Materials Chemistry Commons^™

Nanoparticles And The Environment: Biopolymer Grafted Cellulose And Screen-Printed Carbon Nanotube Composites, Dominique Henry Porcincula

Master's Theses

A host of environmental issues will define the state of the environment in the 21^st century, with plastic pollution and water shortages among them. While solutions to these problems require large-scale, multipronged solutions, one way we can address them is through material innovation and the use of nanoparticles.

In the first project, we address the issue of plastic pollution by creating nanocomposites of biodegradable polymers (PLA and PCL) with cellulose nanofibrils. Here, PLA and PCL are grafted from the surface of cellulose nanofibrils via ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ester monomers. Polymer-grafted cellulose (PGC) is characterized with structural analysis, solubility …

Polymer-Based Nanotherapeutics To Combat Difficult-To-Treat Bacterial Infections, Jessa Marie V. Makabenta

Doctoral Dissertations

The continuous emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a global health emergency, debilitating the capability to prevent and cure various infectious diseases that were once treatable. Antibiotic therapy is further rendered ineffective due to biofilm formation and the ability of bacteria to thrive and colonize inside mammalian cells. Given the diminishing efficacy of available antibiotics combined with the scarcity of new therapeutics entering the antibiotic pipeline, innovative treatment strategies are urgently in demand. Nanomaterial-based strategies offer ‘outside of the box’ approach for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Nanomaterials feature tunable physicochemical properties that can be carefully modified to …

Design Of Resposive Oligomeric And Polymeric Interfaces For Sensing And Controlled Release Applications, . Manisha

Doctoral Dissertations

Nature has designed magnificent responsive systems by constructing several interacting molecular level networks for the recognition and propagation of chemical and biochemical information. One of the eminent characteristics of these systems is their capability to quickly transduce molecular scale recognition events into macroscopic or visually observable responses. Inspired by these systems present in nature, we became interested in developing artificial responsive systems with similar capabilities. This dissertation will feature four such systems that employ amphiphilic oligomers and polymers which were chosen as the scaffolds because of their high thermodynamic stability, low critical aggregation concentrations, convenient handles to incorporate functional group …

Photothermal And Photochemical Strategies For Lightinduced Shape-Morphing Of Soft Materials, Alexa Simone Kuenstler

Doctoral Dissertations

Engineering materials with the capability to transform energy from photons into mechanical work is an outstanding technical challenge with implications across myriad disciplines. Despite decades of work in this area, comprehensive understanding of how to prescribe shape change and work output in photoactive systems remains limited. To this end, this dissertation explores strategies to assemble photothermal and photochemical moieties in soft material systems to fabricate photoaddressable devices capable of specific shape changes upon illumination. Chapters 2 and 3 describe a methodology for spatially patterning plasmonic nanoparticles in liquid crystal elastomer fibers and sheets to specify local photothermally-induced strain profiles. Using …

Control Of Corrosion On Ss316l Using Surface Initiated Polymers, Alexander Rupprecht

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pitting corrosion is arguably one of the most destructive and dangerous forms of corrosion, resulting in damage to structures, the environment, and public health. In addition, damage caused to structures such as bridges, pipelines, and boats, corrosion also has a profound effect on the biomedical community. Implanted metallic devices (i.e., vascular stents and artificial joints) are prone to pitting corrosion caused by aggressive ions present in extracellular fluid. To provide a corrosion-resistant surface on SS316L, films of poly(styrene), poly(methyl acrylate), and poly(methyl methacrylate) were formed using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The resulting hydrophobic polymer films had a fractional …

Modification Of 2d Materials Utilizing Functional Polymer Interfacial Layers, Ryan Selhorst

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes the modification of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). These materials exhibit unique electronic properties, ranging from metallic to insulating, and can transport either electrons (n-type) or holes (p-type). Polymers containing electronically-active moieties offer a path to control the electronic properties of a 2D material without altering the inherent structure of the semiconductor. This dissertation focuses on the synthesis of polymers bearing chalcogen-rich or zwitterionic moieties to alter the electronic and solution properties of 2D materials. Chapter 2 describes polymers containing sulfur-rich tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and their effects as electroactive coatings on the TMDC molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). …

Synthesis Of A Silsesquioxane Based Supramolecular Polymer, Rachel Bianculli

Honors Projects

Research toward smart materials, specifically self-healing polymers, is an expanding topic within the materials science field. These materials rely heavily on dynamic crosslinking that is achieved by inducing different degrees of hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, etc. This work, demonstrated by research previously done within the Ostrowski research group, shows how coordination bonds of transition metals have been shown to create light activated, self-healing properties. Work done with these light-activated chromium (III) complexes with a poly(butylyene-co-ethylene) backbone have shown how metal—ligand coordination geometries can tune mechanical properties of the polymeric material. However, these materials suffer from being incredibly soft …

Nitrogen Rich Porous Organic Frameworks: Proton Conduction Behavior Of 3d Benzimidazole And Azo-Linked Polymers, Michael J. Anhorn

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen-rich porous organic frameworks show great promise for use as acid-doped proton conducting membranes, due to their high porosity, excellent chemical and thermal stability, ease of synthesis, and high nitrogen content. Aided by very high surface area and pore volume, the material has the ability to adsorb high amounts of H₃PO₄ into its network, which creates a proton rich environment, capable of facile proton conduction. The morphology and chemical environment, doping behavior, and proton conduction of these materials were investigated. With such high acid-doping, ex-situ studies revealed that under anhydrous conditions, PA@BILP-16 (AC) produced a proton conductivity …

Characterization Of Coacervate Systems Using Redox Sensitive Dyes, Caleb Kaiser

All Master's Theses

Coacervates are systems that spontaneously form when two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are mixed in a concentrated salt solution. When coacervates form, a biphasic equilibrium occurs in the sample with two phases present in the solution. The two phases are described as the dense phase and the lean phase, named after the amount of polyelectrolyte material in each phase. Coacervates have been topics of interest to researchers in a variety of fields including biomedical applications, drug delivery devices, and more. This thesis worked towards the characterization of coacervate systems on the molecular level by investigating the interaction of the polyelectrolytes and …

Effect Of Surfactant Architecture On Conformational Transitions Of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes, Greg A. Braggin

Master's Theses

Water soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs), which fall under the category of conductive polymers, possess numerous advantages over other conductive materials for the fabrication of electronic devices. Namely, the processing of water soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes into thin film electronic devices is much less costly as compared to the processing of inorganic materials. Moreover, the handling of conjugated polyelectrolytes can be performed in a much more environmentally friendly manner than in the processing of other conjugated polymers because conjugated polyelectrolytes are water soluble, whereas other polymers will only dissolve in toxic organic solvents. The processing of electronic devices containing inorganic constituents such …

Design, Synthesis, And Bio Relevant Applications Of Zwitterionic Amphiphilic Macromolecular Assemblies, Rajasekhar Reddy Rami Reddy

Doctoral Dissertations

Supramolecular nanoassemblies capable of reducing non-specific interactions with biological macromolecules, such as proteins, are of great importance for various biological applications especially for targeted drug delivery therapeutics. Recently, zwitterionic materials have been shown to reduce non-specific interactions with biomolecules, owing both to their charge neutrality and their ability to form strong hydration layer around zwitterions via electrostatic interactions. This dissertation focuses on design, synthesis, thorough characterization, and applications of zwitterionic amphiphilic dendrimers and polymeric materials. Firstly, A new triazole-based zwitterionic moiety was conceived and incorporated as the hydrophilic functionality in facially amphiphilic dendrons. Self-assembly characteristics and the structural and functional …