Biological and Chemical Physics Commons^™

Coupled Oscillators: Protein And Acoustics, Angelique N. Mcfarlane

Theses

This work encompassed three different vibrational energy transfer studies of coupled resonators (metal, topological, and microtubule comparison) inspired by the lattices of microtubules from regular and cancerous cells. COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 was utilized to design the experiment. The simulation starts with an acoustic pressure study to examine the vibrational modes present in coupled cylinders, representing α-, β-tubulin heterodimers. The Metal Study consisted of 3 models (monomer, dimer, and trimer) to choose the correct height (40 mm) and mode (Mode 1) for study. The Topological Study was run to predict and understand how the lattice structure changes over a parametric sweep …

Investigation Of Optical And Structural Properties Of Gesn Heterostructures, Oluwatobi Gabriel Olorunsola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silicon (Si)-based optoelectronics have gained traction due to its primed versatility at developing light-based technologies. Si, however, features indirect bandgap characteristics and suffers relegated optical properties compared to its III-V counterparts. III-Vs have also been hybridized to Si platforms but the resulting technologies are expensive and incompatible with standard complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor processes. Germanium (Ge), on the other hand, have been engineered to behave like direct bandgap material through tensile strain interventions but are well short of attaining extensive wavelength coverage. To create a competitive material that evades these challenges, transitional amounts of Sn can be incorporated into Ge matrix to form …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assemblies In Nature And Nanotechnology, Phu Khanh Tang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nature usually divides complex systems into smaller building blocks specializing in a few tasks since one entity cannot achieve everything. Therefore, self-assembly is a robust tool exploited by Nature to build hierarchical systems that accomplish unique functions. The cell membrane distinguishes itself as an example of Nature’s self-assembly, defining and protecting the cell. By mimicking Nature’s designs using synthetically designed self-assemblies, researchers with advanced nanotechnological comprehension can manipulate these synthetic self-assemblies to improve many aspects of modern medicine and materials science. Understanding the competing underlying molecular interactions in self-assembly is always of interest to the academic scientific community and industry. …

Methods To Remotely Eliminate Biofilm From Medical Implants Using 2.4 Ghz Microwaves, Brett Glenn

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Infections associated with biofilm growth are usually challenging to eradicate due to their high tolerance toward antibiotics [11, 12]. Biofilms often form on the inert surfaces of medically implanted devices [13]. No matter the sophistication, microbial infections can develop on all medical devices and tissue engineering constructs [12]. Related infections lead to 2 million cases annually in the U.S., costing the healthcare system over $5 billion in additional healthcare expenses [12].

Novel solutions to biofilm’s microbial colonization span the spectrum of engineering and science disciplines. Yet a practical solution still does not exist. The research presented here will explore a …

Optical Enhancement In Periodic Plasmonic Gratings For Sers And Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Photodetectors (Msm-Pds) Applications, Ahmad Aziz Darweesh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is aimed to numerically study the effect of plasmonic grating electrodes on the efficiency of metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (MSM PDs) and the sensitivity of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). This research can benefit many areas of nanoscience and optics, including plasmonic applications, such as, super lenses, nano-scale optical circuits, optical filters, surface plasmon enhanced photo-detectors solar cells, imaging sensors, charge-coupled devices (CCD), and optical-fiber communication systems. Several parameters, wire widths and thickness, gap space, taper angle, and the incident wavelength and angle, were investigated. The goal of this research is to utilize the plasmonic phenomenon by using plasmonic gratings …

The Incorporation Of Graphene To Lithium Cobalt Oxide As A Cathode To Improve The Performance Of Lithium Ion Batteries, Kenan Wang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the objectives of this thesis work was to investigate the cathode performance of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) incorporated with graphene powder in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Graphene powder was incorporated into cathode materials to enhance the performance of LIBs. The other objective was to impede the construction of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) sheet using graphene sheet coating on its cathode.

The results of this work show that adding graphene powder improved the performance of LiCoO¬2 as a cathode material. With the incorporation of different weight percentages of graphene powder, the LiBs showed distinct changes in their charging …

Can A Comprehensive Transition Plan To Barefoot Running Be The Solution To The Injury Epidemic In American Endurance Runners?, Michael A. Scarlett

CMC Senior Theses

Fossils belonging to the genus Homo, dating as far back as two million years ago, exhibit uniquely efficient features suggesting that early humans had evolved to become exceptional endurance runners. Although they did not have the cushion or stability-control features provided in our modern day running shoes, our early human ancestors experienced far less of the running-related injuries we experience today. The injury rate has been estimated as high as 90% annually for Americans training for a marathon and as high as 79% annually for all American endurance runners. There is an injury epidemic in conventionally shod populations that …

Transport Of Water And Ions Through Single-Walled Armchair Carbon Nanotubes: A Molecular Dynamics Study, Michelle Patricia Aranha

Doctoral Dissertations

The narrow hydrophobic interior of a carbon nanotube (CNT) poses a barrier to the transport of water and ions, and yet, unexpectedly, numerous experimental and simulation studies have confirmed fast water transport rates comparable to those seen in biological aquaporin channels. These outstanding features of high water permeability and high solute rejection of even dissolved ions that would typically require a lot of energy for separation in commercial processes makes carbon nanotubes an exciting candidate for desalination membranes. Extending ion exclusion beyond simple mechanical sieving by the inclusion of electrostatics via added functionality to the nanotube bears promise to not …

Analyses Of Densely Crosslinked Phenolic Systems Using Low Field Nmr, Jigneshkumar Patel

Doctoral Dissertations

A uniform dispersion of reactants is necessary to achieve a complete reaction involving multi-components, especially for the crosslinking of rigid high-performance materials. In these reactions, miscibility is crucial for curing efficiency. This miscibility is typically enhanced by adding a third component, a plasticizer. For the reaction of the highly crystalline crosslinking agent hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) with a strongly hydrogen-bonded phenol formaldehyde resin, furfural has been traditionally used as the plasticizer. However, the reason for its effectiveness is not clear. In this doctoral thesis work, miscibility and crosslinking efficiency of plasticizers in phenolic curing reactions are studied by thermal analysis and spectroscopic …

Thin Film Thermal Deposition At Various Pressures, James Kela Yee Keen Grace

Senior Theses

This research was to verify the hypothesis that resistivity of metal's thin film deposited in a low-pressure environment is the same as its solid material. Thermal Evaporation is a thin film deposition technique in which metal inside a vacuum is evaporated, then deposited onto a surface. Higher quality metal films are deposited when the vacuum pressure is lower. At higher pressures, more air molecules are trapped within the layers of metal, thus increasing scattering sites and increasing the resistance. However, reaching a lower pressure requires more time and effort. In this research, films were deposited at various pressures and resistivities …

Study Of Nano-Bio Interfaces In Nano-Bio Conjugates: Nanoparticles Of Zinc Oxide (Zno) And Biomolecules Of Glucose, Cytosine, And Thymine, Bithi Paul

MSU Graduate Theses

Nano conjugates, composites of inorganic nanomaterials and bio molecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins, establish a sequence of wide varieties of nano-bio boundaries. The formation of these boundaries strongly depends on bio physicochemical reaction of biomolecules coated on the surface of nanomaterials. I am investigating various nano-bio conjugates consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles with simple biomolecules including glucose and the nitrogenous bases of DNA such as cytosine and thymine. All nano-bio conjugates were fabricated using a standard bio-chemical synthesis process. Structural, physical, bio-chemical interface properties of nano-bio composites were probed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence …

Morphological And Material Effects In Van Der Waals Interactions, Jaime C. Hopkins

Doctoral Dissertations

Van der Waals (vdW) interactions influence a variety of mesoscale phenomena, such as surface adhesion, friction, and colloid stability, and play increasingly important roles as science seeks to design systems on increasingly smaller length scales. Using the full Lifshitz continuum formulation, this thesis investigates the effects of system materials, shapes, and configurations and presents open-source software to accurately calculate vdW interactions. In the Lifshitz formulation, the microscopic composition of a material is represented by its bulk dielectric response. Small changes in a dielectric response can result in substantial variations in the strength of vdW interactions. However, the relationship between these …

A Study Of Chromium-Doped High Lead Containing Silicate Glasses For Possible Laser Action, Mervet Maurice Saleh

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Epr Spectra Of Divalent Manganese In Halide Crystals, Veron Sarkis Sarkissian

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.