Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Controlling Nanoparticle Dispersion For Nanoscopic Self-Assembly, Nathan S. Starkweather

Master's Theses

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter and devices on the nanometer scale. Below the critical dimension length of 100nm, materials begin to display vastly different properties than their macro- or micro- scale counterparts. The exotic properties of nanomaterials may trigger the start of a new technological revolution, similar to the electronics revolution of the late 20^th century. Current applications of nanotechnology primarily make use of nanoparticles in bulk, often being made into composites or mixtures. While these materials have fantastic properties, organization of nano and microstructures of nanoparticles may allow the development of novel devices with many unique properties. …

Refractive Index Chemical Sensing With Noble Metal Nanoparticles, Phillip Blake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical sensing is a key component in modern society, especially in engineering applications. Because of their widespread impact, improvements to chemical sensors are a significant area of research. One class of sensors, plasmonic sensors, is being heavily researched because of their ability to detect low levels of analyte in near real time without destroying the analyte. This work studies a new class of plasmonic sensor that utilizes diffractive coupling to improve sensor performance. Specifically, this work outlines the first study of diffractive coupling sensors with typical nanoparticle shapes. Sensitivity of this new class of sensor is directly compared to typical …

New Approaches To Electroanalysis Of Metals And Pretreatment Of Biological And Environmental Samples, Stefanie Bragg

Doctoral Dissertations

Biological and environmental sample pretreatment followed by electrochemical sensing are the focus of this dissertation. The Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) treatment using aqueous hydrogen peroxide and UV irradiation with acid deactivation of the enzyme catalase in blood has been developed and optimized. The kinetics of whole blood AOP in a single-cell reactor was studied, and the effect of pH on the AOP process has been investigated. A new method of dry ashing whole blood has been developed and optimized for trace metal analyses. The new method and subsequent metal analyses in the blood samples has been used to confirm results …

Towards Sustainable Development Of Nanomanufacturing, Sasikumar Ramdas Naidu

Doctoral Dissertations

"Sustainability" is a buzz word these days not just among regulatory agencies but even with corporations, as evident by the release of annual sustainability report by a large number of firms. Companies are starting to portray profit making along with corporate environmental responsibility.

Nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing which holds a lot of promise for development in a multitude of fields in science and engineering is the new kid on the block and carries a lot of apprehension due to public concern about their potential unwanted side effects that may result in the case of an untoward incident or lack of oversight. …

Near Single-Molecule Sers-Based Detection Using Ultrafiltered, Unfunctionalized Silver Nanoparticles, Joshua Dale Baker

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are currently widely-used in consumer products, therapeutics, biomedical devices, and electronics. Yet, one application for which AgNPs have been used extensively is surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based sensing. However, AgNP size and aggregation state are known to greatly influence these applications. This works aimed 1) to synthesize a large volume of unfunctionalized, Creighton AgNPs, to characterize their chemical and physical properties, 2) then to size-select AgNPs of 1-50 nm and 50-100 nm in diameter and to concentrate them using a three-step, "green" tangential flow ultrafiltration (TFU) process. 3) Finally, to determine and compare the SERS-based sensing capabilities of …

Ionic Materials For Applications In Sensing And Optoelectronics, Sergio L. De Rooy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Organic salts consist of bulky anions and/or cations whose properties can be tailored for specific purposes. Ionic liquids (ILs) are (semi)organic salts with melting points below 100 ºC. They typically exhibit neglible vapor pressures, high thermal stability, wide liquidus range, and tunable solubility. Moreover specific functions can be built into their respective ions. The first part of the dissertation involves discussions of chiral ionic liquids with additional protic, magnetic, and magneto-luminescent properties, respectively. In addition to their enantioselective sensing capabilities, the ILs may find use in chiral separations and catalysis. The second part of the dissertation involves discussions of fluorescent …