Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons^™

Graphene Oxide–Driven In Situ Bismuth Reduction Enables Highly Efficient Electroreduction Of Co2 To Formic Acid, Hao Feng, Bohong Zhang, Jie Huang, Xinhua Liang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To enable large scale efficient electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to formic acid (HCOOH), it is important to develop catalysts that can be operated in a wide potential window with good stability. Herein, we successfully synthesized Bi₂O₃ catalyst supported on graphene oxide (GO) and graphene (G) and found that Bi₂O₃/GO catalyst had a better overall performance than Bi₂O₃/G. The Bi₂O₃/GO catalyst demonstrated an outstanding CO₂RR performance with a greater than 90% faradaic efficiency (FE) across a wide applied potential window …

Converting Co2 Into Carbon Nanotubes Via Sequential Co2 Methanation And Methane Pyrolysis, Kaiying Wang, Hao Feng, Ahmad Helaley, Xiaoqing He, Bohong Zhang, Jie Huang, Xinhua Liang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study presents a sequential thermochemical catalytic process for converting CO₂ into carbon nanotubes (CNTs), achieving nearly 99% overall CO₂ conversion and solid carbon yields of up to 49% in a single pass. The overall transformation is divided into two thermodynamically favorable steps: (1) low-temperature CO₂ methanation to CH₄ over a sol-gel-prepared Ni87Ce_6.5Zr_6.5-SG catalyst, which achieved >95% CO₂ conversion at 250 °C in a single pass, and (2) subsequent methane pyrolysis to CNTs and H₂ over a Ni@Al₂O₃-IE core-shell catalyst, which showed improved stability and carbon …

Transformation Efficiency And Gfp Expression In E. Coli, Jessica H. Hobbs

Honors Theses

Genetic transformation of bacteria is a foundational technique in molecular biology and biotechnology, enabling the introduction and expression of foreign genes for research, industrial, and educational applications. This thesis investigates the transformation efficiency and green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in Escherichia coli using the pGLO plasmid system, with the primary objective of supporting the development of a graduate-level laboratory course focused on bioprocess engineering and molecular biotechnology. The pGLO plasmid contains a GFP reporter gene regulated by an arabinose-inducible promoter and an ampicillin resistance gene that allows for selective growth of transformed cells. Competent E. coli HB101 K-12 cells were …

Mechanism Of Improved Miscibility Of Co2–Oil Systems By Multiester-Headgroup Surfactants, Ning Xu, Yanling Wang, Baojun Bai, Yu Zhang, Wenjing Shi, Zhaonian Zhang, Wenhui Ding, Peixu Ma, Zan Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the pursuit of carbon neutrality, the CO₂-enhanced oil recovery provides dual benefits by enabling both carbon sequestration and incremental oil production. However, its application is limited by high minimum miscibility pressure. CO₂-philic and oil-affinitive surfactants have emerged as an effective, low-dosage, and cost-efficient strategy to reduce the minimum miscibility pressure. In this study, macroscopic phase behavior experiments combined with molecular dynamics simulations were employed to systematically elucidate the influence of multiester-head surfactants on CO₂–oil miscibility. Using a modified pressure–volume–temperature apparatus equipped with optical power monitoring, we determined that multiester-head surfactants reduced the first-contact …

Controlled Gelation Of Co₂-Resistant Polymer Systems For Improved Conformance In Co₂-Eor, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

This presentation introduces a CO₂-resistant hydrogel developed to control fluid movement and improve CO₂ injection performance in subsurface reservoirs for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Conventional polymer gels often lose strength in CO₂-rich environments, resulting in weak plugging, early breakdown, and ineffective flow control. To address this limitation, a sulfonated HPAM-based gel system crosslinked with chromium was developed. The effects of polymer concentration, molecular weight, crosslinker ratio, ionic strength, and pH were investigated to better understand gelation behavior and performance. The formulation exhibited controlled gelation, strong resistance to temperature and CO₂, and minimal shrinkage over …

Biosensors For Biomedicine, Drake O'Leary

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

This project investigated the use of engineered bacterial reporter systems to detect cellular stress responses associated with antibiotic activity. While constructs were successfully introduced and tested against known antibiotics, the reporter consistently produced a blue signal across conditions, limiting the ability to distinguish specific stress responses. This suggests issues such as leaky expression, insufficient regulatory control, or lack of specificity in the reporter design. Although results were inconclusive, this work highlights key challenges in developing reliable biosensors and provides a foundation for future optimization. Improving signal specificity and reducing background expression will be critical for enabling accurate characterization of antibiotic …

Cationic Poly(Glucosamine)-Based Polymers Bind To Glycans With Varying Affinity Facilitating Transport Across The Glycocalyx Of Endothelial Cells, Claire Bridges, Lu Fu, Dan Wang, James D. Sterling, Susanna Liang, Shenda M. Baker, Jonathan Yeow, Megan S. Lord

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Natural polysaccharides, such as chitosan, offer promising avenues for drug delivery due to their cytocompatibility and ability to interact with cell surfaces. However, the endothelial glycocalyx, a glycan-rich extracellular matrix, presents a barrier that must be navigated for effective intracellular delivery. This study investigates how cationic poly(glucosamine)-based polymers, functionalized with guanidinium or ammonium groups, interact with key glycocalyx components including hyaluronan (HA) and heparan sulfate (HS). We demonstrate that these cationic polymers form tunable biomolecular condensates with glycans, with stronger binding observed for sulfated glycans, HS and heparin, than unsulfated HA. Derivatized chitosan polymers with varied cationic side chains exhibit …

Molecular Survival Strategies Against Kidney Filtration: Implications For Therapeutic Protein Engineering, William Heaps, Anna Elise Packard, Kristina M. Mccammon, Tyler P. Green, Joseph P. Talley, Bradley C. Bundy, Dennis Della Corte

Faculty Publications

The glomerular filtration barrier poses a significant challenge for circulating proteins, with molecules below ~60–70 kDa facing rapid renal clearance. Endogenous proteins have evolved sophisticated evasion mechanisms including oligomerization, carrier binding, electrostatic repulsion, and FcRn-mediated recycling. Understanding these natural strategies provides blueprints for engineering therapeutic proteins with improved pharmacokinetics. This review examines how endogenous proteins resist filtration, evaluates their application in protein engineering, and discusses clinical translation including established technologies (PEGylation, Fc-fusion) and emerging strategies (albumin-binding domains, glycoengineering). We address critical challenges of balancing half-life extension with tissue penetration, biological activity, and immunogenicity—essential considerations for the rational design of next-generation …

Effect Of Ionic Strength On Gelation Time And Strength Of Amps-Based Polymer Gels, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Xuyang Tian, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, Yin Zhang, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polymer gel treatment has been widely applied for improving sweep efficiency and controlling excessive water and gas production. Their performance depends on gelation time and final gel strength. In most studies, brine salinity is used to describe the effect of formation water on gel behavior. However, changing salinity also changes ionic strength and ion composition at the same time. Because of this coupling, it is difficult to identify the mechanisms controlling gelation, which has led to inconsistent trends in the literature. Increasing salinity has been reported to either slow or accelerate gelation and to weaken or strengthen gels depending on …

Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel For Conformance Control In Ultra-High Temperature Reservoirs, Yanbo Liu, Tao Song, Caleb Kwasi Darko, Thomas P. Schuman, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preferential fluid flow remains a major challenge in subsurface energy production and gas storage operations, resulting in excessive water production in mature oil fields, reduced heat extraction in geothermal reservoirs, and low sweep and storage efficiency in CO₂-EOR projects. Polymer gels are widely used to mitigate high-permeability channels; however, conventional systems exhibit limited plugging efficiency and short lifetimes in ultra-high-temperature reservoirs due to poor thermal stability. This study presents a novel ultra-high-temperature-resistant preformed particle gel (UHT-PPG) developed for conformance control in reservoirs with temperatures of 150–275 °C and severe super-K or channeling problems. The material was evaluated in …

A Four-Step Thermocatalytic Route For Converting Co2 Into High-Purity Oxalic Acid, Hao Feng, Muhammad Kashif Khan, Lei Li, Hongyan Ma, Xinhua Liang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research outlines a four-step methodology for transforming CO₂ into high-purity oxalic acid. CO2 was first sequestered as KHCO₃ through its reaction with aqueous KOH, followed by hydrogenation using a supported AgPd/CNT catalyst in a batch reactor at an initial H₂ pressure of 60 bar and a temperature of 150°C. The formate yield reached 91.8% at optimum conditions. Potassium formate in the solid state was thermally coupled in the presence of KOH at 400°C under N2 flow, yielding potassium oxalate of up to 76% yield. The final step was the selective precipitation of potassium oxalate with ferrous …

Evaluation Of Chromium-Crosslinked Amps-Hpam Copolymer Gels: Effects Of Key Parameters On Gelation Time And Strength, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, Yin Zhang, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Controlling CO₂ channeling in heterogeneous reservoirs remains a major challenge for both enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and secure geological storage. AMPS-HPAM copolymers exhibit high-temperature resistance and brine tolerance compared with conventional HPAM gels, making them well suited for the harsh environments associated with CO₂ injection. Chromium-based crosslinkers (CrAc and CrCl₃) were investigated because sulfonic acid groups in AMPS can coordinate with trivalent chromium ions, enabling dual ionic crosslinking and the formation of a robust gel network. While organic crosslinked AMPS-HPAM gels have been widely studied, the behavior of chromium-crosslinked AMPS-containing systems, particularly their gelation kinetics under …

Solubility And Dissolution Mechanism Of Novel Multi-Ester Headgroup Surfactants In Supercritical Co2, Ning Xu, Yan Ling Wang, Baojun Bai, Shi Zhang Cui, Yu Zhang, Wen Jing Shi, Zhao Nian Zhang, Wen Hui Ding, Pei Xu Ma, Zan Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To address the limited solubility and applicability of conventional hydrocarbon surfactants in supercritical CO₂, a series of multi-ester headgroup surfactants were designed and synthesized by leveraging the CO₂-philic properties of ester groups. The molecular structures were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ¹H NMR. A custom-designed laser-based apparatus was developed to quantify surfactant solubility and systematically investigate phase behavior in CO2. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to elucidate structure–solubility relationships across multiple scales, including solubility parameters, interaction energies, radial distribution functions (RDFs), and free volume fractions. Results indicate that, at 323.15 K, …

Age-Related Hearing Loss Involves Mitochondrial Dna Instability And Copy Number Depletion In The Cochlea: Insights From In Vivo And In Vitro Models, Akil Turner, Bo Ding, Xiaoxia Zhu, Tam Nguyen, Parveen Bazard, Robert D. Frisina

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a highly prevalent sensory neurodegenerative disorder that involves various molecular mechanisms. The present study investigated if age-related oxidative stress (OS) induces alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and heteroplasmy, using complementary in vivo and in vitro models. Aged (30-month) CBA/CaJ mice have elevated auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds amplitudes vs. young (3-month) CBA/CaJ mice, a key physiological characteristic of ARHL The in vitro experiments employed the strial SV-K1 cochlear cell line treated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Both the aged cochleae and H₂O₂-treated cells exhibited a significant …

Analysis Of Sessile Drop And Captive Bubble Contact Angle Measurements On Metallic And Hydrophobic Surfaces, Jack H. Darnell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Contact angle measurements are widely used to characterize surface wettability and determine changes in surface energy, yet the choice of measurement technique can significantly influence the results. This study compares the sessile drop and captive bubble methods for measuring contact angles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions on carbon steel, stainless steel, and a hydrophobic wafer. Additionally, the time‑dependent wetting behavior of water, SDS, polysorbate 20 (commercial name Tween 20), and rhamnolipids on a hydrophobic wafer was evaluated over a five‑minute period. Results show that the sessile drop method consistently produced higher contact angles than the captive bubble method on …

C. Difficile Detection Method For First Responder Glove Application, Alli N. Senedak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Clostridioides Difficile (C. diff) is a Anaerobic Gram-positive bacillus that is capable of spore formation, making it difficult to control its spread and duration in clinical environments. This phenomenon can provide danger to first responders, healthcare workers, and patients. The goal of this project is to create a biosensor capable of detecting C. diff in a clinical setting that can be applied to a glove apparatus. The project will involve the use of C. diff aptamers activated on the surface of an electrode. Once surface activation has been verified via surface analysis, the electrodes will be exposed to C. diff …

De Novo Protein Binding To Zinc Oxide Through Biomineralization Pathways, Jean-Mark A. Francis

Theses and Dissertations

De novo proteins are structurally distinct from proteins found in nature and thus capable of having their amino acid sequence modified to accomplish tasks such as increasing protein-nanoparticle binding without unfolding or decomposing. Zinc Oxide nanoparticles are functionally distinct from their bulk counterparts and are widely used as semiconductors in a variety of fields such as medicine and agriculture. With demand for these nanoparticles increasing, environmentally sustainable methods of Zinc Oxide nanoparticle synthesis are being investigated as an eco-friendly alternative to currently utilized but environmentally hazardous chemical and physical techniques. This research investigates the binding characteristics between Zinc Oxide nanoparticles …

Purifying Circular Rna Therapeutics, Karen Guillen-Cuevas

All Dissertations

Circular RNA (circRNA) has emerged as a promising therapeutic modality due to its enhanced stability and resistance to exonuclease degradation compared with linear mRNA. However, its stability and functionality depend strongly on achieving high purity, and current methods such as size-exclusion chromatography suffer from peak overlap, low yields, and poor scalability. This dissertation addresses these limitations by developing ultrafiltration-based strategies to purify circRNA directly from in vitro transcription (IVT) and self-splicing (circularization) reactions. First, the feasibility of ultrafiltration was demonstrated using polyethersulfone membranes, where sieving coefficients and critical flux values of circRNA, precursor RNA, and nicked RNA were measured to …

Calibration And Validation Of Cyclic Stretching Platform For Stiffness Testing Of Engineered Heart Tissue, Jillian Welsh

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiac fibrosis (CF) is a major contributor to the high mortality rate of heart failure which affects over 23 million people worldwide. CF involves cardiac fibroblasts depositing extracellular matrix, made primarily of collagen type I, which stiffens the heart walls over time. As testing new drugs for CF is deterred by the high cost and time required for animal and clinical trials, this research helps to solve the problem by providing an in vitro platform to study fibrosis.

The work involved creating tissues containing human cardiac fibroblast (HCFB) cells. Spring testing was conducted to determine the force applied by the …

Bone Void Filler Materials For Augmentation In Comminuted Fractures: A Comprehensive Review, S. Sina Mohammadi, Sunjeev S. Phull, B. Sonny Bal, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Comminuted fractures, characterized by multiple bone fragments, present significant challenges in orthopedic surgery. Effective treatment often requires augmentation techniques to enhance fixation stability and promote bone regeneration. This review explores the application of bone void filler materials, including autografts, allografts, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and synthetic bone substitutes such as calcium phosphate ceramics and bioactive glass, in managing comminuted fractures. Autografts are the gold standard due to their superior osteogenic potential but are limited by donor site morbidity and availability. Allografts mitigate these issues but face concerns regarding immunogenicity and reduced biological activity. PMMA, widely used for structural augmentation, provides immediate …