Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Quantifying Temperature-, Pressure-, And Nuclear Quantum Effects On Hydrophobic And Hydrophilic Water-Mediated Interactions, Justin T. Engstler

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Water-mediated interactions (WMIs) are responsible for diverse processes in aqueous solutions, including protein folding and nanoparticle aggregation. WMI may be affected by changes in temperature and pressure, and hence, they can alter chemical/physical processes that occur in aqueous environments. Traditionally, attention has been focused on hydrophobic interactions while, in comparison, the role of hydrophilic and hybrid (hydrophobic–hydrophilic) interactions have been mostly overlooked. Here, we study the role of T and P on the WMI between nanoscale (i) hydrophobic–hydrophobic, (ii) hydrophilic–hydrophilic, and (iii) hydrophilic–hydrophobic pairs of (hydroxylated/non-hydroxylated) graphene-based surfaces. We find that hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and hybrid interactions are all sensitive to …

Exploring Methods For Recycling Filament Waste In 3d Printing, Max Rios Carballo

Publications and Research

The goal of the current study is to investigate cutting-edge techniques for recycling filament waste from 3D printing procedures. Appropriate waste management techniques are required to reduce this trash's harmful environmental consequences. The goal of the project is to look at new methods for recycling filament waste in order to minimize disposal and encourage reuse. To acquire data from pertinent papers and research, a thorough literature review methodology was used. The findings show that this issue may be resolved utilizing a variety of recycling techniques, including shredding, melting, and re-extrusion. The type of filament waste and the intended goal will …

Electromagnetic Theory And Applications, Nicholas Madamopoulos, George Kliros

Open Educational Resources

This book intends to provide both the fundamentals of Electromagnetics but also some practical applications of the concepts covered. Having taught electromagnetics for several years, the authors feel that many times the field of electromagnetics comes as “old” and often times students do not appreciate the concepts and their importance in everyday applications. The authors intend to accompany the EM concepts with life applications. Hence, students may see the direct impact of the knowledge they acquire through the study of the field of electromagnetics and better appreciate the field.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assemblies In Nature And Nanotechnology, Phu Khanh Tang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nature usually divides complex systems into smaller building blocks specializing in a few tasks since one entity cannot achieve everything. Therefore, self-assembly is a robust tool exploited by Nature to build hierarchical systems that accomplish unique functions. The cell membrane distinguishes itself as an example of Nature’s self-assembly, defining and protecting the cell. By mimicking Nature’s designs using synthetically designed self-assemblies, researchers with advanced nanotechnological comprehension can manipulate these synthetic self-assemblies to improve many aspects of modern medicine and materials science. Understanding the competing underlying molecular interactions in self-assembly is always of interest to the academic scientific community and industry. …

Development Of Light Actuated Chemical Delivery Platform On A 2-D Array Of Micropore Structure, Hojjat Rostami Azmand, Hojjat Rostami Azmand

Dissertations and Theses

Localized chemical delivery plays an essential role in the fundamental information transfers within biological systems. Thus, the ability to mimic the natural chemical signal modulation would provide significant contributions to understand the functional signaling pathway of biological cells and develop new prosthetic devices for neurological disorders. In this paper, we demonstrate a light-controlled hydrogel platform that can be used for localized chemical delivery in a high spatial resolution. By utilizing the photothermal behavior of graphene-hydrogel composites confined within micron-sized fluidic channels, patterned light illumination creates the parallel and independent actuation of chemical release in a group of fluidic ports. The …

Development Of An Injectable Methylcellulose Hydrogel System For Nucleus Pulposus Repair And Regeneration, Nada A. Haq-Siddiqi

Dissertations and Theses

Low back pain is the most common cause of disability in the world and is often caused by degeneration or injury of the intervertebral disc (IVD). The IVD is a complex, fibrocartilaginous tissue that allows for the wide range of spinal mobility. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition believed to begin in the central, gelatinous nucleus pulposus (NP) region of the tissue, for which there are few preventative therapies. Current therapeutic strategies include pain management and exercise, or surgical intervention such as spinal fusion, none of which address the underlying cause of degeneration. With an increasingly aging population, the socioeconomic …

Fly Ash Based Geopolymer For High Temperature And High Compressive Strength Applications In Aggressive Environment, Aaryan Manoj Nair, Akm S. Rahman

Publications and Research

Geopolymers are the results of geosynthetic reactions between aluminosilicates and strong bases. This results in chemical bonds between aluminum (Al), Silicon (Si)and oxygen (O) composing polymer rings in tetrahedral coordination. These bonds give them widespread useful applications such as high heat bearing ceramics, and base construction material whilst being far more environmentally conscious. The purpose of the experiment is to examine the effect of Silicon Carbide whisker and inorganic glass particles on thermal and mechanical properties of Geopolymers. This study will help understand the effect of various compositions and concentrations of SiO₂ in mechanical strength. In this experiment, the …

Capillary Forces And Wetting Dynamics By Diffuse-Interface Modeling, Fanny Thomas

Dissertations and Theses

Wetting phenomena underlie many natural and industrial processes, from the proper functioning of the lungs to the thin coating of surfaces. The three-phase interactions involved at microscopic scales play a critical role. Adding solid particles to an emulsion, for example, can drastically change the flow behavior due to capillary bridging between the particles. The study of these three-phase systems is especially relevant to the petroleum industry, where gas hydrates forming large clusters in subsea pipelines during crude oil transportation is a major concern. The dynamics of such systems is also of great interest from a fundamental perspective. Indeed describing non-equilibrium …

Literature Survey Of Wet-Waste And Hydrothermal Carbonization System: A Comparative Evaluation, Ramat Olaide Yusuf

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes the process of Hydrothermal carbonization and a comparative assessment on recent work done on the process using different feedstocks such as Raw Apple (RA), Apple chip pomace (ACP), apple juice pomace (AJP), grape pomace (GP), macadamia nut-shell (MNS), Sewage Sludge (SS), Poultry Litter (PL) and Grape Marc (GM). The data obtained from the literature survey was compared with the data obtained by the CCL team on the SWPS gasifier (HTC of poultry litter) to obtain how carbon conversion efficiency, syngas composition, thermal efficiency, char production rate, gas production rate and energy utilization vary with carbonization process conditions, …

Floquet Topological Insulators For Sound, Romain Fleury, Alexander B. Khanikaev, Andrea Alu

Publications and Research

The unique conduction properties of condensed matter systems with topological order have recently inspired a quest for the similar effects in classical wave phenomena. Acoustic topological insulators, in particular, hold the promise to revolutionize our ability to control sound, allowing for large isolation in the bulk and broadband one-way transport along their edges, with topological immunity against structural defects and disorder. So far, these fascinating properties have been obtained relying on moving media, which may introduce noise and absorption losses, hindering the practical potential of topological acoustics. Here we overcome these limitations by modulating in time the acoustic properties of …

Light-Activated Photocurrent Degradation And Self-Healing In Perovskite Solar Cells, Wanyi Nie, Jean-Christophe Blancon, Amanda J. Neukirch, Kannatassen Appavoo, Hsinhan Tsai, Manish Chhowalla, Muhammad A. Alam, Matthew Y. Sfeir, Claudine Katan, Jacky Even, Sergei Tretiak, Jared J. Crochet, Gautam Gupta, Aditya D. Mohite

Publications and Research

Solution-processed organometallic perovskite solar cells have emerged as one of the most promising thin-film photovoltaic technology. However, a key challenge is their lack of stability over prolonged solar irradiation. Few studies have investigated the effect of light soaking on hybrid perovskites and have attributed the degradation in the optoelectronic properties to photochemical or field-assisted ion migration. Here we show that the slow photocurrent degradation in thin-film photovoltaic devices is due to the formation of light-activated meta-stable deep-level trap states. However, the devices can self-heal completely by resting them in the dark for <1 min or the degradation can be completely prevented by operating the devices at 0°C. We investigate several physical mechanisms to explain the microscopic origin for the formation of these trap states, among which the creation of small polaronic states involving localized cooperative lattice strain and molecular orientations emerges as a credible microscopic mechanism requiring further detailed studies.

Highly-Selective Chemiresistive Sensing And Analysis Of Vapors Using Functionalized Nanotubes, Deon Hines

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Specifically, the project involves the development of a diversified array of nanostructured gas-sensors comprised of selectively, novel surface-functionalized carbon nanotubes (for analyte selectivity by virtue of functionality). Harnessing carbon nanotubes with various electron withdrawing and donating groups help in determining their affinity toward certain prognostic gaseous markers thus increasing specificity of such created sensors. We have devised synthetic routes that have led to the facile production of covalently polyfunctionalized nanotubes in high yield. Seven carbon nanotube analogues were systematically considered and then chemically synthesized, from pristine single-walled nanotubes (SWNT's), for use as the main component of sensory units that was …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Novel Polyacetal & Design And Preparation Of Superhydrophobic Photocatalytic Surfaces, Yuanyuan Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Polyacetal polymers are thermoplastic resins that play an important role in industry because of numerous industrial applications including automobile; household appliance; etc. The first part of this thesis (Chapter 2) is about the synthesis of a new acetal copolymer that exhibits superior thermal stability. The second part of this thesis (Chapter 3) is about the preparation and applications of TiO₂-based polymer nanocomposite films, where the reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated on the solid surface. Catalytic nanocomposite films are an active area of research because of their potential uses for environmental remediation and chemical synthesis. Furthermore, to …

Design Of Well-Defined Mesoporous Silicas Via Surfactant Templating Method Enhanced By The Use Of Swelling Agents, Tiffany Man

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Surfactant-templated ordered mesoporous materials continue to attract tremendous attention as these materials are characterized by reproducibility and predictability of their synthesis as well as their wide range of potential applications, which serve as future opportunities for additional advancement. The main purpose of this dissertation is to advance the understanding how to control the structural features and properties in the synthesis of well-defined porous materials via surfactant templating method, while keeping in mind that the uniformity of pore size and structural ordering are essential characteristics for these well-defined materials. The work was primarily focused on the issue of the unit-cell size …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Sensitizer Drug Photorelease Chemistry: Micro-Optic Method Applied To Singlet Oxygen Generation And Drug Delivery, Goutam Ghosh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis summarizes a new micro-optic method for singlet oxygen generation and sensitizer drug delivery, which include i) synthesis and evaluation of a first generation device for drug delivery from native and fluorinated silica probe tips, ii) synthesis of PEG conjugated sensitizers to study phototoxicity in ovarian cancer cells, and iii) synthesis and evaluation of tris-PEGylated chlorin conjugated fluorinated silica for its future integration into the device to use as a 2nd generation device. A first generation micro-optic device was developed that works by sparging O2 gas and light generating cytotoxic singlet oxygen that cleaves the covalently attached drug (sensitizer) …

Characterization Of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors And Multiferroic Materials, Bo Cai

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Structural, optical and electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum nitride (AlN), and lutetium ferrite (LuFe₂O4) have been investigated. Temperature dependent Hall Effect measurements were performed between 80 and 800 K for phosphorus (P) and arsenic (As) doped ZnO thin films grown on c-plane sapphire substrate by RF magnetron sputtering. These samples exhibited n-type conductivity throughout the temperature range with carrier concentration of 3.85 × 10 ¹⁶ cm^-3 and 3.65 × 10 ¹⁷ cm^-3 at room temperature for P-doped and As-doped ZnO films, respectively. The Arrhenius plots of free electron concentration of those doped samples showed …

Synthesis, Fabrication And Characterization Of Magnetic And Dielectric Nanoparticles And Nanocomposite Films, Xiaohua Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Materials science is an interdisciplinary field investigating the structure-property relationship in solid-state materials scientifically and technologically. Nanoscience is concerned with the distinctive properties that matter exhibits when confined to physical dimensions on the order of 10^-9 meters. At these length scales, behaviors of particles or elaborate structures are often governed by the rules of quantum mechanics in addition to the physical properties associated with the bulk material.

The work reported here seeks to employ nanocystals, binary nanocomposites and thin films of materials, to build versatile, functional systems and devices. With a focus on dielectric, ferroelectric, and magnetoelectric performance, a …

Metal Nanoparticles Immobilized On Basic Supports As Catalysts For Hydrogenation And Dehydrogenation Reactions Of Relevance To Cleaner Fossil Fuels And Alternative Sources Of Energy, Reena Rahi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We developed a series of catalysts, composed of metal nanoparticles immobilized on basic supports for the hydrogenation of heteroaromatics of relevance to cleaner fossil fuels and biodiesel, and for the dehydrogenation of heteroaromatics of relevance to hydrogen storage in organic liquids. Our catalyst design involves nanostructured catalysts composed of metal particles immobilized on basic supports capable of ionic mechanism that may avoid catalyst poisoning and enhance catalytic activity.

We prepared a new catalyst composed of Pd nanoparticles immobilized on MgO by NaBH4 reduction of Na2PdCl4 in methanol in the presence of the support. TEM measurements revealed well-dispersed 1.7 nm Pd …

Magnetic Janus Particles And Their Applications, Bin Ren

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Magnetic properties are important since they enable the manipulation of particle behavior remotely and therefore provide the means to direct a particle’s orientation and translation. Magnetic Janus particles combine magnetic properties with anisotropy and thus are potential building blocks for complex structures that can be assembled from a particle suspension and can be directed through external fields. In this thesis, a method for the fabrication of three types of magnetic Janus particles with distinct magnetic properties is introduced, the assembly behavior of magnetic Janus particles in external magnetic and electric fields is systematically studied, and two potential applications of magnetic …

Organic Pi-Stacking Semiconducting Material: Design, Synthesis And The Analysis Of Structure And Properties, Bin Wang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Organic semiconducting materials have been under intensive investigation in the recent decades for potential applications in various electronic or optoelectronic devices such as light emitting diodes, photovoltaic cells and field effect transistors. Compared to inorganic counterparts, organic charge transport materials are attractive for their abilities of forming thin-films, large area manufacturing, compatibility with flexible substrate, light weight and potential low fabrication cost. The charge transport property of the organic active layer is one of the key factors to the electronic or optoelectronic performance of devices. Research projects presented in this thesis focused on improving charge carrier mobility of organic charge …

2d & 3d Nanomaterial Fabrication With Biological Molecular Frameworks, Kristina Ivana Fabijanic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Recently, there has been a heightened amount of work done in the field of biomineralization. By taking inspiration from natures' phenomenonal individualities as a means to develop new and interesting nanostructures of varying sizes and dimensions, there is a newly developed design, namely Biomimetic Crystallization Nanolithography (BCN). With this method, the simultaneous nano-patterning and crystallization has been achieved using urease as the nucleation point and the hydrolysis of urea to obtain patterns of oxide semiconductor material, namely zinc oxide, at room temperature and aqueous solvent. The new and interesting characteristic of BCN involves the construction of amorphous inks of ZnO …

Feasibility Analysis Of Estrification Systems With Entrainers, Kang Wook Lee

Dissertations and Theses

(Ethyl Acetate) and IPA (Isopropyl Acetate) production systems are studied in terms of the feasibility analysis. It is not feasible to retrieve pure products by a simple reactive distillation for IPA production system because CCR (Critical Composition Region) covers the entire desired binary edge for IPA system. On the other hand, even though CCR does not cover the entire desired binary edge of the EA system completely, internal reflux ratio (IRR) analysis does not allow the production of the pure product via reactive distillation for EA production system. To overcome the restraints, external entrainers are utilized to take advantage of …