Engineering Commons^™

Production And Applications Of Formaldehyde-Free Phenolic Resins Using 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Derived From Glucose In-Situ, Yongsheng Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin manufacturing industry is facing a growing challenge with respect to concerns over human health, due to the use of carcinogenic formaldehyde and sustainability due to the use of petroleum-based phenol in PF resin manufacture. Glucose and its derivative, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), have proven to be potential substitutes for formaldehyde in the synthesis of phenolic novolac resins.

This thesis investigated a number of glucose and 5-HMF resin systems including the curing of phenol-glucose novolac resin (PG) with a bis-phenol-A type epoxy. The curing process was modeled according to the Sestak-Berggren equation (S, B) using Málek methods. This was …

Laser-Assisted Surface Modification Of Hybrid Hydrogels To Prevent Bacterial Contamination And Protein Fouling, Guobang Huang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Silicone hydrogels have been extensively studied in the fields of contact lenses, tissue engineering, and drug delivery due to their good biocompatibility, high oxygen permeability, and proper light transmission. However, their applications in biomedical devices are limited by protein adsorption and bacterial contamination because of the hydrophobic surface of silicone, which will cause more irreversible protein adsorption. Several physical methods can be applied to create a hydrophilic surface on hydrogels, such as spin coating, physical vapor deposition, dip coating, drop casting, etc. Compared to the conventional methods, the matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) is suitable to produce biopolymer/polymer film …

Synthesis, Properties, And Applications Of Carboxylic Acid Functionalized Polyisobutylene, Inderpreet Sran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Polyisobutylene (PIB) and its copolymers are used in a wide range of commercial products owing to their high chemical stability, impermeability, elasticity, and biocompatibility. In this thesis, linear and arborescent PIB containing small percentages of isoprene (IP) were functionalized to provide different derivatives and their physical and biological properties were studied.

Humidity Effect On The Structure Of Electrospun Core-Shell Pcl-Peg Fibers For Tissue Regeneration Applications, Adam P. Golin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With the aim of creating a biodegradable scaffold for tympanic membrane (TM) tissue regeneration, core-shell nanofibers composed of a poly(caprolactone) shell and a poly(ethylene glycol) core were created using a coaxial electrospinning technique. In order to create fibers with an optimal core-shell morphology, the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the core-shell nanofibers was systematically studied, with a FITC-BSA complex encapsulated in the core to act as a model protein. The core-shell nanofibers were electrospun at relative humidity values of 20, 25, 30, and 40% RH within a glove box outfitted for humidity control. The core-shell morphology of the fibers …

Characterization Of Fine Powders And Development Of Processes For Powder Coatings, Jing Fu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Traditional powder coating provides poor coating appearance. Fine powder coating can overcome this drawback since the smaller powder particles lead to much smoother finish. Nevertheless, fine powder has been experienced to cause more application problems. This study investigated fine powder coatings from different aspects and it provided solutions to solve these application problems.

The investigation on fine powders conducted by this study concluded that the medium particle size and D₁₀ was not suitable for the flowability characterization of fine powder coatings. Instead, an index which represented the particle size distribution could correlate with the flowabilities of the fine powder …

Antibacterial Studies On Titania Polyurethane Nanocomposite Coatings, Koosha Azhie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

While temporary disinfection of a surface is possible with the help of strong cleaners, tremendous interest exists for the control of microorganisms on surfaces by effective, durable antimicrobial coatings. There is a wide spectrum of potential applications for antibacterial coatings, spanning from industrial surface coatings to biomedical applications, where sterile conditions are crucial. This work examined the synthesis of the functionalized 2,2-Dimethylolpropionic acid - nanotitanium dioxide (DMPA-nTiO₂) monomer. Moreover, functionalized nanotitanium dioxide/polyurethane (nTiO₂/PU) composite coatings were prepared using the above mentioned functionalized monomer. The distribution of nTiO₂ in the polymer matrix was enhanced by monomer …