Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Single-Molecule Orientation And Localization Microscopy, Sophie Brasselet, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) offers enhanced spatial resolution in optical microscopy, providing detailed insights into the spatial organization of proteins in cells at the nanoscale. Over the past decade, SMLM has progressively incorporated the capability to retrieve the orientations of single molecules using their polarized dipolar emission pattern. Here we explore recent advancements in single-molecule orientation and localization microscopy (SMOLM), which yields super-resolved images of molecular three-dimensional (3D) orientations, wobble and 3D positions. This advancement opens possibilities to explore the nanoscale organization and conformation of biological molecules as well as to monitor and design local 3D optical fields in nanophotonics. …

Improved Triboelectric Nanogenerator By As-Prepared Lithium Niobate For Energy Harvesting And Sensing Applications, Jahid Inam Chowdhury, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Md Arafat Hossain, Nicholas Dimakis, Mohammed Jasim Uddin

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have garnered significant research interest due to their ability to harvest mechanical energy efficiently. In this study, we report a TENG composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as triboelectric layers. To enhance charge generation in the PDMS composite polymer, we incorporated lithium niobate (LiNbO3) nanoparticles, leveraging their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. The LiNbO3 nanoparticles were synthesized using a solid-state reaction method, resulting in two distinct phases: triclinic LiNbO3 and monoclinic LiNb3O8. Various weight percentages of LiNbO3 and LiNb3O8 nanoparticles were added to the PDMS matrix to optimize power generation. The maximum open-circuit voltage (VOC) and …

A Biocompatible Nitinol Based Triboelectric Stent Sensor For Prospective Cardiovascular Health Monitoring, Ulises Vidaurri Romero, Sk Shamim Hasan Abir, Najlah Karam, Mariana Torres, Shahria Ahmed, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Bahareh Azimi, Serena Danti, Jianzhi Li, M. Jasim Uddin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been considered as an effective approach for self-powered systems. Currently, coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. This can be easily resolved by balloon angioplasty or a specialized mesh tube called a stent. This study demonstrates a stent sensor made of nitinol, a nickel—titanium alloy used in the medical field for its pseudo-elasticity and strong corrosion resistance, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which can measure several physiological parameters while placing it in the arteries. This nitinol health monitor sensor (NHMS) device thus integrates the TENG with a specific medical …

Design And Optimization Of Anode Catalysts For Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells: Advances And Challenges In C-C Bond Activation And Selective Modulation Of The C1 Pathway, Kai-Chi Qin, Meng-Tian Huo, Yu Liang, Si-Yuan Zhu, Zi-Hao Xing, Jin-Fa Chang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are a promising alternative to conventional energy sources, offering high energy density, environmental sustainability, and operational safety. Compared to methanol fuel cells, DEFCs exhibit lower toxicity and a more mature preparation process. Unlike hydrogen fuel cells, DEFCs provide superior storage and transport feasibility, as well as cost-effectiveness, significantly enhancing their commercial viability. However, the stable C–C bond in ethanol creates a high activation energy barrier, often resulting in incomplete electrooxidation. Current commercial platinum (Pt)- and palladium (Pd)-based catalysts demonstrate low C–C bond cleavage efficiency (

Effect Of Saccharin On Crystallization Behavior Of Electroless Cobalt Plating, Yu-Xin Luo, Jing-Jing Wang, Lu Wang, Zi-Yi Yan, Yi Ma, Xin Bo, Jing-Shuang Dang, Zeng-Lin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In the process of electroless cobalt plating, the saccharin additive can significantly change the surface morphology, texture orientation, and conductivity of the cobalt coating layer. When the amount of saccharin was 3 mg·L^–1, the cobalt coating transformed from disordered large grains to a honeycomb structure, with a preferred orientation of (002) facet on hexagonal close-packed (HCP) cobalt crystals. The resistivity of the cobalt film decreased to 14.4 μΩ·cm, and further decreased to 10.7 μΩ·cm after the annealing treatment. When the concentration of saccharin was increased, the grain size was gradually refined and a “stone forest” structure was observed, …

Methane Partial Oxidation With Ni-Mg-Al Hydrotalcites: Impact Of Magnesium On Catalyst Performance, Dalia A. Ali Dr.

Chemical Engineering

The partial oxidation of methane (POM) is a promising route for hydrogen-rich syngas production with lower energy requirements compared to steam reforming. Herein, Ni-incorporated Mg-Al hydrotalcite- derived mixed oxide catalysts (5Ni-HT-x, x = 60, 65, 70, 75 wt.% Mg) were synthesized via co-precipitation and evaluated for CH₄ conversion and H₂ yield. Characterization techniques, including X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), BET, H₂-TPR, TEM, FTIR, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy, were employed to investigate catalyst structure, active site stability, and carbon deposition. As a constituent of hydrotalcite-derived mixed oxides (HT), Ni2+ is strongly bound within the hydrotalcite- derived mixed oxides structure, …

Superhydrophilic Porous Coooh Nano-Architecture With Abundant Oxygen Vacancies For Enhanced Urea Electrooxidation At Ampere-Level Current Densities, Wen-Jing Lv, Xiao-Man Tang, Xue-Tong Wang, Wen-Cai Liu, Jian-Wen Zhu, Guo-Jing Wang, Yuan-Zhi Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The conversion of urea-containing wastewater into clean hydrogen energy has gained increasing attention. However, challenges remain, particularly with sluggish catalytic kinetics and limited long-term stability of urea oxidation reaction (UOR). Herein, we report the loosely porous CoOOH nano-architecture (CoOOH LPNAs) with hydrophilic surface and abundant oxygen vacancies (O_v) on carbon fiber paper (CFP) by electrochemical reconstruction of the CoP nanoneedles precursor. The resulting three-dimensional electrode exhibited an impressively low potential of 1.38 V at 1000 mA·cm⁻² and excellent durability for UOR. Furthermore, when tested in an anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer, it required only 1.53 V at …

Structure Regulation Engineering For Biomass-Derived Carbon Anodes Enabling High-Rate Dual-Ion Batteries, Rui Zhou, Rui Liu, Yun-Nuo Li, Si-Jie Jiang, Tian-Tian Jing, Yan-Song Xu, Fei-Fei Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) usually use carbon-based materials as electrodes, showing advantages in high operating voltage, potential low cost, and environmental friendliness. Different from conventional “rocking chair” type secondary batteries, DIBs perform a unique working mechanism, which employ both cation and anion taking part in capacity contribution at an anode and a cathode, respectively, during electrochemical reactions. Graphite has been identified as a suitable cathode material for anion intercalation at high voltages (> 4.8 V) with fast reaction kinetics. However, the development of DIBs is being hindered by dynamic mismatch between a cathode and an anode due to sluggish Li^{+ …}

Upcycling Waste To Wealth: Cuo-Sio₂/Reduced Graphene Nanocomposite From Pomegranate Peels For One-Pot Low-Temperature Conversion Of Waste Oils Into Valuable Fatty Acid Monomers, Attia Attia, Shahenda Mahran Dr., Maria Centeno Prof., Basudeb Saha

Petroleum Engineering and Gas

and hence reduce the price of the fatty acid monomers. This study reports for the first time a novel, environmentally benign, highly active copper oxide-silica oxide/reduced graphene oxide (CuO-SiO2/RGO), heterogeneous nano-catalyst derived from waste pomegranate peels, for the one-pot, low-temperature synthesis of fatty acid monomers from high-acid-value waste vegetable oil (WVO). The synthesised nano-catalyst was extensively characterised using XRD, FT-IR, TEM, SEM, EDX and TGA-DTA. Further, it was utilised to synthesise fatty acidrich oleic phenoxypropyl acrylate (OPA) monomer from high acid value WVO via a single-step reaction.

Boosted Electrochemical Oxidation Of Methanol At Feox/Pd/Au Ternary Nanocatalyst, Ghada El-Nowihy

Chemical Engineering

In this paper, a highly effective catalyst for methanol electrochemical oxidation (MEO) was developed by the sequential deposition of spherical gold nanoparticles (nano-Au) on a glassy carbon (GC) rod’s surface followed by palladium nanoparticles (nano-Pd), then, iron oxide nanoparticles (nano-FeOx) to form FeOx/Pd/Au/GC catalyst. The sequence of catalyst’s layers proved crucial in optimizing its performance towards MEO. Notably, FeOx/Pd/Au/GC electrode produced a remarkable enhancements in the catalytic activity (by 7 times) and stability (approximately 16 fold) when compared to those produced at Pd/GC rod. Additionally, the onset potential for MEO was significantly reduced by approximately 40 mV. Through material and …

Novel Nanomaterials For Developing Bone Scaffolds And Tissue Regeneration, Nazim Uddin Emon, Lu Zhang, Shelby Dawn Osborne, Mark Allen Lanoue, Yan Huang, Z. Ryan Tian

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nanotechnologies bring a rapid paradigm shift in hard and soft bone tissue regeneration (BTR) through unprecedented control over the nanoscale structures and chemistry of biocompatible materials to regenerate the intricate architecture and functional adaptability of bone. This review focuses on the transformative analyses and prospects of current and next-generation nanomaterials in designing bioactive bone scaffolds, emphasizing hierarchical architecture, mechanical resilience, and regenerative precision. Mainly, this review elucidated the innovative findings, new capabilities, unmet challenges, and possible future opportunities associated with biocompatible inorganic ceramics (e.g., phosphates, metallic oxides) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved synthetic polymers, including …

Cellular And Noncellular Influences On Lipid Nanoparticle Tropism In The Liver, Mario Yomir Mata Corral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently ranked as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, causing more than 700,000 deaths a year. The liver is important in blood filtration and metabolism, and for this reason is a prime target for drug delivery, with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) showing promise as carriers due to their natural hepatic tropism. However, LNP efficacy is decreased in HCC due to the limited understanding of liver physiology in cancerous environments. This project proposes to address this gap by using a tissue-clearing technique known as CLARITY along with a chemically tagged LNP for comprehensive visualization of LNPs …

Synergistic Enhancement Of Tribological Behavior And Colloidal Stability In Cuo Nanolubricants Via Ligand Tuning, Sherif Elsoudy, Sayed Akl Akl Dr, Sayed Akl A. Akl Dr, Esm Lane, Abas Hadawey, Philip D. Howes

Mechanical Engineering

Nanoparticle-based lubricants, or nanolubricants, can exhibit superior tribological properties compared to unmodified base oils. However, these performance gains are highly dependent on the nanoparticle surface chemistry, particularly in maintaining stable colloidal dispersions. This study explores the influence of oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OAm) functionalization on the tribological and colloidal properties of CuO nanoparticles dispersed in an SAE 20W50 base oil. We present a hybrid optimization framework combining Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Bayesian Optimization (BO) to identify the optimal OA to OAm ratio (OA–OAm) for CuO nanolubricants. Unlike prior studies that employed either RSM alone or trial-and-error approaches, this …

Polymer-Enhanced Nanopore Sensing, Eugene Gyasi Agyemang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The resistive pulse technique characterizes single analytes by detecting fluctuations in the ion current as they pass through a narrow orifice connecting two electrolyte-filled chambers, each containing a single electrode. The amplitude, shape, frequency, and duration of these fluctuations primarily provide information about the analyte’s size, shape, concentration, and net surface charge, respectively. One configuration for resistive pulse measurements is of an electrolyte-filled nanopipette immersed in a bath, where the nanopipette tip acts as the nanoscale orifice. It was previously shown that incorporating the large quantities polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG 8K, 50% w/v) into the external electrolyte bath dramatically enhanced …

Advanced Analytical Biosensing For Cancer Detection And Neural Diagnostics Using Tapered Optical Fiber (Tof), Protonic, And High Throughput Microplate –Based Technologie, Bayan Hassan Alharbi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the development and application of advanced biosensing technologies to enhance early disease detection, neurological diagnostics, and bioactive compound evaluation. The research spans four key areas. First, it introduces tapered optical fiber (TOF)-based plasmonic biosensors for the non-invasive detection of prostate cancer, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional diagnostic methods.

Second, it explores the use of fluorescent biosensors to test the Transmembrane Electrostatically Localized Proton (TELP) theory, shedding light on the role of localized protons in neuronal signaling and energy transfer. Third, the work presents a high-throughput, microplate-based biosensing platform for analyzing mitochondrial function under nanosecond …

Mxenes At The Forefront: Advances In Energy Storage And Nanofluidic Applications, Zafar Said, Maham Aslam Sohail, Hassina Tabassum, Imran Haider Sajid, Hafiz Muhammad Ali, Furqan Jamil, Yogendra Kumar Mishra, A. K. Pandey

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This review summarizes recent studies on MXenes and their composites regarding energy storage and nanofluidic devices. MXenes are a new family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides that have gained much attention in recent times due to their excellent physicochemical properties, such as its exceptionally high electrical conductivity, even more than that of metals, thermal stability, hydrophilicity, high energy and power densities, tunable structures, and large surface area along with abundant electrocatalytically active sites. These features, along with larger interlayer gaps compared with graphene, point to the emergence of MXenes as energy storage alternatives. Synthesis, properties, and applications of …

Growth And Characterization Of Thin Film Gase On Si(111) And Sio2/Si(001) Substrates By Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Christopher John Hocevar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gallium selenide (GaSe) is a thin-film semiconducting material with promising optoelectronic properties, including a tunable bandgap, high photosensitivity, and atomic-layer scalability. These characteristics make it suitable for devices such as photodiodes, FETs, MOSFETs, Hall effect sensors, and p–n diodes. In this study, GaSe thin films were grown on SiO2 and Si(111)-7×7 substrates using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to compare growth behavior across different substrates. The films were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). RHEED confirmed the 7×7 reconstruction of the Si(111) surface and the amorphous nature …

Understanding The Metallic And Oxide Phases In Platinum-Based Bimetallic Heterogeneous Catalysts After High-Temperature Oxidation, Stephen John Porter Jr

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) are critical components in diesel emission control systems, enabling the conversion of harmful pollutants under demanding conditions. However, Pt’s effectiveness is hindered by sintering under high-temperature oxidizing environments. This dissertation investigates how Pt and Pd evolve under oxidizing conditions at 800°C, highlighting their distinct thermodynamic behaviors and interactions. Using TEM, EDS, EELS, XRF, XRD, and EXAFS, we show that Pd suppresses Pt sintering by reducing the volatility of PtO₂, leading to the formation of stable particles. Both Pt and Pd are present in metallic and oxide states, forming biphasic 'Janus' particles with conjoined metal and …

Numerical Simulation Of The Pitting Corrosion Behavior Of Stainless Steel Bellows Influenced By Varying Liquid Film Thicknesses, Lu-Jun Ren, Guo-Min Li, Zhen-Xiao Zhu, Hai-Yan Xiong, Bing Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

To advance the understanding of the corrosion behavior of stainless steel bellows in marine atmospheric environments and enhance the precision of service life predictions, this study employs finite element simulations to investigate the pitting corrosion rates and pit morphologies of bellows peaks and troughs under varying electrolyte film thicknesses. The model incorporates localized electrochemical reactions, oxygen concentration, and homogeneous solution reactions. For improved computational accuracy, the fitted polarization curve data were directly applied as nonlinear boundary conditions on the electrode surface via interpolation functions. Simulation results reveal that the peak regions exhibit faster corrosion rates than the trough regions. With …

Ionic Liquid Enhanced Proton Transfer For Neutral Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Ming-Xing Chen, Nian Liu, Zi-He Dua, Jing Qi, Rui Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The development of highly active catalyst in pH-neutral media for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical in the field of renewable energy storage and conversion. Nevertheless, the slow kinetics of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) hinders the overall OER efficiency. Herein, we report an ionic liquid (IL) modified CoSn(OH)₆ nanocubes (denoted as CoSn(OH)₆-IL), which could be prepared through a facile strategy. The modified IL would not change the structural characteristics of CoSn(OH)₆, but could effectively regulate the local proton activity near the active sites. The CoSn(OH)₆-IL exhibited higher intrinsic OER performances than the pristine …