Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

From Waste To Energy: The Electrochemical Reduction Of Co2 Using Recycled Nanostructured Catalysts, Ibrahim Badawy

Theses and Dissertations

The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂RR) using electrochemistry is a promising solution for the burgeoning global energy crisis. The overall vision of its implementation relies on renewable energy sources to power the reaction creating carbon neutral products and effectively closing the carbon cycle. Research in this field has come a long way since its inception in the mid-1900s. However, there remain significant hurdles and important considerations to overcome in order to reach full commercialization. Most electrocatalysts tested for CO₂RR have been designed solely for maximum performance while ignoring the environmental consequences if such a material were …

Functionalized Plasmonic Nanostructures For Ultrasensitive Single Cell Analysis, Priya Rathi

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ultrasensitive detection and quantification of soluble, secreted and cell surface-bound proteins is critical for advancing our understanding of cellular systems, enabling effective drug development, novel therapies, and bio-diagnostics. However, exiting technologies are largely limited by their sensitivity, making the detection and quantification of low-abundant proteins extremely challenging. This forms a major barrier in various fields of biology and biomedical sciences. In this work, we introduce novel cellular analysis methodologies based on plasmon-enhanced fluorescence for analyzing cell structure and probing surface and secreted proteins from cells. In the first part, we introduce plasmon-enhanced expansion microscopy and demonstrate the effectiveness of employing …

Achieving Safe Use Of Advanced Materials In Drinking Water Through Novel Nano Analytics And Enabling Electrification Using Green Catalyst, Kenneth Ray Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The accumulation of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in environmental sectors will continue to increase as more applications are discovered for their unique properties and characteristics. Additionally, the presence of nanomaterials in the environment becomes exacerbated as more consumer products containing nanoparticles are approved for use. It is debated whether the toxic effects of nanoparticles stem from the particles themselves, ionic species, or formation of secondary particles. Therefore, understanding the behavior of nanoparticles in the environment becomes key to discerning the toxicological effects of nanoparticles. Many advancements have been made with ICP-MS to understand the behavior of nanoparticles in the environmental systems, …

Variations In Copper Form Exposure Differentially Modulate Zea Mays (Corn) Physiological Responses, Carolina Valdes Bracamontes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present study, Zea mays seedlings grown under nano Cu(OH)2 (nCu), bulk Cu(OH)2 (bCu), and ionic CuSO4 (iCu) compound exposure were harvested after six days. The nutritional profile was determined to be significantly disrupted in the roots by 1000 ppm bCu treatment, resulting in a 58.7% reduction in potassium compared to the control. In the shoots, a significant decrease of manganese was observed for 10 and 1000 ppm iCu treatments with 55.7% and 64.2% reductions, respectively. The overall protein content and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activity, however, remained unaffected in either roots or shoots, while an absence of polyphenol oxidase …

Characterization Of Nanoparticles Using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Jabez D. Campbell

MSU Graduate Theses

Nanomaterials are a relatively new class of materials that have many applications which span a wide host of fields from medical products to consumer products. The possible compositions and forms of nanomaterials are just as varied as the applications. Therefore, a versatile characterization method is needed for researchers and regulators alike to ensure nanomaterials are properly used. Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is a functional method that could fill the characterization need in the nanomaterial research field. Using data from both SP-ICP-MS tests and data from literature established characterization methods, the viability of making SP-ICP-MS the standard …

A Systematic Multiscale Investigation Of Nanoparticle-Assisted Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (Eor) Process For Shale Oil Reservoirs, Dayo A. Afekare

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Shale oil reservoirs are prolific on the short term due to hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling but experience significant production decline, leading to poor ultimate recovery and leaving billions of barrels of oil buried in the ground. In this study, a systematic multi-scale investigation of an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process using relatively inexpensive silicon dioxide nanoparticles and carbon dioxide for shale oil reservoirs was conducted. Using the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) as a case study, aqueous dispersions of nanosilica in conjunction with CO₂ were investigated at nano-to-core scales. At the nanoscale, atomic force microscope was used to investigate …

Investigation Of Spontaneously Patterned Nanoporous Organosilicate Thin Film Channels For Liquid Chromatography Applications., Ashwin Sanjay Bhaskaran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Microscale devices are attractive options for the advancement of biomedical engineering and life science. They have huge potential in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields provided the critical factors such as device size, product purity and efficiency are not a hindrance. In most cases, traditional microelectronics fabrication processes are quite costly and complicated. By improving on them, their application in fields such as chemical sensing, detection and analysis is possible. By implementing this on a chip, we can reduce the cost and improve portability. This thesis focuses on the investigation of a novel class of spontaneously patterned nanoporous organosilicate nanoparticle-based films …

Towards Machine Learning In Chemical Sensing : Milk Differentiation And Quality Control Through Two-Dimensional Nano-Sensor Array, Yu Sheng Chen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Herein, we developed a novel artificial tongue using machine learning and 12 nanoassemblies (2D-NAs) to identify and analyzed different kinds of milk beverages for quality control. This biomimetic sensor array was trained to “taste” different milk types as an “artificial tongue” which is the first time we demonstrated that this sensor array can be implemented to complex systems. Two-dimensional nanoparticles (2D-nps) and nine fluorescently labeled single stranded oligonucleotides (ssDNA) with different length and nucleobases were assembled to create 12 2D-NAs. The artificial tongue was deployed to identify and analyze five milk types. All five milk types were discriminated with 95% …

Potential For On-Site, Prosecutorial Evidence From Drug Residues Collected On Plasmonic Paper: A Pilot Study For Sers-Psi-Ms, Daniel S. Burr

Theses and Dissertations

Given the potential impact of improvements to on-site drug testing, as well as recent, successful displays of paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PSI-MS) in this regard, this thesis pilots the implementation of Raman spectroscopy as a compliment to MS for field-based confirmatory drug testing. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is utilized for applications to trace detection. Two-tiered analysis of individual drug samples is enabled using triangularly-cut plasmonic papers, from which both SERS and PS-MS analysis may be performed. Several drug compounds, representative of traditional and emerging drug types, are examined by these techniques, both separately and as a fully integrated, …

Plasmon-Enhanced Optical Sensing By Engineering Metallic Nanostructures, Peng Zheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The world’s booming population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 causes enormous stresses on environmental safety, food supply, and healthcare, which in return threatens human civilizations. One of the most promising solutions lies at innovating point-of-care (POC) sensing technologies to conduct detection of environmental hazards, monitoring of food safety, and early diagnosis of diseases in a timely and accurate manner. The discovery of surface-enhanced spectroscopy in the 1970s has significantly stimulated research on light-matter interaction which gives rise to enhanced optical phenomena such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF), and particularly, they have found enormous applications in …

Single Particle-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry Technology Development For Metallic Nanoparticle Characterization In Complex Matrices, Yongbo Dan

Doctoral Dissertations

"As the rapid growing of nanotechnology, the release of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) into the environment is inevitable. After entering the real environment, ENPs tend to react with different components of the ecosystem (e.g. water, soil, air, plants) and make their characterization difficult. Analyzing ENPs in these complex matrices still remains as a grand challenge. ENPs characterization is normally the first step of risk assessment. Current analytical techniques have shown some limitations in revealing the unique characteristics of ENPs in complex matrices and reliable analytical techniques are in urgent need. Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is an emerging …

Tracking Silver, Gold, And Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Through Drinking Water Systems By Single Particle - Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry, Ariel Renee Donovan

Masters Theses

"Single particle (SP)-ICP-MS methods were developed to characterize and quantify Ti-containing, titanium dioxide, silver, and gold NP concentration, size, size distribution and dissolved metal element concentration in surface water and treated drinking water. The effectiveness of conventional drinking water treatments (including lime softening, alum coagulation, filtration, and disinfection) to remove NPs from surface water was evaluated using six-gang stirrer jar test simulations. Six-gang stirrers were used to simulate drinking water treatments including lime softening, alum coagulation, powdered activated carbon sorption, filtration, and disinfection by free chlorine. Lime softening effectively removed most nanoparticles added. Source and drinking waters from three large …

Field Scale Application Of Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron: Mobility, Contaminant Degradation, And Impact On Microbial Communities, Chris M.D. Kocur

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis began by verifying that nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) synthesis methods could be scaled up and implemented at the field scale in a safe manner. This led to successful demonstration of nZVI injection and mobility under constant head gravity injection into a contaminated utility corridor in Sarnia, Ontario. Where field studies have fallen short in the past was linking the somewhat qualitative field geochemical parameters to other evidence of nZVI transport. Definitive nZVI detection was elusive in previous field studies due to the highly reactive nature of the particles caused by their high surface area. nZVI was detected …

Characterization Of Metallic And Semimetallic Oxide Nanoparticles In Industrial Wastewater And Associated Toxicity, Gary Roth

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) play an increasing role in manufacturing and consumer products. Currently, there is no standard approach to studying ENM toxicity, and a growing body of literature suggests that ENMs may have toxicity differing from similar compounds in bulk or dissolved form. I examined ENMs used in the semiconductor manufacturing process called chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) for their properties, removal in the wastewater treatment system (WWT), in-vitro toxicity, and location post-inhalation in-vivo. It was found that ENMs in CMP slurries have morphology determined by their elemental composition, but assessment of size and concentration can differ substantially between accepted techniques. Particles …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Crystalline Iron Nanoparticles From Zerovalent Iron Sandwich Complexes, Anh Tue Nguyen

Open Access Theses

In this project we present a systematic study on the synthesis of crystalline iron nanocubes by thermal decomposition of an iron sandwich complex, ( π-C₅H₅)Fe⁰(π-C ₆H₇), in the presence of oleylamine and oleylamine.HCl as surfactants and n-decane as a solvent. The presence of oleylamine.HCl is essential for the reproducible formation of crystalline iron cores.^ Reaction parameters such as temperature, surfactant concentration, effect of counterion, and organoiron reagent structure were investigated in order to obtain iron nanoparticles with uniform size and shape. The nanoparticles, which were characterized by …

Study Of Immobilizing Cadmium Selenide Quantum Dots In Selected Polymers For Application In Peroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence Flow Injection Analysis, Christopher S. Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two batches of CdSe QDs with different sizes were synthesized for immobilizing in polyisoprene (PI), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The combinations of QDs and polymer substrates were evaluated for their analytical fit-for-use in applicable immunoassays. Hydrogen peroxide standards were injected into the flow injection analyzer (FIA) constructed to simulate enzyme-generated hydrogen peroxide reacting with bis-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate.

Linear correlations between hydrogen peroxide and chemilumenscent intensities yielded regression values greater than 0.9750 for hydrogen peroxide concentrations between 1.0 x 10^-4 M and 1.0 x 10^-1 M. The developed technique’s LOD was approximately 10 ppm. Variability of the prepared …

Development Of Novel Nano-Composite Membranes As Introduction Systems For Mass Spectrometers: Contrasting Nano-Composite Membranes And Conventional Inlet Systems, Luis Miranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of novel nano-composite membranes as introduction systems for mass spectrometers. These nano-composite membranes incorporate anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes as templates that can be used by themselves or modified by a variety of chemical deposition processes. Two types of nano-composite membranes are presented. The first nano-composite membrane has carbon deposited within the pores of an AAO membrane. The second nano-composite membrane is made by coating an AAO membrane with a thin polymer film. The following chapters describe the transmission properties these nano-composite membranes and compare them to conventional mass spectrometry introduction systems. The nano- composite …

Nanoencapsulated Copper Pthalocyanine As Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Prathima Arrabelly

All Capstone Projects

The growing resistance developed by microbes towards antimicrobial agents has driven our focus on developing alternative treatment modalities such as Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT). It would be difficult for the microbes to develop resistance towards singlet oxygen generated during the PACT process. Photosensitizers are the vehicles of the transfer and translation of light energy into a type II chemical reaction (singlet oxygen generation) in photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy. PACT is proposed as a potential, low cost approach to treatment of locally occurring infection.

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus has been studied in cultures treated with photoactivated copper …

Folate Nanoparticle Conjugates, Safwat A. Masood

All Capstone Projects

The folate receptor is overexpressed on the surface of numerous cancer cell types including those of the breast, lung, kidney, ovary, and brain. Recent interest has exploded in the use of folate to deliver payloads and imaging agents to folate receptor positive cancer cells based on several positive clinical trials including phase III trials of EC-145, which is poised to become the first folate targeted, FDA approved drug. Given the success of EC-145 and numerous other agents in the pharmaceutical pipeline, there remains a great interest in the exploitation of this technology in the delivery of nanoscale agents to folate …

Microscopic And Spectroscopic Analysis Of Wo3 And Ti-Doped Wo3 Thin Films, Young Taek Yun

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tungsten oxide (WO3) has been a subject of high interest for its unique properties, and recently for its importance in different types of industrial applications which ranges from non-emissive displays, optical, microelectronic, catalytic/photocatalytic, humidity, temperature, gas, and biosensor devices. In this study, WO3 and Ti doped thin films were prepared using radio frequency magnetron reactive sputtering at different substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature to 500 ºC in increments of 100 ºC. After forming a hypothesis based on knowledge of established WO3 properties, we attempt in this work to investigate how the doping influences the roughness and the mean grain …

A New Green Chemistry Method Based On Plant Extracts To Synthesize Gold Nanoparticles, Milka Odemariz Montes Castillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Extraordinary chemical and physical properties exhibited by nanomaterials, as compared to their bulk counterparts, have made the area of nanotechnology a growing realm in the past three decades. It is the nanoscale size (from 1 to 100 nm) and the morphologies of nanomaterials that provide several properties and applications not possible for the same material in the bulk. Magnetic and optical properties, as well as surface reactivity are highly dependent on the size and morphology of the nanomaterial. Diverse nanomaterials are being widely used in molecular diagnostics as well as in medicine, electronic and optical devices. Among the most studied …