Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Graphene-Based Materials Coated On Zeolite For The Removal Of Persistent Organic Pollutants From Water, Yan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Adsorption is a fast, low-cost and the most commonly implemented water treatment technology for the removal of multiple contaminations from ground water, drinking water or wastewater. Difficulties in removing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to improve quality and safety of treated water sources require the exploration of novel and multifunctional materials. Graphene-based materials having unique structures, high specific surface areas and tailorable functional groups are promising candidates as adsorbents.

The main goal of this work is to fabricate a novel adsorbent made of GO/rGO attached on natural zeolite substrates for the removal of variably charged organic model compounds and POPs in …

Shorter And Improved Access To The Key Tetracyclic Core Of Sarpagine-Macroline-Ajmaline Indole Alkaloids: The Total Synthesis Of Alkaloids Macrocarpines A-G, Talcarpine, N(4)-Methyl-N(4),21-Secotalpinine, Deoxyperaksine, Dihydroperaksine, Talpinine, O-Acetyltalpinine, And N(4)-Methyltalpinine, Md Toufiqur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Extension of the asymmetric Pictet-Spengler (P-S) reaction to bulkier Nb-alkylated tryptophan derivatives resulted in a shorter and improved stereospecific access to the key bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane framework of bioactive C-19 methyl substituted sarpagine/macro-line/ajmaline indole alkaloids with excellent diastereoselectivity via internal asymmetric induction. The asymmetric Pictet-Spengler/Dieckmann protocol with bulky Nb-alkyl substituted systems enabled a more direct and two-step shorter route to this key architecture. Complete stereocontrol of the C-19 methyl function in either the α- or β-configuration was achieved which would enable one to gain rapid access to the crucial intermediates for the total synthesis of any member of this group of seventy …

Studies In Molecular Recognition: Non-Proteogenic Amino Acids For Antibiotic Studies And Chemosensors For Recognition And Reporting Of Metal-Ions, Sarah Anne Oehm

Theses and Dissertations

The field of molecular recognition focuses on the selective and reversible binding of small guest molecules to larger host molecules. This dissertation describes synthesis of small molecules as binding guests for enzymatic substrates as well as molecules as host chemosensors to detect and identify metal ions. Two approaches to new antibiotic drugs have been explored, and an array of sensors for the quantitation of aqueous metals is being commercialized.

As strains of deadly bacteria emerge with evolved resistance to known antibiotics, new drugs are needed with novel mechanisms of action. Natural product antibiotics containing enduracididine, a non-canonical amino acid derived …

New Approaches To Multi-Functional Soft Materials, Seyedali Banisadr

Theses and Dissertations

Soft robotics is a relatively new, but fast-developing field of science and technology that utilizes soft materials such as polymers in their body structure. Despite significant progress in soft robotic devices, robots that can sense their environments are still very rare. Although some soft robots have exhibited sensing capabilities, they still have not demonstrated synergistic coupling of sensing and actuation. From our perspective, this type of coupling may take us one step closer to fabricate soft robots with autonomous feedback dynamics. In this work, we present new approaches to soft robotic devices, which are fabricated from responsive soft materials and …