These efforts have been complemented with a feasibility analysis of existing fossil-energy and other hybrid pathways.

In an era of limited fossil resources, liquid fuels from sustainably available (SA) biomass could meet the energy needs of the transportation sector. We present a method …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Storage Temperature, Moisture Content & Duration Upon The Chemical Components & Bioprocessing Of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Arun Athmanathan

Open Access Dissertations

The successful utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for fuels and chemicals necessitates storage for 2-6 months. It is correspondingly important to understand the impact of storage parameters - moisture concentration, temperature and duration - on biomass quality.

As aerobic storage is the most viable large-scale solution, aerobic storage experiments were carried out with three projected bioenergy feedstocks - sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) bagasse, corn (Zea mays) stover and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Stored samples of each were examined for dry matter loss and composition change to develop a material balance around carbohydrates and lignin.

A mean dry matter loss …

Potential For Electrical Power Generation Using Forest Wood Biomass In Rural Areas Of Catalonia, Arnau Gonzalez

Open Access Theses

Biomass is a renewable energy source that has been used for many years. However, its usage as an electricity source in Spain is not well developed due to many causes, among which highlights the lack of knowledge about the available technical potential. This research sought to close this gap assessing the technical potential for electricity generation using forest wood biomass in rural areas of Catalonia. The study characterizes the amount and type of biomass available in Catalonian forests that can be used to produce electricity without going beyond the capacity of regeneration of the forest, as well as the state-of-the-art …

Solution Combustion Synthesis Of Cobalt Oxide For Use As A Catalyst Precursor In The Hydrolysis Of Sodium Borohydride, Teandra Leigh Pfeil

Open Access Theses

Solution combustion synthesized (SCS) cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) powder has been studied as a catalyst precursor for the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). Synthesis is completed in less than two minutes and results indicate SCS is capable of reproducibly synthesizing 98.5-99.5% pure Co₃O₄ nano-foam materials. SCS materials demonstrate an as-synthesized specific surface area of 24 m²/g, a crystallite size of 15.5 nm, and fine surface structures on the order of 4 nm. Despite having similar initial surface areas and sample purities, SCS-Co₃O₄ outperforms commercially available Co_{3 …}

Can Morphology Tailoring Improve The Open Circuit Voltage Of Organic Solar Cells?, Biswajit Ray, M. S. Lundstrom, Muhammad A. Alam

Birck and NCN Publications

While the effect of interfacial morphology on the short circuit current (I_SC) of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) is well known, its impact on open circuit voltage (V_OC) and fill-factor (FF) are less clear. Since the output power of a solar cell Pout = I_SCV_OCFF, such understanding is critical for designing high-performance, morphology-engineered OPVs. In this letter, we provide an explicit analytical proof that any effort to radically improve V_OC by tailoring bulk heterojunction morphology is futile, because any increase in ISC due to larger interface area is counterbalanced by corresponding increase …

The Effects Of Electricity Pring On Phev Competitiveness, Shisheng Huang, Bri-Mathias S. Hodge, Farzad Taheripour, Joseph F. Pekny, Gintaras V. Reklaitis, Wallace E. Tyner

PPRI Digital Library

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) will soon start to be introduced into the transportation sector, thereby raising a host of issues related to their use, adoption and effects on the electricity sector. Their introduction has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector, which has led to government policies aimed at easing their introduction. If their wide-spread adoption is set as a target it is imperative to consider the effects of existing policies that may increase or decrease their adoption rate. In this study, we present a micro level electricity demand model that can gauge the effects …