Engineering Commons^™

Surface Enabled Lab-On-A-Chip (Loc) Device For Protein Detection And Separation, Zhichao Wang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sensitive and selective chemical/biological detection/analysis for proteins is essential for applications such as disease diagnosis, species phenotype identification, product quality control, and sample examination. Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device provides advantages of fast analysis, reduced amount of sample requirements, and low cost, to magnificently facilitate protein detection research. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) is a strong and reliable electrophoretic technique capable of discerning proteins from complex mixtures based on the isoelectric point (pI) differences. It has experienced plenty of fruitful developments during previous decades which has given it the capability of performing with highly robust and reproducible analysis. This progress has made IEF devices …

Engineering Advanced Adsorbent Materials For Co₂ Capture Applications, Harshul Thakkar

Doctoral Dissertations

"Global climate change due to the increasing CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere is primarily associated with anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. CO₂ capture technologies using adsorbents have not been implemented commercially due to lack of scalable, practical and cost-effective strategies and are still under development. Moreover, the use of conventional configurations such as pellets and beads for the removal of CO₂ from enclosed environments have been shown to impose limitations to the removal efficiency and system performance. In this dissertation, engineering of advanced and efficient structured adsorbents for practical and scalable CO₂ capture technologies and their use …

Engineering Icephobic Coatings: Surface Characterization Of Pt Cured Silicones, Sithara Shylaja Nair

Theses and Dissertations

Ice buildup on structures leads to problems that include reduced performance, structural damage and power outages. It is therefore important to limit the energy required for removal of ice from substrates to minimize buildup. Understanding the mechanism of ice adhesion and its dependence on variables like coating thickness, stiffness, surface free energy and morphology is critical for minimizing adhesion. Despite several developments in “icephobic” coatings, which are those that have low ice adhesion, it is important to understand adhesion on the fundamental level to make way for advanced coatings. To do so, a study has been carried out that explores …

Platinum Nanoparticles-Cobalt Oxide Nanostructures As Efficient Binary Catalyst For Ethylene Glycol Electro-Oxidation, Ghada El-Nowihy

Chemical Engineering

An enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGO) in alkaline medium is observed at a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with a nanoparticle-based binary catalyst composed of Pt (nano-Pt) and cobalt oxide (nano-CoOx). The electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrodes towards EGO depends on the loading level as well as the composition of the catalyst layer atop the GC electrode surface. Several techniques including cyclic voltammetry (CV), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) are used to address the catalytic activity of the proposed catalyst and to reveal their surface morphology and composition, respectively. …

Use Of Natural Ores As Oxygen Carriers In Chemical Looping Combustion: A Review, Michael J. Matzen, Jessica Pinkerton, Xiaomeng Wang, Yaşar Demirel

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) has gained considerable ground in energy production due to its inherent carbon capture with a minimal energy penalty. The choice of metal oxide used as an oxygen carrier (OC) in CLC has a substantial weight on the overall efficiency of energy production as well as the ultimate cost per MW. While much work has gone into manufacturing synthetic OCs with high fuel conversions, harsh operating conditions and process limitations cause some unavoidable loss of the oxygen carrier. With low production costs and minimal conditioning required, natural ores have grown in interest as cheap alternative oxygen carriers. …

Effects Of Fillers On The Properties Of Polypropylene For Fused Deposition Modeling-Based 3d Printing Technique, Chomphoonut Buaprommee

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this research was to study the influence of filler contents and filler types on the tensile properties and shrinkage behavior of polypropylene composites to develop the properties of polypropylene (PP) to be a raw material for fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique. PP was compounded with three fillers, i.e., talc and milled glass fiber with aspect ratio 5.4 and 15.4, at various contents of 10, 20 and 30 wt%. The test specimens were fabricated by FDM and injection molding techniques for tensile and shrinkage tests. The findings showed that the increase of filler contents into PP matrix tended …

Microwave Heating With Potassium Hydroxide Activation For Converting Water Hyacinth Into Activated Carbon, Purichaya Kuptajit

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Activated carbon was successfully synthesized form dried water hyacinth via KOH activation with microwave irradiation. Resultant activated carbon with large specific surface area can be produced using microwave irradiation for 1 minute which was consumed less time than conventional heating method that consumed 1 hour. Microwave irradiation can be a strategic way to improve uniform and quick heating to prepare porous carbons by inducing dipole rotation in atomic scale and creating a frictional force between atoms and molecules within heated material so that volumetric heating inside the heated material is realized. The BET analysis shown that the activated carbon, derived …

Mechanism And Performance Of Solid Non-Particulate Soil (Waxy Solid) Removal From Fabrics, Jarussri Chanwattanakit

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Methyl palmitate or palmictic acid methyl ester was used as both a model solid fat and an oily soil was removed from cotton and polyester above and below the melting point. Surfactants studied were extended surfactants (C12,13-4PO-SO4Na , C12,14-10PO-2EO-SO4Na and C12,14-16PO-2EO-SO4Na), alcohol ethoxylate (EO9), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), methyl ester sulfonate (MES), methyl ester ethoxylate (MEE), and mixed surfactants between extended surfactant (C12,13-4PO-SO4Na) and sodium mono- and dimethyl naphthalene sulfonate (SMDNS). Above the melting point (~30 ºC) of methyl palmitate, the maximum oily soil removal was found to correlate well with the lowest dynamic interfacial tension (IFT) with increasing washing …

Use Of Anionic Surfactant In Regeneration Of Spent Activated Carbon, Buch Kallapadee

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Surfactant-enhanced carbon regeneration (SECR) is a regeneration process that utilizes surfactant solution to dissolve adsorbed organic from spent activated carbon. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and methyl ester sulfonate (MES) are anionic surfactants that are used in this investigation. The study is done in 3 steps: sample characterization, regeneration and water flushing step. The proximate analysis of spent activate carbon contains 27.5% moisture, 27.2% volatile matter content, 10% total ash content. The spent activated carbon also contains 18.4% benzene. In regeneration step, the benzene removal by SDS and MES solution were compared. The effect of concentration, solution flow rate and temperature …

Conversion Of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate To Biojet Fuel Over Ni/Hy-Pditioz Core-Shell Catalyst, Chanakran Homla-Or

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Generally, jet fuel is obtained from the refining of petroleum feedstock in order to powering the aircrafts, hence the world is more confronting a problem with increasing air pollution emission. Therefore, biojet fuel is introduced as an alternative way to solve the problem. Biojet fuel can be derived from bio-based feedstock such as palm fatty acid distillate or PFAD. Which is converted via the deoxygenation reaction in order to remove oxygenated compounds, carboxylic and carbonyl groups in the fatty acid molecules then followed by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization reaction. The heterogeneous catalyst is used to convert PFAD into saturated paraffins in …

Analysis Of Biomarkers In Crude Oils, Processed Oils, And Spilled Oils, Pornpetch Hattakijvilai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Oil spills in marine are commonly come from crude oils, fuel oils and lubricating oils by accidental leakages or purposeful discharges to the surroundings. As crude oil and fuel oil which refined from the heavy fraction of crude oil have similar physical properties especially if they were weathering, it is difficult to differentiate that the spill has the origin from crude oil or fuel oil. In this study, five crude oils, two fuel oils, one fresh and one used lube oil that are typically used in Thailand were investigated. All crude oils, fuel oils, and used lube oil were weathered …

ปฏิกิริยาทรานส์เอสเทอริฟิเคชันของกลีเซอรอลและไดเมทิลคาร์บอเนตโดยใช้ตัวเร่งปฏิกิริยาโซเดียมฟอสเฟต, แพรพรรณ ศรีสอ้าน

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้เป็นการศึกษาปฏิกิริยาทรานส์เอสเทอริฟิเคชันของกลีเซอรอลและไดเมทิลคาร์บอเนต โดยใช้ตัวเร่งปฏิกิริยาโซเดียมฟอสเฟต โดยทำการทดลองในเครื่องปฏิกรณ์แบบกะ ปริมาณตัวเร่งปฏิกิริยาโซเดียมฟอสเฟตร้อยละ 1 3 และ 5 โดยน้ำหนักของกลีเซอรอล อัตราส่วนโดยโมลระหว่างกลีเซอรอลต่อไดเมทิลคาร์บอเนต 1:1 1:2 1:3 และ 1:4 อุณหภูมิในการทำปฏิกิริยาที่ 60 70 75 และ 80 องศาเซลเซียส ผลการทดลองแสดงให้เห็นว่า ตัวเร่งปฏิกิริยาโซเดียมฟอสเฟตมีความว่องไวในการทำปฏิกิริยาทรานส์เอสเทอริฟิเคชันของกลีเซอรอลและไดเมทิลคาร์บอเนต การเพิ่มปริมาณของตัวเร่งปฏิกิริยาที่ไม่เกินร้อยละ 3 โดยน้ำหนักของกลีเซอรอล ส่งผลให้ค่าร้อยละผลได้ของกลีเซอรอลคาร์บอเนตมีค่าเพิ่มมากขึ้น การลดลงของอัตราส่วนโดยโมลระหว่างกลีเซอรอลต่อไดเมทิลคาร์บอเนต ส่งผลให้ค่าร้อยละการแปลงผันของกลีเซอรอลและค่าร้อยละผลได้ของกลีเซอรอลคาร์บอเนตเพิ่มมากขึ้น นอกจากนี้ยังช่วยลดการเกิดดีคาร์บอกซิเลชันของกลีเซอรอลคาร์บอเนตไปเป็นไกลซิดอลอีกด้วย ในส่วนของการเพิ่มอุณหภูมิในการทำปฏิกิริยาส่งผลให้ค่าร้อยละการแปลงผันของกลีเซอรอล ค่าร้อยละผลได้ของกลีเซอรอลคาร์บอเนตเพิ่มสูงขึ้นและยังช่วยให้ปฏิกิริยาเข้าสู่สมดุลเร็วมากยิ่งขึ้น

Effects Of Ratio Of Oxygen Partial Pressure To Propane Partial Pressure And Temperature On Non-Faradaic Electrochemical Modification Of Catalytic Activity (Nemca) Of Propane Oxidation On Pt-Ysz, Sareerat Thongsrigate

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The effects of electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC) or non-faradaic electrochemical modification of catalytic activity (NEMCA) of sputtered-Pt catalyst on Y2O3-stabilized-ZrO2 (YSZ) disk, an O2- conductor, were studied with the catalytic reaction of propane oxidation, which was chosen to model the combustion of residual hydrocarbons in catalytic converters. In electrochemical promotion, the catalyst was electrochemically promoted by applying electric current or potential between the Pt and Au electrodes of YSZ disk. Catalytic performances were studied under the ratio of oxygen partial pressure to propane partial pressure difference of 1 to 5 and partial pressure of propane was 1 kPa, in …

Enzymatically Active Microspheres For Self-Propelled Colloidal Engines, Jungeun Park

Dissertations and Theses

Micro- and nano-motors have attracted numerous attentions from various scientific areas due to their potential applications. Most studies on self-propelled colloidal engines have exploited catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to drive the motor. Since the hydrogen peroxide is caustic, it is not suitable to use in biological applications, encouraging people to develop “greener” fuels. The aim of this research is to study a new transduction mechanism for self-propulsion not tied to hydrogen peroxide, and which can in particular be used with biological molecules as fuels. In this study, we focus on making particles with enzymatic activity which can effectively decompose …

Ionic Liquids Tethered To Activated Carbon For Capture Of Airborne Toxins, Devin Peck

Dissertations and Theses

Ionic liquids (ILs) were investigated for functionalization of activated carbon (AC) adsorbents for the filtration of warfare toxins. Preliminary steps were taken by testing absorption capacity of neat ILs and tethering ionic liquids to the surface of AC. AC is known to have good adsorption ability for warfare agents. Functionalizing the AC with ILs could enhance the capture ability significantly. ILs have been found to be good absorbents for a variety of gaseous species. The absorption selectivity and capacity can be tuned by changing the anion-cation pair. By tethering ILs to AC, the beneficial properties of gas absorption from ILs …

A New Thin Layered Structural Coating On A Metal Substrate For Enhanced Hydrogen Production From Steam Methane Reforming, Michael A. Lugo-Pimentel

Dissertations and Theses

In the past decade the use of hydrogen has become more ubiquitous. Its applications range from the upgrading of fossil fuels, to the production of ammonia, to the hydrogenation of fats, to the production of muriatic acid and methanol, all without including the efforts being taken to move towards a hydrogen economy. Its widespread use and its increasing demand lays pressure to find more efficient techniques of hydrogen production. Because the overwhelming majority of hydrogen produced nowadays comes from the steam reforming of natural gas (SMR), it appears that the most adept way to improve yields is by improving the …

Property Analysis Of Silylamine Type Reversible Ionic Liquids For Use As A Thermal Safety Switch In Batteries, Showmik Podder

Dissertations and Theses

The increased capacity of the modern battery system has also brought about safety apprehensions. Uncontrollable runaway reactions are a big concern in these systems; these reactions are the result of in situ heat generation and very much increase the risk of explosions and device failures. The concept of this work is to provide a preliminary understanding into the use of a type of switchable solvent known as reversible ionic liquids (RevILs) and their feasibility in being used in electrolytes as a thermally-controlled reversible safety switch. In their pure forms these switchable solvents experience a dramatic change in their properties upon …

2016-2017 Che Newsletter, Department Of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Chemical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• Department
• Convocation
• Student News
• Faculty
• Alumni & Friends

Fabrication Of Flexible, Biofunctional Architectures From Silk Proteins, Ramendra K. Pal

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in the biomedical field require functional materials and processes that can lead to devices that are biocompatible, and biodegradable while maintaining high performance and mechanical conformability. In this context, a current shift in focus is towards natural polymers as not only the structural but also functional components of such devices. This poses material-specific functionalization and fabrication related questions in the design and fabrication of such systems. Silk protein biopolymers from the silkworm show tremendous promise in this regard due to intrinsic properties: mechanical performance, optical transparency, biocompatibility, biodegradability, processability, and the ability to entrap and stabilize biomolecules. The unique …

Renewable Carbon From Lignin Biomass And Its Electrode And Catalyst Applications In Batteries, Supercapacitors, And Fuel Cells, Muslum Demir

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last century, almost all of the carbon materials developed for the energy industry are derived from fossil fuels. The growing global concerns about energy needs, fossil fuels consumption, and the related environmental issues have motived scientists to find new, green and sustainable energy resources such as the wind, solar and biomass energy. Essentially, biomass-derived materials can be utilized in energy storage and conversion devices such as Li-ion batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Among the biomass resources, lignin is a high volume byproduct from the pulp and paper industry and is currently burned to generate electricity and steam. The …

Photoelectrochemical Cell Constructed From Bby Membrane With Various Substrate Materials, Yang Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Photoelectrochemical cells have been intensively studied in recent years with regard to using thylakoid and photosynthesis system I/II. BBY membrane is another protein complex that has potential to be utilized to build photoelectrochemical cells. Within the BBY membrane lies the highly active photosynthesis system II complex, which upon light activation, generates electrons transported within the electron transport chain during photosynthesis in green plants. This study presents an approach of immobilizing thylakoid or BBY membrane onto gold nanoparticle modified gold plate or multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) modified indium tin oxide vi (ITO) coated glass substrate. The results show that BBY membrane …

Biomimetic Devices To Drive A Thermodynamically Uphill Reaction Using Light And To Degrade Industrial Waste Stream Components, Madison Joanne Sloan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Given the amount of industrial waste produced each year, as well as the accruing amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere produced by the burning of fossil fuels, it is imperative that humanity develop environmentally-sustainable sources of energy and methods of remediation. Nature achieves both of these by use of enzymes as catalysts, inspiring interest in designing biomimetic systems capable of harnessing clean energy and remediating industrial waste. This study examined the ability of enzymes in electrochemical and convective flow systems to achieve these tasks. The first portion studied the incorporation of enzymes into an electrochemical system to drive the …

Formulation And Characterization Of Poly(Β-Amino Ester) Networks For Controlled Delivery Of Antioxidants In Pharmaceutical Applications, Vinod Shivaji Patil

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Oxidative stress, which reflects an imbalance between oxidants and endogenous antioxidants, is known to be a cause as well as an effect of health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Antioxidants have shown promising results in vitro in controlling oxidative stress. However, years of in vitro studies have failed to translate into effective clinical interventions for controlling oxidative stress in the disease conditions. This has been due to low bioavailability and lower stability of antioxidants. Poly(antioxidant β-amino esters) (PABAE) are a recently-developed class of biodegradable polymeric hydrogels that have shown promise in their ability …

Understanding Glycoside Hydrolase Processivity For Improved Biomass Conversion, Suvamay Jana

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

In nature, organisms secrete synergistic enzyme cocktails to deconstruct crystalline polysaccharides, such as cellulose and chitin, to soluble sugars. The cocktails consist of multiple classes of processive and non-processive glycoside hydrolases (GH) that aid in substrate accessibility and reduce product inhibition. Processive GHs attach to chain ends and hydrolyze many glycosidic linkages in sequence to produce disaccharide units before dissociation, and as such, are responsible for the majority of hydrolytic bond cleavages. Accordingly, processive GHs are targets for activity improvements towards efficient and economical biomass conversion. However, the mechanism and factors responsible for processivity are still not understood completely at …

Synthesis And Energy Applications Of Mesoporous Titania Thin Films, Syed Z. Islam

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The optical and electronic properties of TiO₂ thin films provide tremendous opportunities in several applications including photocatalysis, photovoltaics and photoconductors for energy production. Despite many attractive features of TiO₂, critical challenges include the innate inability of TiO₂ to absorb visible light and the fast recombination of photoexcited charge carriers. In this study, mesoporous TiO₂ thin films are modified by doping using hydrogen and nitrogen, and sensitization using graphene quantum dot sensitization.

For all of these modifiers, well-ordered mesoporous titania films were synthesized by surfactant templated sol-gel process. Two methods: hydrazine and plasma treatments have been …

Functionalization Of Silver Nanoparticles On Membranes And Its Influence On Biofouling, Conor G. Sprick

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Ultrafiltration (UF) processes are often used as pretreatment before more retentive/costly processes, such as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. This study shows the results of low-biofouling nanocomposite membranes, loaded with casein-coated silver nanoparticles (casein-Ag-NPs). Membranes were cast and imbedded with Ag-NPs using two approaches, physical blending of Ag-NPs in the dope solution (^PAg-NP/CA membranes) and chemical attachment of Ag-NPs to cast membranes (^CAg-NP/CA membranes), to determine their biofouling control properties. The functionalization of Ag-NPs onto the CA membranes was achieved via attachment with functionalized thiol groups with the use of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and cysteamine chemistries. The …

Pore-Confined Carriers And Biomolecules In Mesoporous Silica For Biomimetic Separation And Targeting, Shanshan Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Selectively permeable biological membranes composed of lipophilic barriers inspire the design of biomimetic carrier-mediated membranes for aqueous solute separation. This work imparts selective permeability to lipid-filled pores of silica thin film composite membranes using carrier molecules that reside in the lipophilic self-assemblies. The lipids confined inside the pores of silica are proven to be a more effective barrier than bilayers formed on the porous surface through vesicle fusion, which is critical for quantifying the function of an immobilized carrier. The ability of a lipophilic carrier embedded in the lipid bilayer to reversibly bind the target solute and transport it through …

Biochemical Variation In Caribbean Sponges Of The Genus Aplysina, Sarah L. Criddle

Honors Theses

Sponges are among the simplest multicellular organisms, consisting of groupings of cells with similar functions rather than true tissues. Nonetheless, sponges are ecologically significant in many marine environments, including coral reefs. They are sedentary organisms that feed by filtration from the water column, which contributes to the numerous roles they play on coral reefs, including upkeep of the reef, production of usable energy, and recycling of nutrients. Like all multicellular organisms, sponges are made up of biologically significant macromolecules. These macromolecules provide the energy for the sponge, and their relative concentrations determine how sponges can store and access the energy …

The Evaluation Of Az66, A Highly Selective Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptor Antagonist, For Its Anti-Convulsive Effects In C57bl/6 Mice, Jamie Stone

Honors Theses

The Evaluation of AZ66, A Highly Selective Sigma-1 and Sigma-2 Antagonist, for Anticonvulsive Effects in C57Bl/6 Mice (Under the direction of Lisa Wilson and Dr. Christopher McCurdy) Sigma receptors have become a popular subject for research the past few decades, but there is still much mystery behind these receptors and how they work. Researchers have found that sigma receptor antagonists can attenuate cocaine induced convulsions, however, limited research has been conducted on the effects of these antagonists on convulsions that mimic the types of seizures associated with epilepsy. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate AZ66 (20 …

The Effects Of Ultrasonic And Photochemical Pretreatment On Heating Value And Carbon Capturing Ability Of Fast Pyrolysis-Derived Biochars, Jordan Houry, Dong Joon Kim, Cary Roy

Honors Theses

Slow pyrolysis biochar has been shown to be receptive to ultrasonic and photochemical pretreatment that raises the heating value, surface area, and carbon content of the samples. This experiment was designed to test the feasibility of substituting fast pyrolysis derived biochar in place of slow pyrolysis biochars in order to reduce production times. Furthermore, new biomasses (switchgrass, rice husk, and rice straw) were tested for their receptiveness to pretreatment methods. It was ultimately determined that fast pyrolysis biochars that were exposed to pretreatment increased their carbon content and surface area but did not experience a heating value increase to the …