Engineering Commons^™

Project Catalyst: Promoting Systemic Change In Engineering Education, Brian Hoyt, Michael Hanyak, Margot Vigeant, William Snyder, Maurice Aburdene, Daniel Hyde, E. Mastascusa, Michael Prince

Maurice Aburdene

No abstract provided.

Project Catalyst: Successes And Frustrations Of Introducing Systemic Change To Engineering Education, Michael Prince, Daniel Hyde, E. Mastascusa, Margot Vigeant, Michael Hanyak, Maurice Aburdene, Brian Hoyt, William Snyder

Maurice Aburdene

No abstract provided.

Institutsdagen At The Royal Institute Of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3, 2000, Otto Vogl, Ann Christine Albertsson

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Institutsdagen At The Royal Institute Of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3, 2000, Otto Vogl, Ann Christine Albertsson

Otto Vogl

No abstract provided.

A Molecular Investigation Of Absorption Onto Mineral Pigments, Brian J. Ninness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pigment suspensions are important in several processes such as ceramics, paints, inks, and coatings. In the wet state, pigments are combined with a variety of chemical species such as polymers, surfactants, and polyelectrolytes which produce a complex colloidal system. The adsorption, desorption, and redistribution of these species at the pigment - aqueous solution interface can have an impact on the behavior in both the wet state or its final dried state. The goal of this work is to establish a molecular picture of the adsorption properties of these pigmented systems. A novel in situ infrared technique has been developed which …

The Relationship Between Rheology, Application Method, And Final Coating Structure, Basant Galal Dimetry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paper is coated to improve the printability and the visual properties. The factors that determine the coating structure are important because the structure determines the physical, optical, and printing properties. This work focuses on determining a relationship between the rheological properties of the coating, the application method, and the final coating structure. Coatings with different polymers and pigments were characterized in terms of steady shear and viscoelastic properties. These coatings were applied onto plastic film and paper with a laboratory rod coater, a spray coater, and a high-speed blade coater. The final coating structure after drying was characterized in terms …

Characterization Of Chitosan Films For Cell Culture Applications, Michael Katalinich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chitosan (β-(l,4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose) is a naturally occurring, abundant biopolymer exhibiting desirable biomaterial properties of biodegradability, low toxicity and good biocompatibility. These properties indicate the suitability of chitosan as a surface for mammalian cell growth. The goal of this thesis is to explore the potential for using chitosan as a surface for NIH 3T3 fibroblast attachment and growth. '4 standard, reproducible film-formation technique, based on other researchers techniques was established. The reproducibility of this technique. through characterization of the physical and chemical properties of these films, was good. The attachment and growth of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts on chitosan films and controls was …

Research Progress On Proton Exchange Membranes Of Fuel Cells, Jing-Rong Yu, Dan-Min Xing, Fu-Qiang Liu, Jian-Guo Liu, Bao-Lian Yi

Journal of Electrochemistry

The proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFC) use proton exchange membranes(PEM) as their electrolytes. The performance of the PEMFC is strongly dependent on the characteristics of the PEM. In this paper, the requirements of the PEM utilized in the PEMFC were analyzed. The per_fluorinated, partially fluorinated and non_fluorinated PEM were introduced respectively. The structures, preparation, properties of the various types of PEM and their applications in the PEMFC were also discussed in detail.

The Influence Of Synthesis Conditions On The Electrochemical Properties Of Spinel Limn_2o_4, Jun Feng Xu, Zhi Yu Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical properties of spine LiMn 2O 4 synthesized via a solid state reaction were investigated. Electrolysis MnO 2(EMD), Li 2CO 3,LiOH and LiNO 3 were used as the initial materials. It was found that the electrochemical properties of LiMn 2O 4 were strongly influenced by the synthesis conditions. The LiMn 2O 4 samples prepared via the reaction of EMD and LiNO 3 showed the best properties for a lithium ion intercalation reaction. The procedure includes two steps: pretreatment at 280 ℃ for 6 hours to initiate the permeation of melting LiNO 3 into the micropores of EMD particles, followed …

Adsorption And Oxidation Of Methanol On Pt And Sb, S Modified Pt Electrodes Using Cyclic Voltammetry And Eqcm, Guo-Liang Chen, Sheng-Pei Chen, Heng Lin, Xing-Hong Zheng, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The processes of adsorption and oxidation of methanol on Pt, Pt/Sb ad and Pt/S ad electrodes were studied by using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microba_lance (EQCM). The results demonstrated that the oxidation of methanol depends strongly on oxidation states of electrode surface. Sb adatoms on Pt surface can adsorb oxygen at relatively low potentials, and exhibit catalytic effects for methanol oxidation. In contrast to Pt electrodes, the oxidation peak potential of methanol in this case negatively shifted to about 130 mV. In a contrary, the oxidation of S adatoms consumes oxygen species of Pt electrode surface. As a …

Electrosynthesis Of A New Electroactive Poly(2,2'-Diaminophenyloxydisulfide), Yu Zhi Su, Yan Wen Rao, Ye Yang, Mei-Bing Chen, Yin Ling Qiu, Yong-Hua Zhang, Ke Cheng Gong

Journal of Electrochemistry

A new electroactive poly(2,2' diaminophenyloxydisulfide) (PDAPD) was successfully synthesized from acetonitrile(AN)/tetrahydrofuran(THF)solutions containing the supporting electrolyte(LiClO 4)and the various kinds of acids(HCl,CF 3COOH,CCl 3COOH) on Pt electrode by consecutive cyclic voltammiry. The effects of the concentrations of supporting electrolyte(LiClO 4) and acid(HCl,CF 3COOH,CCl 3COOH) on electrodepositon of PDAPD film were investigated. The best experimental conditions for electrosynthesis of a highly electroactive conducting polymer film are that the concentrations are 0.1 mol/L and between 0.05 mol/L～0.5 mol/L,respectively for LiClO 4 and HCl.

Inferring Liquid Chaotic Dynamics In Bubble Columns, M. Cassanello, F. Larachi, A. Kemoun, M. (Muthanna) H. Al-Dahhan, M. P. Dudukovic

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Experiments Carried Out to Study the Liquid Displacements in Bubble Columns Via the Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking Technique Are Analyzed by Means of Lagrangian and Qualitative Dynamics Tools. the Lagrangian Approach Yields the Detailed Motion Sequences of the Tracer as Entrained by the Fast Ascending Bubbles or by the Liquid Flow Alongside the Column Walls. the Qualitative Dynamics Tools, on the Other Hand, Provide Prima Facie Corroboration of Chaos in Liquid Motion based on an Analysis of the Volume-Averaged Kolmogorov Entropy and the Mutual Information Function. Other Features of the Chaotic Motion, the Reconstructed Attractors and the Radial and …

Non-Repressing Carbon Sources For Alcohol Oxidase (Aoxi) Promoter Of Pichia Pastoris, Mehmet Inan, Michael M. Meagher

Papers in Biochemical Engineering

The growth of Pichiapastoris in a mixture of either glycerol or glucose and methanol follows a diauxic growth, with C1, utilizing enzymes being repressed. Therefore, these carbon sources can not be used as a mixture with methanol to simultaneously grow P. pastoris and induce C1, utilizing enzymes, especially in shake flask cultures of AOX-deficient P. pastoris. Among the alternative carbon sources tested, alanine, sorbitol, mannitol and trehalose, did not repress β-gal production when methanol was used as an inducer in mut- strain of P. pastoris. Our results show that either one of alanine, sorbitol, mannitol or trehalose can be used …

Poly Millennial 2000 Hilton Waikoloa Villages, Hawaii, December 9-13, 2000, Otto Vogl, William Daly

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Taylor Cone And Jetting From Liquid Droplets In Electrospinning Of Nanofibers, Alexander L. Yarin, S Koombhongse, Darrell Hyson Reneker

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

Sessile and pendant droplets of polymer solutions acquire stable shapes when they are electrically charged by applying an electrical potential difference between the droplet and a flat plate, if the potential is not too large. These stable shapes result only from equilibrium of the electric forces and surface tension in the cases of inviscid, Newtonian, and viscoelastic liquids. In liquids with a nonrelaxing elastic force, that force also affects the shapes. It is widely assumed that when the critical potential phi (0*) has been reached and any further increase will destroy the equilibrium, the liquid body acquires a conical shape …

Poly Millennial 2000 Hilton Waikoloa Villages, Hawaii, December 9-13, 2000, Otto Vogl, William Daly

Otto Vogl

No abstract provided.

Silica-Based Membrane Sorbent For Heavy Metal Sequestration, Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Stephen M. Ritchie, Leonidas G. Bachas, Jamie A. Hestekin, Subhas K. Sikdar

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

An apparatus providing for metal ion/nitrate entrapment comprises a chemically activated, microfiltration, composite polymer and silica-based membrane including a polyamino acid attached thereto through reaction of a terminal amine group of the polyamino acid with the membrane. A method for preparing such a chemically activated or polyamino acid functionalized membrane includes the steps of permeating the silica-based membrane with a solution of silane and a solvent so as to react methoxy groups of the silane with silanol groups of the membrane to incorporate epoxide groups and attaching a polyamino acid to the membrane by reacting a terminal amine group of …

Characteristics And Sequence Of Phosphoglycolate Phosphatase From A Eukaryotic Green Alga Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Tarlan G. Mamedov, Kensaku Suzuki, Kenji Miura, Ken-Ichi Kucho, Hideya Fukuzawa

Papers in Biochemical Engineering

Phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGPase), a key en¬zyme of photorespiration in photosynthetic organisms, was purified from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The en¬zyme was an ~65-kDa homodimer with a pI value of 5.1 composed of ~32-kDa subunits not connected by any S–S bridges. It was also highly specific for phosphoglycolate with a Km value of 140 μM and an optimal pH between 8 and 9. The activity was strongly inhibited by CaCl2, and it recovered competitively following the addition of MgCl2 or EGTA. A mobility shift was observed in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis by the addition of CaCl2, indicating that the enzyme binds to Ca2+ . …

Method For Removal Of Ammonia From Fly Ash, Jiann-Yang Hwang

Michigan Tech Patents

A method for removing ammonia and ammonia compounds from fly ash and other combustion by-products is provided. The method may be performed with raw or processed fly ash, or it may be performed in conjunction with a wet beneficiation process. The method involves mixing the ammonia-contaminated fly ash with water and then filtering and/or drying the solution to remove the ammonia and water. The method produces fly ash having an ammonia content of less than about 60-80 ppm, which allows the fly ash to be utilized in a number of applications.

The Effect Of Low Levels Of Zirconia Addition On The Mechanical Properties Of Hydroxyapatite, Mark R. Towler, I. R. Gibson

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of low levels of zirconia addition on the mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite was analyzed. Optimum amount of zirconia required to prevent decomposition of hydroxyapatite during sintering was determined. The particle size, morphology and surface area were measured and calcium to phosphorus ratio and trace element impurity content were determined by x-ray fluorescence. Low level addition of zirconia resulted in composites with better mechanical properties and minimum levels of decomposition.

Process For Making A Lubricating Composition, Stephen J. Miller, Gerald P. Huffman, Naresh Shah

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

The invention includes a process of making a lubricating oil composition including: a process for making a high VI lubricating oil composition including the steps of (1) contacting a waste plastics feed including mainly polyethylene in a pyrolysis zone at pyrolysis conditions, whereby at least a portion of the waste plastics feed is cracked, thereby forming a pyrolysis zone effluent including 1-olefins and n-paraffins; (2) passing the pyrolysis zone effluent, including a heavy fraction and a middle fraction, the pyrolysis effluent middle fraction including 1-olefins, to a separations zone; where the pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction portion is separated from the …

Institutional And Other Constraints To Non-Oil Exports., R. O. Madaki

Bullion

This paper examines the non-oil exports sector in Nigeria which had witnessed a lacklustre performance despite the several statements of government's interest in export-biased growth strategy and the establishment of several export facilitating institutions. The paper further observes that a major problem with Nigeria's non-oil export sector is that it is not predicated on the design and implementation of appropriate and coherent economic policies as there is no clear export promotion blue print in Nigeria. Consequently, the sector is facing a number of institutional and other domestic and external problems. The remaining part of the paper briefly highlight some of …

Evolutionary Polymorphic Neural Networks In Chemical Engineering Modeling, Li Gao

Dissertations

Evolutionary Polymorphic Neural Network (EPNN) is a novel approach to modeling chemical, biochemical and physical processes. This approach has its basis in modern artificial intelligence, especially neural networks and evolutionary computing. EPNN can perform networked symbolic regressions for input-output data, while providing information about both the structure and complexity of a process during its own evolution.

In this work three different processes are modeled: 1. A dynamic neutralization process. 2. An aqueous two-phase system. 3. Reduction of a biodegradation model. In all three cases, EPNN shows better or at least equal performances over published data than traditional thermodynamics /transport or …

Modeling And Experimental Validation Of A Single-Feed Semi-Batch Precipitation Process, Ernesto Uehara-Nagamine

Dissertations

Crystallization is a widely practiced unit operation throughout the chemical and pharmaceutical process industries. Despite its widespread application, crystallization still suffers a disproportionate number of process difficulties due to the complexity of the steps involved in the process. In particular, the final characteristics of the product are strongly affected by the mixing conditions during the process. The development of a validated modeling approach would be highly valuable for the successful prediction of the crystal characteristics under differing mixing conditions.

In the present work, the single-feed semi-batch precipitation process of barium sulfate in a stirred tank was experimentally studied and numerically …

Electrode Modification Using An Unzippable Polymer Paste, Ravi F. Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

A paste is described for capping electrodes with an oxide free metal layer incorporating a solvent, an unzippable polymer and particles. The electrode could be an interconnect such as a C4 bump. A method for forming a coating and for testing integrated circuit chips is also described. The invention overcomes the problem of interconnecting Pb containing electrodes that are covered with an insulating oxide on integrated circuit chips by coating the Pb containing electrode with Au to provide an oxide free surface for testing and interconnection.

The Crystallisation Of Glasses From The Ternary Caf2-Caal2si2o8-P2 O5 System, A. Clifford, R. G. Hill, Mark R. Towler, D. J. Wood

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A study of glasses from the ternary system CaF₂-CaAl₂Si₂O₈-P₂O₅ has been carried out. It has been shown that glasses with low phosphorus contents and high fluorite contents crystallise to fluorite. Fluorine reduces the glass transition temperature and is also required for the formation of fluorapatite (FAP). In the absence of fluorine in the glass no apatite phase is formed. Bulk nucleation of FAP is favoured for glasses with Ca:P ratios close to the apatite stoichiometry of 1.67 and with low crosslink densities. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed significant weight losses …

Radio Frequency (Rf) Transponder (Tag) With Composite Antenna, Ravi F. Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

An antenna composed of composite material which can be screen printed is proposed for RFID transponders and other RF communication systems.

Modelling And Simulation Of Deep-Bed Grain Dryers, Johnner P. Sitompul, Istadi Istadi, I Nyoman Widiasa

Istadi

This paper concerns with heterogeneous modeling of deepbed grain dryers based on two-phase model by taking into account coupled heat and mass transfer within grains. This model also consider axial mass and heat dispersion in the fluid phase. The dynamictwo-phase equations are solved numerically by finite difference with alternating direction implicit method algorithm, and then applied to simulate humidity and temperature profile of drying gas across dryers together with moisture content and temperature of grains. The capabilities of these models were compared with experimental data obtained from available literatures, under drying conditions such as temperature and absolute humidity of drying …

The Influence Of Fiber Swelling On Paper Wetting, Sedef Akinli-Kocak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The water uptake behavior of fibers, especially those at the surface of paper, influences printing and coating operations. The dynamic water uptake behavior of the surface fibers may determine the initial consolidation of the coating at the surface and the penetration of coating into the paper, but clear studies on this topic have not been reported in the literature. Four different fiber types and seven different paper sheets were investigated in the present study. The three different fiber types were prepared by carboxymethylation of softwood kraft pulp thereby producing pulps with different water uptake values. The fiber length and water …

Influence Of Viscoelasticity On The Nano-Micromechanical Behavior Of Latex Films And Pigmented Coatings, Manish Giri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nan0 to microscale deformation behavior of different carboxylated styrene-butadiene co- polymer Latexes were investigated using a commercial nanoindentation device. The latexes dif- fered primarily in their glass transition temperature (T_g). The bulk dynamic rheological properties, as determined from a rheometer, dictate the axismmetric deformation behavior of the latexes. Results from dynamic tests performed on latexes were analyzed using the theories in contact and fracture mechanics. Two theories of linear viscoelastic fracture mechanics (LVEFM) were employed to model the adhesion hysteresis (loading-unloading cycle) curves to obtain meaningful cohesive zone (fracture process zone) parameters and a stress intensity functional ( …