Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Microplate-Like Metal Pyrophosphate Engineered On Ni-Foam Towards Multifunctional Electrode Material For Energy Conversion And Storage, Rishabh Srivastava

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

High clean energy demand, dire need for sustainable development, and low carbon footprints are the few intuitive challenges, leading researchers to aim for research and development for high-performance energy devices. The development of materials used in energy devices is currently focused on enhancing the performance, electronic properties, and durability of devices. Tunning the attributes of transition metals using pyrophosphate (P₂O₇) ligand moieties can be a promising approach to meet the requirements of energy devices such as water electrolyzers and supercapacitors, although such a material’s configuration is rarely exposed for this purpose of study.

Herein, we grow …

Computationally-Driven Insights Into The Ligand Environments Of Materials For Catalysis And Separations, Stephen Vicchio

All Dissertations

Designing new catalytic and sorption materials is necessary to limit global temperature rise below 1.5 ◦C by 2050, while also meeting global energy demands. Climate change and energy production are not mutually exclusive; global population growth has direct impacts on global energy demands and climate. In both catalysis and adsorption applications, new technologies are needed to address these challenges. Catalysis can provide alternate, low-energy routes for converting low-value gases into higher-value chemical commodities, thus altering our current energy production. Likewise, new sorption materials can capture previously emitted CO₂ from decades of energy production from fossil fuels, thus helping to …

Characterization Of Interlayer Laser Shock Peening During Fused Filament Fabrication Of Polylactic Acid (Pla), Fabien Denise

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The field of additive manufacturing (AM) has gained a significant amount of popularity due to the increasing need for more sustainable manufacturing techniques and the adaptive development of complex product geometries. The problem is that AM parts routinely exhibit flaws or weaknesses that affect functionality or performance. Over the years, surface treatments have been developed to compensate certain flaws or weaknesses in manufactured products. Combining surface treatments with the modularity of additive manufacturing could lead to more adaptable and creative improvements of product functions in the future. The current work evaluates the feasibility of pursuing a new research axis in …

Deficiency Of Acute-Phase Serum Amyloid A Exacerbates Sepsis-Induced Mortality And Lung Injury In Mice, Ailing Ji, Andrea C. Trumbauer, Victoria P. Noffsinger, Luke W. Meredith, Brittany Dong, Qian Wang, Ling Guo, Xiangan Li, Frederick C. De Beer, Nancy R. Webb, Lisa R. Tannock, Marlene E. Starr, Christopher M. Waters, Preetha Shridas

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a family of proteins, the plasma levels of which may increase >1000-fold in acute inflammatory states. We investigated the role of SAA in sepsis using mice deficient in all three acute-phase SAA isoforms (SAA-TKO). SAA deficiency significantly increased mortality rates in the three experimental sepsis mouse models: cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), cecal slurry (CS) injection, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatments. SAA-TKO mice had exacerbated lung pathology compared to wild-type (WT) mice after CLP. A bulk RNA sequencing performed on lung tissues excised 24 h after CLP indicated significant enrichment in the expression of genes associated …

Design And Characterization Of A Novel Eef2k Degrader With Potent Therapeutic Efficacy Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Changxin Zhong, Rongfeng Zhu, Ting Jiang, Sheng Tian, Xiaobao Zhao, Xiaoya Wan, Shilong Jiang, Zonglin Chen, Rong Gong, Linhao He, Jin-Ming Yang, Na Ye, Yan Cheng

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Dysregulated eEF2K expression is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), making it a plausible therapeutic target. However, specific eEF2K inhibitors with potent anti-cancer activity have not been available so far. Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a new strategy for drug discovery. In this study, a novel small molecule chemical is designed and synthesized, named as compound C1, which shows potent activity in degrading eEF2K. C1 selectively binds to F8, L10, R144, C146, E229, and Y236 of the eEF2K protein and promotes its proteasomal degradation by increasing the interaction between eEF2K and the …

Constructing Carbon-Encapsulated Nifev-Based Electrocatalysts By Alkoxide-Based Self-Template Method For Oxygen Evolution Reaction, En-Hui Ma, Xu-Po Liu, Tao Shen, De-Li Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The development of green and sustainable water-splitting hydrogen production technology is beneficial to reducing the over-reliance on fossil fuels and realizing the strategic goal of "carbon neutral". As one of the half reactions for water splitting, oxygen evolution reaction has suffered the problems of sluggish four-electron transfer process and relatively slow reaction kinetics. Therefore, exploring efficient and stable catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction is of critical importance for water-splitting technology. Metal alkoxides are a series of compounds formed by the coordination function of metal ions with alcohol molecules. Metal alkoxides possess the double advantages of organic materials and inorganic materials, …

Integration Of Algae And Biomass Processes To Synthesize Renewable Bioproducts For The Circular Economy, Jessica Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid population growth and global industrialization have substantially heightened the demand for fossil-based fuels and products in various sectors of the global economy, including energy production, transportation fuels, and as raw materials for petrochemicals. The intense consumption of fossil fuels has caused immense environmental impacts, especially pertaining to carbon dioxide emissions. Shifting to renewable feedstocks (raw materials) is expected to reduce these emissions by lowering the carbon footprint of fuels and products compared to traditional fossil-derived alternatives. This transition aligns with the goal of creating a sustainable and circular economy, emphasizing efficient resource use, and reducing waste generation through recycling …

Computational Modeling Using A Novel Continuum Approach Coupled With Pathway-Informed Neural Networks To Optimize Dynein-Mediated Centrosome Positioning In Polarized Cells, Arkaprovo Ghosal, Padmanabhan Seshaiyar Dr., Adriana Dawes Dr., General Genomics Inc.

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Chain Conformation And Exciton Delocalization In A Push-Pull Conjugated Polymer, Yulong Zheng, Rahul Venkatesh, Connor P. Callaway, Campbell Viersen, Kehinde H. Fagbohungbe, Aaron L. Liu, Chad Risko, Elsa Reichmanis, Carlos Silva-AcuñA

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Linear and nonlinear optical line shapes reveal details of excitonic structure in polymer semiconductors. We implement absorption, photoluminescence, and transient absorption spectroscopies in DPP-DTT, an electron push−pull copolymer, to explore the relationship between their spectral line shapes and chain conformation, deduced from resonance Raman spectroscopy and from ab initio calculations. The viscosity of precursor polymer solutions before film casting displays a transition that suggests gel formation above a critical concentration. Upon crossing this viscosity deflection concentration, the line shape analysis of the absorption spectra within a photophysical aggregate model reveals a gradual increase in interchain excitonic coupling. We also observe …

The Algorithm For The Design Of Fine Granular Substances’ Smart-Type Heat And Moisture Converters Based On Their Accuracy And Speed Criteria, Erkin Uljaev, Ali Abduakhatovich Abduraxmanov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The paper describes a technique and algorithm allowing to perform parametric design of smart-type heat and moisture converters (hereinafter SHMC) of fine-grained dispersive materials based on their criteria of accuracy and speed. The proposed algorithm optimizes the process of design of smart-type switches and ensure optimal performance of the switches. The method of calculation and selection of optimal parameters of smart-type heat and moisture converters intended to be used in the measurement of parameters such as heat and humidity of fine dispersive substances are aimed at boosting two parameters, i.e., the accuracy and speed. Also, the design stages have been …

Surface Modifications Of Lini0.96Co0.02Mn0.02O2 With Tungsten Oxide And Phosphotungstic Acid, Gang Zhao, Zheng-Liang Gong, Yi-Xiao Li, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

With the rapid development of electric vehicles, enormous demands are made for higher energy density, better cycling performance and lower cost of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As an important high capacity cathode material for LIBs, the high nickel layered oxide material LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂(NCM811) can reach an energy density of 760 Wh·kg^-1. The ultra-high nickel ternary positive electrode material (LiNi_1-x-yCo_xMn_yO₂, x ≥ 0.90) has a specific capacity of more than 210 mAh·g^-1, and can realize higher energy density. Besides, an ultra-high nickel material …

Preparation And Electrocatalytic Performance Of Feni-Cop/Nc Bifunctional Catalyst, Si-Miao Liu, Jing-Jiao Zhou, Shi-Jun Ji, Zhong-Sheng Wen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries have gradually attracted much attention worldwide due to their high capacity, high energy density and low price. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) correspond to the charging and discharging processes in rechargeable zinc-air battery, respectively. At present, commercial Pt/C and IrO₂ catalysts hinder the large-scale application of zinc-air batteries due to low reserves, high prices and poor stability. Therefore, exploring high performance, low cost and high stability with dual functional catalysts is important for the development of rechargeable zinc-Air batteries. The metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have high specific surface area, structural stability, good catalytic …

Corrosion Case Study On Pipeline, Kangze Ren

Corrosion Research

The Kashagan pipeline leaks were likely caused by sulfur stress corrosion cracking, a combined corrosion mechanism developed by the presence of high pressure, the high level of hydrogen sulfide(the main "ingredient" of sour gas), and poor metallurgical choice. Improper welding and poor metallurgical examination were blamed for causing the leaking issue. The purpose of the current review is to raise the alarm about the inappropriate corrosion management of Kashagan oil production and its societal and environmental consequences.

Evolution Of Glassy Carbon Derived From Pyrolysis Of Furan Resin, Josh Kemppainen, Ivan Gallegos, Aaron Krieg, Jacob R. Gissinger, Kristopher E. Wise, Margaret Kowalik, Julia A. King, S. Gowtham, Adri Van Duin, Gregory Odegard

Michigan Tech Publications

Glassy carbon (GC) material derived from pyrolyzed furan resin was modeled by using reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The MD polymerization simulation protocols to cure the furan resin precursor material are validated via comparison of the predicted density and Young's modulus with experimental values. The MD pyrolysis simulations protocols to pyrolyze the furan resin precursor is validated by comparison of calculated density, Young's modulus, carbon content, sp carbon content, the in-plane crystallite size, out-of-plane crystallite stacking height, and interplanar crystallite spacing with experimental results from the literature for furan resin derived GC. The modeling methodology established in this work can …

Enhanced Cell Viability And Migration Of Primary Bovine Annular Fibrosus Fibroblast-Like Cells Induced By Microsecond Pulsed Electric Field Exposure, Prince M. Atsu, Connor Mowen, Gary L. Thompson Iii

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

This study is the first to report the enhancement of cell migration and proliferation induced by in vitro microsecond pulsed electric field (μsPEF) exposure of primary bovine annulus fibrosus (AF) fibroblast-like cells. AF primary cells isolated from fresh bovine intervertebral disks (IVDs) are exposed to 10 and 100 μsPEFs with different numbers of pulses and applied electric field strengths. The results indicate that 10 μs-duration pulses induce reversible electroporation, while 100 μs pulses induce irreversible electroporation of the cells. Additionally, μsPEF exposure increased AF cell proliferation up to 150% while increasing the average migration speed by 0.08 μm/min over 24 …

Hydrophobicity Optimization Of Cathode Catalyst Layer For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Hao-Jie Chen, Mei-Hua Tang, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hydrophobicity of the cathode catalyst layers (CCLs) crucially determines the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) by affecting the transports of oxygen and liquid water. In this regard, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is usually used as a hydrophobic additive to facilitate the oxygen and water transports in CCLs. So far, there remains lacking systematic effort to optimize the addition methods of PTFE in CCLs and the mechanisms behind. In this work, the effects of the approaches for PTFE addition and the distribution of PTFE on the mass transport of oxygen and the proton conduction in CCLs were studied by using …

Dynamic Influence Diagram-Based Deep Reinforcement Learning Framework And Application For Decision Support For Operators In Control Rooms, Joseph Mietkiewicz, Ammar N. Abbas, Chidera W. Amazu, Anders L. Madsen, Gabriele Baldissone

Articles

In today’s complex industrial environment, operators are often faced with challenging situations that require quick and accurate decision-making. The human-machine interface (HMI) can display too much information, leading to information overload and potentially compromising the operator’s ability to respond effectively. To address this challenge, decision support models are needed to assist operators in identifying and responding to potential safety incidents. In this paper, we present an experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of a recommendation system in addressing the challenge of information overload. The case study focuses on a formaldehyde production simulator and examines the performance of an improved Human-Machine Interface …

Experimental Data Supporting Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery And Storage Potential In The Bakken Petroleum System (Bps), University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet on CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Bakken petroleum system. Highlights experimental data concerning CO₂’s role in oil recovery in the region.

Syne1 Mutation Is Associated With Increased Tumor Mutation Burden And Immune Cell Infiltration In Ovarian Cancer, Laura M. Harbin, Nan Lin, Frederick R. Ueland, Jill M. Kolesar

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

SYNE1, a nuclear envelope protein critical for cellular structure and signaling, is downregulated in numerous malignancies. SYNE1 alterations are found in 10% of gynecologic malignancies and 5% of epithelial ovarian cancers. Previous studies demonstrated an association between SYNE1 mutation, increased tumor mutation burden (TMB), and immunotherapy response. This study evaluates the SYNE1 mutation frequency, association with TMB, and downstream effects of SYNE1 mutation in ovarian cancer. Genetic information, including whole-exome sequencing, RNA analysis, and somatic tumor testing, was obtained for consenting ovarian cancer patients at an academic medical center. Mutation frequencies were compared between the institutional cohort and The Cancer …

Bacterial Motion And Spread In Porous Environments, Yasser Almoteri

Dissertations

Micro-swimmers are ubiquitous in nature from soil and water to mammalian bodies and even many technological processes. Common known examples are microbes such as bacteria, micro-algae and micro-plankton, cells such as spermatozoa and organisms such as nematodes. These swimmers live and have evolved in multiplex environments and complex flows in the presence of other swimmers and types, inert particles and fibers, interfaces and non-trivial confinements and more. Understanding the locomotion and interactions of these individual micro-swimmers in such impure viscous fluids is crucial to understanding the emergent dynamics of such complex systems, and to further enabling us to control and …

Synergistic Effect Of Air Sparging In Separation Via Nano-Carbon Immobilized Membrane Distillation Process And Optimization, Mitun Chandra Bhoumick

Dissertations

Membrane distillation (MD) has gained significant popularity as a separation and purification technique in diverse domains, such as saline/brackish water treatment, organic recovery, and wastewater treatment. The objective of this research is to advance MD by developing a novel air sparged membrane distillation in treating saline water, recovering solvents, and achieving preconcentration. To optimize the flux and selectivity in membrane distillation, the study also employed a response surface method based on a central composite rotatable design.

In this study, a novel air-sparged membrane distillation (ASMD) is introduced for the treatment of saline water, utilizing a nanocarbon immobilized membrane. The performance …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Organic Additives For Copper Electroplating Of Interconnects, Yue-Hui Zhai, Yi-Xiao Peng, Yan Hong, Yuan-Ming Chen, Guo-Yun Zhou, Wei He, Peng-Ju Wang, Xian-Ming Chen, Chong Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Copper interconnects are essential to the functionality, performance, power efficiency, reliability, and fabrication yield of electronic devices. They are widely found in chips, packaging substrates and printed circuit boards, and are often produced by copper electroplating in an acidic aqueous solution. Organic additives play a decisive role in regulating copper deposition to fill microgrooves, and micro-vias to form fine lines and interlayer interconnects. Generally, an additive package consists of three components (brightener, suppressor, and leveler), which have a synergistic effect of super-filling on electroplating copper when the concentration ratio is appropriate. Many works of literature have discussed the mechanism of …

Hydrodynamic Voltammetry Of Fe2+/3+ In Aqueous Deep Eutectic Solvents Towards Redox Flow Batteries, Desiree Mae Prado, Xiaochen Shen, Robert Savinell, Clemens Burda

Faculty Scholarship

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have recently attracted much attention as potential green electrolyte solvents for redox flow batteries. DESs are considered not only as environmentally sustainable but also economically attractive electrolytes because they can be resourced from biological feedstock (alcohols, urea, choline) and are earth-abundant and of low toxicity. Despite these advantages, DESs still have limitations in important aspects such as reactant and ion transport, which is inhibited due to hydrogen-bonding-induced viscosity. Thus, improving the transport properties of redox species in DESs is essential. In addition, we explore the quantitative addition of water to ethaline (a 1:2 choline chloride: ethylene …

Activation Of The Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System Is Attenuated In Hypertensive Compared With Normotensive Pregnancy, Robin C. Shoemaker, Marko Poglitsch, Hong Huang, Katherine Vignes, Aarthi Srinivasan, Cynthia Cockerham-Morris, Aric Schadler, John Anthony Bauer, John O'Brien

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Hypertension during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, but the mechanisms of pregnancy hypertension are not precisely understood. Elevated plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations play an important role in the normal physiologic adaptation to pregnancy. These effectors are reduced in patients with pregnancy hypertension, creating an opportunity to define the features of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) that are characteristic of this disorder. In the current study, we used a novel LC-MS/MS-based methodology to develop comprehensive profiles of RAAS peptides and effectors over gestation in a cohort of 74 pregnant women followed prospectively for the development …

Characterization Of Mechanically Recycled Polylactic Acid (Pla) Filament For 3d-Printing By Evaluating Mechanical, Thermal, And Chemical Properties And Process Performance, Mahsa Shabani Samghabady

All Theses

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biopolymer made from renewable resources such as sugar and corn. PLA filament is a popular material used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printing. While this material has many advantages, all the failed parts, support structures, rafts, nozzle tests, and the many prototype iterations during the 3D-printing process contribute to the plastic pollution and release of greenhouse gases. Although PLA is biodegradable, it can take years to degrade in landfills. Instead of throwing away PLA waste and buying new filaments, PLA can be recycled. Amongst the different recycling technologies, mechanical recycling is the most environmentally friendly. …

Phosphatase And Pseudo-Phosphatase Functions Of Phosphatase Of Regenerating Liver 3 (Prl-3) Are Insensitive To Divalent Metals In Vitro, Jeffery T. Jolly, Ty C. Cheatham, Jessica S. Blackburn

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Phosphatase of regenerating liver 3 (PRL-3) is associated with cancer metastasis and has been shown to interact with the cyclin and CBS domain divalent metal cation transport mediator (CNNM) family of proteins to regulate the intracellular concentration of magnesium and other divalent metals. Despite PRL-3’s importance in cancer, factors that regulate PRL-3’s phosphatase activity and its interactions with CNNM proteins remain unknown. Here, we show that divalent metal ions, including magnesium, calcium, and manganese, have no impact on PRL-3’s structure, stability, phosphatase activity, or CNNM binding capacity, indicating that PRL-3 does not act as a metal sensor, despite its interaction …

Structures Of The Insecticidal Toxin Complex Subunit Xpta2 Highlight Roles For Flexible Domains, Cole L. Martin, David W. Chester, Christopher D. Radka, Lurong Pan, Zhengrong Yang, Rachel C. Hart, Elad M. Binshtein, Zhao Wang, Lisa Nagy, Lawrence J. Delucas, Stephen G. Aller

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The Toxin Complex (Tc) superfamily consists of toxin translocases that contribute to the targeting, delivery, and cytotoxicity of certain pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. Membrane receptor targeting is driven by the A-subunit (TcA), which comprises IgG-like receptor binding domains (RBDs) at the surface. To better understand XptA2, an insect specific TcA secreted by the symbiont X. nematophilus from the intestine of entomopathogenic nematodes, we determined structures by X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. Contrary to a previous report, XptA2 is pentameric. RBD-B exhibits an indentation from crystal packing that indicates loose association with the shell and a hotspot for possible receptor binding or a …

Investigation Of The Flow Field In The Jack Rabbit Ii Mock Urban Environment Field Tests Using A 1:50 Scale Wind Tunnel Model, Paulo Victor De Freitas Lopes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accidental release of toxic chemicals can put workers and nearby populations at significant risk. Consequence assessment of accidents in urban environments is of particular interest. Urban geometries create wind channels between buildings, along with particularly dangerous areas downwind of buildings, where near-stagnant flow is present. Furthermore, recirculation zones can be formed between buildings, trapping high concentrations of toxic gases at ground level, particularly for denser-than-air gases. In 2015, the Department of Homeland Security conducted the Jack Rabbit II Field Test (JR-II) at Dugway Proving Ground, UT. During JR-II, chlorine was released at the center of a Mock Urban Environment (MUE) …

Recent Progress Of Bifunctional Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Electrodes In Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells, Tian-Long Zheng, Ming-Yu Ou, Song Xu, Xin-Biao Mao, Shi-Yi Wang, Qing-Gang He

Journal of Electrochemistry

Unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs), which oxidize hydrogen to water to generate electrical power under thefuel cells (FCs) mode and electrolyze water to hydrogen under the water electrolysis (WE) mode for recycling, areknown as clean and sustainable energy conversion devices. In contrast to the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) andhydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the hydrogen electrode side, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the oxygen electrode side requires highly efficient bifunctional oxygencatalysts. Conventional precious metal oxygen catalysts combine Pt and IrO₂ with excellent ORR and OER activities toachieve bifunctional electrocatalysis performance, but …

Band Alignments Of Metal/Oxides-Water Interfaces Using Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics, Yong-Bin Zhuang, Jun Cheng

Journal of Electrochemistry

Band alignments of electrode-water interfaces are of crucial importance for understanding electrochemical interfaces. In the scenario of electrocatalysis, applied potentials are equivalent to the Fermi levels of metals in the electrochemical cells; in the scenario of photo(electro)catalysis, semiconducting oxides under illumination have chemical reactivities toward redox reactions if the redox potentials of the reactions straddle the conduction band minimums (CBMs) or valence band maximums (VBMs) of the oxides. Computational band alignments allow us to obtain the Fermi level of metals, as well as the CBM and VBM of semiconducting oxides with respect to reference electrodes. In this tutorial, we describe …