Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Zips Precious Plastics: Plastic Extruder, Patrick Cole

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project's goal was to design and build an affordable desktop filament extruder that can precisely and consistently extrude filament to a certain tolerance acceptable for 3D printers using wasted printing material. The group is partnering with an on campus organization focusing on engineering applications for sustainable futures. Zips Precious Plastics is a student run design group that intends to bring an innovation space on campus to help educate students about the importance of a closed looped system within plastic manufacturing.

Advanced Electrodes And Electrolytes For Long-Lived And High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Deepesh Gopalakrishnan

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ADVANCED ELECTRODES AND ELECTROLYTES FOR LONG-LIVED AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE LITHIUM-SULFUR BATTERIES

by

DEEPESH GOPALAKRISHNAN

August 2020

Advisor: Dr. Leela Mohana Reddy Arava

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Lithium – Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have received much attention and considered as a promising candidate for next generation energy storage devices because of their high theoretical energy density (≈2600 Wh kg‒1) and environmental friendliness. However, the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites in the lithium metal anode and the fatal effect of polysulfide shuttle hinder their practical applications. The formation of dendrites during repeated Li plating/stripping processes results in: reduced Li availability …

Enabling 3d Printing Technologies For Artificial Compound Eye System And Penetrating Neural Probes, Boshen Zhang

Wayne State University Dissertations

3D printing has become a useful and transformative method and has applications in many different fields, including organ printing, aerospace applications, and medical devices. With higher resolution, faster production speed, and more design flexibility, 3D printing technologies can lead to more novel devices and systems. In this research, two new techniques have been developed to enable 3D printing technologies for artificial compound eye system and penetrating glassy carbon neural electrode array.

This work focuses on developing new applications based on the SLA 3D printing process, which uses the liquid resin to create a solid 3D structure. The limitation of SLA …

Development Of A Method For Quantification Of Toluene Diisocyanate And Methylenediphenyl Diisocyanate Migration From Polyurethane Foam Sample Surface To Artificial Sweat By Hplc-Uv-Ms, Aleksandra Donchenko, Simon Aubin, Sébastien Gagné, Mark Spence, Livain Breau, Jacques Lesage

Études primaires

The US Environmental protection agency (EPA) has published guidance that includes test procedures for evaluating indoor exposure to chemicals from products. One of the test procedures represents the migration test for evaluating potential dermal exposure from home furniture. Such an evaluation involves the chemical measurement of the sweat which is currently unavailable in the literature. The objective of this project was to develop and validate an analytical method for quantification of migration of 4,4′-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (2,6-TDI) and 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (2,4-TDI) from a polyurethane (PU) flexible foam to artificial sweat that meets the recommendations of the EPA test …

Review Of Established And Emergent Methods For The Production Of C4 Olefins, James Matthew Koval

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Current production of C₄ olefins is dominated by naphtha cracking and butane dehydrogenation, but significant research interest is developing in alternate feedstocks due to an abundance of inexpensive natural gas and bioethanol. The current C₄ olefin production methods are costly, make use of already-depleted petroleum resources, and are often hazardous to workers, which forms the impetus for investigation into alternative methods and assessment of their viability as a future means of olefin production. Methods of natural gas conversion to higher order hydrocarbons are discussed, including Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and oxidative methane coupling, each of which could form the first …

Using Batman Software To Analyze Metabolic Changes In Type 1 Diabetes-Susceptible Rats, Connor Hall

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Reactions At The Critical Point Of Solution, Jason Mote

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Directed Assembly Of Binary Magnetic Particles, Thomas Thelen

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Controlled Crystallization Of Pet Filaments In Additive Manufacturing, Ryan Kordahi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) appears in daily life in many forms, the most common being disposable soft drink bottling. To deal with the ever-growing quantitity of disposed PET (both in landfills and environment), a waste plan revolving around depolymerization should be implemented. Specifically, the potential of PET depolymerization through aminolysis into useful, low molecular weight monomers will be explored with the end goal of producing a 3D printing filament and analyzing economic feasibility.

Optimization Of E-Textiles For Lactic Acid Detection, Andrew Laboy, Mallory David

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The overall goal of the project is to develop an e-textile that will be able to determine different characteristics of an athlete's health through multiple sensors. The goal of these sensors is to monitor physiological parameters for health and fitness uses in real time. Building from the existing sodium concentration sensor, these new sensors will detect lactate levels within sweat to monitor instantaneous health which allows customization of workout and overall health regimen.

Evaluating Rubber Aging On Tire Durability: Quantitative Evaluation Of Rubber Aging, Brian Auffenberg

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Rubber is considered one of the most important polymers in the world due to its variety of uses. There are many different conditions that can affect the useful life of rubber. The purpose of this research was to determine how the mechanical loading on the rubber may affect the aging of the rubber. The scope of the project was to focus on the rubber used for tire production. The research was limited to focusing only on rubber supplied by industry mentors which was styrene-butadiene rubber. By varying the length of time for testing as well as the temperature of the …

A Foundational Approach To Extrusion And Compounding, David Frankart

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With a history of nearly 200 years, polymer processing and compounding is constantly changing to fit the material science needs of the era. Exposure of undergraduate students to the technology and practices used in industry today in a lab setting would create new opportunities for experiential learning and growth. The objective was to set up a 0.75”, 25 L/D Thermo Haake single screw extruder for lab use and run trials of material in a single screw extruder to set up a basis for experiments. Trials were run of co-polyester resin through a single screw extruder with carbon fiber additives varying …

Methods For Film Coating Electrospun Fibers, Kristopher Dejean

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Electrospinning uses high voltages to form polymer nanofiber membranes. These membranes have potential for use in filtration, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and catalysis. The nonwoven fiber mat is malleable but has a low tensile strength compared to a solid film of the same polymer. Joining the fibers with a thin film is desired to balance the strength and flexibility. Three methods of producing a film on fiber membrane were tested. The techniques are spraying then melting, spin coating, and dip coating. Electrospinning setup conditions, solvent ratios, damage to fibers, and spin coating speeds were determined. Research was abruptly stopped and …

Effects Of Crosslinking Conditions On Biofouling Of Polymer Substrates With A Hydrogel Layer, Laura Davila

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The introduction of a hydrogel coating to a surface has been looked at for different benefits. Certain hydrogels offer antifouling properties that are beneficial to different applications like medical components. Previous attempts (2) (3)have been done to introduce a hydrogel surface to plastic substrates. One of them is to use grafting brushes which works properly but it is not sufficient since the layer is too thin and therefore can be damaged. The second method have a bulkier coating without crosslinking. Opposite to grafting brushes this method has too thick of a layer. Additionally, there is no crosslink therefore the coating …

Optimization And Validation Of The Neurolux Wireless Optoelectronics System For Optogenetics, Karis Courey, Su Hyun Lee Ph.D., Adam Smith Ph.D., Nicholas Cilz Ph.D., Sarah K. Williams Avram Ph.D., Adi Cymerblit-Sabba Ph.D., June Song, Nicholas Leipzig Ph.D., W. Scott Young M.D., Ph.D.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Utilizing light and genetic engineering, optogenetics permits the manipulation of events within cells via light using the light-sensitive properties of single-component microbial opsins. Microbial opsins are activated by a light source, such as lasers, light-emitting diodes, and incandescent sources that deliver light to the region of interest either directly or indirectly, such as through fiberoptics. In classical in vivo optogenetics, the wiring of optic fibers necessitates tethering of animals by the optic fiber to the light source. The novel NeuroLux wireless optoelectronic system for optogenetics circumvents issues pertaining to classical optogenetics by utilizing near-field power transfer via magnetic coil antennae …

Methods For Film Coating Electrospun Fibers, Kristopher Dejean

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Electrospinning uses high voltages to form polymer nanofiber membranes. These membranes have potential for use in filtration, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and catalysis. The nonwoven fiber mat is malleable but has a low tensile strength compared to a solid film of the same polymer. Joining the fibers with a thin film is desired to balance the strength and flexibility. Three methods of producing a film on fiber membrane were tested. The techniques are spraying then melting, spin coating, and dip coating. Electrospinning setup conditions, solvent ratios, damage to fibers, and spin coating speeds were determined. Research was abruptly stopped and …

Role Of Flocculation And Dispersion In Pelletization Of Iron Ore, Victor J. Claremboux

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Traditional modeling of iron ore pellet strength utilizes micromechanical models such as Rumpf’s equation, which correlate attractive forces and pellet properties into an average expected pellet strength. These models combine with repulsive forces within pellets to predict that pellet strength decreases with the introduction of these forces. However, naïvely applying Rumpf’s equation readily leads to incorrect predictions about the resulting behavior. Pellets created with strong repulsive forces arising from dispersion conditions are observed to be significantly stronger overall than pellets formed in the absence of dispersants. A new model is required to understand and predict the effects of these additives …

Innovative Sustainable Wood Preservatives From Pulp And Paper Industry Byproduct, Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In the modern forest industry, the need for bio-based, renewable, and environmentally-benign wood preservatives is increasing. Preservatives are used to prevent or limit decay and there has been an increasing interest in developing wood preservatives from renewable materials. To support the need for bio-based, environmentally-friendly preservatives, this work employed kraft lignin as a raw material to produce a novel bio-based wood preservative.

For the first project, a statistical design of experiments approach in Minitab® was used to study how fractionation process variables during acid precipitation of lignin influence the lignin mass yield and characteristics. After precipitating lignin from black liquor, …

A Spin-Coated Tiox/Pt Nanolayered Anodic Catalyst For The Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Ahmad M. Mohammad Prof

Chemical Engineering

The CO poisoning of the platinum anodic catalyst which typically functions the catalytic deterioration of the direct formic acid fuel cells could be minimized with a simple modification for Pt with titanium oxide. The fabrication scheme involved the spin-coating of a Ti precursor onto a Pt thin layer that was physically sputtered onto a Si substrate. The whole assembly was subjected to a post-annealing processing to produce the TiOx layer (60 nm) in a porous structure (mostly Anatase) atop of the Pt surface. The porous nature of the TiOx layer permitted the participation of Pt in the electrocatalysis of the …

Development Of Novel Adsorbent For Industrial Waste Water Treatment, Hassaan M. Shehata, Dalia A. Ali, Islam M. Al-Akraa Dr, Hany A. Elazab, Hoda A. Elsawy Dr

Chemical Engineering

The main objective of this research project is to perform some experimental procedures to inform the ability of the novel adsorbent used in this project. The chemical modification of the adsorbent is the chemical oxidation of pure powder chitosan using some specific redox pairs which are potassium dichromate and sodium bisulphite. After preparing the modified chitosan, there are some parameters that must be discussed during the adsorption process. The first parameter is the time parameter, showing experimentally the optimum time for adsorption under certain conditions by collecting values of absorbance and concentration of thymol blue adsorbed after the process from …