Polymer Science Commons^™

Experimental Evaluation Of Membranes In The Recovery Of Hydrogen From Serpentinization, Rafael Dos Santos

LSU Master's Theses

Natural hydrogen generated through serpentinization reactions has emerged as a promising low-carbon energy resource. However, serpentinization-derived gas streams commonly contain methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), requiring purification before hydrogen can be utilized in industrial applications. Membrane-based gas separation technologies offer a potentially cost-effective solution for hydrogen recovery; however, to the best of the author's knowledge, no previous studies have specifically investigated their application to serpentinization-derived gas streams.

This work evaluates the performance of two commercial polymeric membrane modules (Evonik and Generon) and one palladium-copper (Pd-Cu) membrane module (Okaya) for hydrogen recovery from gas compositions representative of serpentinization environments. An …

Programming The Properties Of Branched Polymers Through Precision Architectures, Michael R. Dearman

LSU Master's Theses

The glass transition of branched polymers is determined by multiple structural parameters that dictate their inter- and intramolecular interactions, and ultimately, their molecular packing in the amorphous phase. Here we examined the impact of side chain length, backbone length, molecular weight composition, and topology on the glass transition behavior of bottlebrush polymers. Through examining precision bottlebrush polymer libraries (PBP, ĐSC = 1.0), we find the infinite molecular weight Tg is reached at a specific brush length after which the effect of the side-chain length dominates. Being a factor more dominant than the backbone, side-chain length affects the Tg of bottlebrush …

Degumming Of Hemp Fibers Using Combined Microwave Energy And Deep Eutectic Solvent, Bulbul Ahmed

LSU Master's Theses

Hemp is considered as one of the sustainable agricultural fiber materials. Degumming or surface modification of hemp bast is needed to produce single fibers for ensuing textile and industrial applications. The traditional degumming process necessitates a high amount of alkali, which causes detrimental environmental pollution. This study offers a new method to degum hemp fibers with reduced use of harmful alkali and precious water resources. In this work, hemp bast fibers were degummed by using combined microwave energy and deep eutectic solvent (DES). The properties of hemp fibers manufactured by this method were investigated and compared with the traditional alkali …

Modulating Mechanical Properties Of Polymer Composites Via Colloidal Particle Reinforcement, Yusheng Guo

LSU Master's Theses

Additive manufacturing allows the rapid process of complex objects with excellent design flexibility. However, the products often exhibit poor mechanical properties when pure polymer is applied as printable material. In this work, we demonstrate that printability of polymer can be dramatically improved when particle filler is added to form reinforced polymer composites. Furthermore, the interaction between filler and polymer matrix leads to the enhancement in mechanical properties of the printed product. The material reinforcement induced by addition of fillers enables the wide application of polymer composites to print structures with unique features. In the printing of silica-reinforced pNIPAM composite, we …

High-Throughput Assessment Of A Novel, Thiol-Acrylate Hydrogel For Tumor Spheroid Synthesis In A Microfluidic Device, Nathan Daniel Kersker

LSU Master's Theses

The extracellular environment plays an important role in regulating cell behavior. The mechanical, structural, and compositional properties of the extracellular matrix can determine the fate of the growing cells. Standard two-dimensional culturing in a flask fails to represent a native cellular environment. To create the native environment suitable for cells, hydrogels were previously studied. One of the most extensively studied synthetic hydrogels was a poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate) (PEGDA) hydrogel. However, the need for UV polymerization may introduce unwanted changes in cell morphology and viability. The hydrogel being proposed was a form of a thiol-acrylate hydrogel that can eliminate this problem …

Thin-Film Block Copolymers (Bcps) Self-Assembly As Versatile Patterning Scheme For Functional Nanomaterials, Le Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Nanopattern generation is required for building various structural entities in every production process that involves nanostructures. Advancing nanopatterning technologies play an important role in developing and broadening the current nanopatterning technologies to meet up with the ever-demanding requirements in the realm of smaller feature sizes, smoother line-edge roughness (LER) and facile pattern transfer in pursuit of faster computer processors, better electrocatalysts and more compact and intelligent sensors, etc. Conventionally, patterning needs are heavily relied on photolithography, a technique that dominate chip-making industry for more than 50 years. However conventional photolithography is bounded by inherent resolution limits and difficult to be …

Waste Management By Waste: Removal Of Acid Dyes From Wastewaters Of Textile Coloration Using Fish Scales, S M Fijul Kabir

LSU Master's Theses

Removal of hazardous acid dyes by economical process using low-cost bio-sorbents from wool industry wastewaters is of a pressing need, since it causes skin and respiratory diseases and disrupts other environmental components. Fish scales (FS), a by-product of fish industry, a type of solid waste, are usually discarded carelessly resulting in pungent odor and environmental burden. In this research, the FS of black drum (Pogonias cromis) were used for the removal of acid dyes (acid red 1 (AR1), acid blue 45 (AB45) and acid yellow 127 (AY126)) from wool industry wastewaters by absorption process with a view to …