Membrane Science Commons^™

Nanoscale Modeling Of Membrane Systems Under Mechanical Deformation In Traumatic Brain Injury Using Molecular Dynamics, Anh Thi Ngoc Vo

Theses and Dissertations

Neuronal membrane disruption and mechanoporation are nanoscale damage mechanisms that critically affect brain cell viability during traumatic brain injury (TBI). These nanoscale cellular impairments are elusive in experiments and necessitate in silico approaches such as molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Implementing MD, this research aims to investigate the effects of different key factors related to membrane deformation and damage, including force field resolutions, lipid compositions, and loading conditions.

To examine the impact of force field resolution, MD deformation simulations were conducted on 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) lipid bilayer membranes, using all-atom (AA), united-atom (UA), and coarse-grained Martini (CG-M) force fields. The mechanical responses …

Investigating The Performance Of Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions As Potential Draw Solutions For Fertilizer Drawn Forward Osmosis, Mohamed Bassiouny Abu Qersh

Theses and Dissertations

This research project aims at investigating the performance of hydroponic nutrient solutions as draw solutions for desalination using the fertilizer drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) process. Six different lettuce and leafy greens hydroponic nutrient stock solutions were prepared according to the literature and used in this study and tested on a bench-scale forward osmosis unit as draw solutions for the process. The feed solutions for the process was de-ionized water mixed with Sodium Chloride in different concentrations to represent different salinities of brackish groundwater. The draw efficiency of each solution was measured based on water flux, reverse solute flux, water recovery, …

Capillary Forces In Partially Saturated Thin Fibrous Media, Ali Moghadam

Theses and Dissertations

Capillarity is often exploited in self-cleaning, drag reducing and fluid absorption/storage (sanitary products) purposes just to name a few. Formulating the underlying physics of capillarity helps future design and development of optimized structures. This work reports on developing computational models to quantify the capillary pressure and capillary forces on the fibrous surfaces. To this end, the current study utilizes a novel mass-spring-damper approach to incorporate the mechanical properties of the fibers in generating virtual fibrous structures that can best represent fibrous membranes. Such virtual fibrous structures are then subjected to a pressure estimation model, developed for the first time in …

Modeling Electrospun Fibrous Materials, Sina Hassanpouryousefi

Theses and Dissertations

Electrospinning has been the focus of countless studies for the past decades for applications, including but not limited to, filtration, tissue engineering, and catalysis. Electrospinning is a one-step process for producing nano- and/or micro-fibrous materials with diameters ranging typically from 50 to 5000 nm. The simulation algorithm presented here is based on a novel mass-spring-damper (MSD) approach devised to incorporate the mechanical properties of the fibers in predicting the formation and morphology of the electrospun fibers as they travel from the needle toward the collector, and as they deposit on the substrate. This work is the first to develop a …

Process Intervention For Water Recovery In Food Manufacture, Christian Michael Wisniewski

Theses and Dissertations

A case study has been conducted for the recovery of water from complex wastewater at a soluble coffee manufacturing factory. The study has evaluated separation methods for process intervention based on environmental and economic assessments. Water recovery was identified in two possible wastewater streams at the factory: the overall plant effluent and an intermediate stream before it enters on-site pre-treatment. A novel vibratory field membrane separation was tested at the laboratory scale using real factory wastewater and scaled-up using appropriate design protocols. Recovery of water from the intermediate stream proved the most effective, both environmentally and economically. The full-scale vibratory …

Designed Synthesis Of Nanoporous Organic Polymers For Selective Gas Uptake And Catalytic Applications, Pezhman Arab

Theses and Dissertations

Design and synthesis of porous organic polymers have attracted considerable attentions during the past decade due to their wide range of applications in gas storage, gas separation, energy conversion, and catalysis. Porous organic polymers can be pre-synthetically and post-synthetically functionalized with a wide variety of functionalities for desirable applications. Along these pursuits, we introduced new synthetic strategies for preparation of porous organic polymers for selective CO₂ capture.

Porous azo-linked polymers (ALPs) were synthesized by an oxidative reaction of amine-based monomers using copper(I) as a catalyst which leads to azo-linkage formation. ALPs exhibit high surface areas of up to 1200 …