Engineering Commons^™

Mass-Transfer Driven Spinodal Decomposition In A Ternary Polymer Solution, Douglas R. Tree, Lucas F. Dos Santos, Caden B. Wilson, Timothy R. Scott, Jan Ulric Garcia, Glenn H. Fredrickson

Faculty Publications

Nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) is a widely occuring process used in industrial membrane production, nanotechnology and Nature to produce microstructured polymer materials. A variety of process-dependent morphologies are produced when a polymer solution is exposed to a nonsolvent that, following a period where mass is exchanged, precipitates and solidifies the polymer. Despite years of investigation, both experimental and theoretical, many questions surround the pathways to the microstructures that NIPS can produce. Here, we provide simulation results from a model that simultaneously captures both the processess of solvent/nonsolvent exchange and phase separation. We show that the time it takes the …

Stabilized Interleukin-4-Loaded Poly(Lactic- Co-Glycolic) Acid Films Shift Proinflammatory Macrophages Toward A Regenerative Phenotype In Vitro, Alexis M. Ziemba, Anthony R. D'Amato, Taylor M. Macewen, Devan L. Puhl, Abigail N. Koppes, Ryan A. Koppes, Michelle R. Lennartz, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Macrophages are immune cells involved in wound healing and tissue regeneration; however, the sustained presence of proinflammatory macrophages in wound sites impairs healing. In this study, we shifted peritoneal macrophage polarization away from a proinflammatory (M1) phenotype through exposure to stabilized interleukin-4 (IL-4) in poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) films in combination with topographical guidance from electro spun poly-l-lactic acid fibers. To our knowledge, this was the first study to stabilize IL-4 with bovine serum albumin (BSA) within a biomaterial. When IL-4 was coloaded with BSA for stabilization, we saw increased IL-4 bioactivity compared to no added stabilization, trehalose stabilization, or murine …

Hydrothermal Synthesis Of Graphene Supported Pd/Fe3o4 Nanoparticles As Efficient Magnetic Catalysts For Suzuki Cross – Coupling, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

This research reports a reproducible, reliable, and efficient method for preparing palladium nanoparticles dispersed on a composite of Fe3O4 and graphene as an active catalyst with high efficiency for being used in Suzuki cross – coupling reactions. Graphene supported Pd/Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Pd/Fe3O4/G) exhibit a remarkable catalytic performance towards Suzuki coupling reactions. Moreover, the prepared catalyst recyclability was up to nine times without losing its high catalytic activity. The catalyst was prepared using hydrothermal synthesis; the prepared catalyst is magnetic in order to facilitate catalyst separation out of the reaction medium after reaction completion simply through using a strong magnet. This …

Reactions At Noble Metal Contacts With Methylammonium Lead Triiodide Perovskites: Role Of Underpotential Deposition And Electrochemistry, Ross A. Kerner, Philip Schulz, Jeffrey A. Christians, Sean P. Dunfield, Benjia Dou, Lianfeng Zhao, Glenn Teeter, Joseph J. Berry, Barry P. Rand

Faculty Publications

Chemical reactivity of halide perovskites coupled with a low energy of formation makes it a challenge to characterize material properties and achieve long-term device stability. In this study, we elucidate electrochemical reactions occurring at the methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI₃)/Au interface. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy is used to identify a type of reduction/oxidation reaction termed underpotential deposition (UPD) involving lead, iodine, and hydrogen occurring at interfaces with noble metals. Changes in surface compositions and oxidation states suggest that UPD derived adsorbates at MAPbI₃/Au interfaces lower the energy barrier for release of volatile HI and/or I₂catalyzing degradation …

Surface-Controlled Dissolution Rates: A Case Study Of Nanoceria In Carboxylic Acid Solutions, Eric A. Grulke, Matthew J. Beck, Robert A. Yokel, Jason M. Unrine, Uschi M. Graham, Matthew L. Hancock

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Nanoparticle dissolution in local milieu can affect their ecotoxicity and therapeutic applications. For example, carboxylic acid release from plant roots can solubilize nanoceria in the rhizosphere, affecting cerium uptake in plants. Nanoparticle dispersions were dialyzed against ten carboxylic acid solutions for up to 30 weeks; the membrane passed cerium-ligand complexes but not nanoceria. Dispersion and solution samples were analyzed for cerium by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Particle size and shape distributions were measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nanoceria dissolved in all carboxylic acid solutions, leading to cascades of progressively smaller nanoparticles and producing soluble products. The dissolution …

Biodegradable Polymeric Film For Food Packaging, Neelam Yadav, Raminder Kaur

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Food packaging films that show post-consumer biodegradability are rarely explored by researchers. The present study was carried out to investigate the physicomechanical characteristics of ethyl cellulose (EC) based films to be used in food packaging. Ethyl cellulose was plasticized with different percentage of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The samples of standard dimensions were subjected to different testing such as soluble matter content, moisture content, oil permeability, surface morphology, mechanical testing etc. The data obtained was analysed to decide the moderate percentage of plasticizer that can be used to provide a rational explanation of a perfect quality specimen. It has been revealed …

Green Synthesis Nanocomposite Membranes, Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Vasile Smuleac, Rajender S. Varma, Subhas K. Sikdar

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

A nanocomposite membrane includes a macroporous polymer membrane having a plurality of pores. A plurality of metal nanoparticles are synthesized and immobilized within those plurality of pores. The nanoparticles are reduced and capped with a green reducing and capping agent such as green tea extract.

Hazard And Operability Analysis Of An Ethylene Oxide Production Plant, Samantha Ciricillo

Senior Theses

The purpose of this work was to evaluate potential hazards and failures as part of the design and economic analysis for a chemical plant that would produce 150,000 tons of ethylene oxide per year. The Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) method of analysis was used to accomplish this goal. This method of hazard analysis involves brainstorming potential errors in a system by examining each element of each process unit in full detail. This project was focused on the reactor unit because the reactor has several important parameters that could fail, resulting in safety issues within the system. Input for this analysis …

Horizontal Flow Loop Design For The Study Of Drill String Rotation Effects On Cuttings Transport, David C. Rathgeber

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Exploration and Production companies are continually focusing more time, energy and resources into Extended Reach Drilling in order to maximize reservoir production while minimizing both environmental impact and development costs. These long laterals (2:1 Measured Depth: True Vertical Depth) are often more difficult to drill and can be severely impacted by inadequate drilling practices. Cuttings transport efficiency is a critical parameter of Extended Reach Drilling operations, and poor wellbore cleaning can lead to excessive torque, drag, and several other serious downhole problems.

Although many studies have been performed that identify the importance of drill string rotation on cuttings movement, there …

Microfluidic Generation Of Orthogonal Chemical Gradients To Study Cellular Decision Making During 3d Migration, Joshua M. Campbell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Hierarchal Control Of Magnetic Metal Oxide Nanoparticles, Hunter Simonson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Generation Of Silver Nanoparticle Pharmacokinetic Profiles In A Lung Model, Rachel Galaska

Honors Theses

Nanomaterial technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in consumer and industrial applications, including drug delivery, energy harvesting, environmental applications, and medicine due to their unique physiochemical properties. As nanomaterial use increases, so too does human exposure. This has made it progressively more important to understand the toxicological effects of nanomaterials and their interactions with the human body. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most commonly used nanomaterials due to their antibacterial properties. As inhalation is one of the most common exposure routes, understanding the toxicity of these AgNPs on lung tissue was studied. Using A549 cells for a lung tissue …

Effect Of Activated Carbon On The Performance Of A Solar Thermal Adsorptive Refrigerator (Star) Using Activated Carbon-Ethanol, Joshua Romo

Honors Theses

The Solar Thermal Adsorptive Refrigerator (STAR) project at the University of Dayton seeks to bridge sustainability and the need for reliable refrigeration in developing communities. Cost-effective construction, operation, and maintenance as well as the use of a sustainable adsorption pair, activated carbon-ethanol, give STAR great potential in the realm of humanitarian engineering. This project explores the effect of using two activated carbon brands, 8x16 and CocoPlus, on the cyclic performance of the STAR system. Although both brands have similar specifications given by the manufacturer, one (8x16) inhibited successful performance while the other (CocoPlus) enabled it. This project highlights both the …

Wavelet Transform On Digital Rainbow Hologram Based On Spectral Compression For Quality Enhancement In 3d Display Media, Ucuk Darusalam, Panca Dewi Pamungkasari

Makara Journal of Technology

A digital rainbow hologram (DRH) is a potential next-generation three-dimensional display media for the development of modern and smart electronics devices. It is one of the methods that can support the characteristic whereby a realistic display media occupies the space that the real object would have occupied. Since a rainbow hologram records a large amount of spatial or temporal frequency component from the object that represents the rainbow spectrum, a large amount of information needs to be decoded digitally. In this paper, to reconstruct a DRH, we propose a novel method based on the modulation of red, green, and blue …

Transformation Of Char Carbon During Bubbling Fluidized Bed Gasification Of Biomass, Kevin Timmer, Robert C. Brown

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This study focuses on the fate of carbon in the char generated by devolatilization of biomass during fluidized bed gasification. A carbon balance model was developed to distinguish between char transformed to carbon-bearing gases and its comminution and elutriation as fine char during gasification. The model accurately predicts the transient accumulation of char carbon in the reactor. Experiments revealed steady state reactor char carbon loadings were achieved after multiple hours of gasification. The model formed the basis of an experimental methodology that assesses the transformation of char carbon based on collection of elutriated solids from the reactor and assessment of …

Experimental Investigation Of The Manufacture Of Tunable Graphene Oxide Filter Membranes Using Intense Pulse Light, Joshua H Kotter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reduced graphene oxide is a thin, strong, and inexpensive material with a channel and pore structure that make it a promising candidate for a filtration material. Reduced graphene oxide has been produced and tested in the laboratory, but a lack of scalable manufacturing techniques have limited its commercial use.

This thesis has shown that graphene oxide can be rapidly manufactured with an industrially scalable flash reduction process. The flash reduction process uses 0.58 millisecond pulses from a xenon lamp to reduce the graphene oxide film in less than a minute. Results for partially reduced graphene oxide membranes tuned by the …

Development Of Biodegradable -Polylactic Acid - Date Palm Waste Composite As Thermal Insulation Material, Mohamed Saeed Barkhad

Theses

This study aims to develop a green polymer composite from local natural waste, such as date pit powder (DPP) and date palm wood powder (DPWP), as an insulating material. The recycling and reuse of natural waste as filler for green insulation materials has many significant benefits for the environment of the UAE.

Date palm waste was mixed with a polylactic acid (PLA) polymer with various proportions in a melt extruder. The mixtures produced were then shaped differently after testing in a thermal compression machine. These composites were tested to evaluate their physical (water absorption, chemical resistance, and bulk density), thermal …

Intelligent Machine Learning: Tailor-Making Macromolecules, Yousef Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza Saeb, Alexander Penlidis, Esmaiel Jabbari, Florian J. Stadler, Philippe Zinck, Krzysztof Matyjaszewski

Faculty Publications

Nowadays, polymer reaction engineers seek robust and effective tools to synthesize complex macromolecules with well-defined and desirable microstructural and architectural characteristics. Over the past few decades, several promising approaches, such as controlled living (co)polymerization systems and chain-shuttling reactions have been proposed and widely applied to synthesize rather complex macromolecules with controlled monomer sequences. Despite the unique potential of the newly developed techniques, tailor-making the microstructure of macromolecules by suggesting the most appropriate polymerization recipe still remains a very challenging task. In the current work, two versatile and powerful tools capable of effectively addressing the aforementioned questions have been proposed and …

Molecularly Conductive Behavior Of Blended Polymer Electrolyte-Based Cmc/Pva, Noor Saadiah Mohd Ali, Dishen Zhang, Yuki Nagao, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin

Makara Journal of Technology

This study investigated the electrical conduction and structural behavior of blended polymer electrolyte (BPE)-based carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the development of solid-state electrochemical devices. Based on impedance spectroscopy and correlating Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) with thermogravimetric analysis, a framework was proposed to explain the structural enhancement of the BPE system. As revealed by FTIR, the optimum conductivity of CMC/PVA BPEs was 9.21 × 10−6 Scm−1 for 80:20 composition attributed to the intermolecular attraction between the polymers. Thermal stability of the CMC/PVA was influenced by the formation of a hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl (-OH), carboxylate (-COO-), …

Multistage Sonication Effect On The Composition And Properties Of Degraded Chitosan Product, Nurul Laili Arifin, Emma Savitri, Anjar Indah, Fesa Putra, Sumarno Sumarno

Makara Journal of Technology

The sonication method randomly breaks polymer chains to produce a varied distribution of products. A scheme with multi-stage sonication steps is proposed to identify oligomers and low molecular weight chitosan based on changes to the degrad-ed product. For each sonication level, 1% (w/v) chitosan in 1% (v/v) aqueous acetic acid was sonicated for 120 min at 60 °C. The products of the sonication treatment were deprotonized by adding an alkali solution, freeze dried and insoluble product re-sonicated until a low molecular weight was produced. Low molecular weight chitosan/insoluble products were character-ized with Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) …

Data Fusion Method Based On Adaptive Kalman Filtering, Bernadus Herdi Sirenden

Makara Journal of Technology

This paper discusses data fusion methods to combine the data from a rotary encoder and ultrasonic sensor. Both sensors are used in a micro-flow calibration system developed by the Research Center of Metrology LIPI. The methods studied are hierarchical data fusion and Kalman filtering. Three types of Kalman filters (KFs) are compared: the conventional Kalman filter and two adaptive Kalman filters. Moreover, a method to combine the uncertainty results from KF in hierarchical data fusion is proposed. The aim of this study is to find appropriate methods of data fusion that can be implemented in micro-flow calibration systems. Data from …

Study Of Zno Nanospheres Fabricated Via Thermal Evaporation For Solar Cell Application, Fatin Farisha Alia Azmi, Bouchta Sahraoui, Saifful Kamaluddin Muzakir

Makara Journal of Technology

A solar cell is a device that absorbs light energy to generate electrical energy. A typical example of a solar cell is the quantum dot solar cell (QDSC), which consists of three main components: (i) fluorophore: the component that absorbs light and generates excited state electrons and holes, (ii) photoelectrode: the component that transports the excited state electron and prevents recombination of excited state electrons and holes, and (iii) electrolyte: the component that re-plenishes the vacancy left by the excited electron in the hole. Despite the increasing number of research in the QDSC field, to date, a device with significant …

Sorption-Based Energy Storage Systems: A Review, Kyaw Thu, Nasruddin Nasruddin, Sourav Mitra, Bidyut Baran Saha

Makara Journal of Technology

Mismatched timing between the supply and demand of energy calls for reliable storage systems. Energy storage systems have become further significant with the widespread implementation of renewable energy. These systems can mitigate problems that are often associated with renewable energy sources such as supply unreliability while meeting the de-mand during peak hours. Energy can be stored in various forms, yet storage systems can be generally grouped based on their output forms, namely (i) electricity and (ii) heat or thermal energy. Electrical energy is the most convenient and effective form since it can power almost all modern devices. However, the electricity …

Electrical Properties Of A Novel Solid Biopolymer Electrolyte Based On Algi-Nate Incorporated With Citric Acid, Ahmad Faizrin Ahmad Fuzlin, Noor Syahida Ismail, Yuki Nagao, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin

Makara Journal of Technology

In the present study, a novel solid biopolymer electrolyte (SBE) system is introduced by doping citric acid into alginate polymer. A sample of the alginate-citric acid SBE system was prepared via a solution casting technique. Using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the electrolytes of alginate-citric acid analyzed from 5 Hz to 1 MHz achieved the highest conductivity at 20 wt.% of 5.49 × 10-7 S cm-1. The temperature dependence of various citric acid amounts obeyed the Arrhenius rule with R2~1, where all SBE systems were thermally activated with increasing temperature. The dielectric studies of the alginate-citric acid SBE system showed non-Debye …

Design And Optimization Of A Microfluidic Device To Study The Effects Of Fluid Shear Stress On Extravasation, Joseph B. Balhoff

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Nanoparticle Burst Timing Optimization, Simon Grigoryan

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Electrode Development And Electrocatalysts Design For Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells, Xiong Peng

Theses and Dissertations

Because of environmental issues and national conflicts caused by overuse of fossil fuels, there is a need to seek renewable ways to utilize energy. In the transportation sector, hydrogen-based polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, including proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), have been considered as a promising alternative to conventional combustion engines. However, the widespread commercialization of both PEMFCs and AEMFCs has been hindered by several factors, including cost and performance. In this thesis, a series of topics including electrode fabrication, electrocatalyst development for both PEMFCs and AEMFCs, as well as the water …

The Use Of Multi-Targeting Natural Products For The Treatment Of Cancer, Wesley Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The paradigm shift in cancer treatments from traditional chemotherapeutics to targeted therapies has rapidly improved prognoses for patients for whom cancer was once a death sentence. This is especially true in the case of targeted immune therapies which activate the body’s own natural defense system to fight cancer. Despite these advances, however, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. The promise of targeted therapeutics has faced significant hurdles in providing effective cancer treatments, namely the limited percentage of susceptible cancers for each treatment, high cost burden, high toxicities, and significant risk of treatment induced resistance. …

Process Design: Maleic Anhydride Unit, Valerie Kay, Jacqueline Phillips, Olivia Smithson

Senior Theses

Gamecock Chemical Company has proposed the construction of a maleic anhydride plant at its Houston refinery. The plant is to produce 40,000 metric tons per year of maleic anhydride from a mixture of excess butanes. This design team has been asked to produce a conceptual design, simulation, and profitability analysis for the proposed plant. The simulation software Aspen Plus by AspenTech was the primary software used to design the plant, and the CAPCOST program in Microsoft suite’s Excel was utilized for the economic review of the process.

Maleic anhydride is produced by the thermal oxidation of n-butane at an elevated …

Heterogeneous Catalysis For The Upgrading Of Biomass Derived Chemicals Via Hydrodeoxygenation, Elizabeth Barrow

Theses and Dissertations

An important step in the upgrading of biomass derived chemicals is the removal of excess oxygen. The works reported here are focused on studying the heterogeneous catalysts that can be utilized for that upgrading through hydrodeoxygenation. This work begins with a discussion of the alkylation of short chain platform chemicals for chain growth and also demonstrates the proof of concept of combining alkylation and hydrodeoxygenation in a single step. Then, because of the promising nature of ReOx- Pd/CeO2 for selective hydrodeoxygenation, a detailed study of ReOx/CeO2 is presented. Finally, a new surface structure interpretation is presented for P/Ni(111) which could …