Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Construction And Performance Optimization Of Bioconjugated Nanosensors For Early Detection Of Breast Cancer And Pro-Inflammatory Diseases, Pooja Gaikwad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, nanosensors have emerged as a tool with strong potential in medical diagnostics. Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) based optical nanosensors have notably garnered interest due to the unique characteristics of their near-infrared fluorescence emission, including tissue transparency, photostability, and various chiralities with discrete absorption and fluorescence emission bands. Additionally, the optoelectronic properties of SWCNT are sensitive to the surrounding environment, which makes them suitable for in vitro and in vivo biosensing. Single-stranded (ss) DNA-wrapped SWCNTs have been reported as optical nanosensors for cancers and metabolic diseases. Breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death …

Intracellular Delivery Of Therapeutic Biomolecules Through Versatile Polymer Nanotechnology, David C. Luther

Doctoral Dissertations

Advancing pharmaceutical technology has made it possible to treat diseases once considered ‘undruggable.’ Access to these new pharmaceutical targets is possible thanks to the advent of protein and nucleic acid therapeutics. Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cutting-edge treatments for cancer and multiple sclerosis have centered on these biologic therapies, promising even greater value in the future. However, their utility is limited at a cellular level by inability to cross the plasma membrane. Nanocarrier technologies encapsulate therapeutics and facilitate uptake into the cell but are often trapped and degraded in endosomes. Arginine-functionalized gold nanoparticles (Arg-NPs) provide efficient, direct …

Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized By Nd: Yag Laser Ablation Technique: Characterization And Antibacterial Activity, Sahar Naji Rashid Msc., Kadhim A. Aadim Ph.D., Awatif Sabir Jasim Ph.D.

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique can produce high purity nanoparticles, it is a top-down physical method based on the principle of dividing metal ion bulk precursors into metal atoms, this method was used in this work to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgPNs) by using Nd: YAG laser with two wavelengths (355 nm) and (532 nm) at energies (500 mJ) and (600 mJ) respectively, with the number of pulses (500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 pulses) for each wavelength. The properties of the prepared nanoparticles were investigated by UV-Vis, XRD, SEM with EDX, AFM, and FTIR analysis and then …

Understanding The Proton Transport In Non-Aqueous Histidine-Based Nanostructures, Jiang Bian

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over the past two decades, proton transport has been extensively studied because of the many applications to the development of new technological devices. In particular, understanding proton transport permits the design of new materials with desired properties for constructing effective proton exchange membranes (PEM) in fuel cells. Current PEM technology involves biocummulative perfluorinated membranes that operate under hydrated conditions, for which the proton conductivity is limited by the usually high temperature that fuel cells operate. Therefore, it is of great interest to study the alternative systems that have the potential to conduct protons, in particular, those that are able to …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Novel Agnps Functionalized With Chlorothymol (C@Agnps), Lirim Sopaj

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In this study, novel silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesized and functionalized with an antibacterial agent, namely chlorothymol (denoted C@AgNPs). The resulting colloid (C@AgNPs) was purified by two comparative methods: ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. Ultrafiltration proved to be more efficient in purifying and size selecting (10 kD filter) and concentrating the C@AgNPs than ultracentrifugation. The physicochemical properties of the filtered C@AgNPs were then characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Raman spectroscopy, Cytoviva hyperspectral imaging, and Scanning electron microscopy. These measurements confirmed the functionalization of the core AgNPs with chlorothymol and suggest the proposed mechanism of …

Virus Detection Using Bio-Based Analysis Systems: A Review Of Biorecognition Strategies, Nur Meli̇s Kiliç, Di̇lek Odaci Demi̇rkol

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Infectious illnesses are on the rise in today's world, with serious consequences for animals, plants, and humans. Several infections, including the human immunodeficiency virus, affect a large number of individuals in various countries, particularly in the poorer portions of contemporary society, and continue to cause a variety of health problems. Viruses are tiny parasitic organisms. They are infectious agents that can only reproduce within a live cell of an organism. Viruses may infect any living organism. For clinical pointof- care applications, early detections for harmful agents such as bacteria, viruses are critical. The possibility of worldwide epidemics as a result …

Multifunctional Programmable Self-Assembled Nanoparticles In Nanomedicine, Yoshie Sakamaki

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Developing methodologies to control the architecture of nanoparticles (NPs) at the atomic level prevents their inhomogeneity and leads to a variety of expected functions. Rationally designed nanoparticles can either be programmed or crystallized structures into pre-determined structures achieving tunable particle pore size and physiochemistry. In this dissertation, two broad classes of multifunctional nanoparticles are developed, metal-organic frameworks and DNA-NP aggregates.

Metal-organic frameworks are a novel class of highly porous crystalline materials built from organic linkers and metal cluster-based secondary building units. However, applications in bioremediation have not been developed very well especially in applications regarding drug delivery systems (DDS). The …

Computational Investigation Of Nanoparticle Immersion And Selfassembly, Tara Allison Tyler Nitka

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Both neutral and charged nanoparticles with a variety of compositions, shapes, and sizes have beenpreviously prepared. These nanoparticles have been demonstrated to self-assemble into a variety of superlattices and binary superlattices both in bulk solution and at surfaces of solutions, and the structures formed by self-assembly have been shown to depend on nanoparticle chemistry and charge as well as on whether assembly takes place at a surface or in bulk. Furthermore, the prepared isolated and self-assembled nanoparticles have a number of biomedical, nanotechnology, and industrial applications. In this Dissertation, I present my research on three general topics. First, I will …

A Hybrid Lipid Membrane Coating “Shape-Locks” Silver Nanoparticles To Prevent Surface Oxidation And Silver Ion Dissolution, Thomas J. Miesen, Arek M. Engstrom, Dane C. Frost, Ramya Ajjarapu, Rohan Ajjarapu, Citlali Nieves Lira, Marilyn R. Mackiewicz

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The controlled synthesis of stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), that do not undergo surface oxidation and Ag⁺ ion dissolution, continues to be a major challenge. Here the synthesis of robust hybrid lipid-coated AgNPs, comprised of L-α-phosphatidylcholine (PC) membranes anchored by a stoichiometric amount of long-chained hydrophobic thiols and sodium oleate (SOA) as hydrophobic binding partners, that do not undergo surface oxidation and Ag+ ion dissolution, is described. UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) demonstrate that in the presence of strong oxidants, such as potassium cyanide (KCN), the hybrid lipid-coated AgNPs are stable …

Development Of Dual Functional Dna/Rna Nanostructures For Drug Delivery, Vibhav Amit Valsangkar

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In addition to the traditional biochemical functions, DNA and RNA have been increasingly studied as building blocks for the formation of various 2D and 3D nanostructures. DNA has emerged as a versatile building block for programmable self-assembly. DNA-based nanostructures have been widely applied in biosensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, molecular computation and macromolecular scaffolding. A variety of strategies have been developed to functionalize these nanostructures. The major advantage is that DNA is a very stable molecule and its base-pairing properties can be easily utilized to control and program the formation of desired nanostructures. In addition, some of these DNA/RNA nanostructures have …

Recent Advances In Bismuth-Based Co2 Reduction Electrocatalysts, Rui Zhou, Na Han, Yan-Guang Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an economical, secure and sustainable carbon resource around us. Its effective capture and recycling have been the focus of our entire society. Using the electrochemical method, CO₂ can be reduced to different value-added chemicals or fuels. This approach not only would mitigate CO₂ accumulation in the atmosphere, but also would help alleviate our dependence on fossil fuel. In this article, the basic principle and process of electrochemical CO₂ reduction are first introduced. The recent development in bismuth-based catalysts for electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction is reviewed with an emphasis on their preparation, …

In Vitro Uptake And Biodistribution Of Silver Nanoparticles In Vero 76 Cells, Miriam A. Crane

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The number of consumer products containing nanomaterials over the last eight years has increased over two-fold. Silver is one of the most commonly used materials in consumer goods nanoparticle fabrication.1 Thus, the uptake and biodistribution of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) within mammalian cells can provide insight into their possible toxicological effects. In this study, starch-capped AgNPs of an average diameter of 9 ± 5 nm were synthesized via a bottom-up method, and characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively couple plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and absorption spectroscopy. Vero 76 cells were incubated with 0.0, 0.1, 1.0, and 3.0 …

Richard Smalley And The Materials Of Tomorrow: The Discovery, Properties, And Science Of Fullerenes, Creighton A. Jackson

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

These are slides accompanying a presentation given at the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College outlining the properties of and ongoing research pertaining to fullerenes in materials science.

Multifunctional Nanocomposites In Coating Technology: Synthesis, Characterization, Formulation, Evaluation And Application, Sudeshna Chakraborty

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Application of Nanomaterials using nanotechnology has gained significant

attention in the coating industry in recent years. Their application has had a great

impact, particularly in the 3C industries (computer, communication, and construction).

Incorporation of nanomaterials into polymer carriers through a systematic approach to

coating processes can enhance various physical properties, such as mechanical,

optical, electrical and thermal properties. The current dissertation focused on the

synthesis and characterization of new nanomaterials like mesoporous silica or

nanocomposites like copper-doped zinc oxide that can be used in the coating to study

thermal cooling performance and enhancement of thermal conductivity. New thermal

devices will …

The Fate And One-Dimensional Transport Of Creighton Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles Through Saturated Porous Media, Jessica M. Dagher

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

With the ubiquitous burst of nanotechnology, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become indispensable in numerous industrial, medicinal, and research applications. Consequently, AgNPs have been alarmingly disposed into subsurface water increasing the risk of human and environmental exposure. While mechanisms of AgNP cytotoxicity have been reported, research studies on AgNP transport in subsurface water are needed, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The main goal of this study was to investigate the environmental fate and transport of widely-used Creighton colloidal AgNPs in a laboratory transport system simulating a porous, saturated groundwater aquifer. To achieve this, a large volume of AgNPs was …

Chemical Applications Of Transition Metal Nanomaterials: Nanoscale Toughening Mechanism Of Molybdenum Disulfide-Epoxy Nanocomposites And Mammalian Toxicity Of Silver Nanoparticles, John David Ryan

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The emerging world of nanotechnology has been of great interest within the last few decades. In this regard, nanomaterials have since been implemented in a number of commercial applications including: aerospace technology, coatings, sensors, and biomedical technology. This work aimed to elucidate upon the applications of transition metal nanomaterials in two separate experimental studies. The first of these studies involved the investigation of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles, and their role in the toughening mechanism of epoxy composites. Two separate exfoliation techniques were implanted to target the influence surface chemistry of the nanomaterial and solvent quality had on the bulk …

Protein-Nanoparticle Co-Engineering: Self-Assembly, Intracellular Protein Delivery, And Crispr/Cas9-Based Gene Editing, Rubul Mout

Doctoral Dissertations

Direct cytoplasmic delivery of gene editing nucleases such CRISPR/Cas9 systems and therapeutic proteins provides enormous opportunities in curing human genetic diseases, and assist research in basic cell biology. One approach to attain such a goal is through engineering nanotechnological tools to mimic naturally existing intra- and extracellular protein delivery/transport systems. Nature builds transport systems for proteins and other biomolecules through evolution-derived sophisticated molecular engineering. Inspired by such natural assemblies, I employed molecular engineering approaches to fabricate self-assembled nanostructures to use as intracellular protein delivery tools. Briefly, proteins and gold nanoparticles were co-engineered to carry complementary electrostatic recognition elements. When these …

Cost Effective Surface Functionalization Of Gold Nanoparticles With A Mixed Dna And Peg Monolayer For Nanotechnology Applications, Risheng Wang, Isabella Bowling, Wenyan Liu

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A cost effective and generally applicable co-functionalization of gold nanoparticles with a mixed DNA and PEG polymers is reported. Compared to the pure DNA functionalization method, this protocol uses a much smaller amount of thiol-DNA to achieve a similar binding efficacy of gold nanoparticles with DNA origami nanostructures. The lower consumption of DNA provides a scaling-up potential for the application of DNA-nanoparticle conjugates in nanotechnology.

Development Of Diverse Size And Shape Rna Nanoparticles And Investigation Of Their Physicochemical Properties For Optimized Drug Delivery, Daniel L. Jasinski

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

RNA nanotechnology is an emerging field that holds great promise for advancing drug delivery and materials science. Recently, RNA nanoparticles have seen increased use as an in vivo delivery system. RNA was once thought to have little potential for in vivo use due to biological and thermodynamic stability issues. However, these issues have been solved by: (1) Finding of a thermodynamically stable three-way junction (3WJ) motif; (2) Chemical modifications to RNA confer enzymatic stability in vivo; and (3) the finding that RNA nanoparticles exhibit low immunogenicity in vivo.

In vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetics are affected by the physicochemical …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Fractionated Borohydride-Capped And Electrochemical Colloidal Silver, Marjorie M. Markopoulos

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Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ionic silver (Ag+) are known to be broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. Recent studies show these agents may be an alternative to the most widely used drinking water disinfectant, chlorine. Chlorine is a toxic industrial chemical with a lethal concentration of 430 ppm after 30 minutes. Additionally, chlorine can react with naturally occurring materials to produce a number of disinfection byproducts such as chloroform and trihalomethanes. Some of these byproducts pose cancer risks in addition to other negative impacts to human health. These would be eliminated with the use of Ag+ or AgNPs. The main goal of this …

Probing The Structure And Photophysics Of Porphyrinoid Systems For Functional Materials, Christopher D. Farley

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Porphyrins (Pors) and their many cousins, including phthalocyanines (Pcs), corroles (Cors), subphthalocyanines (SubPcs), porphyrazines (Pzs), and naphthalocyanines (NPcs), play amazingly diverse roles in biological and non-biological systems because of their unique and tunable physical and chemical properties. These compounds, collectively known as porphyrinoids, can be employed in any number of functional devices that have the potential to address the challenges of modern society. Their incorporation into such devices, however, depends on many structural factors that must be well understood and carefully controlled in order to achieve the desired behavior. Self-assembly and self-organization are key processes for developing these new technologies, …

Studies On Purification And Functionalization Of Carbon Nanotubes And Their Aqueous Phase Behavior, Zheqiong Wu

Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known to have unique mechanical, thermal and electrical properties which make them attractive for a wide range of applications ranging from batteries to sensors. CNTs are rolled up graphene sheets where the single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) and multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) are classified according to the number of concentric rings. In this dissertation, the focus is on several different aspects of MWCNTs. These include purification, functionalization and colloidal behavior.

MWCNTs are insoluble in solvents and therefore some degree of functionalization is required prior to their real-world applications. Oxidation debris is generated during carboxylation which is usually the first …

Refractive Index Engineering And Optical Properties Enhancement By Polymer Nanocomposites, Cheng Li

Doctoral Dissertations

The major part of this dissertation discusses the engineering of the refractive index of materials using solution-processable polymer nanocomposites and their applications in building optical components and devices. Three particular polymer nanocomposites have been introduced to achieve materials with tunable refractive indices and enhanced optical properties, which can be used to manipulate the behavior of light or electromagnetic radiations. In the first system, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)/polymer nanocomposites are developed. Thin films with tunable, low refractive indicies were fabricated from the composites. The mechanical strength of these films was characterized, and their application in antireflective coatings is discussed. In the …

Bioavailability And Transformation Of Silver Nanoparticles In The Freshwater Environment, Seth W. Brittle

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The proliferation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products and industrial applications has generated many environmental concerns since the chemistry of silver changes at the nanoscale and the very properties that make them desirable – their unique reactivity – may pose environmental risks. This dissertation addresses these concerns from three different angles. First, freshwater crayfish is demonstrated as a potential benthic indicator of Ag pollution since Ag accumulation depends on the form of Ag. The uptake and distribution of Ag (from AgNPs or Ag+) in tissue samples were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The hepatopancreas (1.5-17.4 …

Influence Of Shelling Temperature And Time On The Optical And Structural Properties Of Cuins2/Zns Quantum Dots, Colette Robinson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

CIS/ZnS core/shell QDs are an important class of nanomaterials for optoelectronic, photovoltaic and photoluminescence applications. They consist of lower toxicity materials than the prototypical II-VI Cd-based QDs and show long fluorescence lifetimes, which generates prospective in biological imaging applications. It is vital to develop reproducible synthetic methods for this new class of nanomaterials in order to maintain small sizes with high QYs. CIS core QDs have been shelled with ZnS at various temperatures from 90-210°C for reaction times ranging from 20-140 minutes to examine the role of thermodynamics and kinetics on the shell growth. Using HR-TEM and ICP-MS, it was …

Growth Of Ordered Nanostructure Arrays Including Nanotubes And Nanorods For High Efficiency Solar Cells, Wipula P. Liyanage, Manashi Nath

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A simple and straightforward approach has been described for the fabrication of CdTe nanotube and nanorod arrays with a high degree of precision through confined electrodeposition on lithographically patterned nanoelectrodes. This technique has the potential of growing these nanotube/nanowire arrays with extreme uniformity over a significantly large area. the desired nanoelectrode pattern was defined through electron beam lithography on indium tin oxide coated glass, and electrodeposition of the semiconducting material of interest (CdTe) on the nanoelecrodes produced the nanotubes/nanowires. It is interesting to note that the measured photocurrent density of nanotube device created by this protocol exceeds that obtained from …

Photophysics Of Organic Semiconductors: From Ensemble To The Single-Molecule Level, Rebecca Grollman, Whitney E. B. Shepherd, Alexander Robertson, Keshab R. Paudel, John E. Anthony, Oksana Ostroverkhova

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We present photophysical properties of functionalized anthradithiophene (ADT) and pentacene (Pn) derivatives, as well as charge and energy transfer properties of donor-acceptor (D/A) pairs of these derivatives. All molecules studied were fluorescent and photostable enough to be imaged on the single-molecule level in a variety of polymeric and in a functionalized benzothiophene (BTBTB) crystalline host using room-temperature wide- field epifluorescence microscopy. Flexibility of functionalization of both guest (ADT, Pn) and host (BTBTB or polymer) molecules can be used for systematic studies of nanoscale morphology and photophysics of D/A organic semiconductor bulk heterojunctions, as well as in applications relying on FRET, …

Fabrication And Characterization Of A Vertically-Oriented Graphene Supercapacitor, Patrick R. Rice, Jiaxin Cui, Ahmad Badr, Michael M. Oye, Jessica E. Koehne, Meyya Meyyappan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Supercapacitors, otherwise known as electrical double layer capacitors, are a new type of electrochemical capacitor whose storage capacity is governed by two principals: the electrostatic storage achieved by a separation of charge at the interface of an electrode with an electrolytic solution, and pseudocapacitance, whose electrical energy is achieved by faradaic redox reactions. This project reports the synthesis and characterization of vertically-oriented graphene grown on copper substrates as electrodes in electric double-layer capacitor. Graphene is a two-dimensional pure carbon material with a high potential for energy storage. With vertically-grown graphene, an exponentially-larger surface area is made available, allowing an increase …

Development Of A Lab-On-A-Chip Device For Rapid Nanotoxicity Assessment In Vitro, Pratikkumar Shah

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing useof nanomaterials in consumer products and biomedical applications creates the possibilities of intentional/unintentional exposure to humans and the environment. Beyond the physiological limit, the nanomaterialexposure to humans can induce toxicity. It is difficult to define toxicity of nanoparticles on humans as it varies by nanomaterialcomposition, size, surface properties and the target organ/cell line. Traditional tests for nanomaterialtoxicity assessment are mostly based on bulk-colorimetric assays. In many studies, nanomaterials have found to interfere with assay-dye to produce false results and usually require several hours or days to collect results. Therefore, there is a clear need for alternative tools that can …

Imaging, Spectroscopic, Mechanical And Biocompatibility Studies Of Electrospun Tecoflex® Eg 80a Nanofibers And Composites Thereof Containing Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes, Javier Macossay-Torres, Faheem A. Sheikh, Travis Cantu, Thomas Eubanks, M. Esther Salinas, Chakavak S. Farhangi, Hassan Ahmad, M. Shamshi Hassan, Myung-Seob Khil, Shivani K. Maffi, Hern Kim, Gary L. Bowlin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present study discusses the design, development and characterization of electrospun Tecoflex® EG 80A class of polyurethane nanofibers and the incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to these materials. Scanning electron microscopy results confirmed the presence of polymer nanofibers, which showed a decrease in fiber diameter at 0.5% wt. and 1% wt. MWCNTs loadings, while transmission electron microscopy showed evidence of the MWCNTs embedded within the polymer matrix. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to elucidate the polymer-MWCNTs intermolecular interactions, indicating that the C-N and N-H bonds in polyurethanes are responsible for the interactions with MWCNTs. …