Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Methods For Characterizing Mechanical Properties Of Wood Cell Walls Via Nanoindentation, Yujie Meng

Masters Theses

Nanoindentation is a method of contacting a material whose mechanical properties are unknown with another material whose properties are known. Nanoindentation has the advantage of being able to probe a material’s microstructure while being sensitive enough to detect variations in mechanical properties. However, nanoindentation has some limitations as a testing technique due to the specific formation and structure of some biomaterials. The main objective of this research is to identify any factors that influence the nanoindentation measurement of wood cell walls (a typical biomaterial).

The function of the embedding media in describing the properties of wood cells is poorly understood. …

Naturally Occurring Nanoparticles From English Ivy: An Alternative To Metal-Based Nanoparticles For Uv Protection, Lijin Xia, Scott C. Lenaghan, Mingjun Zhang, Zhili Zhang, Quanshui Li

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering/Engineering Science (MAES) (UTSI)

Background

Over the last decade safety concerns have arisen about the use of metal-based nanoparticles in the cosmetics field. Metal-based nanoparticles have been linked to both environmental and animal toxicity in a variety of studies. Perhaps the greatest concern involves the large amounts of TiO₂ nanoparticles that are used in commercial sunscreens. As an alternative to using these potentially hazardous metal-based nanoparticles, we have isolated organic nanoparticles from English ivy (Hedera helix). In this study, ivy nanoparticles were evaluated for their potential use in sunscreens based on four criteria: 1) ability to absorb and scatter ultraviolet light, …