Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Engineering The Coherent Phonon Transport In Polar Ferromagnetic Oxide Superlattices, In Hyeok Choi, Seung Gyo Jeong, Do-Gyeom Jeong, Ambrose Seo, Woo Seok Choi, Jong Seok Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Artificial superlattices composed of perovskite oxides serves as an essential platform for engineering coherent phonon transport by redefining the lattice periodicity, which strongly influences the lattice-coupled phase transitions in charge and spin degrees of freedom. However, previous methods of manipulating phonons have been limited to controlling the periodicity of superlattice, rather than utilizing complex mutual interactions that are prominent in transition metal oxides. In this study on oxide superlattices composed of ferromagnetic metallic SrRuO3 and quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 , phonon modulation by controlling the geometry of superlattice in atomic-scale precision is realized, demonstrating the coherent phonon engineering using structural and …

The Undergraduate Engineering Mental Health Help-Seeking Instrument (Ue-Mh-Hsi): Development And Validity Evidence, Joseph H. Hammer, Courtney J. Wright, Melanie E. Miller, Sarah A. Wilson

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Undergraduate engineering students experiencing distress are less likely than peers to ask for professional help. A population-specific instrument to facilitate the identification of factors that influence mental healthcare utilization could guide development and testing of interventions to increase help seeking.

Purpose: We used mixed methods guided by the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) to develop and evaluate the Undergraduate Engineering Mental Health Help-Seeking Instrument (UE-MH-HSI).

Method: First, we adapted existing measures of mental health help-seeking intention and mechanisms (i.e., attitudes, perceived norm: injunctive, perceived norm: descriptive, personal agency: autonomy, personal agency: capacity). Second, we coded qualitative interviews (N = 33) …

Analysis Of The Thermal Aging Kinetics Of Tallow, Chicken Oil, Lard, And Sheep Oil, Yun-Chuan Hsieh, Hao Ouyang, Yulin Zhang, Donyau Chiang, Fuqian Yang, Hsin-Lung Chen, Sanboh Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding the thermal aging kinetics of animal oils is of vital importance in the storage and applications of animal oils. In this work, we use four different techniques, including UV-Vis spectrometry, viscometry, impedance spectroscopy, and acid–base titration, to study the thermal aging kinetics of tallow, chicken oil, lard, and sheep oil in the temperature range from 120 ◦C to 180 ◦C. The evolutions of the UV-Vis absorbance, dynamic viscosity, electric impedance, and acid titration are discussed with the defect kinetics. The evolutions of the color centers, defects for dynamic viscosity, and electric dipoles follow second-order, first-order, and zero-order kinetics, respectively. …

Growth And Faceting Of Tungsten And Oxides In Scandate Cathode Particles During In Situ Heating In The Scanning Electron Microscope, Huanhuan Bai, Thomas John Balk

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Tungsten-based scandate dispenser cathodes are promising next-generation thermionic electron sources for vacuum electron devices, due to their excellent emission performance at tempera- tures lower than those required for conventional cathodes. There has been a significant recent effort to understand scandate cathode performance and to characterize the tungsten and other materials on the emitting surface, primarily via the study of cathodes before and after emission testing. Moreover, these scandate cathodes have typically been characterized at room temperature only. In situ obser- vations of scandate cathodes is challenging, as these devices are thermionic emitters that operate in a high-vacuum environment, and because …

Effects Of External Pressure On Cycling Performance Of Silicon-Based Lithium-Ion Battery: Modelling And Experimental Validation, Kai Zhang, Yinan He, Junwu Zhou, Xinyang Wang, Yong Li, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Controlling the stress state of electrodes during electrochemical cycling can have a positive effect on the cycling performance of lithium-ion battery. In this work, we study the cycling performance of silicon-based lithium-ion half cells under the action of pressure in a range of 0.1 to 0.4 MPa. The cycling performance of the silicon-based lithium-ion half cells increases first with increasing the pressure to 0.2 MPa and then decreases with further increasing the pressure. The analysis of the surface morphologies of cycled electrodes reveals that applying a pressure of 0.2 MPa leads to the formation of fine electrode surface with the …

Enhancing Thermal Stability Of Perovskite Solar Cells Through Thermal Transition And Thin Film Crystallization Engineering Of Polymeric Hole Transport Layers, Sanggyun Kim, Sina Sabury, Carlo A. R. Perini, Tareq Hossain, Augustine O. Yusuf, Xiangyu Xiao, Ruipeng Li, Kenneth R. Graham, John R. Reynolds, Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Organic hole transport layers (HTLs) have been known to be susceptible to thermal stress, leading to poor long- term stability in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We synthesized three 2,5-dialkoxy-substituted, 1,4-bis(2-thienyl)phenylene (TPT)-based conjugated polymers (CPs) linked with thiophene-based (thiophene (T) and thienothiophene (TT)) comonomers and evaluated them as HTLs in n-i-p PSCs. TPT-T (MB/C6), which has branched 2- methylbutyl and linear hexyl (MB/C6) side chains, emerged as a promising HTL candidate, enabling power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) greater than 15%. In addition, PSCs with this HTL showed an improvement in long-term stability at elevated temperatures of 65 °C when compared to those …

Resolving The Size And Charge Of Small Particles: A Predictive Model Of Nanopore Mechanics, Samuel Bearden, Tigran M. Abramyan, Dmitry Gil, Jessica Johnson, Anton Murashko, Sergei Makaev, David Mai, Alexander Baranchikov, Vladimir Ivanov, Vladimir Reukov, Guigen Zhang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The movement of small particles and molecules through nanopore membranes is widespread and has far-reaching implications. Consequently, the development of mathematical models is essential for understanding these processes on a micro level, leading to deeper insights. In this endeavor, we suggested a model based on a set of empirical equations to predict the transport of substances through a solid-state nanopore and the associated signals generated during their translocation. This model establishes analytical relationships between the ionic current and electrical double-layer potential observed during analyte translocation and their size, charge, and mobility in an electrolyte solution. This framework allows for rapid …

Performance And Environmental Assessment Of Biochar-Based Membranes Synthesized From Traditional And Eco-Friendly Solvents, Abelline Katusiime Fionah, Isaac Oluk, Laura Brady, Diana M. Byrne, Isabel Escobar

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Water contamination resulting from coal spills is one of the largest environmental problems affecting communities in the Appalachia Region of the United States. This coal slurry contains potentially toxic substances, such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and coal cleaning chemicals, and its leakage into water bodies (lakes, rivers, and aquifers) can lead to adverse health effects not only for freshwater bodies and plant life but also for humans. This study focused on two major experiments. The first experiment involved the use of biochar to create a biochar–polysulfone (BC-PSf) flat-sheet multifunctional membrane to remove organic contaminants, and the other major experiment compared …

Pulsing-Induced Healing Of A Surface Crack Of A Nickel-Based Alloy, Liwei Wang, Mingming Quan, Zhen Tan, Ming Liu, Dianlong Wang, Xiao Yang, Ying Liu, Yaning Mao, Zhimin Liang, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of applying electric pulses to heal surface cracks on nickel-based alloy GH4169 under compressive load. There exists an incubation time for the onset of the healing of a crack, which is associated with local temperature at the crack tip. The crack size decreases with increasing the pulsing time at a constant healing rate prior to complete healing of the crack. Increasing compressive load accelerates the healing process. The electric pulsing leads to the formation of an influential zone surrounding the crack with the finest grain sizes in the healed crack and the coarsest …

Dual Light Emission Of Cssni3-Based Powders Synthesized Via A Mechanochemical Process, Xuan Huang, Xiaobing Tang, Xiyu Wen, Yuebin Charles Lu, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Lead toxicity has hindered the wide applications of lead halide perovskites in optoelec- tronics and bioimaging. A significant amount of effort has been made to synthesize lead-free halide perovskites as alternatives to lead halide perovskites. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of synthesizing CsSnI3-based powders mechanochemically with dual light emissions under ambi- ent conditions from CsI and SnI2 powders. The formed CsSnI3-based powders are divided into CsSnI3-dominated powders and CsSnI3-contained powders. Under the excitation of ultraviolet light of 365 nm in wavelength, the CsSnI3-dominated powders emit green light with a wavelength centered at 540 nm, and the CsSnI3-contained powders …

Response To Replication Stress And Maintenance Of Genome Stability By Wrn, The Werner Syndrome Protein, David K. Orren, Amrita Machwe

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by loss of function of WRN. WS is a segmental progeroid disease and shows early onset or increased frequency of many characteristics of normal aging. WRN possesses helicase, annealing, strand exchange, and exonuclease activities and acts on a variety of DNA substrates, even complex replication and re- combination intermediates. Here, we review the genetics, biochemistry, and probably physiological functions of the WRN protein. Although its precise role is unclear, evidence suggests WRN plays a role in pathways that respond to replication stress and maintain genome stability particularly in telomeric regions.

Effects Of Ferrite And Graphite Phases On Scratch Characteristics Of Nodular Cast Iron, Zhitong Xu, Ming Liu, Chenghui Gao, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In this work, we conduct micro-scratch tests of nodular cast iron with Vickers indenter under constant normal load and investigate the effects of individual phases (i.e., ferrite and graphite phases) on the scratch charac- teristics of nodular cast iron. Using a bimodal Gaussian model to fit the experimental data of penetration depth, residual depth, elastic recovery rate, and scratch hardness, we calculate the contribution percentages of indi- vidual phases to scratch variables. The scratch variables are independent of the scratch speed used in this work, while the penetration depth increases linearly with increasing the normal load. There exists a large …

A Mechanical Model For Stress Relaxation Of Polylactic Acid/Thermoplastic Polyurethane Blends, Yi-Sheng Jhao, Hao Ouyang, Chien-Chao Huang, Fuqian Yang, Sanboh Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Polylactic acid (PLA) is considered a promising biodegradable polymer alternative. Due to its high brittleness, composite materials made by melt blending thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with PLA can enhance the toughness of PLA. To understand the forced aging caused by stress relaxation in polymer materials, this study explains the stress relaxation experiments of PLA/TPU blends with different mass ratios under applied strain through mechanical model simulations. The Kelvin representation of the standard linear solid model (SLSM) is used to analyze the stress relaxation data of TPU/PLA blends, successfully explaining that the Young’s moduli (E1 and E2) of springs decrease with increasing …

Shorting At Long Duration: Impact Of Extended Discharge Capacity On Battery Solid Electrolytes, Ryan C. Hill, Amanda S. Peretti, Leo J. Small, Erik D. Spoerke, Yang-Tse Cheng

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is critical to a stable, resilient, and decarbonized electric grid. While batteries are emerging as important LDES devices, extended, high-power discharges necessary for cost-competitive LDES present new materials challenges. Focusing on a new generation of low-temperature molten sodium batteries, we explore here unique phenomena related to long-duration discharge through a well-known solid electrolyte, NaSICON. Specifically, molten sodium symmetric cells at 110 ° C were cycled at 0.1 A cm−2 for 1–23 h discharges. Longer discharges led to unstable overpotentials, reduced resistances, and decreased electrolyte strength, caused by massive sodium penetration not observed in shorter duration discharges. …

Local Strain Quantification Of A Porous Carbon Fiber Network Material, Robert N Quammen, Paul F. Rottmann

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

While porous materials’ wide range of attractive functional properties have led to their development for a variety of applications, their intrinsically stochastic microstructures prevent straightforward approaches to predicting their mechanical behavior. This is attributed to the mechanisms that govern the macroscale behavior of these materials operating on multiple microstructure-specific length scales spanning several orders of magnitude. The goal of this work was to experimentally observe these operative deformation mechanisms to better improve the development of mechanism-informed models that more accurately predict the behavior of these materials. In this study compression tests were conducted on a porous carbon fiber network material. …

The Janssen Effect And The Chini Ordinary Differential Equation, Adam Rogers, George Dyck, Jitendra Paliwal, Kurt Hildebrand, Michael D. Montross, Aaron P. Turner

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The Janssen effect describes the increase in pressure with depth in granular materials. However, the original Janssen formulation treats the density as constant. In this work, we examine parametric density models that depend on both pressure and moisture content and allow for temperature dependence to be easily included. We focus on physically-motivated empirical models that are built on power-law terms. These power-law terms correspond to thermodynamic equations of state, such as the ideal gas law, and polytropic processes. When coupled with the Janssen ordinary differential equation (ODE), these power-law models have the form of a Chini ODE. We study the …

Protocol For Modeling And Simulating Lithiation-Induced Stress In Largely Deformed Spherical Nanoparticles Using Comsol, Yong Li, Yungpeng Guo, Yunhao Wu, Yin Rao, Kai Zhang, Dashun Liu, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Here, we present a finite element method-based scheme for solving coupled par- tial differential equations (PDEs) for the analysis of lithiation-induced stress in largely deformed spherical nanoparticles via the PDE module in COMSOL. We describe steps for software installation and setting PDEs, initial/boundary condi- tions, and mesh parameters. We then detail procedures for dividing the mesh and analyzing lithium trapping during electrochemical cycling. This protocol can also be extended to analyze a wide range of problems involving diffusion-induced stress. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Li et al.

Spontaneous Alignment Of Myotubes Through Myogenic Progenitor Cell Migration, Lauren E. Mehanna, Adrianna R. Osborne, Charlotte A. Peterson, Brad J. Berron

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In large-volume muscle injuries, widespread damage to muscle fibers and the surrounding connective tissue prevents myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs) from initiating repair. There is a clinical need to rapidly fabricate large muscle tissue constructs for integration at the site of large volume muscle injuries. Most strategies for myotube alignment require microfabricated structures or prolonged orientation times. We utilize the MPC’s natural propensity to close gaps across an injury site to guide alignment on collagen I. When MPCs are exposed to an open boundary free of cells, they migrate unidirectionally into the cell-free region and align perpendicular to the original boundary …

Inhibited Surface Diffusion In Nanoporous Multi-Principal Element Alloy Thin Films Prepared By Vacuum Thermal Dealloying, Tibra Das Gupta, Thomas John Balk

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Nanoporous structures with 3D interconnected networks are traditionally made by dealloy- ing a binary precursor. Certain approaches for fabricating these materials have been applied to refrac- tory multi-principal element alloys (RMPEAs), which can be suitable candidates for high-temperature applications. In this study, nanoporous refractory multi-principal element alloys (np-RMPEAs) were fabricated from magnesium-based thin films (VMoNbTaMg) that had been prepared by magnetron sputtering. Vacuum thermal dealloying (VTD), which involves sublimation of a higher vapor pres- sure element, is a novel technique for synthesizing nanoporous refractory elements that are prone to oxidation. When VMoNbTaMg was heated under vacuum, a nanoporous structure was …

The Roles Of Carbonaceous Wastes For Catalysis, Energy, And Environmental Remediation, Chi Huey Ng, Mohd Aizzan Mistoh, Siow Hwa Teo, Andrea Galassi, Hin Taufiq-Yap, Nancy Julius Siambun, Jurry Foo, Coswald Stephen Sipaut, Jeffrey Seay, Jidon Janaun

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This article reviews recent studies about various generations of the carbon materials for their applications in energy and environmental remediation. The synthesis routes of the carbon materials including the condition parameters, interaction of precursors, dopants and carbon materials, as well as their physical/chemical properties are explicated first. Then, the application and mechanism of metal-free/metal-doped/non-metal-doped carbon materials are discussed in detail. Lastly, this review is ended with a summary and invigorating perspectives on the challenges and future directions at the forefront of the catalysis platform to take a step further for real application.

Investigating The Structure And Performance Of Electrodes Made By Dry And Wet Slurry Processes, Kubra Uzun, Bhamiti Sharma, Bradley R. Frieberg, Ming Wang, Jiazhi Hu, Anita Li, Xiaosong Huang, Yang-Tse Cheng

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Performance, cost, and safety are vital factors in producing and handling lithium-ion batteries. Using a dry process reduces the cost and environmental impact of producing large-scale lithium-ion battery electrodes significantly as solvents are eliminated. Thus, in this study, solvent-free dry electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) and conventional slurry processes were compared to uncover the influence of the manufacturing process on thick LiNi 0.8Mn0.1Co 0.1O 2 (NMC 811) positive electrodes. More pressure during calendering was found necessary for the dry-made (dry) electrodes to have the same porosity, leading to more cracks within the NMC particles and better adhesion. At slower discharge rates, …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Performance Assessment Of Reusable And Biodegradable Antimicrobial Polymeric Membranes For Aerosolized Pathogen Inactivation And Filtration, Ebuka Ogbuoji

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Air filtration technology has proven effective in purifying air by trapping particulates which can cause adverse health effects. High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, capable of capturing over 99.99% of PM_0.3, are recommended for critical applications. However, conventional non-woven HEPA filters rely on electrostatic interactions to trap smaller particles, which can deplete over time or after cleaning, reducing filtration efficiency and posing health risks. Additionally, these filters contribute to plastic waste.

This dissertation investigated the feasibility of using flat sheet polymeric membranes fabricated via nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) as reusable and biodegradable alternatives to commercially available non-biodegradable air …

Valorization Of Bourbon Distilling Waste Using Thermal Conversion Processes For Nutrient-Rich Food Products, Tosin Olayemi Olanrewaju

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The Commonwealth of Kentucky accounts for over 95% of global bourbon production. A primary byproduct of bourbon production is stillage, which has a very high moisture content (91–94%) and high biochemical oxygen demand, making it challenging to manage. The recent expansion of the bourbon industry has heightened environmental concerns regarding the best methods to handle this byproduct. Dewatering and drying of stillage produce distillers' spent grains (DSG-B), which are rich in dietary fiber and protein and could serve as an excellent source of functional fiber in human nutrition.

This study examined the approach for dewatering, drying, inclusion of DSG-B as …

Development Of Synthetically Accessible Glycolated Polythiophenes For High-Performance Organic Electrochemical Transistors, Bowen Ding, Vianna N. Le, Hang Yu, Guanchen Wu, Adam V. Marsh, Edgar Gutiérrez-Fernández, Nicolás Ramos, Martina Rimmele, Jaime Martín, Jenny Nelson, Alexandra F. Paterson, Martin Heeney

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Four glycolated polythiophene-based organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs), PE2gTT, PE2gT, PT2gTT, and PT2gT are prepared by atom-efficient direct arylation polymerization, avoiding the need for toxic organometallic pre- cursors. PE2gT, PT2gTT, and PT2gT are operable in p-type accumulation mode organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), with PT2gT displaying the best device performance with a μC* product figure-of-merit of 290 F cm−1 V−1 s−1 . A record volumetric capacitance among p-type glycolated polythiophene OMIECs of 313 F cm−3 is observed for PE2gT, ascribed to the high proportion- ality of polar components in its materials design. The good OECT performance of PE2gT with μC* = …

The Integrated Behavioral Model Of Mental Health Help Seeking (Ibm-Hs): A Health Services Utilization Theory Of Planned Behavior For Accessing Care, Joseph H. Hammer, David L. Vogel, Patrick R. Grzanka, Nayeon Kim, Brian T. Keum, Claire Adams, Sarah A. Wilson

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This article introduces the integrated behavioral model of mental health help seeking (IBM-HS), a theoretical model for understanding the constructs (e.g., systemic, predisposing, and enabling factors; mental health literacy; illness perceptions; perceived need; stigma; shame; perceived benefits, motivation) that influence people’s decision making around seeking professional mental health care and their ultimate access to formal treatment. The IBM-HS is a help-seeking-specific adaptation of the empirically supported integrated behavioral model and integrative model, which are themselves evolutions of the theory of planned behavior and theory of reasoned action. The IBM-HS posits that help-seeking determinants (e.g., structural forces; cultural influences; past help-seeking …

Solvent-Free Manufacturing Of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes Via Cold Plasma, Zhiming Liang, Tianyi Li, Holden Chi, Joseph Ziegelbauer, Kai Sun, Ming Wang, Wei Zhang, Tuo Liu, Yang-Tse Cheng, Zonghai Chen, Xiaohong Gayden, Chunmei Ban

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Slurry casting has been used to fabricate lithium-ion battery electrodes for decades, which involves toxic and expensive organic solvents followed by high-cost vacuum drying and electrode calendering. This work presents a new manufacturing method using a nonthermal plasma to create inter- particle binding without using any polymeric binding materials, enabling solvent-free manufacturing electrodes with any electrochemistry of choice. The cold-plasma-coating technique enables fabricating electrodes with thickness (>200 lm), high mass loading (>30 mg cm^-2), high peel strength, and the ability to print lithium-ion batteries in an arbitrary geometry. This crosscutting, chemistry agnostic, platform technology would increase energy density, …

Calculation Of Elastic Constants Of Bulk Metallic Glasses From Indentation Tests, Zhitong Xu, Ming Liu, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the challenges in the applications of instrumented indentation is to simultaneously measure elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of homogeneous, isotropic materials. This work proposes empirical equations for simultaneous calculation of elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) from the ratio of the short diagonal length to the long diagonal length and the area of the Knoop imprint. The parameters pre- sented in the empirical equations are determined first by Knoop microhardness tests of 24 BMGs, whose elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratios are measured by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. These empirical equations are further validated by the …

“Zero” Porosity High Loading Nmc622 Positive Electrodes For Li-Ion Batteries, Haidar Y. Alolaywi, Kubra Uzun, Yang-Tse Cheng

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

LiNi0.6 Mn0.2Co0.2 O 2 (NMC622) is a widely used positive electrode material for lithium-ion batteries, including electric vehicles. In this work, we investigated the effects of porosity, ranging from “zero” to the typical 35%, on the electrochemical behavior of high- loading NMC622 electrodes. Although it is well known that the energy density of the electrode increases with increasing areal capacity and decreasing porosity, NMC-positive electrodes with exceedingly low porosity (e.g., near zero) and high loading (e.g., 4 mAh cm−2 ) have not been investigated. Here, we report an intriguing observation that the “zero porosity” NMC electrode can have higher capacity …

Machine-Learning-Assisted Design Of Deep Eutectic Solvents Based On Uncovered Hydrogen Bond Patterns, Usman Lame Abbas, Yuxuan Zhang, Joseph Tapia, Md Selim, Jin Chen, Jian Shi, Qing Shao

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Non-ionic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are non-ionic designer solvents with various applications in catalysis, extraction, carbon capture, and pharmaceuticals. However, discovering new DES candidates is challenging due to a lack of efficient tools that accurately predict DES formation. The search for DES relies heavily on intuition or trial-and-error processes, leading to low success rates or missed opportuni- ties. Recognizing that hydrogen bonds (HBs) play a central role in DES formation, we aim to identify HB features that distinguish DES from non-DES systems and use them to develop machine learning (ML) models to discover new DES systems. We first analyze the …

Functionalized Microfiltration Membranes For Aerosol Capture To Chloro-Organic Degradation, Rollie George Mills

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The environmental remediation of water and air sources is a challenging field, due to widespread contamination, pollutant variety, and efficiency of existing treatment options. Remediation of certain pollutants, such as per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and viral aerosols, has shown promise via adsorptive, degradative, or filtration-based processes, each with their respective advantages and limitations. Membrane technology is one option that has exhibited considerable pollutant removal from environmental sources via reverse osmosis (RO) filtration, but is limited by low permeabilities and lack of pollutant detoxification. With the support of NIEHS and NSF, the functionalization …