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- Nanoparticle (3)
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Articles 1 - 22 of 22
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Evaporation Induced Self-Assembly And Characterization Of Nanoparticulate Films: A New Route To Bulk Heterojunctions, Yipeng Yang
Evaporation Induced Self-Assembly And Characterization Of Nanoparticulate Films: A New Route To Bulk Heterojunctions, Yipeng Yang
Doctoral Dissertations
Polymer-based semiconducting materials are promising candidates for large-scale, low-cost photovoltaic devices. To date, the efficiency of these devices has been low in part because of the challenge of optimizing molecular packing while also obtaining a bicontinuous structure with a characteristic length comparable to the exciton diffusion length of 10 to 20 nm. In this dissertation we developed an innovative evaporation-induced nanoparticle self-assembly technique, which could be an effective approach to fabricate uniform, densely packed, smooth thin films with cm-scale area from home-made P3HT nanoparticles. Unlike the previous reports of nanoparticle-based film formation, we use a mixture of two solvents so …
Aggregation And Coagulation Of C60 Fullerene As Affected By Natural Organic Matter And Ionic Strength, Hamid Mashayekhi
Aggregation And Coagulation Of C60 Fullerene As Affected By Natural Organic Matter And Ionic Strength, Hamid Mashayekhi
Doctoral Dissertations
With widespread production and use of C60 fullerene nanoparticles, their release to the environment and natural waters is inevitable. The colloidal nature of C60 fullerene in the aquatic environment significantly influences its behavior in the environment including its transport, bioavailability and toxicity to different organisms. Natural organic matter (NOM) is a ubiquitous and reactive material in aquatic environments with significant structural heterogeneity. Therefore, the effect of NOM molecules on the colloidal behavior of fullerene particles needs to be studied. A major part of NOM consists of humic acids (HA). HAs have pronounced effects on the aggregation of C …
Cell Modulation Using Functionalized Nanoparticles, Rui Tang
Cell Modulation Using Functionalized Nanoparticles, Rui Tang
Doctoral Dissertations
Monolayer functionalized ultra-small gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) provide a versatile platform for applications in cell research. Through rational design of surface ligands, the chemistry of AuNPs are precisely regulated at atomic level. In this dissertation, applications of AuNPs in cell modulation are discussed. The topics are split into two categories. In the first category, functionalized AuNPs are harnessed to generate a robust monolayer on cell culture surface for cell modulation. The proliferation and behavior of different types of cancer cells and normal cells are modulated by tuning the surface ligands of AuNPs. Fate decision of mesenchymal stem cells are also modulated …
Functional Hydrophilic Polymers For Solution Assembly And Non-Viral Gene Therapy, Rachel A. Letteri
Functional Hydrophilic Polymers For Solution Assembly And Non-Viral Gene Therapy, Rachel A. Letteri
Doctoral Dissertations
This thesis examines functional hydrophilic polymers designed in linear and comb architectures and that carry functional moieties in the context of solution assembly and non-viral gene therapy. Specifically, polymers containing cations, zwitterions, and reactive groups are investigated as non-viral gene therapy reagents and at oil-water interfaces on droplets. Cations facilitate complexation of nucleic acids and interaction with cellular and nuclear membranes, while zwitterions impart stimuli-responsive solution properties and biocompatibility. Reactive groups, including alkenes, alkynes, and benzylic methylenes, permit post-polymerization modification leading to tunable polymer properties in solution and at interfaces. This work expands the knowledge base related to solution, interfacial, …
Engineering The Nano-Bio Interface Of Gold Nanoparticles For Biomedical Applications, Ying Jiang
Engineering The Nano-Bio Interface Of Gold Nanoparticles For Biomedical Applications, Ying Jiang
Doctoral Dissertations
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have emerged as a promising platform for a myriad of biomedical applications, including sensing, drug delivery, and antibiotics. In this thesis, I have studied and engineered the interface of AuNPs with different biological systems, demonstrating a large variety of biomedical applications by modulation of these interfaces. My research was initially focused on systematically tuning the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles to understand nano-bio interactions at the cellular level. The results demonstrate that size and surface charge of AuNP interact in an interrelated fashion to modulate nanoparticle internalization by cells, providing an engineering strategy for designing nanomaterials for drug …
Polymer And Small Molecule Designs For Anion Conducting Membranes: Connected Ion-Channel Morphologies And Highly Alkaline Stable Ammonium Cations, Sedef P. Ertem
Doctoral Dissertations
Fuel cells are one of the oldest sustainable energy generation devices, converting chemical energy into electrical energy via reverse-electrolysis reactions. With the rapid development of polymer science, solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) membranes replaced the conventional liquid ion transport media, rendering low-temperature fuel cells more accessible for applications in portable electronics and transportation. However, SPE fuel cells are still far from commercialization due to high operation cost, and insufficient lifetime and performance limitations. Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are inexpensive alternatives to current proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, which relies on utilizing expensive noble-metal catalysts and perfluorinated SPE …
Specific Phosphate Sorption Mechanisms Of Unaltered And Altered Biochar, Kathryn D. Szerlag
Specific Phosphate Sorption Mechanisms Of Unaltered And Altered Biochar, Kathryn D. Szerlag
Masters Theses
Biochar has been shown to act as an effective sorbent for many organic and inorganic contaminants (including phosphate) and can help to improve the quality of our fresh water resources by preventing eutrophication. Most of the high efficiency biochar phosphate-adsorbent feedstocks are modified with chemical pretreatment, phytoremediation or anaerobic digestion to accumulate desired elements. The main objectives of this project were to first engineer magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) altered biochar by chemical pretreatment followed by pyrolysis at either 350 or 550°C and evaluate their phosphate adsorption rate and potential as compared to their unaltered counterparts. Determination of surface physiochemical …
Development Of Filter-Based Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Assays For Rapid Detection Of Chemical And Biological Contaminants In Water, Siyue Gao
Masters Theses
Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely applied for rapid and sensitive detection of various chemical and biological targets. Here, we incorporated a syringe filter system into the SERS method to detect pesticides, protein toxins and bacteria in water. For the detection of chemical and protein targets, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were aggregated by sodium chloride (NaCl) to form nanoclusters that could be trapped in the pores of the filter membrane to from the SERS-active membrane. Then a coating of capture (e.g. aptamer) was integrated on the nanoparticle substrate if needed. Then samples were filtered through the membrane. After …
Novel Analytical Methods Combining Non-Denaturing Chromatography And Mass Spectrometry To Study Biopolymer Structure And Interactions, Khaja Muneeruddin
Novel Analytical Methods Combining Non-Denaturing Chromatography And Mass Spectrometry To Study Biopolymer Structure And Interactions, Khaja Muneeruddin
Doctoral Dissertations
Biotherapeutics, an emerging class of medicines containing biopolymers (e.g., proteins, peptide, and polysaccharides) have been developed for a variety of indications including cancer, autoimmune, genetic, and blood diseases. Among these biopolymers protein therapeutics have been the rapidly growing segment in the pharmaceutical industry. This trend combined with the complexity of proteins has necessitated the development of powerful and robust analytical methods to study their structure and interactions with physiological partners. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an indispensable tool to analyze various attributes of protein drugs such as profiling of intact mass, amino acid sequencing, and post translational modifications (PTMs). In …
Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymeric Anion Exchange Membranes, Wenxu Zhang
Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymeric Anion Exchange Membranes, Wenxu Zhang
Doctoral Dissertations
As alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AAEMFC) are regarded as promising and important energy devices, the development of high performance anion exchange membranes are in urgent need, as well as fundamental investigation on the structure-property relationship, which are the motivation of this dissertation. Three different polymer systems are presented and focused on polymer synthesis, material morphology, and ion transport phenomena. Crosslinked membranes are promising as practical materials, however, the understanding and further improvement of its performance is hindered by the lack of an ordered morphology or well-defined chemical structure. In Chapter 2, a series of crosslinked membranes were design …
Photolysis Of Triazenylbenzoic Acids For Click Chemistry, Adam Gann
Photolysis Of Triazenylbenzoic Acids For Click Chemistry, Adam Gann
Doctoral Dissertations
Copper catalyzed cycloaddition of terminal alkynes and azides has revolutionized the field of bioconjugate chemistry. Unfortunately, typical copper catalysts are known to disrupt relevant biological systems, so it has become necessary to develop new, copper-free methods that are less cytotoxic. particular interest are "click" probes which can be activated with an outside light source, giving the user spatial and temporal control over the system being investigated. We have developed a method in which an aryl diazonium salt is rapidly generated using photolysis of the triazene functional group, and subsequently coupled with an electron rich aromatic nucleophile to yield an azobenzene. …
Magnetic Doping Of Semiconductor Molecular Models And Colloidal Nanocrystals, Swamy Pittala
Magnetic Doping Of Semiconductor Molecular Models And Colloidal Nanocrystals, Swamy Pittala
Doctoral Dissertations
Spin-based electronics use the spins of electrons in addition to their charges and have potential applications to create a next generation of quantum computers, capable of storing vast amounts of data in an energy-efficient way. Diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots (DMS-QDs) have shown great promise as ideal materials for application in spin-based electronics. However, doping impurities into quantum confined colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) has been a great challenge due to the lack of control over the dopant reactivity during the specific stages of nucleation and growth. The mechanism of dopant incorporation into nanocrystals is complex and well-defined and atomically precise molecular …
Kinetic And Dynamic Insights Into The Substrate Interactions And Catalysis Of Factor Inhibiting Hif-1 (Fih-1), Cristina B. Martin
Kinetic And Dynamic Insights Into The Substrate Interactions And Catalysis Of Factor Inhibiting Hif-1 (Fih-1), Cristina B. Martin
Doctoral Dissertations
inhibiting HIF-1 (FIH-1) modulates the master regulator of hypoxia sensing, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), by transcriptional repression making it an attractive potential target for treatment of hypoxia-related diseases. Given that similar enzymes are present within the cell and that they have other important physiological roles, defining the therapeutic window by which it can be selectively targeted becomes an issue. Consequently, it’s necessary to have a deeper understanding of the substrate interactions in FIH-1 that contributes to catalysis as this is one avenue that can be explored for future therapeutic investigations. The overall goal of this dissertation is to gain kinetic …
Nanomaterials At Liquid/Liquid Interfaces: Assembly And Rheology, Tao Feng
Nanomaterials At Liquid/Liquid Interfaces: Assembly And Rheology, Tao Feng
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation concentrated on the behavior of nanomaterials at liquid/liquid interfaces. A strategy of segregating acid-treated SWCNTs at oil/water interfaces was developed by adding amine-terminated polystyrene (PS-NH2) in the oil phase. Electrostatic binding between carboxylic acid of SWCNTs and amine drives the assembly of SWCNTs, monitored by pendant drop tensiometry and confocal microscopy. A sharp transition of interfacial segregation against SWCNT solution pH was revealed, with the transition point at the pKa of carboxyl. The reduced SWCNT surface charge density at low pH was found to be beneficial for segregation due to the attenuated repulsions between adsorbed …
Design, Synthesis, And Applications Of Nano-Assemblies Based On Amphiphilic Macromolecules, Hui Wang
Design, Synthesis, And Applications Of Nano-Assemblies Based On Amphiphilic Macromolecules, Hui Wang
Doctoral Dissertations
Recent progress in nanotechnology has been significantly impacting a variety of areas such as utilization in microelectronics, multiphase catalysis, sensing and therapeutics. Our interests are to develop new nanomaterials to understand their structure-property relationships and to utilize them for various applications. In this thesis, we discuss our findings on the design, synthesis and applications of nanomaterials formed by self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules. Micelles are self-assembled nanostructures formed by amphiphilic molecules. They are capable of sequestering hydrophobic guest molecules in an aqueous environment. Other than surfactants, micelles can also be formed by amphiphilic polymers or dendrimers, which are macromolecular surfactants in …
Design Of Romp-Based Protein Mimics For Sirna Delivery, Brittany M. Deronde
Design Of Romp-Based Protein Mimics For Sirna Delivery, Brittany M. Deronde
Doctoral Dissertations
Designing delivery agents for therapeutics is an ongoing challenge. As treatments and desired cargoes become more complex, the need for improved delivery vehicles becomes critical. Excellent delivery vehicles must ensure the stability of the cargo, maintain the cargo’s solubility, and promote efficient delivery and release. In order to address these issues, many research groups have looked to nature for design inspiration. Proteins, such as HIV-1 TAT and Antennapedia homeodomain protein, are capable of crossing cellular membranes. However, due to the complexities of their structures, they are synthetically challenging to reproduce in the laboratory setting. Being able to incorporate the key …
Stimuli Responsive Polymer Self-Assembly And Disassembly, Jiaming Zhuang
Stimuli Responsive Polymer Self-Assembly And Disassembly, Jiaming Zhuang
Doctoral Dissertations
Stimuli responsive polymer assemblies have been long investigated for drug application due to their flexibility for surface functionalization to achieve desired interfacial property and capability of acting as a host for payloads encapsulation. These interfacial and host-guest properties are very critical and need to be customized really depending on nature of cargos and specific delivery application. More importantly, these properties are always desired to be adaptable in different environments. For instance, adjustable interfacial property can facilitate the carrier to overcome a variety of different barriers before it reach the target while changeable host-guest property allows to selectively releasing the payload …
Self-Assembly And Stimuli Responsive Disassembly Of Dendritic And Oligomeric Amphiphiles, Krishna Reddy Raghupathi
Self-Assembly And Stimuli Responsive Disassembly Of Dendritic And Oligomeric Amphiphiles, Krishna Reddy Raghupathi
Doctoral Dissertations
Stimuli response is a fundamental process prevalent in all living systems, where a specific function (response) is generated in the presence of a given environmental cue (stimulus). Engineering materials for this process is often accomplished through another basic process, “self-assembly”. By understanding the key aspects of these processes scientists have developed a broad range of materials for a wide array of applications. This dissertation will primarily focus on developing stimuli responsive nanocarriers based on supramolecular assemblies of amphiphilic dendrimers and oligomers for safe transport and selective release of molecular cargo. Our concurrent goal is to also investigate several parameters which …
Refractive Index Engineering And Optical Properties Enhancement By Polymer Nanocomposites, Cheng Li
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 …
(I) Polymer Nanocomposites: Rheology And Processing For Mesoporous Materials And (Ii) Nanopatterning Of Metal Oxides Using Soft Lithography, Rohit Kothari
Doctoral Dissertations
The research in this dissertation is categorized into two parts. The first part is focused on investigation of order-to-disorder transitions (ODT) in nanocomposites of an amphiphilic block copolymer containing various hydrogen-bonded additives, and fabrication of novel mesoporous silica based materials by utilizing such nanocomposites as templates. Disordered Pluronic®, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)−poly(propylene oxide) (PPO)−PEO triblock copolymer upon blending with small molecule additives containing hydrogen-bond-donating functional groups (carboxyl or hydroxyl) result into ordered nanoscale morphologies by preferentially interacting with the hydrophilic PEO chains in the Pluronic®. The dependence of ODT-temperature in these novel Pluronic®/small-molecule-additive complexes on composition, number and type of functional …
Supramolecular Strategies For The Generation Of Nanoparticle Assemblies And Biomolecular Thin Films, Bradley P. Duncan
Supramolecular Strategies For The Generation Of Nanoparticle Assemblies And Biomolecular Thin Films, Bradley P. Duncan
Doctoral Dissertations
The conceptual framework of supramolecular chemistry elucidates a powerful set of strategies for chemists to generate functional nanomaterials based on intermolecular forces. My research focused on tuning the molecular interactions of nanoscale components to create larger structures with enhanced properties. In one approach, I developed and optimized an additive-free, nanoimprint lithography-based methodology to generate stable thin films from a variety of proteins. The generalized process retains intrinsic properties of the protein as demonstrated by selective cellular adhesion. The heat and pressure of the nanoimprinting process induces slight structural reorganization of the peptide side chains to yield highly stable films held …
The Application Of Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange And Covalent Labeling Coupled With Mass Spectrometry To Examine Protein Structure, Nicholas B. Borotto
The Application Of Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange And Covalent Labeling Coupled With Mass Spectrometry To Examine Protein Structure, Nicholas B. Borotto
Doctoral Dissertations
Thorough insight into a protein’s structure is necessary to understand how it functions and what goes wrong when it malfunctions. The structure of proteins, however, is not easily analyzed. The analysis must take place under a narrow range of conditions or risk perturbing the very structure being probed. Furthermore, the wide diversity in size and chemistry possible in proteins significantly complicates this analysis. Despite this numerous methods have been developed in order to analyze protein structure. In this work, we demonstrate that mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques are capable of characterizing the structure of particularly challenging proteins. This is done through …