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Chemical Engineering Commons™

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2015

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Articles 61 - 90 of 488

Full-Text Articles in Chemical Engineering

A Framework For An Economic Model Of Novel Process For The Fractionation Of Dried Distillers Grain With Solubles, R. Zakrzewski, K. Gounaropoulos, R. Allmendinger, M. Villegas Torres, C. Ibenegbu, R. Roque, S. Farid, J. Ward, G. Lye Sep 2015

A Framework For An Economic Model Of Novel Process For The Fractionation Of Dried Distillers Grain With Solubles, R. Zakrzewski, K. Gounaropoulos, R. Allmendinger, M. Villegas Torres, C. Ibenegbu, R. Roque, S. Farid, J. Ward, G. Lye

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

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Elevated Test Pressure Significantly Reduces Dynamic Accumulation Oxygen Transmission Rate (Astm F3136) Measurement Time For Barrier Packaging Films, Bruce A. Welt Sep 2015

Elevated Test Pressure Significantly Reduces Dynamic Accumulation Oxygen Transmission Rate (Astm F3136) Measurement Time For Barrier Packaging Films, Bruce A. Welt

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Measurement of gas transmission rates of materials is important for successful package design. The dynamic accumulation (DA) method (ASTM F3136) is becoming increasingly popular for measuring oxygen transmission rate (OTR) due to its simplicity and low cost. However, measurement time increases with barrier properties of materials, limiting measurement throughput. A dynamic accumulation measurement prototype capable of operating up to 1,000 psig was developed in order to accelerate gas transfer by boosting concentration gradients via elevated absolute pressures. Results show that measurement results were independent of test pressure while measurement times were substantially reduced. These results also suggest that gas transmission …

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Hybrid Dynamic Optimization Methods For Systems Biology With Efficient Sensitivities, Nicholas Lewis, John Hedengren, Eric Haseltine Sep 2015

Hybrid Dynamic Optimization Methods For Systems Biology With Efficient Sensitivities, Nicholas Lewis, John Hedengren, Eric Haseltine

Faculty Publications

In recent years, model optimization in the field of computational biology has become a prominent area for development of pharmaceutical drugs. The increased amount of experimental data leads to the increase in complexity of proposed models. With increased complexity comes a necessity for computational algorithms that are able to handle the large datasets that are used to fit model parameters. In this study the ability of simultaneous, hybrid simultaneous, and sequential algorithms are tested on two models representative of computational systems biology. The first case models the cells affected by a virus in a population and serves as a benchmark …

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Structural And Functional Characterization Of A Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase With Broad Substrate Specificity, Anna S. Borisova, Trine Isaksen, Maria Dimarogona, Abhishek A. Kognole, Geir Mathiesen, Anikó Várnai, Åsmund K. Røhr, Christina M. Payne, Morten Sørlie, Mats Sandgren, Vincent G. H. Eijsink Sep 2015

Structural And Functional Characterization Of A Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase With Broad Substrate Specificity, Anna S. Borisova, Trine Isaksen, Maria Dimarogona, Abhishek A. Kognole, Geir Mathiesen, Anikó Várnai, Åsmund K. Røhr, Christina M. Payne, Morten Sørlie, Mats Sandgren, Vincent G. H. Eijsink

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The recently discovered lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) carry out oxidative cleavage of polysaccharides and are of major importance for efficient processing of biomass. NcLPMO9C from Neurospora crassa acts both on cellulose and on non-cellulose β-glucans, including cellodextrins and xyloglucan. The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of NcLPMO9C revealed an extended, highly polar substrate-binding surface well suited to interact with a variety of sugar substrates. The ability of NcLPMO9C to act on soluble substrates was exploited to study enzyme-substrate interactions. EPR studies demonstrated that the Cu2+ center environment is altered upon substrate binding, whereas isothermal titration …

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Interplays Of Co2, Subnanometer Metal Clusters, And Tio2: Implications For Catalysis And Co2 Photoreduction, Chi-Ta Yang Sep 2015

Interplays Of Co2, Subnanometer Metal Clusters, And Tio2: Implications For Catalysis And Co2 Photoreduction, Chi-Ta Yang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research is motivated by two significant challenges facing the planet: reducing the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere and production of sustainable fuels by harnessing solar energy. The main objective of this work is the study of promising photocatalysts for CO2 reduction. DFT modeling of CO2, subnanometer Ag&Pt clusters, and anatase TiO2 (101) surface is employed to gain fundamental understanding of the catalytic process, followed by validation using a guided experimental endeavor. The binding mechanism of CO2 on the surface is investigated in detail to gain insights into the catalytic activity and to assist …

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An Investigation On The Band Gap And Band Edge Of Semi-Conducting Lanthanum Transition Metal Perovskites For Photocatalytic Applications, Divya Suresh Sep 2015

An Investigation On The Band Gap And Band Edge Of Semi-Conducting Lanthanum Transition Metal Perovskites For Photocatalytic Applications, Divya Suresh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For the past few decades, a frenzy of attention has been given towards the development of an assortment of photocatalysts as a solution for various environmental problems. TiO2 is the most widely used photocatalyst. TiO2 is biocompatible, chemically and thermally stable but TiO2 and a vast majority other photocatalysts have large band gaps, and hence they find applicability only in the UV region of the solar spectrum. These large band gap photocatalysts suffer a severe limitation with regard to their overall process efficiency as the UV region contributes to about 3 to 4 % of the solar spectrum in terms …

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Applications Of Optical Properties From Nanomaterials For Enhanced Activity Of A Titania Photocatalyst Under Solar Radiation, Jon W. Pickering Sep 2015

Applications Of Optical Properties From Nanomaterials For Enhanced Activity Of A Titania Photocatalyst Under Solar Radiation, Jon W. Pickering

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, employing advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) as a means of wastewater remediation has emerged as a promising route towards maintaining a sustainable global water management program. The heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation process has been of particular interest due to the prospective of utilizing solar radiation as the driving force behind the degradation of pollutants. Of the photocatalyst studied to date, TiO2 remains the most attractive material for environmental applications due to its affordability, stability, biocompatibility and high quantum yield. A key draw back however is roughly only 5% of solar radiation incident on earth can provide the energy required …

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Topographical Enhancement Of Cell Adhesion On Poorly Adhesive Materials, Maritza Muniz Maisonet Sep 2015

Topographical Enhancement Of Cell Adhesion On Poorly Adhesive Materials, Maritza Muniz Maisonet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall thrust of this dissertation is to gain a fundamental understanding of the synergistic effects between surface topography and chemical functionality of poorly adhesive materials on enhancing the adhesion of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Cellular response to surface topography and chemical functionality have been extensively studied on their own providing valuable information that helps in the design of new and improved biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. However, there is a lack of understanding of the synergistic effect of microscale and nanoscale topography with chemical functionality and the relative impact and contribution of each in modulating cellular behavior. By understanding the …

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Morphology Of Nanoporous Carbon-Binder Domains In Li-Ion Batteries—A Fib-Sem Study, Severin Vierrath, Lukas Zielke, Riko Moroni, Andrew Mordon, Dean R. Wheeler, Roland Zengerle, Simon Thiele Sep 2015

Morphology Of Nanoporous Carbon-Binder Domains In Li-Ion Batteries—A Fib-Sem Study, Severin Vierrath, Lukas Zielke, Riko Moroni, Andrew Mordon, Dean R. Wheeler, Roland Zengerle, Simon Thiele

Faculty Publications

FIB-SEM tomography is used to reconstruct the carbon-binder domain (CBD) of a LiCoO2 battery cathode (3.9 × 5 × 2.3 μm3) with contrast enhancement by ZnO infiltration via atomic layer deposition. We calculate the porosity inside the CBD (57.6%), the cluster-size distribution with a peak at 54 nm, and the pore-size distribution with a peak at 64 nm. The tortuosities of the pore space (1.6–2.0) and the CBD (2.3–3.5) show a mild anisotropy, which is attributed to the fabrication process. A comparison to a modeled homogenous CBD reveals that clustering in the CBD decreases its electronic conductivity while increasing …

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The Study Of Plga Drug Delivery Systems: Implications For Management Of Crohn’S Disease, Christin Pramudiati Sep 2015

The Study Of Plga Drug Delivery Systems: Implications For Management Of Crohn’S Disease, Christin Pramudiati

Kaleidoscope

The purpose of this research is to develop biodegradable drug delivery systems. One of the delivery systems that we have developed is a suture-like structure for the treatment of Crohn’s disease that utilizes a biodegradable polymer, poly(DL-lactideco-glycolide) acid (PLGA). Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel condition. Aside from the gut involvement, perianal complications develop in the form of enterocutaneous fistulas. Medical management of Crohn’s disease consists of various drugs with immunosuppressive properties. Complicated disease manifestation requires surgical interventions in the form of bowel resection or fistula drainage with Setons. Setons are suture-like devices that help to drain associated abscesses and …

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An Improved Statistical Analysis For Predicting The Critical Temperature And Critical Density With Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo Simulation, Richard A. Messerly, Richard L. Rowley, Thomas A. Knotts Iv, W Vincent Wilding Sep 2015

An Improved Statistical Analysis For Predicting The Critical Temperature And Critical Density With Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo Simulation, Richard A. Messerly, Richard L. Rowley, Thomas A. Knotts Iv, W Vincent Wilding

Faculty Publications

A rigorous statistical analysis is presented for Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. This analysis reduces the uncertainty in the critical point estimate when compared with traditional methods found in the literature. Two different improvements are recommended due to the following results. First, the traditional propagation of error approach for estimating the standard deviations used in regression improperly weighs the terms in the objective function due to the inherent interdependence of the vapor and liquid densities. For this reason, an error model is developed to predict the standard deviations. Second, and most importantly, a rigorous algorithm for nonlinear regression is compared …

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The Effect Of Surface Modification Of Aligned Poly-L-Lactic Acid Electrospun Fibers On Fiber Degradation And Neurite Extension, Nicholas J. Schaub, Clémentine Le Beux, Jianjun Miao, Robert J. Linhardt, Johan G. Alauzun, Danielle Laurencin, Ryan J. Gilbert Sep 2015

The Effect Of Surface Modification Of Aligned Poly-L-Lactic Acid Electrospun Fibers On Fiber Degradation And Neurite Extension, Nicholas J. Schaub, Clémentine Le Beux, Jianjun Miao, Robert J. Linhardt, Johan G. Alauzun, Danielle Laurencin, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The surface of aligned, electro spun poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) fibers was chemically modified to determine if surface chemistry and hydrophilicity could improve neurite extension from chick dorsal root ganglia. Specifically, diethylenetriamine (DTA, for amine functionalization), 2-(2-aminoethoxy) ethanol (AEO, for alcohol functionalization), or GRGDS (cell adhesion peptide) were covalently attached to the surface of electro spun fibers. Water contact angle measurements revealed that surface modification of electro spun fibers significantly improved fiber hydrophilicity compared to unmodified fibers (p < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of fibers revealed that surface modification changed fiber topography modestly, with DTA modified fibers displaying the roughest surface structure. Degradation of chemically modified fibers revealed no change in fiber diameter in any group over a period of seven days. Unexpectedly, neurites from chick DRG were longest on fibers without surface modification (1651 ± 488 μm) and fibers containing GRGDS (1560 ± 107 μm). Fibers modified with oxygen plasma (1240 ± 143 μm) or DTA (1118 ± 82 μm) produced shorter neurites than the GRGDS or unmodified fibers but were not statistically shorter than unmodified and GRGDS modified fibers. Fibers modified with AEO (844 ± 151 μm) were significantly shorter than unmodified and GRGDS modified fibers (p< 0.05). Based on these results, we conclude that fiber hydrophilic enhancement alone on electro spun PLLA fibers does not enhance neurite outgrowth. Further work must be conducted to better understand why neurite extension was not improved on more hydrophilic fibers, but the results presented here do not recommend hydrophilic surface modification for the purpose of improving neurite extension unless a bioactive ligand is used.

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A Numerical Comparison Of Precipitating Turbulent Flows Between Large-Eddy Simulation And One-Dimensional Turbulence, Alex W. Abboud, Ben B. Schroeder, Tony Saad, Sean T. Smith, Derek D. Harris, David O. Lignell Sep 2015

A Numerical Comparison Of Precipitating Turbulent Flows Between Large-Eddy Simulation And One-Dimensional Turbulence, Alex W. Abboud, Ben B. Schroeder, Tony Saad, Sean T. Smith, Derek D. Harris, David O. Lignell

Faculty Publications

This study presents the results of computational fluid dynamics simulations of a multiphase, reacting, turbulent mixing layer in an idealized geometry. The purpose is to compare large-eddy simulation (LES) to one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) and examine the trends of the flow under differing mixing conditions. Aqueous streams are mixed together to precipitate polymorphs of calcium carbonate. The polymorphs of calcium carbonate are tracked numerically using population balance equations (PBE). Each PBE contains all of the relevant physical models to track the particle evolution including nucleation, growth, and aggregation. A simple subgrid mixing model that is convenient for use with PBEs was …

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Local Time-Averaged Gas Holdup In Fluidized Bed Reactor Using Gamma Ray Computed Tomography Technique (Ct), Abdelsalam Efhaima, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan Sep 2015

Local Time-Averaged Gas Holdup In Fluidized Bed Reactor Using Gamma Ray Computed Tomography Technique (Ct), Abdelsalam Efhaima, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many Invasive and Non-Invasive Techniques Have Been Used to Analyze the Hydrodynamics of Fluidized Beds. in This Study, the Effect of Superficial Gas Velocity and Bed Particle Density on the Hydrodynamics of Gas–solid Fluidized Beds Was Investigated by using a Cylindrical Plexiglas Fluidized Bed Column, 14 Cm in Diameter. Air at Room Temperature Was Used as the Fluidizing Gas and Two Different Geldart Type-B Particles Were Used: Glass Beads and Copper Particles with Material Densities of 2.5 and 5.3 G/cm3, Respectively, with the Same Size Particle, 210 µm. to Measure the Time-Averaged Cross-Sectional Gas and Solid Holdup Distribution, Gamma Ray …

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The Role Of Biological Fluid And Dynamic Flow In The Behavior And Cellular Interactions Of Gold Nanoparticles, Emily K. Breitner, Saber M. Hussain, Kristen K. Comfort Sep 2015

The Role Of Biological Fluid And Dynamic Flow In The Behavior And Cellular Interactions Of Gold Nanoparticles, Emily K. Breitner, Saber M. Hussain, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Due to their distinctive physicochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) have proven to be extremely advantageous for product and application development, but are also capable of inducing detrimental outcomes in biological systems. Standard in vitro methodologies are currently the primary means for evaluating NP safety, as vast quantities of particles exist that require appraisal. However, cell-based models are plagued by the fact that they are not representative of complex physiological systems. The need for a more accurate exposure model is highlighted by the fact that NP behavior and subsequent bioresponses are highly dependent upon their surroundings. Therefore, standard in vitro models …

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Characterization Of Iron Phthalocyanine As The Cathode Active Material For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Sarwan S. Sandhu, Joseph P. Fellner Sep 2015

Characterization Of Iron Phthalocyanine As The Cathode Active Material For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Sarwan S. Sandhu, Joseph P. Fellner

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The developed thermodynamic functions for the determination of Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of formation of solid lithium-iron phthalocyanine (LixFePc) from solid lithium and iron phthalocyanine as a function of x, defined as g-moles of the intercalated lithium per g-mole of iron phthalocyanine, at a fixed set of temperature and pressure conditions are presented. In addition, a proposed expression for the evaluation of lithium diffusion coefficient in solid iron phthalocyanine as a function of both x and temperature, and the experimental results from the ongoing research/development work on the lithium/iron phthalocyanine cells are included.

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An Improved Dynamic Particle Packing Model For Prediction Of The Microstructure In Porous Electrodes, Chien-Wei Chao Sep 2015

An Improved Dynamic Particle Packing Model For Prediction Of The Microstructure In Porous Electrodes, Chien-Wei Chao

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this work is to develop a model to predict the microstructure of Li-ion batteries, specifically focusing on the cathode component of the batteries. This kind of model has the potential to assist researchers and battery manufacturers who are trying to optimize the capacity, cycle life, and safety of batteries. Two dynamic particle packing (DPP) microstructure models were developed in this work. The first is the DPP1 model, which simulates the final or dried electrode structure by moving spherical particles under periodic boundaries using Newton's laws of motion. The experience derived from developing DPP1 model was beneficial in …

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Hydrodynamics, Dissolution, And Mass Transfer Effects In Different Dissolution Testing Apparatuses And Laboratory Systems, Bing Wang Aug 2015

Hydrodynamics, Dissolution, And Mass Transfer Effects In Different Dissolution Testing Apparatuses And Laboratory Systems, Bing Wang

Dissertations

Dissolution testing apparatuses and shaker flasks agitated by shaker tables are laboratory systems routinely found in many laboratories at most companies and agencies, and especially in pharmaceutical companies. These devices are commonly used in a number of applications, from drug development to quality control. Despite their common use, these systems have not been fully investigated from an engineering perspective in order to understand their operation characteristics. For example, the hydrodynamics of many of these systems have received little attention until relatively recently, and only over the last few years have some of these systems, such as the USP dissolution testing …

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Magnetic Ngf-Releasing Plla/Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Direct Extending Neurites And Preferentially Guide Neurites Along Aligned Electrospun Microfibers, Jonathan M. Zuidema, Christina Provenza, Tyler Caliendo, Silvio Dutz, Ryan J. Gilbert Aug 2015

Magnetic Ngf-Releasing Plla/Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Direct Extending Neurites And Preferentially Guide Neurites Along Aligned Electrospun Microfibers, Jonathan M. Zuidema, Christina Provenza, Tyler Caliendo, Silvio Dutz, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nerve growth factor releasing composite nanoparticles (NGF-cNPs) were developed to direct the extension of neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles were incorporated into poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) nanoparticles in order to position the NGF-cNPs in a culture dish. Neurites growing from DRG extended toward the NGF released from the NGF-cNPs. DRG were then cultured on aligned PLLA microfibers in the presence of NGF-cNPs, and these biomaterials combined to align DRG neurite extension along one axis and preferentially toward the NGF-cNPs. This combinatorial biomaterial approach shows promise as a strategy to direct the extension of regenerating neurites.

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Effect Of Adsorption Potential On Co Oxidation At Au@Pt Nanoparticles Electrodes, A Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Study, Pu Zhang, Yi Wei, Yong-Li Zheng, Yan-Xia Chen, Zhong-Qun Tian Aug 2015

Effect Of Adsorption Potential On Co Oxidation At Au@Pt Nanoparticles Electrodes, A Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Study, Pu Zhang, Yi Wei, Yong-Li Zheng, Yan-Xia Chen, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

The adsorption/oxidation of CO on the 55 nm [email protected] nm Pt nanoparticles electrode in both potentiodynamic and potentiostatic modes were investigated by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy in a thin layer electrochemical flow cell under controlled mass transport, with the aim of clarifying the origin CO oxidation at lower electrode potentials (in current pre-wave region of corresponding cyclic voltammograms). Our results demonstrated that the CO oxidation kinetics differed significantly from the three kinds of different CO adsorption history, with almost no CO oxidation current in the pre-peak potential region after 0.35 VRHE CO adsorption with or without subsequent holding the …

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Effect Of Carbon Nanotubes On Anodic Properties Of Ti/Ru-Ir-Sn Oxides, Feng Lian, Yong-Lei Xin, Bo-Jiang Ma, Li-Kun Xu Aug 2015

Effect Of Carbon Nanotubes On Anodic Properties Of Ti/Ru-Ir-Sn Oxides, Feng Lian, Yong-Lei Xin, Bo-Jiang Ma, Li-Kun Xu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Ru-Ir-Sn metal oxide anodes coated on titanium (Ti/Ru-Ir-Sn) were prepared by thermal decomposition. The effects of amounts of carbon naotubes (CNTs) on anodic properties were studied by TGA, SEM, EDS, cyclic voltammetry, EIS, polarization measurements and accelerated life test. The thermogravimetric analysis and EDS spectrum data showed that the high temperature oxidation decomposition of CNTs did not take place under the condition of the sintering temperature of 470 ℃, and the CNTS still existed in the anode coating in an element form. Compared with the contrast samples, the surface crack of the coating increased, but remained typical morphology. Adding …

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Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Mn3O4/Graphene Composites, Shan-Shan Yang, Qian Zhang, Xiong-Gui Lin, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong Aug 2015

Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Mn3O4/Graphene Composites, Shan-Shan Yang, Qian Zhang, Xiong-Gui Lin, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Mn3O4/Graphene composites were synthesized by hydrothermal method with the in-situ redox reaction of graphene oxide (GO) and manganese acetate (Mn(Ac)2). The phase structures and morphologies of the materials were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The XPS and IR techniques were used for studying the residual function groups of reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The electrochemical performances of the hybrids were tested in a coin cell. Results showed that the composites prepared with the addition of ammonia water (RM-A) have better performance. The graphenes in RM-A were better-reduced and the Mn3O4 …

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Synthesis, Structure And Electrochemical Performance Of Na2Mnsio4/C Cathode Material For Na-Ion Batteries, Shou-Ding Li, Jiang-Huai Guo, Yong Xie, Jin-Xiao Mi, Yong Yang Aug 2015

Synthesis, Structure And Electrochemical Performance Of Na2Mnsio4/C Cathode Material For Na-Ion Batteries, Shou-Ding Li, Jiang-Huai Guo, Yong Xie, Jin-Xiao Mi, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

As a promising cathode material for sodium ion batteries, pure phase Na2MnSiO4/C nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method with a citric acid as a complex agent. The as prepared material was characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM techniques. XRD and Rietveld refinement results indicated that the sample was indexed as monoclinic structure with space group of Pn. It was observed by SEM and TEM that the obtained product consisted of micro-scaled secondary particles, which were composed of NaMnSiO4 nanocrystallites and amorphous carbon network. More importantly, the uniform carbon network in the …

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Tungsten Carbide/Carbon Electrode Material Synthesized By Block Copolymer Template Method, Xiao-Ling Lang, Ye-Kun Jiang, Mei-Qin Shi, Ling-Zhi Kang, Chun-An Ma Aug 2015

Tungsten Carbide/Carbon Electrode Material Synthesized By Block Copolymer Template Method, Xiao-Ling Lang, Ye-Kun Jiang, Mei-Qin Shi, Ling-Zhi Kang, Chun-An Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

At present, one of the major hurdles for commercialization of system with direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is still the requirement of a significant amount of platinum (Pt) catalyst to achieve an acceptable power density. Pt and Pt-based metals are expensive due to limited supplies. In order to find the catalyst alternative to the Pt metal, we selected tungsten carbide (WC) and its composites as the study object. We synthesized WC with carbon materials as the suitable support to modify the electronic structure and to increase the specific surface area of WC. In this study, tungsten carbide/carbon (WC/C) was prepared …

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Mechanism Study On The Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Acetylene To Oxalic Acid, Xiu-Li Song, Rui-Long Jia, Wen-Yan Dong, Zhen-Hai Liang Aug 2015

Mechanism Study On The Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Acetylene To Oxalic Acid, Xiu-Li Song, Rui-Long Jia, Wen-Yan Dong, Zhen-Hai Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A new method of electrocatalytic synthesis oxalic acid from acetylene was explored and the synthesized oxalic acid was characterized by Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (Uv-vis) and Infrared spectroscopy (IR). First-principles calculations were carried out to examine the adsorption of acetylene over the Pt(111) surface. The electrocatalytic oxidation behavior of acetylene has been investigated on a Pt electrode by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and steady-state polarization in Na2SO4 solution. The formation mechanism of oxalic acid in the Na2SO4 solution was proposed and the transfer coefficients of the reaction were calculated. The results show that acetylene molecule tends to …

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Preparation And Characterization Of Carbon Supported Pd-Sb Composite Nanocatalysts For Formic Acid Electrooxidation, Long-Long Wang, Xiao-Lu Cao, Ya-Jun Wang, Jin-Hao Ping, Qiao-Xia Li Aug 2015

Preparation And Characterization Of Carbon Supported Pd-Sb Composite Nanocatalysts For Formic Acid Electrooxidation, Long-Long Wang, Xiao-Lu Cao, Ya-Jun Wang, Jin-Hao Ping, Qiao-Xia Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Palladium is considered as an efficient anode catalyst with high catalytic activity for electrooxidation of formic acid. To further improve the catalytic activity and stability, alloying or surface modification with Sb is an effective way. In this work, the well dispersed carbon supported Pd-Sb composite nanocatalysts (Pd-Sb/C) were synthesized by traditional impregnation reduction method with trisodium citrate as the complexing agent, sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. The morphologies of Pd-Sb/C and the effects of molar ratio of Pd to Sb on the electrocatalytic properties of Pd-Sb/C for HCOOH electrooxidation were studied. The XRD and XPS analyses on the as-prepared …

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Vanillyl Alcohol Based Thermosetting Epoxy Resins, Eric Hernandez Aug 2015

Synthesis And Characterization Of Vanillyl Alcohol Based Thermosetting Epoxy Resins, Eric Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Lignin is a natural and abundant renewable material composed of crosslinked phenylpropenyl units that when strategically depolymerized could potentially yield renewable bio-based aromatic building blocks for applications in high-performance thermosetting epoxy resins. Vanillyl alcohol, a lignin derived aromatic diol, is a potential platform chemical for the production of renewable bisphenols and epoxy thermosets. A new bio-based bisphenol (bisguaiacol) was synthesized via electrophilic aromatic condensation of vanillyl alcohol and guaiacol, from which diglycidyl ether of bisguaiacol (DGEBG) was prepared via epoxidation with epichlorohydrin.The thermomechanical properties of DGEBG blended with a commercial BPA-based epoxy resin and cured with a diamine were investigated …

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Raman Spectroscopy Applied To The Noninvasive Detection Of Monosodium Urate Crystal Deposits, Declan J. Curran, Laurence Rubin, Mark R. Towler Aug 2015

Raman Spectroscopy Applied To The Noninvasive Detection Of Monosodium Urate Crystal Deposits, Declan J. Curran, Laurence Rubin, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An off-the-shelf Raman Spectrometer (RS) was used to noninvasively determine the presence of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals on the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) of a single gout sufferer. The spectrum sourced from the clinically diagnosed gout sufferer was compared to that sourced from an age-matched healthy subject scanned using the same protocol. Minimal signal processing was conducted on both spectra. Peaks characteristic of MSU crystals were evident on the spectrum sourced from the gout sufferer and not on the spectrum from the healthy control.

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Communication: Antibody Stability And Behavior On Surfaces, Derek B. Bush, Thomas A. Knotts Iv Aug 2015

Communication: Antibody Stability And Behavior On Surfaces, Derek B. Bush, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

Antibody microarrays have the potential to revolutionize molecular detection in scientific, medical, and other biosensor applications, but their current use is limited because of poor reliability. It is hypothesized that one reason for their poor performance results from strong antibody-surface interactions that destabilize the antibody structure and create steric interference for antigen recognition. Using a recently developed coarse-grain protein-surface model that has been parameterized against experimental data, antibody-surface interactions for two antibody orientations on two types of surfaces have been investigated. The results show that regardless of attachment geometry, antibodies tend to collapse onto hydrophobic surfaces and exhibit lower overall …

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Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation Of Nitroarenes Catalyzed By Highly Dispersed, Supported Nickel Nanoparticles, Chengjun Jiang, Zeyu Shang, Xinhua Liang Aug 2015

Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation Of Nitroarenes Catalyzed By Highly Dispersed, Supported Nickel Nanoparticles, Chengjun Jiang, Zeyu Shang, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A recyclable highly dispersed Ni/SiO2 catalyst was prepared by atomic layer deposition. Chemo selective reduction of nitroarenes was studied using the prepared Ni/SiO2 as the catalyst and hydrazine hydrate as a hydrogen donor. Different kinds of nitroarenes were converted to the corresponding anilines with high yields. The high activity of the catalysts could be a result of the highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles. (Chemical Presented).

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