Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Understanding The Influence Of Non-Covalent Interactions And Nanoparticle Geometries In Carbon Based Polymer Nanocomposites, Bradley Carroll Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Low-loading polymer nanocomposites (PNC) are an area of great interest in polymer science. As nanoparticles (NP) are typically expensive in comparison to matrix materials; the low loading regime makes the most efficient use of materials, and represents the optimum for realizing cost effective, high-performance PNCs. However, formulating effective low-loading composites is not without challenges. In addition to the typical requirement of good dispersion for efficient translation of NP properties to the bulk, low-loading composites can sometimes exhibit anomalous (non-classical) dynamics, and unpredictable properties. It is within this context that this thesis aims to examine the effects of NP geometry and …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Functionalized Nanomaterials: Heterogeneous Palladium Catalyst And Lithium-Doped Graphene Oxide, Benjamin E Estes

Doctoral Dissertations

As the Earth's population increases and natural resources decrease in supply, the development of new methods for energy storage and the efficient production of industrial chemicals becomes ever more important to humanity. The development of new nanomaterials may offer technological advances in the fields of sustainable energy production and storage, chemical production, medicine, and many others. The emerging field of nanoscience blends chemistry, physics, and engineering to create new materials that take advantage of properties found only on the nanoscale.

In this work, mesoporous silica spheres are used as a support for nanoparticles of palladium. This nanomaterial is shown to …