Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Faceted Nanomaterial Synthesis, Characterizations And Applications In Reactive Electrochemical Membrane Filtration, Qingquan Ma

Dissertations

Facet engineering of nanomaterials, especially metals and metal oxides has become an important strategy for tuning catalytic properties and functions from heterogeneous catalysis to electrochemical catalysis, photocatalysis, biomedicine, fuel cells, and gas sensors. The catalytic properties are highly related to the surface electronic structures, surface electron transport characteristics, and active center structures of catalysts, which can be tailored by surface facet control. The aim of this doctoral dissertation research is to study the facet-dependent properties of metal or metal oxide nanoparticles using multiple advanced characterization techniques. Specifically, the novel atomic force microscope-scanning electrochemical microscope (AFM-SECM) and density functional theory (DFT) …

Properties Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Aquesous Dispersions Stabilized By Anionic Surfactants, Anita Vuchkovska

Theses and Dissertations

The stability of titanium dioxide nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous solutions with and without anionic surfactants was investigated as a function of phase separation (sedimentation), particle size at the age of 33 and 303 days, polydispersity at 33 and 303 days, and zeta potential. Mechanical energy in the form of homogenization or mixing with propeller blade mixer was used to wet out the titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in the aqueous media and this process was evaluated for the capability of developing a stable dispersion. The ultrasonic waves were used as a second step to form stable dispersions. The research results indicated …

The Effects Of Curing Temperature On The Hydration Kinetics Of Plain And Fly Ash Pastes And Compressive Strength Of Corresponding Mortars With And Without Nano-Tio2 Addition., Dan Huang, Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Jan Olek

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Incorporation of fly ash in cementitious systems containing ordinary portland cement (OPC) increases their long-term strength and durability. However, replacement of cement by fly ash also reduces the heat of hydration of such systems and reduces early-age strength development. The reduced rate of strength development can increase the risk of durability problems, e.g. scaling, in cases when young concrete is exposed to low temperatures and deicing chemicals. This study investigated the potential of nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO₂) particles to modify the hydration kinetics of fly ash pastes and compressive strength development of corresponding mortars cured under low (4°C) and …

Passive Radiative Cooling By Spectrally Selective Nanoparticles In Thick Film Nanocomposites, David Allen Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Passive cooling of buildings is a benefit to society since no energy input is required for space cooling which reduces electricity consumption, fossil fuel burning, and greenhouse gas emissions. When a passive cooling technology radiates heat from the earth through the atmospheric windows to space higher levels of cooling power are possible -- this phenomenon is classified as passive “radiative” cooling. Spectrally selective surface coatings provide radiative cooling to lower surface temperatures by reflecting most solar radiation, while emitting infrared radiation at wavelengths between 8-13 μm through the primary atmospheric window to the cold of space. Multiple applications of radiative …

Inventions In The Area Of Nanomaterials And Nanotechnologies. Part I, Leonid A. Ivanov, Li Da Xu, Elena S. Bokova, Aleksandr D. Ishkov, Oksana N. Borisova

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction. Advanced technologies impress people’s imagination demonstrating the latest achievements (materials, methods, systems, technologies, devices etc.) that dramatically change the world. This, first of all, concerns nanotechnological inventions designed by scientists, engineers and specialists from different countries. Main part. The article provides an abstract overview of inventions of scientists, engineers and specialists from different countries: Germany, Iraq, China, Russia, USA, Ukraine, Sweden, Japan et al. The results of the creative activity of scientists, engineers and specialists, including inventions in the field of nanotechnology and nanomaterials allow, when introduced to industry, achieving a significant effect in construction, housing and communal services, …

Investigation Of Control Parameters, Strategies, And Transport Modeling For Effective Electrokinetic Nanoparticle Treatment Of Cementitious Materials, Huayuan Zhong

Doctoral Dissertations

Various deleterious chemical species (including sulfates, chlorides, and others) contaminate concrete structures which are inherently porous and thus suffer from compromised durability. Several technologies have been developed for repairing concrete or enhancing the service life. Nevertheless, their efficiency, practicability, and cost can vary widely. Compared with chemical grout, fiber wrap, and traditional repair technology, electrokinetic nanoparticle treatment (EN) has been found to provide remarkable benefits for strength restoration and mitigation of durability problems via porosity reduction. Nanoparticle instability and over dosage issues can arise and lead to problems during treatments. In many cases, these treatment processes have been accompanied by …

Mechanical Characteristics Of Cement Paste In The Presence Of Carbon Nanotubes And Silica Oxide Nanoparticles: An Experimental Study, Moses Karakouzian, Visar Farhangi, Marzieh R. Farani, Alireza Joshaghani, Mehdi Zadehmohamad, Mohammad Ahmadzadeh

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Considering the remarkable characteristics of nanomaterials, previous research studies investigated the effects of incorporating different types of these materials on improving the concrete properties. However, further studies are required to evaluate the complementary hybridization and synergistic influence of nanomaterials. In this research, the combined effect of adding nano silica particles (NS) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) on enhancing both the compressive and flexural strengths of the cement paste was investigated. Moreover, the morphology of the interface between cement paste and aggregates was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mixtures were prepared using three different portions of MWCNT and NS. …

Development Of Novel Polymeric Materials For Their Application In Monitoring And Remediation Of Environmental Pollutants, Rishabh Shah

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Remediation of environmental pollutants from water is one of the major challenges in the 21st century. Utilizing novel polymeric materials to accomplish this challenge has garnered a lot of interest in recent times. Flexibility in synthesizing as well as functionalizing makes them attractive for their application in pollutant remediation. This work is based on development and characterization of novel crosslinked polymeric as well as linear polymeric materials from biphenyl-based monomers, biphenyl based crosslinker and a temperature responsive monomer (Nisopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm)) for their application in remediation of toxic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and iron oxide nanoparticle …

Development Of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks For Enhancing Post-Combustion Co2 Capture, Dustin Lee

Master's Theses

Post-combustion CO₂ capture is a promising approach for complementing other strategies to mitigate climate change. Liquid absorption is currently used to capture CO₂ from post-combustion flue gases. However, the high energy cost required to regenerate the liquid absorbents is a major drawback for this process. As a result, solid sorbents have been investigated extensively in recent years as alternative media to capture CO₂ from flue gases. For example, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are nanoporous materials that have high surface areas, large pore volumes, and flexible designs. A large number of MOFs, however, suffer from 1) low CO …

Optimization Of Nitrate Removal From Aqueous Solution By Acid-Activated Rice Straw Supported Nano Zero-Valent Iron Using Response Surface Methodology, Dalia A. Ali Eng, Nagwa Mahmoud Al-Mansi Prof, Mohamed Amin Sadek Prof., Ahmad Wafiq Abolnasr Dr.

Chemical Engineering

Rice straw is one of the most common agricultural wastes due to its large production amounts. Energy valorization of rice straw is a technology used for nitrate removal as the produced ashes used to generate the adsorbent by means of an alkali dissolution followed by acid precipitation. The novelty of the proposed process is that the production of the nano zero-valent iron supported acid-activated rice straw (AARS-nZVI) adsorbent is carried out without the energy valorization process but, through an acid activation for rice straw followed by precipitation of nZVI particles on its surface. The new adsorbent synthesis, characterization and application …

Transport Properties And Strength Development Of Blended Cement Mortars Containing Nano-Silica, Ali Akbar Ramezanianpour, Sajjad Mirvalad, Mehrdad Mortezaei

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

In the present study, the mechanical properties and durability of blended cement mortars containing nanosilica and natural pozzolans is investigated. Trass and pumice, two different Iranian natural pozzolan, are used in the experiments. For cement blends preparation, nano-silica replacement levels of 2, 3 and 4% by mass of cement was considered; each mixture contained one of the natural pozzolans with a fixed replacement percentage of 15. The Standard mortar samples were made with w/cm ratio of 0.485; the flow of all mortars ranged from 14 to 16 cm. All prepared mortars’ samples were cured in saturated limewater until the test …

Degradation Of Emerging Contaminants By Advanced Oxidation Using Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Continuous Ozone Injection, Emily N. Miller

Master's Theses

With a growing population and continuous accumulation of pollutants, water resources worldwide are quickly being depleted. Drastic improvements need to be made in both water conservation and treatment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been developed to go above and beyond the capabilities of traditional wastewater treatment facilities to eliminate emerging contaminants from our water systems. AOPs increase the generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) in oxidation reactions, which are less selective and more reactive than other oxidants, such as ozone, so they are more effective at degrading persistent compounds. This study explored an AOP that utilizes ozonated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) …

Cementitious Sensors Exhibiting Stopbands In Acoustic Transmission Spectra, Shreya Vemuganti

Shared Knowledge Conference

Ultrasonic monitoring in cementitious materials is challenging due to the high degree of attenuation. In wellbore environments, monitoring becomes more challenging due to inaccessibility. Meta materials, also known as acoustic bandgap materials, exhibit an interesting feature of forbidding the propagation of elastic/sound waves and isolate vibration in a certain frequency band. Traditionally, acoustic bandgap materials are developed with inclusions such as tin, aluminum, gold, steel in a polymer matrix. In this study, we present the development of three-dimensional cementitious sensors capable of exhibiting stopbands in the acoustic transmission spectra using carbon nanotubes. Relatively wide stopbands were engineered using Floquet-Bloch periodic …

Exploring The Effects Of Zinc Nanoparticle Concentration, Antioxidant, And Media On Cilantro (Coriandrum Sativum), And Radish (Raphanus Sativus) Plants Growth, Venkata Laxma Reddy Pullagurala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have proven to be one of the emerging chemicals of concern in the contemporary times. Soil acts as one of the major sinks of these ENMs. Reports have shown that ENMs have varied effects on soil biota. Particularly, their effects on plants are inconsistent. Amongst these ENMs, ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO) are the fourth largest raw materials in the nanotechnology industry. Globally, it is estimated that around 34,000 tons of n ZnO are utilized per year. The nZnO exposure on terrestrial plants yielded both beneficial as well as detrimental effects. Recently, there is an emerging evidence about the …

Fabrication And Modification Of Titania Nanotube Arrays For Harvesting Solar Energy And Drug Delivery Applications, Ahmed El Ruby Abdel Rahman Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fast diminishing of fossil fuels in the near future, as well as the global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gases have motivated the urgent quest to develop advanced materials as cost-effective photoanodes for solar light harvesting and many other photocatalytic applications. Recently, titania nanotube arrays (TNTAs) fabricated by anodization process has attracted great interest due to their excellent properties such as: high surface area, vertically oriented, highly organized, one-dimensional, nanotubular structure, photoactivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility. This unique combination of excellent properties makes TNTAs an excellent photoanode for solar light harvesting. However, the relatively wide band gap energy of …

Mechanical Characterization Of Polymer Concrete With Nanomaterials, Alaeddin Douba

Civil Engineering ETDs

Nanomaterials are defined by those whose characteristic length scale lies within the nanometer scale. Their extreme dimension achieves extraordinary mechanical properties superior to other micro and macro additives. The introduction of nanotechnology to Civil Engineering utilizes low volume inclusions of nanomaterials to alter the properties of conventionally used bulk materials. Polymer Concrete (PC) where epoxy polymer binders replace cement binders, has become a common repair material among many other application and often can be considered an alternative to Portland cement concrete (PCC). PC is often used in bridge deck overlays, manholes, machine foundations and repairs. Its diverse chemical composition and …

Trihalomethane, Dihaloacetonitrile, And Total N-Nitrosamine Precursor Adsorption By Carbon Nanotubes: The Importance Of Surface Oxides And Pore Volume, Erin Needham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As drinking water sources become increasingly impaired, enhanced removal of natural organic matter (NOM) may be required to curb formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) upon chlor(am)ination. While carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can adsorb NOM, their properties for DBP precursor adsorption have not been elucidated. Nine types of CNTs were assessed for trihalomethane (THM), dihaloacetonitrile (DHAN), and total N-nitrosamine (TONO) precursor adsorption. Batch isotherm experiments were completed with lake water and, to simulate an impaired condition, effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Adsorption varied with CNT type and dose, with TONO precursors having the highest percent removals from WWTP effluent (up …

Total N-Nitrosamine Precursor Adsorption With Carbon Nanotubes: Elucidating Controlling Physiochemical Properties And Developing A Size-Resolved Precursor Surrogate, Erin Needham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As drinking water sources become increasingly impaired with nutrients and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) – such as trihalomethanes (THMs), dihaloacetonitriles (DHANs), and N-nitrosamines – during water treatment may also increase. N-nitrosamines may comprise the bulk of the chronic toxicity in treated drinking waters despite forming at low ng/L levels. This research seeks to elucidate physicochemical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for removal of DBP precursors, with an emphasis on total N-nitrosamines (TONO).

Batch experiments with CNTs were completed to assess adsorption of THM, DHAN, and TONO precursors; physiochemical properties of CNTs were quantified through …

Tunable Nanocomposite Membranes For Water Remediation And Separations, Sebastián Hernández Sierra

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Nano-structured material fabrication using functionalized membranes with polyelectrolytes is a promising research field for water pollution, catalytic and mining applications. These responsive polymers react to external stimuli like temperature, pH, radiation, ionic strength or chemical composition. Such nanomaterials provide novel hybrid properties and can also be self-supported in addition to the membranes.

Polyelectrolytes (as hydrogels) have pH responsiveness. The hydrogel moieties gain or lose protons based on the pH, displaying swelling properties. These responsive materials can be exploited to synthesize metal nanoparticles in situ using their functional groups, or to immobilize other polyelectrolytes and biomolecules. Due to their properties, these …

Hydraulic And Electrokinetic Delivery Of Remediants For In-Situ Remediation, Ahmed I. A. Chowdhury

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI) has shown promising mobility and in-situ reactivity with chlorinated volatile organic compounds when injected into saturated porous media. The current study evaluated nZVI mobility and subsequent reactivity with in-situ contaminants in a variably saturated porous media. The nZVI particles, synthesized onsite at subzero temperatures, demonstrated complete trichloroethene (TCE) degradation within the target area. Furthermore, a three dimensional finite difference model (CompSim) was utilized to investigate nZVI mobility in variably saturated zones. Model predicted well head data were in very good agreement with field observations. Simulation results showed that the injected slurry migrated radially outward from …

The Experiment And Analysis Of Active Mechanisms For Enhancing Heat And Mass Transfer In Sorption Fluids, Ziqi Shen

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

This project was funded by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE RP-1462). It is a three years’ research, including the literature review, labs construction, experiments and data analysis.

In this thesis, first of all, we conducted literature review of mechanism motion influence on heat and mass transfer and additive effect in absorption chiller. This part helps us understand the basic idea of how mechanism motion affects the heat and mass transfer of sorption fluids and gives us reference on how to select the experiment instrument and the experiment operation range.

In the second part, the instrument selection …

Protein-Targeted Corona Phase Molecular Recognition, Gili Bisker, Juyao Dong, Hoyoung D. Park, Nicole M. Iverson, Jiyoung Ahn, Justin T. Nelson, Markita P. Landry, Sebastian Kruss, Michael S. Strano

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Corona phase molecular recognition (CoPhMoRe) uses a heteropolymer adsorbed onto and templated by a nanoparticle surface to recognize a specific target analyte. This method has not yet been extended to macromolecular analytes, including proteins. Herein we develop a variant of a CoPhMoRe screening procedure of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and use it against a panel of human blood proteins, revealing a specific corona phase that recognizes fibrinogen with high selectivity. In response to fibrinogen binding, SWCNT fluorescence decreases by >80% at saturation. Sequential binding of the three fibrinogen nodules is suggested by selective fluorescence quenching by isolated sub-domains and validated …

Label-Free Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Linked Immunosensor Assay (Slisa) For Environmental Surveillance, Vinay Bhardwaj

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contamination of the environment, accidental or intentional, in particular with chemical toxins such as industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents has increased public fear. There is a critical requirement for the continuous detection of toxins present at very low levels in the environment. Indeed, some ultra-sensitive analytical techniques already exist, for example chromatography and mass spectroscopy, which are approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency for the detection of toxins. However, these techniques are limited to the detection of known toxins. Cellular expression of genomic and proteomic biomarkers in response to toxins allows monitoring of known as well as …

Application Of 3d Printing Technology In Porous Anode Fabrication For Enhanced Power Output Of Microbial Fuel Cells, Bin Bian

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are widely researched for application in wastewater treatment. However, the current anodes used in MFCs often suffer from high fabrication cost and uncontrollable pore sizes. In this thesis, three-dimensional printing technique was utilized to fabricate anodes with different micro pore sizes for MFCs. Copper coating and carbonization were applied to the printed polymer anodes to increase the conductivity and specific surface area. Voltages of MFCs with various anodes were measured as well as other electrochemical tests such as linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. 3D copper porous anode produced higher maximum voltages and power densities …

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 …

Use Of Precisely Sculptured Thin Film (Stf) Substrates With Generalized Ellipsometry To Determine Spatial Distribution Of Adsorbed Fibronectin To Nanostructured Columnar Topographies And Effect On Cell Adhesion, Tadas Kasputis, Alex Pieper, Keith Brian Rodenhausen, Daniel Schmidt, Derek Sekora, Charles Rice, Eva Schubert, Mathias Schubert, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Sculptured thin film (STF) substrates consist of nanocolumns with precise orientation, intercolumnar spacing, and optical anisotropy, which can be used as model biomaterial substrates to study the effect of homogenous nanotopographies on the three-dimensional distribution of adsorbed proteins. Generalized ellipsometry was used to discriminate between the distributions of adsorbed FN either on top of or within the intercolumnar void spaces of STFs, afforded by the optical properties of these precisely crafted substrates. Generalized ellipsometry indicated that STFs with vertical nanocolumns enhanced total FN adsorption two-fold relative to flat control substrates and the FN adsorption studies demonstrate different STF characteristics influence …

Novel Engineered Nanomaterials For Water Remediation And Gas Adsorption: Graphene Oxide And Carbon Nanotubes Decorated With Metal-Organic Frameworks And Magnetic Nanoparticles, Vahid Jabbari

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the current study, a series of novel magnetic and non-magnetic hybrid nanocomposites based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of M3(BTC)2 (M: Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd), graphene oxide (GrO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were developed via a green, simple and versatile solvothermal method at which GrO and CNT were used as platform to grow the MOFs and Fe3O4 MNPs over them. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, IR, Raman, TGA, and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. Morphological analysis confirmed successful growth of nano-size Fe3O4 MNPs and M3(BTC)2 MOFs over GrO and CNT platforms. …

Recycling Wastewater For Hydraulic Fracturing By Use Of Nanofiltration Membranes, Haley D. Cleous

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hydraulic fracturing creates large volumes of produced water, contaminated with organics, suspended solids, and dissolved minerals. This water must either be disposed of in injection wells or treated for reuse. One option is to use a combination of ultrafiltration and nanofiltration to treat this water and reuse it in future hydraulic fracturing wells. The object of this study was to test and characterize commercial nanofiltration membranes. The work done for this project will lead to future work in modifying membranes to improve the rejection of desired components.

Novel Nanostructured Materials For Solar Fuel Production And Advanced Rechargeable Batteries, Cunyu Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

Non-renewable fossil fuels are the major sources to meet the energy, electricity and transportation demands of today's world. The over consumption of fossil fuels will lead to the increasing energy crisis and disastrous effects such as air pollution, global warming etc.

The primary greenhouse gas is CO2 mainly emits from the combustion of fossil fuels. Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 using sunlight as the energy input is a promising way to reduce CO2 level in the atmosphere and in the meantime produce alternative fuels such as CO, methane, methanol, etc. Among the various photocatalyst materials reported, nanomaterial TiO2 is the most …

Nano-Modification For High Performance Cement Composites With Cellulose Nanocrystals And Carbon Nanotubes, Yizheng Cao

Open Access Dissertations

One of the new engineering frontiers is the exploration of infrastructure materials with novel combinations of properties that break traditional paradigms. The goal of this study is to utilize two different nano-fibers, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to modify the nanoscale structures of cement composites and thereby improve the performance at the macro-level. This study also evaluates the mechanism behind the modification, since fiber bridging, the most common reinforcing mechanism for fiber-reinforced composites, cannot be simply applied because CNCs are too short to bridge cracks in cement composites. ^ The mechanical tests show an increase in the flexural …