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Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

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Full-Text Articles in Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel For Conformance Control In Ultra-High Temperature Reservoirs, Yanbo Liu, Tao Song, Caleb Kwasi Darko, Thomas P. Schuman, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai Jan 2026

Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel For Conformance Control In Ultra-High Temperature Reservoirs, Yanbo Liu, Tao Song, Caleb Kwasi Darko, Thomas P. Schuman, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preferential fluid flow remains a major challenge in subsurface energy production and gas storage operations, resulting in excessive water production in mature oil fields, reduced heat extraction in geothermal reservoirs, and low sweep and storage efficiency in CO2-EOR projects. Polymer gels are widely used to mitigate high-permeability channels; however, conventional systems exhibit limited plugging efficiency and short lifetimes in ultra-high-temperature reservoirs due to poor thermal stability. This study presents a novel ultra-high-temperature-resistant preformed particle gel (UHT-PPG) developed for conformance control in reservoirs with temperatures of 150–275 °C and severe super-K or channeling problems. The material was evaluated in …

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Synergistic Doping And Coating Strategy For Boosting Na0.7mno2 Cathode Performance In Sodium-Ion Batteries, Ahmad Helaley, Han Yu, Manashi Nath, Xinhua Liang Nov 2025

Synergistic Doping And Coating Strategy For Boosting Na0.7mno2 Cathode Performance In Sodium-Ion Batteries, Ahmad Helaley, Han Yu, Manashi Nath, Xinhua Liang

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Advancing sodium-ion battery (SIB) technology requires novel approaches to optimize cathode materials for improved electrochemical performance. In this study, we employ atomic layer deposition (ALD) to precisely modify the surface of P2-type Na0.7MnO2 cathodes with different coating materials including ZnO, NiO, and Al2O3, followed by post-annealing at 750°C for 10 hours. The strategic combination of ALD and thermal treatment can achieve thin film coating on particle surface and promote element doping into the near-surface lattice, as confirmed by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis. The incorporation of Zn, Al, and Ni results in …

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Laboratory Investigation Of High-Temperature Preformed Particle Gels For Fluid Control In Granite Cores For Geothermal Applications, K. Caleb Darko, Yanbo Liu, Thomas P. Schuman, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai Oct 2025

Laboratory Investigation Of High-Temperature Preformed Particle Gels For Fluid Control In Granite Cores For Geothermal Applications, K. Caleb Darko, Yanbo Liu, Thomas P. Schuman, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

To understand the applicability of high-temperature preformed particle gel (HT-PPG) for control of short-circuiting in enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs), core flooding experiments were conducted on fractured granite cores under varying fracture widths, gel particle sizes and swelling ratios. Key parameters such as injection pressure, water breakthrough pressure, and residual resistance factor were measured to evaluate HT-PPG performance. The gel exhibited strong injectability, entering granite fractures at pressure gradients as low as 0.656 MPa/m; HT-PPG yields a superior sealing performance by significantly reducing the permeability; and dehydration occurs during HT-PPG propagation, with a dehydration ratio ranging from 4.71% to 11.36%. This …

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Boosting The Power Performance Of Microbial Fuel Cells By Using Dual Nanomaterial-Modified Carbon Felt Electrodes, Krishna Thapa, Wenyan Liu, Yuwei Zhang, David J. Westenberg, Yishu Zhou, Risheng Wang Nov 2024

Boosting The Power Performance Of Microbial Fuel Cells By Using Dual Nanomaterial-Modified Carbon Felt Electrodes, Krishna Thapa, Wenyan Liu, Yuwei Zhang, David J. Westenberg, Yishu Zhou, Risheng Wang

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Innovative design enhancements to microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are pivotal for improving their viability as renewable energy sources. This study introduces a dual approach to electrode modification, integrating polyaniline (PANI) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on carbon felt (CF) anodes coupled with a unique cathode composed of DNA origami and chitosan. The synergistic effect of PANI and AuNPs significantly increases the hydrophilicity and conductivity of the anode, leading to a considerable surge in power density. Concurrently, the biocompatible DNA origami and chitosan-functionalized cathode facilitates efficient electron transfer without relying on conventional catalysts. Together, these modifications yield a 52.42% increase in the …

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Repeated Low-Level Blast Exposure Alters Urinary And Serum Metabolites, Austin Sigler, Jiandong Wu, Annalise Pfaff, Olajide Adetunji, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Donald James, Casey Burton, Honglan Shi May 2023

Repeated Low-Level Blast Exposure Alters Urinary And Serum Metabolites, Austin Sigler, Jiandong Wu, Annalise Pfaff, Olajide Adetunji, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Donald James, Casey Burton, Honglan Shi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Repeated exposure to low-level blast overpressures can produce biological changes and clinical sequelae that resemble mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). While recent efforts have revealed several protein biomarkers for axonal injury during repetitive blast exposure, this study aims to explore potential small molecule biomarkers of brain injury during repeated blast exposure. This study evaluated a panel of ten small molecule metabolites involved in neurotransmission, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism in the urine and serum of military personnel (n = 27) conducting breacher training with repeated exposure to low-level blasts. The metabolites were analyzed using HPLC—tandem mass spectrometry, and the Wilcoxon …

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Establishing Pteridine Metabolism In A Progressive Isogenic Breast Cancer Cell Model – Part Ii, Lindsey Rasmussen, Zachary Foulks, Jiandong Wu, Casey Burton, Honglan Shi May 2022

Establishing Pteridine Metabolism In A Progressive Isogenic Breast Cancer Cell Model – Part Ii, Lindsey Rasmussen, Zachary Foulks, Jiandong Wu, Casey Burton, Honglan Shi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Introduction: Determining the biological significance of pteridines in cancer development and progression remains an important step in understanding the altered levels of urinary pteridines seen in certain cancers. Our companion study revealed that several folate-derived pteridines and lumazines correlated with tumorigenicity in an isogenic, progressive breast cancer cell model, providing direct evidence for the tumorigenic origin of pteridines. Objectives: This study sought to elucidate the pteridine biosynthetic pathway in a progressive breast cancer model via direct pteridine dosing to determine how pteridine metabolism changes with tumorigenicity. Methods: First, MCF10AT breast cancer cells were dosed individually with 15 pteridines to determine …

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Thermal Analysis Of Adsorbed Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) On Silica, Frank D. Blum, Erin N. Young, Gregory Smith, Oliver C. Sitton May 2006

Thermal Analysis Of Adsorbed Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) On Silica, Frank D. Blum, Erin N. Young, Gregory Smith, Oliver C. Sitton

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Modulated differential scanning calorimetry has been used to quantify the glass transitions of small, adsorbed amounts of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) on silica. While a relatively narrow, single glass transition was found for bulk PMMA, broader two-component transitions were found for the adsorbed polymer. a two-state model based on loosely bound polymer (glass transition similar to bulk) and more tightly bound polymer (glass transition centered around 156°C) was used to interpret the thermograms. on the basis of this model, the amount of tightly bound polymer was found to be approximately 1.3 mg/m 2, corresponding to a 1.1 nm thick layer. …

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High Efficiency Separation Of Microbial Aggregates Using Capillary Electrophoresis, J. M. Schneiderheinze, Daniel W. Armstrong, G. Schulte, David J. Westenberg Aug 2000

High Efficiency Separation Of Microbial Aggregates Using Capillary Electrophoresis, J. M. Schneiderheinze, Daniel W. Armstrong, G. Schulte, David J. Westenberg

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recent advances in the technique of capillary electrophoresis have demonstrated fast, highly efficient separation of mixtures of intact microbes. This paper describes the application of this technique for the separation of microbial aggregates of Micrococcus luteus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Alcaligenes faecalis. The aggregates of these microbes were resolved into several highly efficient peaks with analysis times under 10 min and efficiencies approaching 1 000 000 plates m-1 in some cases. A reproducible relationship was found between the electrophoretic mobility and the aggregation number or size of the cluster under a given set of experimental conditions. Often, cellular aggregation was reversible …

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Plasma Polymerization Of Tetrafluoroethylene. I. Inductive Radio Frequency Discharge, H. Yasuda, N. Morosoff, E. S. Brandt, C. N. Reilley Jan 1979

Plasma Polymerization Of Tetrafluoroethylene. I. Inductive Radio Frequency Discharge, H. Yasuda, N. Morosoff, E. S. Brandt, C. N. Reilley

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The plasma polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene in an inductively coupled radio frequency glow discharge, using a flow system, was studied. A simple long tube reactor, with the coupling coil placed at the middle of the tube and gas entrance and exit at the respective ends, was used. Deposition rates and the chemical nature of the polymer (as revealed by ESCA spectra and surface energy studies) are obtained as a function of location in the reactor tube with respect to the coupling coil and of applied energy per unit mass of tetrafluoroethylene (W/FM). It was found that a fluorine poor polymer, containing …

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