Engineering Commons^™

Behavior Of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles In Soil Pore Waters As Influenced By Soil Characteristics, Bacteria, And Wheat Roots, Joshua Hortin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of this project was to study the behavior of copper oxide nanoparticles in soil environments. Copper oxide nanoparticles have antimicrobial properties and may also be used in agricultural settings to provide a source of copper for plant health, but accidental or misapplication of these nanoparticles to soil may be damaging to the plant and its associated bacteria.

Dissolved soil organic matter that is present in soil pore waters dissolved nanoparticles, but did not dissolve the expected amounts from a geochemical model because the geochemical model did not take into account surface chemistry or coating of the nanoparticles by …

Technobiology Paradigm In Nanomedicine: Treating Cancer With Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles, Emmanuel Stimphil

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, cancer is the world’s deadliest disease. Despite significant progress to find a cure, especially over the last decade, with immunotherapy rapidly becoming the state of the art, major open questions remain. Each successful therapy is not only limited to a few cancers but also has relatively low specificity to target cancer cells; although cancer cells can indeed be eradicated, many normal cells are sacrificed as collateral damage. To fill this gap, we have developed a class of multiferroic nanostructures known as magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) that can be used to enable externally controlled high-specificity targeted delivery and release of therapeutic …

Green Synthesis Of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles In Aqueous Medium As A Potential Efficient Catalyst For Catalysis Applications, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

In this research, we have developed a reliable green method for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles as a potential efficient catalyst for several catalysis applications. In our experimental approach, microwave-assisted synthesis technique was used in order to perform chemical reduction of copper salt using hydrazine hydrate as a strong reducing agent. The prepared catalyst was characterized using various techniques showing the formation of well dispersed copper oxide nanoparticles. The synthesized Copper oxide catalyst shows many advantages including the use of environmentally benign solvent systems,

Nanocomposite Polymer Networks For Reconfigurable Materials, Adam W. Hauser

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis broadly aims to design reconfigurable materials through complementary combinations of nanoparticles and polymers. Understanding nanoparticle dispersion pathways and mechanisms is a critical first step in any polymer nanocomposite work as it continues to be a non-trivial subject. To this end, Chapter 2 describes a simple method to control nanoparticle dispersion within polymer melts by photografting random copolymers to selectively reactive nanoparticle ligands. The chapters following focus on harnessing the functionality of well dispersed nanocomposite networks to elicit macro-scale responses. Chapter 3 exploits the unique optical properties of gold nanoparticles in combination with thermally responsive hydrogels and liquid crystalline …

Assessment Of Nanocomposites Vs. Amorphous Solid Dispersions For Dissolution Enhancement Of Bcs Class Ii Drugs, Meng Li

Dissertations

Nanoparticle-based formulations (nanocomposites) and amorphous solid dispersions, shortly ASDs, are two major pharmaceutical formulation platforms used for the bioavailability enhancement of poorly water-soluble drugs. While they both have several advantages-disadvantages, a scientific comparative assessment of their drug release performance and dissolution mechanisms at different drug doses is not available. With the goal of addressing this issue, the dissertation aims to achieve three major objectives: (1) develop a processing-formulation understanding of wet media milling process for fast-efficient production of drug nanoparticles in stable nanosuspension form, (2) elucidate the impact of various classes dispersants on drug release rate and mechanisms during the …

Silver Nanoparticle Removal From Drinking Water: Flocculation/Sedimentation Or Filtration?, Desmond F. Lawler, Anne M. Mikelonis, Ijung Kim, Boris L.T. Lau, Sungmin Youn

Sungmin Youn

Silver nanoparticles are used in a wide variety of consumer products and are therefore rapidly becoming ubiquitous in the natural environment; they can be expected to be found in the natural waters used as drinking water supplies. This research investigated whether such particles could be expected to be removed in conventional water treatment plants such as flocculation and filtration. Both flocculation and granular media filtration experiments with citrate-capped silver nanoparticles were performed at different ionic strengths and in the presence and absence of natural organic matter. The results were generally consistent with theories of particle destabilization that have been developed …

The Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Nanoparticle-Protein Interactions For Theranostic Applications, Wai Hei Tse

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Theranostics, a combination of therapeutics and diagnostics, spans a spectrum of research areas to provide new opportunities in developing new healthcare technologies and medicine at affordable prices. Through employing a personalized medicine approach, biotechnology can be tailored to the needs of an individual. Applications of theranostics include drug delivery carriers capable of sustained drug release and targeted delivery, biosensors with high sensitivity and selectivity, and diagnostic relevant entities that can be incorporated into the former technologies. Nanotechnology provides a suitable foundation for theranostics to build upon due to material-based properties; magnetism, biocompatibility, and quantum effects to name a few. Purpose …

Carbon Removal And Optoelectronic Property Tuning In Copper Arsenic Sulfide Thin Films Through Ligand Exchange And Alloying, Louis R. Schroeder, Scott Mcclary, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Solution processed thin film solar cells are attractive alternatives to conventional energy sources due to low waste generation, flexibility in substrate choice, and scalability. The novel semiconductor Cu3AsS4 in the enargite phase has a near ideal band gap of 1.4 eV and has earth abundant constituent elements; yet single-junction solar cells have yielded low efficiencies due to a secondary carbonaceous phase present, among other issues. This carbonaceous phase may be eliminated by exchanging the carbonaceous ligands with molecular metal chalcogenides. To characterize the ligand exchanged particles, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and …

Novel Synthesis Of Cigs Nanoparticles For Scalable, Benign Inks For Solution Processed Solar Cells, Jacob Fields, Ryan Ellis, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

One potential production route to high efficiency, low cost, photovoltaics (PVs) which was explored is Copper Indium Gallium Sulfide (CIGS) nanocrystal inks for solution processed PVs. A common CIGS nanocrystal ink synthesis utilizes ligands—molecules attached to the particle surface—for colloidal stability, size control, and shape control. It is desirable to devise a novel synthesis which will incorporate a ligand that allows suspensions in more benign solvents than current methods—a desirable characteristic for large scale production. In order to develop the aforementioned synthesis of CIGS nanoparticles, an optimization study of synthesis parameters was performed. Selection of an appropriate solvent, and sulfur …

Crafting Nanostructured Neural Interfaces With Hydrogel Particles, Emily Ann Morin

Doctoral Dissertations

Central nervous system neural device functionality hinges on effective communication with surrounding neurons. This depends on both the permissiveness of the device material to promote neuron integration and the ability of the device to avoid a chronic inflammatory response. Here, a facile approach has been developed exploring the multiple functionalities of hydrogel particles to provide cues to impart neural integration for such materials. Three distinct, yet interconnected tasks were undertaken: investigating hydrogel particle-modified substrate neuron integration and central nervous system inflammatory response, investigating guided hydrogel particle adsorption, and investigating hydrogel particles as local reservoirs for counteracting adverse effects from oxidative …

Real-Time Atomistic Observation Of Structural Phase Transformations In Individual Hafnia Nanorods, Bethany M. Hudak, Sean W. Depner, Gregory R. Waetzig, Anjana Talapatra, Raymundo Arroyave, Sarbajit Banerjee, Beth S. Guiton

Chemistry Faculty Publications

High-temperature phases of hafnium dioxide have exceptionally high dielectric constants and large bandgaps, but quenching them to room temperature remains a challenge. Scaling the bulk form to nanocrystals, while successful in stabilizing the tetragonal phase of isomorphous ZrO₂, has produced nanorods with a twinned version of the room temperature monoclinic phase in HfO₂. Here we use in situ heating in a scanning transmission electron microscope to observe the transformation of an HfO₂ nanorod from monoclinic to tetragonal, with a transformation temperature suppressed by over 1000°C from bulk. When the nanorod is annealed, we observe with …

Controlled Synthesis And Utilization Of Metal And Oxide Hybrid Nanoparticles, Cameron Cowgur Crane

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports the development of synthetic methods concerning rationally-designed, hybrid, and multifunctional nanomaterials. These methods are based on a wet chemical, solution phase approach that utilizes the knowledge of synthetic organic and inorganic chemistry to generate building blocks in solution for the growth of nanocrystals and hybrid nanostructures. This work builds on the prior knowledge of shape-controlled synthesis of noble metal nanocrystals and expands into the challenging realm of the more reactive first row transition metals. Specifically, a microemulsion sol-gel method was developed to synthesize Au-SiO2 dimers as precursors for the synthesis of segmented heterostructures of noble metals that …

Enhancement Of Heat Transfer Coefficient Using Fe₂O₃-Water Nanofluids, Nasser Zouli, S. A. M. Mohammed, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work, we developed a local heat transfer probe that can measure the heat transfer coefficient to study the effect of the nanofluid with various concentrations and size of nanoparticles on the local heat transfer coefficient in a developed separate effect experimental setup.Water with iron (III) oxide (Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles were used as the nanofluids flowing through the test section. The nanoparticle sizes of the Fe₂O₃ were varying between 20 and 40nm. The concentrations for the different nanoparticle sizes were ranged between 0 and 0.09 % in volume fractions. The results show that use of aqueous Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles can significantly …

Design Of 3d Macroporous Inverse Opal Tio2 Binary And Ternary Composites Sensitized With Gold Nanoparticles And Cds Quantum Dots For Photocatalysis, Daniel A. Corella

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

Materials composed of titanium (IV) oxide (TiO₂) have received enormous scientific interest due to titania’s abundance, non-toxicity, and photocatalytic proficiency, however its large band gap limits its applicability under ambient conditions. Various attempts have been made to incorporate titania into composite systems to sensitize it for activity under a broader range of wavelengths. One such method includes utilizing narrow band gap semiconductors to form an electron transfer process analogous to photosynthesis referred to as a Z-scheme. Z-scheme systems can catalyze the decomposition of aqueous pollutants via generation of reactive oxygen species after input of sunlight. This work reports …

Development Of Spectroscopic Methods For Dynamic Cellular Level Study Of Biochemical Kinetics And Disease Progression, Anna M. Sitarski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the current fundamental objectives in biomedical research is understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease progression. Recent work in genetics support the stochastic nature of disease progression on the single cell level. For example, recent work has demonstrated that cancer as a disease state is reached after the accumulation of damages that result in genetic errors. Other diseases like Huntingtons, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, cardiovascular disease are developed over time and their cellular mechanisms of disease transition are largely unknown. Modern techniques of disease characterization are perturbative, invasive and fully destructive to biological samples. Many methods need a probe or …

The Effect Of Hyperthermia On Doxorubicin Therapy And Nanoparticle Penetration In Multicellular Ovarian Cancer Spheroids, Abhignyan Nagesetti

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The efficient treatment of cancer with chemotherapy is challenged by the limited penetration of drugs into the tumor. Nanoparticles (10 – 100 nanometers) have emerged as a logical choice to specifically deliver chemotherapeutics to tumors, however, their transport into the tumor is also impeded owing to their bigger size compared to free drug moieties. Currently, monolayer cell cultures, as models for drug testing, cannot recapitulate the structural and functional complexity of in-vivo tumors. Furthermore, strategies to improve drug distribution in tumor tissues are also required. In this study, we hypothesized that hyperthermia (43°C) will improve the distribution of silica nanoparticles …

Effects Of Sulfidation On The Deposition And Detachment Of Silver Nanoparticles, Joseph Murphy

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

The transformation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) due to environmental factors can play a role in their fate and transport in aquatic systems. Sulfidation has the potential to alter these particles’ physio-chemical properties and their subsequent mobilization in aquatic environments. The water chemistry (e.g. pH, dissolved organic carbon) of these systems can also change the behavior of AgNPs. To better understand the effects of sulfidation on the characteristics and deposition of AgNPs, techniques such as quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used. In this study, AgNPs with two different ligand types, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-capped AgNPs (PVP-AgNPs) and Polyethylene …

Quantitative Understanding Of Nanoparticle Flocculation In Water Treatment, Sungmin Youn

All Engineering Faculty Research

Flocculation is critical in drinking water treatment; in flocculation, the particle size distribution changes from a large number of small particles to a small number of larger particles. Larger particles are effectively removed by settling and filtration processes that follow flocculation. In recent years, manufacturing of engineered nanoparticles has skyrocketed, and these nanoparticles can enter our water supplies, but knowledge of their fate in water treatment is limited. The objective of this research was to update knowledge of flocculation by extending previous work at the microscale to the nanoscale.

Flocculation involves transport of particles to the vicinity of one another …

Platinum-Cobalt Bimetallic Nanoparticles With Pt Skin For Electro-Oxidation Of Ethanol, Binwei Zhang, Tian Sheng, Yunxiao Wang, Xi-Ming Qu, Jun-Ming Zhang, Zong-Cheng Zhang, Hong-Gang Liao, Fu-Chun Zhu, Shi Xue Dou, Yan-Xia Jiang, Shi-Gang Sun

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

In order to maximize the Pt utilization in catalysts and improve catalytic processes, we report a convenient strategy for preparation of Pt3Co with Pt-skin structured bimetallic nanocatalysts directly supported on porous graphitic carbon. Notably, the thickness of the Pt-skin is only 1-2 atomic layers, about 0.5 nm. Surprisingly, the bimetallic nanocatalysts composed of Pt3Co with Pt-skin are first used as ethanol electro-catalysts, with the mass activity of 0.79 mA ¿gPt-1, which is a 250% enhancement compared with commercial Pt/C (0.32 mA ¿gPt-1). On the basis of the results of electrochemical in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS) and density functional …

Modified Pamam Dendrimers In Tunable Drug-Delivery Systems: A Sustained-Release Dendrimer Hydrogel For Anti-Glaucoma Drugs And Surface-Engineered Macrophages As Nanoparticle Carriers For Targeted Anti-Cancer Therapy, Christopher A. Holden

Theses and Dissertations

Two specific drug-delivery applications were sought in this work using polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. One drug-delivery system used a novel dendrimer hydrogel (DH) for sustained delivery of anti-glaucoma drugs. In this work, PAMAM G3.0 dendrimers were covalently bonded with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG­₁₂₀₀₀) molecules which were subsequently acrylated, resulting in photocurable DH conjugates. For pharmacological studies, DH were loaded with a solution of intraocular pressure lowering drugs, brimonidine and timolol maleate, and were characterized for in vitro release and ex vivo transport and uptake. DH formulations were shown to increase the loading of drug molecules, increase transcorneal drug delivery, and …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Enhanced Magnetic Properties Of Iron Carbide Nanomaterials, Brent M. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Permanent magnets are classified as hard magnetic materials with the main purpose of generating flux for applications such as electric motors, turbines, and hard drives. High coercivity, magnetic remanence, and saturation values with high stability are some of the requirements for permanent magnets. Rare-earth magnets including neodymium and samarium based magnets are known to have superior magnetic properties due to their high magnetocrystalline anisotropy. However, due to the price of rare-earth materials development of alternate permanent magnets composed of inexpensive materials is an ongoing process. Previously cobalt carbide (Co_xC) have shown promise as a potential rare-earth free magnet …

Effects Of Oil-In-Water Based Nanolubricant Containing Tio2 Nanoparticles In Hot Rolling Of 304 Stainless Steel, Wenzhen Xia, Jingwei Zhao, Hui Wu, Xianming Zhao, Xiaoming Zhang, Jianzhong Xu, Sihai Jiao, Zhengyi Jiang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Energy saving and improvement of product quality are of crucial importance in hot rolling of 304 stainless steel. In this paper, oil-in-water (O/W) based nanolubricants containing TiO₂ nanoparticles were developed to reduce the rolling force and improve the surface quality of rolled 304 stainless steel product. Practical hot rolling tests with and without application of lubricant were conducted to systematically investigate the effects of the developed O/W based nanolubricants on the rolling force, surface roughness, oxide scale thickness and tribological behaviour. The obtained results indicate that the nanoparticles can enter the deform zone with oil droplets to take a …

Nanomedicine Drug Delivery Across Mucous Membranes, Michael G. Lancina Iii

Theses and Dissertations

NANOMEDECINE DRUG DELIVERY ACROSS MUCOUS MEMBRANES

By Michael G. Lancina III

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth Univeristy, 2017.

Major Director: Dr. Hu Yang, Associate Professor, Chemical and Life Science Engineering

Control over the distribution of therapeutic compounds is a complex and somewhat overlooked field of pharmaceutical research. When swallowing a pill or receiving an injection, it is commonly assumed that drug will spread throughout the body in a more or less uniform concentration and find its way to wherever it is needed. In …

Synthesis Of Discrete Transition Metal (Ni, Fe, Co, Mn) Phosphide Nanoparticles: Compositional Effect On Catalytic And Magnetic Properties, Da Li

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation research is focused on the synthesis, characterization of binary and ternary transition metal (Ni, Co, Fe, Mn) phosphide nanomaterials and their catalytic and magnetic properties.

A phase-control strategy enabling the arrested-precipitation synthesis of nanoparticles of Ni5P4 and NiP2 is presented. The composition and purity of the product can be tuned by changing key synthetic levers, including the metal precursor, the oleylamine (OAm) and Trioctylphosphine (TOP) concentrations, temperature, time and the presence or absence of a moderate temperature soak step to facilitate formation of Ni and/or Ni-P amorphous nanoparticle intermediates.

New CoxFe2-xP nanoparticles (0 ≤ x ≤ 2), Co2-xMnxP …

Study Of Stability And Thermal Conductivity Of Nanoparticles In Propylene Glycol, Sumit Mahajan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis studied the effects of gravity induced settling, thermophoresis and Brownian motion on the thermal conductivity of the Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) nanofluids. The base fluid was propylene glycol. The effects were studied by making three samples with volumetric percentages of 0.2 %, 2% and 3% Al2O3 in propylene glycol. Sets of 22 experiments were conducted over time to understand the behavior of settling. All samples were manually mixed each time the experiment was conducted. A Thermtest Transient Plane Source TPS 500S was used to measure the thermal conductivity. Volumetric percentages and diameters of nanoparticle were chosen so that the …

Titanium Nanoparticles Synthesized Via Hydrothermal Reaction, Kyle W. Hodge

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The main goal of this project was to determine if increasing the time and temperature of a hydrothermally reacted titanium nanotube would increase the size of the nanotubes. Five experiments were conducted while varying the time and temperature of the reaction: 120°C for 24 hours, 120°C for 48 hours, 150°C for 24 hours, 180°C for 24 hours, and 180°C for 48 hours. Following the synthesis of all of these samples x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses were performed. The XRD analysis revealed anatase titanium nanoparticles formed in the 120°C and 150°C samples, this could …

Antibody-Nanoparticle Conjugates To Enhance The Sensitivity Of Elisa-Based Detection Methods., Margaret M Billingsley, Rachel S. Riley, Emily S Day

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Accurate antigen detection is imperative for clinicians to diagnose disease, assess treatment success, and predict patient prognosis. The most common technique used for the detection of disease-associated biomarkers is the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In an ELISA, primary antibodies are incubated with biological samples containing the biomarker of interest. Then, detectible secondary antibodies conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) bind the primary antibodies. Upon addition of a color-changing substrate, the samples provide a colorimetric signal that directly correlates to the targeted biomarker concentration. While ELISAs are effective for analyzing samples with high biomarker content, they lack the sensitivity required to …

Green Synthesis Of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles In Aqueous Medium As A Potential Efficient Catalyst For Catalysis Applications, Waad Mohsen, M. A. Sadek, Hany A. Elazab

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this research, we have developed a reliable green method for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles as a potential efficient catalyst for several catalysis applications. In our experimental approach, microwave-assisted synthesis technique was used in order to perform chemical reduction of copper salt using hydrazine hydrate as a strong reducing agent. The prepared catalyst was characterized using various techniques showing the formation of well dispersed copper oxide nanoparticles. The synthesized Copper oxide catalyst shows many advantages including the use of environmentally benign solvent systems, green synthetic approach, and mild reaction conditions.

Ri56.Pdf, João F. Gomes

João F Gomes

No abstract provided.