Engineering Commons^™

6th Ic4n Book Of Abstracts, Efstathios Meletis, Constantin Politis, Wolfram Schommers, Nikolaos Kanellopoulos

International Conference from Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials to Nanodevices and Nanosystems - Archive

IC4N is a highly interdisciplinary conference focusing on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology addressing global problems in energy, environment and human health. As in previous editions of this highly popular conference series, the overarching goal is to combine a high quality of scientific dialogue with a relaxing environment. This is a unique opportunity for both senior and junior researchers to meet, interact, and stimulate collaborations on a global scale. A number of Plenary, Keynote and invited lectures are planned by renowned scientists from all over the world, making IC4N an international nano forum of the highest quality.

Proceedings published …

Shape Effects Of Gold Coated Silica Nanoparticles For Localized Plasmonic Resonance Based Biosensing, Russell Beckerman

ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)

Gold coated silica (Au@SiO₂) nanoparticles are promising optical transducers for biosensors due to localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) sensitivity to changes in refractive index. This study investigates the effects of shape, size, and structure on LSPR sensitivity of Au@SiO₂ nanoparticles of spherical, rod, and ellipsoid geometries. Finite-difference time domain simulations in CST were used to examine these key parameters of interest and guided particle synthesis. Simulation and experiments show rod-shaped Au@SiO₂ nanoparticles had maximum sensitivity of 969nm/RIU, an improvement over most particles in current literature. This study examines a method for enhanced LSPR-biosensors that leverages advances …

Element-Specific Nanoparticle Placement Toward Fabricating Multi-Element Metastructures, Lei Wu

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Nanoscale entities such as semiconductor nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles, and dielectric nanoparticles have attracted a lot of attention due to their novel electrical, optical, and magnetic properties that their bulk materials cannot produce. These unique properties promise applications in nano-optical devices, ultra-sensitive sensors, single electron transistors, and high-density data storages. Moreover, to these captivating properties of the individual nanoparticles, it has been found that novel and scientifically important properties can be obtained when nanoparticles are arranged in specific configurations. Examples include nanoparticle dimers, hexamers, heptamers, and nanoparticle arrays. Until now, however, most studies have focused on one-element nanoparticle systems. …

Cell Imaging And Data Analysis For Biomaterial-Mammalian Co-Cultures, Jefferson Pontsler

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Microscopic bioimaging is a useful approach to study cell-biomaterial interactions which are vital to the biomedical application of biomaterials. Through microscopic imaging, numerous cellular responses, such as proliferation, uptake, and death, can be recorded, characterized and analyzed.

In this thesis, I first provided basic introductions to the imaging techniques and analysis tools, especially those that are highly relevant to the studies of biomaterials and cell interactions. I also detailed the adaptation of these techniques and tools in the application of two specific research projects in biomaterials, with special focuses on the imaging and analysis.

The first project assessed the subtle …

Self-Induced Back Action Actuated Nanopore Electrophoresis (Sane) Sensor For Molecular Detection And Analysis, Sai Santosh Sasank Peri

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

We fabricated a novel single molecule nanosensor by integrating a Solid-State Nanopore (SSNP) and a Double Nanohole (DNH) nanoaperture. The nanosensor employs Self-Induced Back-Action (SIBA) for optical trapping and enables SIBA-Actuated Nanopore Electrophoresis (SANE) for concurrent acquisition of bimodal optical and electrical signatures of molecular interactions. We demonstrated the potential utility of the SANE sensor by trapping and translocating 20 nm silica and gold nanoparticles. The electrical translocation time of the nanoparticles was extended by four orders of magnitude due to opposing electrical and optical forces acting on the nanoparticle, causing high frequency oscillations or bobbing in the electrical signal. …

Metabolon-Inspired Design Of Multi-Modal Catalytic Cascade, Madelaine Seow Chavez

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Developing hybrid catalytic systems has been researched for the past decade in an effort to efficiently incorporate catalysts of different modalities in catalytic cascades. It has become imperative to design a cascade system where the catalysts are spatially organized to control the delivery of precursors, intermediates, and products. In this work, we have shown that a molecular catalyst, biocatalyst, and metallic catalyst can be co-localized using a carbonaceous support to create a hybrid catalytic system and complete the oxidation of oxalic acid to create a microchemical reactor. The molecular, pyrene-TEMPO catalyst oxidizes glyoxalic acid to oxalic acid. The enzyme oxalate …

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.

Magnesium Nanocomposites: An Overview On Time-Dependent Plastic (Creep) Deformation, Meysem Haghshenas, Manoj Gupta

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Magnesium (Mg) nanocomposites are created when nano-size particles are embedded into the Mg (or Mg alloy) matrix. The Mg nanocomposites, cited as high-strength energy-saving materials of future, are a group of emerging materials with excellent combination of strength and ductility and superior specific strength property (strength-to-weight ratio). Having said this, Mg nanocomposites are considered as promising replacement for other structural alloys (i.e. aluminum and titanium) wherever low density and high strength are required, i.e. transportation, aerospace, defense, etc. To be able to apply this group of materials for real components, different failure mechanisms at ambient and elevated temperatures under …

5th Ic4n Book Of Abstracts, Efstathios Meletis, Nikolaos Kanellopoulos, Constantin Politis, Wolfram Schommers

International Conference from Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials to Nanodevices and Nanosystems - Archive

IC4N is a highly interdisciplinary conference focusing on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology addressing global problems in energy, environment and human health. As in previous editions of this highly popular conference series, the overarching goal is to combine a high quality of scientific dialogue with a relaxing environment. This is a unique opportunity for both senior and junior researchers to meet, interact, and stimulate collaborations on a global scale. A number of Plenary, Keynote and invited lectures are planned by renowned scientists from all over the world, making IC4N an international nano forum of the highest quality.

Proceedings published …

Removal Of Synthetic Azo Dye Using Bimetallic Nickel-Iron Nanoparticles, Shelby L. Foster, Katie Estoque, Michael Voecks, Nikki Rentz, Lauren F. Greenlee

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bimetallic nanoparticles comprised of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) were investigated for the removal of an azo dye contaminant in water. Morphology (core shell and alloy) and metal molar ratio (Ni2Fe10, Ni5Fe10, and Ni10Fe10) were tested as key nanoparticle properties. The shelf life of the nanoparticles was tested over a 3-week period, and the effect of initial nanoparticle concentration on dye removal was evaluated. The highest initial nanoparticle concentration (1000 mg/L) showed consistent Orange G removal and the greatest extent of dye removal, as compared to the other tested concentrations (i.e., 750 mg/L, 500 mg/L, and 250 mg/L) for the …

Obstacles To Translating The Promise Of Nanoparticles Into Viable Amyloid Disease Therapeutics, N. P. Van Der Munnik, M. A. Moss, M. J. Uline

Faculty Publications

Nanoparticles (NPs) constitute a powerful therapeutic platform with exciting prospects as potential inhibitors of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation, a process associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Researchers have synthesized and tested a large collection of NPs with disparate sizes, shapes, electrostatic properties and surface ligands that evoke a variety of responses on Aβ aggregation. In spite of a decade of research on the NP-Aβ system and many promising experimental results, NPs have failed to progress to any level of clinical trials for AD. A theoretical framework with which to approach this physical system is presented featuring two simple metrics, (1) the extent …

Rapid, Single-Step Protein Encapsulation Via Flash Nanoprecipitation, Shani L. Levit, Rebecca C. Walker, Christina Tang

Chemical and Life Science Engineering Publications

Flash NanoPrecipitation (FNP) is a rapid method for encapsulating hydrophobic materials in polymer nanoparticles with high loading capacity. Encapsulating biologics such as proteins remains a challenge due to their low hydrophobicity (logP < 6) and current methods require multiple processing steps. In this work, we report rapid, single-step protein encapsulation via FNP using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. Nanoparticle formation involves complexation and precipitation of protein with tannic acid and stabilization with a cationic polyelectrolyte. Nanoparticle self-assembly is driven by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Using this approach, high encapsulation efficiency (up to ~80%) of protein can be achieved. The resulting nanoparticles are stable at physiological pH and ionic strength. Overall, FNP is a rapid, efficient platform for encapsulating proteins for various applications.

Charge Storage In Wo³ Polymorphs And Their Application As Supercapacitor Electrode Material, Vaibhav Lokhande, Abhishek Lokhande, Gon Namkoong, Jin Hyeok Kim, Taeksoo Ji

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Tungsten oxide is a versatile material with different applications. It has many polymorphs with varying performance in energy storage application. We report simple and facile way to synthesize four phases of tungsten oxide from same precursor materials only by changing the pH and temperature values. Monoclinic, hexagonal, orthorhombic and tetragonal phase obtained, were analyzed and tested for supercapacitor application. The electrochemical analysis of four phases indicates that the hexagonal phase is best-suited electrode material for supercapacitor. The hexagonal phase exhibits higher specific capacitance (377.5 Fg^-1 at 2 mVs^-1), higher surface capacitive contribution (75%), better stability and rate …

Synthesis Of Drug Encapsulated Chitosan-Heparin Based Nanoparticles And Release Study, Trent Richwine

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The main objective of this honor’s project is to encapsulate drugs with different molecular weights inside of chitosan-heparin based nanoparticles (Cs-Hep NPs). Three different drugs with low (NNC), medium (IFN-γ), and large (BSA) molecular weights were chosen in order to compare all types of drugs and how they react with the nanoparticles. Analysis of particle size, zeta potential, and a release study was performed. The release took place over a 168-hour time period and liquid samples were taken throughout. The hypothesis was that the molecular weight of the drug will correlate to the physical properties of the nanoparticles. The results …

Form Stable Phase-Change Materials, Russell Dent, Marjan Kashfipour, Nitin Mehra, Jiahua Zhu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This work investigates the use of two different polyols, xylitol (Xyl) and erythritol (Ery), in conjunction with boron nitride (BN) aerogels, for the purpose of creating thermally conductive composites. While the BN filler in Xyl composites achieved a high anisotropic thermal conductivity of up to 4.53 W/m-K at 18.2 weight percent filler loading, they do not exhibit good phase-change material qualities due to a low solidification enthalpy even at low cooling rates. Alternatively, the BN-Ery composites have shown promising results with a solidification enthalpy of 225.14 J/g and a melting enthalpy of 385.84 J/g at a heat rate of 5 …

Foliar Application Of Capped And Non-Capped Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles, Michaela Babcock, Katelyn Knudson, Joshua Tucker

Biological Engineering

Phosphorus in irrigation water and soil reacts with calcium species and becomes unavailable to plants. The use of nanoparticles to address plant nutrient has become a focus of interest. [1] Calcium Phosphate nanoparticles have shown benefit in rice plants in germination studies.[2]

Stimuli-Responsive Nanoparticles For Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Roshni Iyer

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Despite extensive research and progress in anti-cancer therapeutics, an effective treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains elusive, resulting in poor 5-year patient survival rate. Towards this end, we have explored a therapeutic regimen to improve the effects of local concurrent chemo-radiation-therapy (CRT), by utilizing multifunctional stimuli-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) as drug carriers. We have also utilized lung cancer targeting strategies for site-specific drug delivery, mainly antibodies against the Ephrin-transmembrane receptor kinase (EphA2), that is over-expressed mainly on lung cancer cells, to promote the targeted delivery of drugs to only cancer cells, and eventually reduce the toxicity to healthy tissues. …

Carbon-Supported Transition Metal Nanoparticles For Catalytic And Electromagnetic Applications, Kavita Meduri

Dissertations and Theses

Recently, there has been growing interest in using transition metals (TM) for catalytic and electromagnetic applications, due to the ability of TMs to form stable compounds in multiple oxidation states. In this research, the focus has been on the synthesis and characterization of carbon-supported TM nanoparticles (NPs), specifically palladium (Pd) and gold (Au) NPs, for catalytic applications, and transition metal oxides (TMO) NPs, specifically Fe₃O₄ NPs for electromagnetic applications. Carbon supports have several advantages, such as enabling even distribution of particles, offering large specific surface area with excellent electron conductivity, and relative chemical inertness.

In this dissertation, …

Engineering Viscoelastic Behavior Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites With Nanoparticles For Controlling Deployment Of Aerospace Structures, Mark Scherbarth

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The United States Air Force is focused on reducing mass and power consumption of spacecraft to increase their capabilities for space missions. Low mass and power consumption can be achieved by using composites with low density and high stiffness and utilizing few satellite components. One way to achieve reduced mass is by eliminating attendant deployment mechanisms consuming valuable power and mass allocations on spacecraft with deployable structures. Secondary systems are typically used to assist deployable space structures to ensure 100% success. A passively deployed space structure would be of great value to the Department of Defense and the commercial marketplace. …

Optical And X-Ray Technology Synergies Enabling Diagnostic And Therapeutic Applications In Medicine, Brian W. Pogue, Brian C. Wilson

Dartmouth Scholarship

X-ray and optical technologies are the two central pillars for human imaging and therapy. The strengths of x-rays are deep tissue penetration, effective cytotoxicity, and the ability to image with robust projection and computed-tomography methods. The major limitations of x-ray use are the lack of molecular specificity and the carcinogenic risk. In comparison, optical interactions with tissue are strongly scatter dominated, leading to limited tissue penetration, making imaging and therapy largely restricted to superficial or endoscopically directed tissues. However, optical photon energies are comparable with molecular energy levels, thereby providing the strength of intrinsic molecular specificity. Additionally, optical technologies are …

Efficiency Improvement Of Up-Conversion Process Of Plasmonic-Enhanced Er-Doped-Nayf4 Nanoparticles Under Ir Excitation, Sara Elrafei, Ishac Kandas, Nader Shehata, Effat Samir

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The up-conversion process is extensively studied because of its wide variety of applications such as bioimaging, energy harvesting, and optical sensors. However, the optical conversion efficiency is still relatively low and needs to be improved. Therefore, this paper introduces a detailed study of improving the up-conversion emission efficiency through adding plasmonic metallic nanostructures to the up-conversion optical centers. Our idea is to couple the optical plasmonic resonance with the visible emission of the optical centers under IR excitation. The optical centers are erbium ions hosted by fluoride low-phonon environment. Our calculations consider most possible transitions that can occur between the …

Gold-Catalyzed Conversion Of Lignin To Low Molecular Weight Aromatics, Yang Song, Justin K. Mobley, Ali Hussain Motagamwala, Mark Isaacs, James E. Dumesic, John Ralph, Adam F. Lee, Karen Wilson, Mark Crocker

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A heterogeneous catalyst system, employing Au nanoparticles (NPs) and Li–Al (1 : 2) layered double hydroxide (LDH) as support, showed excellent activity in aerobic oxidation of the benzylic alcohol group in β-O-4 linked lignin model dimers to the corresponding carbonyl products using molecular oxygen under atmospheric pressure. The synergistic effect between Au NPs and the basic Li–Al LDH support induces further reaction of the oxidized model compounds, facilitating facile cleavage of the β-O-4 linkage. Extension to oxidation of γ-valerolactone (GVL) extracted lignin and kraft lignin using Au/Li–Al LDH under similar conditions produced a range of aromatic monomers in high yield. …

Multi-Beam Scan Analysis With A Clinical Linac For High Resolution Cherenkov-Excited Molecular Luminescence Imaging In Tissue., Mengyu Jeremy Jia, Peter Bruza, Lesley A. Jarvis, David J. Gladstone, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cherenkov-excited luminescence scanned imaging (CELSI) is achieved with external beam radiotherapy to map out molecular luminescence intensity or lifetime in tissue. Just as in fluorescence microscopy, the choice of excitation geometry can affect the imaging time, spatial resolution and contrast recovered. In this study, the use of spatially patterned illumination was systematically studied comparing scan shapes, starting with line scan and block patterns and increasing from single beams to multiple parallel beams and then to clinically used treatment plans for radiation therapy. The image recovery was improved by a spatial-temporal modulation-demodulation method, which used the ability to capture simultaneous images …

Development Of Mussel Inspired Nanocomposite Adhesives For Biomedical Applications, Nikhil Pandey

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Popular bioadhesives, such as fibrin, cyanoacrylate and albumin–glutaraldehyde-based materials, have been applied for clinical applications in wound healing, drug delivery, and bone and soft tissue engineering; however, their performances are limited by weak adhesion strength and rapid degradation. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a strong tissue adhering nanocomposite for tissue interfacing and wound healing applications. We begin by developing a mussel-inspired, nanocomposite–based, biodegradable tissue adhesive by blending poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or N-hydroxysuccinimide modified PLGA nanoparticles (PLGA-NHS) and polydopamine nanoparticles with mussel-inspired polymers. Adhesive strength measurement of the nanocomposites on porcine skin-muscle constructs revealed that the …

Nanoparticles For Gene Therapy And Protein Delivery To Induce Angiogenesis As An Alternative Treatment For Peripheral Arterial Disease, Linda Christellia Noukeu

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is defined as a slow, progressive disorder of the lower extremity arterial vessels characterized by chronic narrowing that often results in occlusion and is associated with loss of functional capacity. Although the PAD occurrence rate is increasing in the elderly population, outcomes with current treatment strategies are suboptimal. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop new technologies that overcome limitations of traditional modalities for PAD detection and therapy. In this research, nanoparticles have been developed and used as carriers for various therapeutic agents to treat PAD. In particular, via protein/gene delivery, we developed and formulated …

Incorporation Of Silica Nanoparticles Into The Underlayer Of Pda/Ptfe Thin Coatings, Adedoyin Abe

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is one of the most low friction and corrosion resistant solid lubricants. Prior studies have shown that a polydopamine (PDA) underlayer enhances the durability of PTFE thin coating. In this study, 100, 200, and 300 µL of aqueous silica nanoparticle (NP) solutions were added to the PDA deposition solution. The durability and coefficient of friction of PDA/PTFE thin coatings on stainless steel substrates are investigated with and without incorporating the silica NPs. The coatings were tested in dry contact conditions using a Universal Mechanical Tester (UMT) with a ball-on-flat configuration in a reciprocating motion. It was found that …

The Effects Of Geometric And Stoichometric Change In Nanoparticles And Materials On Lattice Thermal Conductivity, W. Tanner Yorgason

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thermal transport properties are critical for applications ranging from thermal management to energy conversion. Passive thermal management has been an area of study for over a century and has only grown as technology has advanced because it requires no additional energy to remove heat. Changing the nanostructure of the materials involved in passive heat transfer methods, either by geometric changes or stoichiometric changes, can greatly improve the effectiveness of this heat transfer method. In order to explore this further, this work employs LAMMPS molecular dynamics (MD) simulation software to calculate the lattice thermal conductivity (λ_p) of a …

A New Approach To The Development Of An Rsv Anti-Viral Targeted Nanocarrier For Dual Inhibition Of Viral Infection And Replication, Anthony N. Singer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a potentially life-threatening respiratory pathogen that infects approximately 64 million children and immunocompromised adults globally per year. Currently, there is a need for prophylactic and therapeutic approaches effective against primary and secondary RSV infections. This project focuses on the development of a simple, smart, and scalable anti-RSV nanotherapeutic that combines novel cellular antiviral defense mechanisms targeting the inhibition of viral fusion and replication. An ICAM-1 targeted liposomal nanocarrier will be synthesized and coated with a layer of chitosan containing the anti-fusion HR2-D peptide as an extracellular defense mechanism. Additionally, chitosan complexed to dual expressing short …

Imaging The Three-Dimensional Orientation And Rotational Mobility Of Fluorescent Emitters Using The Tri-Spot Point Spread Function, Oumeng Zhang, Jin Lu, Tianben Ding, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

Fluorescence photons emitted by single molecules contain rich information regarding their rotational motions, but adapting single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) to measure their orientations and rotational mobilities with high precision remains a challenge. Inspired by dipole radiation patterns, we design and implement a Tri-spot point spread function (PSF) that simultaneously measures the three-dimensional orientation and the rotational mobility of dipole-like emitters across a large field of view. We show that the orientation measurements done using the Tri-spot PSF are sufficiently accurate to correct the anisotropy-based localization bias, from 30 nm to 7 nm, in SMLM. We further characterize the emission anisotropy …

The Catalytic Activity Of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Towards Carbon Monoxide Oxidation Catalysis: Microwave – Assisted Synthesis Approach, Hany A. Elazab

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this research, we report a simple, versatile, and reproducible method for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles via microwave assisted synthesis approach. The important advantage of this catalyst is due to its important role not only in the low temperature oxidation of CO but also in potential applications in pharmaceutical and fine chemical synthesis. The results reveal that the copper oxide catalyst has particularly a remarkable high activity for CO oxidation catalysis as it was found that copper oxide (CuO) catalyst has 100% conversion of carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide at 175 oC. This also could be attributed to …