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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Development Of Upconverting Films Containing Singlet Sink, Blake Mckay
Development Of Upconverting Films Containing Singlet Sink, Blake Mckay
Honors Theses
Upconversion is the conversion of light from a longer wavelength to a shorter wavelength. This technique has a wide range of applications in solar technology, bioimaging, drug delivery, and many other fields.1 In this study, a three-part upconverting system was developed including a component termed singlet sink in order to increase upconversion efficiency. The components of this system included Palladium (II) Octaethylporphrin (PdOEP), pyrenebutanol, and 9-phenyl-10-(p-tolylethynyl)-anthracene (PTEA). A procedure was developed in order to create and process films containing these three materials dispersed in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix. Upconversion was analyzed in both solution and the …
Layered Epoxide-Amine/Boron Nitride/Graphene Nanocomposites For Enhanced Multifunctional Shielding, Alyssa J. Necaise
Layered Epoxide-Amine/Boron Nitride/Graphene Nanocomposites For Enhanced Multifunctional Shielding, Alyssa J. Necaise
Honors Theses
The development of high-power electromagnetic wave sources in the modern era has the ability to interfere with aircraft electronics and cause localized heating – necessitating advanced materials for electromagnetic interference (EMI) and thermal shielding. Multifunctional nanoparticles dispersed within polymer matrices can combat these issues; however, the best way to combine thermally and electrically conductive species to maximize electromagnetic interference shielding and thermal shielding is undetermined. Multifunctional layered epoxide/amine nanocomposites were prepared from tetra and octafunctional epoxide monomers (TGDDM and SU-8), 4,4-DDS tetrafunctional amine curative, and 1 wt.% hexagonal boron nitride nanoplatelets and/or 1 wt.% graphene nanoplatelets to form monolayer and …
Investigating The Effect Of Hydrophilic Block Length On The Co-Assembly Behavior Of Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers, Alexandra M. Garrett
Investigating The Effect Of Hydrophilic Block Length On The Co-Assembly Behavior Of Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers, Alexandra M. Garrett
Honors Theses
Polymer vesicles and micelles have been of interest in the scientific community for the past few decades due to potential biomedical applications in areas such as drug delivery, nanoreactors, and biosensing. Polymer vesicles and micelles are formed through the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers. The objective of this project is to gain a better understanding of the influence of hydrophilic block copolymer length and composition in controlling the resulting morphologies from the co-assembly of triblock copolymers. First, a hydrophobic block composed of poly(methyl acrylate) was synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization mediated by a difunctional chain-transfer agent. The block …
Biocompatible, Responsive Polysoaps Via Raft Copolymerization For The Delivery Of Model Cancer Therapeutics, Mason Dearborn
Biocompatible, Responsive Polysoaps Via Raft Copolymerization For The Delivery Of Model Cancer Therapeutics, Mason Dearborn
Honors Theses
Many chemotherapeutic drugs are small, hydrophobic molecules that require water-soluble, biocompatible nanocarriers for enhanced vascular circulation. Existing polymeric carriers either conjugate the drug along a copolymer backbone or sequester drugs within a protected interior domain to be delivered to specific sites in the body. Such therapeutic systems must overcome a myriad of hurdles, beginning with complex, multi-step syntheses, followed by other inherent barriers that limit the efficiency of drug delivery at the targeted site. This work aims to circumvent a number of these issues using biocompatible, stimuli-responsive polysoaps that are capable of unimeric micelle formation, hydrophobic drug delivery, and triggered …
Outlining The Biocidal Mechanisms Of Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics, Tyler D. Brown
Outlining The Biocidal Mechanisms Of Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics, Tyler D. Brown
Honors Theses
Each day, antibiotic resistance affects the livelihood of individuals worldwide, especially in relation to hospital-acquired diseases. In an effort to combat this resistance, antimicrobial peptides, small biopolymers produced naturally by multicellular organisms, can be used to selectively eliminate bacteria and have demonstrated great potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Many naturally-occurring antimicrobial peptides possess high concentrations of lysine and arginine amino acid residues, which are protonated and positively-charged at physiological pH. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of antimicrobial peptide mimics, using amino acid mimics. N-3-aminopropyl methacrylamide (APMA) and 3-guanidinopropyl methacrylamide (GPMA) monomers mimic the amino acid residues lysine …