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Theses/Dissertations

2017

University of Central Florida

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Full-Text Articles in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging And Spectroscopy Aided Tracking Of Zno And Cds:Mn/Zns/ N-Acetyl Cysteine (Nac) Quantum Dots In Citrus Plants, Torus Washington Jan 2017

Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging And Spectroscopy Aided Tracking Of Zno And Cds:Mn/Zns/ N-Acetyl Cysteine (Nac) Quantum Dots In Citrus Plants, Torus Washington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we present an efficacious way of tracking nanoparticle movement in plant tissue through the use of fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and spectroscopy as well as a review of nanoparticle uptake in plants and the proposed mechanisms governing them. Given the increasing number of nanomaterials in agriculture and society as a whole, proper imaging tools and proactive measures must be taken to track nanoparticle movement in plant tissues and create infrastructure and products to keep things sustainable and safe. Herein we report a ZnO comparable nanoparticle— a CdS:Mn/ZnS/ N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) quantum dot— which boasts longer lifetimes and …


High Power Continuous Wave Quantum Cascade Lasers With Increased Ridge Width, Ankesh Todi Jan 2017

High Power Continuous Wave Quantum Cascade Lasers With Increased Ridge Width, Ankesh Todi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantum Cascade Lasers have recently gained considerable attention for their capability to emit infrared radiation in a broad infrared spectral region, very compact dimensions, and high optical power/efficiency. Increasing continuous wave optical power is one of the main research directions in the field. A straightforward approach to increasing optical power in the pulsed regime is to increase number of stages in the cascade structure. However, due to a low active region thermal conductivity, the increase in number of stages leads to active region overheating in continuous wave operation. In this work, an alternative approach to power scaling with device dimensions …


Effects Of Surfactant Concentrations On Perovskite Emitters Embedded In Polystyrene, Eric Calkins Jan 2017

Effects Of Surfactant Concentrations On Perovskite Emitters Embedded In Polystyrene, Eric Calkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With their simple fabrication, narrow light spectrum, and color tunability, a class of materials known as perovskites are emerging as promising candidates for light emission applications. These materials, when exposed to normal atmospheric conditions show significant degradation. Improved protection has been demonstrated by embedding perovskites in polymers. Furthermore, the addition of a surfactant into the precursor solution has been shown to increase stability and allow for color tuning by exploiting quantum confinement effects. However, the effects of surfactants typically used to stabilize perovskites in solution have not been explored in this polymer embedding strategy. Here we determine the physical and …


Freestanding Holey Thin Films For Renewable Energy Storage, Kyle Marcus Jan 2017

Freestanding Holey Thin Films For Renewable Energy Storage, Kyle Marcus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapid advancement of portable and wearable technologies has challenged research to improve upon current renewable battery energy storage systems. By using nanotechnology, it is now possible to access more of the energy storage theoretical values that have been unattainable thus far. We have developed a method to create freestanding holey thin films through combinations of electrochemical and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques to be used in renewable energy storage systems. Freestanding thin films promote excellent contact between the residual conductive framework and any functionalized active component specific to the designed material. Without requiring any other additives, the as-prepared freestanding …


Mechanism Of Actin Bundle Assembly, Mechanics And Structure By Ion Interaction, Nicholas Castaneda Jan 2017

Mechanism Of Actin Bundle Assembly, Mechanics And Structure By Ion Interaction, Nicholas Castaneda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The assembly of actin filaments into bundles plays an essential role in mechanical strength and dynamic reorganization of cytoskeleton. Divalent counterions at high concentrations promote bundle formation through electrostatic attraction between charged filaments. Although it has been hypothesized that specific cation interactions may contribute to salt-induced bundling, molecular mechanisms of how salt modulates bundle assembly and mechanics are not well established. Here we determine the mechanical and dynamic properties of actin bundles with physiologically relevant cations. Using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, we measure the bending stiffness of actin bundles determined by persistence length analysis. We characterize real-time formation …