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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Characterization Of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes And Polystyrene/Cnt Composites Prepared With Microwave-Induced Polymerization, Allen Hulette Jan 2022

Characterization Of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes And Polystyrene/Cnt Composites Prepared With Microwave-Induced Polymerization, Allen Hulette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of carbon nanotubes in polymer composites can increase the mechanical properties of the resulting product. Carbon nanotubes are known to have chemical interactions that make them attracted to one another and fall out of solution. To reduce this agglomeration and disperse the mechanical properties throughout the composite, functional groups are covalently added to the carbon nanotubes. Another known property of carbon nanotubes is their ability to absorb microwaves and convert it into other forms of energy. This research investigates the effects of carbon nanotube absorption of microwaves and initiation of styrene monomer polymerization. Grignard reactions are used to …


Investigation Of Intramolecular And Intermolecular Aza-Michael Reactions, Nadia Z. Singleton Jan 2022

Investigation Of Intramolecular And Intermolecular Aza-Michael Reactions, Nadia Z. Singleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hydroamination of dimaleimides with diamines has been accomplished to access novel polymers. Various dimaleamides and dimaleimides were synthesized from commercially available diamines and maleic anhydride. The resulting dimaleamides were then ring-closed to their respective dimaleimides either directly in the presence of acid or via the synthesis of mixed amide-esters which then ring close in the presence of acid under heat. Hydroamination of the dimaleimides with piperazine was accomplished in bulk at room temperature. The reaction is spontaneous thus leading to the formation of polyimides with high functional group conversion within minutes. The kinetics of the maleamides and maleimides was …


Advancements In Bio-Based Novel (Co)Monomers For Polymeric Materials, Khristal Anne Monroe Jan 2021

Advancements In Bio-Based Novel (Co)Monomers For Polymeric Materials, Khristal Anne Monroe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most current research in the area of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials relate to the use of renewable sources for the fabrication of bio-based polymers and composites. Using plant-based derivatives is a common strategy. Pine sap can be distilled into turpentines (light fraction) and pine rosin (heavy fraction). Pine rosin is obtained as a brittle solid and its major component is abietic acid. This project aims at investigating a synthetic approach for the synthesis of a pine rosin-based polymer that can be potentially used for manufacturing a collection device for pine sap. The synthetic strategy consisted in the preparation of …


Design, Synthesis And Applications Of Nanoparticles In Suppression Of Mosquito-Born Flaviviridae Viruses, Maria R. Blahove Jan 2021

Design, Synthesis And Applications Of Nanoparticles In Suppression Of Mosquito-Born Flaviviridae Viruses, Maria R. Blahove

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, nanoparticles have become an origin of exploration in the chemistry field due to their unique medical uses. The current drug delivery models of nanoparticles often include a metal base with a drug conjugated to its surface. However this raises concerns regarding toxicity. A novel approach to solving this dilemma is the development of nanosized biocompatible polymer-based micelles, created from PEG-PCL-PEG triblock polymer, and formed around a drug of choice. The goal is to create a drug carrier nanoparticle system that is labile at a specific intracellular pH, without undue toxicity to the cell. This creates a drug-loaded nanoparticle that …


Hydroamidation With Acetamides And Trifluoroacetamides, Gordon H. Whitetree Jan 2021

Hydroamidation With Acetamides And Trifluoroacetamides, Gordon H. Whitetree

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hydroamidation reaction is an attractive methodology for the construction of larger functional molecules. In our research, a baseline reactivity was established for the hydroamidation reaction using a set of N-alkyl and N-aryl (trifluoro)acetamides with methyl acrylate and acrylonitrile, various bases and varying reaction conditions. The combination of alkenes, acetamides, and trifluoroacetamides with base was crucial for reaction rate. N-aryl trifluoroacetamides exhibited near quantitative conversions in neat alkene with Diazabicycloundecene (DBU) as base. The less acidic N-aryl acetamides performed much faster in the presence of KOtBu and conversions of >95% were accomplished regularly but contained a large presence …


Synthesis Of N-Heterocyclic Molecules And Their Applicability Towards Ion Sensing: Polymeric Chemosensors, Aikohi M. Ugboya Jan 2019

Synthesis Of N-Heterocyclic Molecules And Their Applicability Towards Ion Sensing: Polymeric Chemosensors, Aikohi M. Ugboya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Critical to biological and environmental processes are anions because often times their relative concentration in our body can be an indicator of one’s well-being. Therefore, highly sensitive and cost-efficient methods for ions recognition is necessary for human health. In recent times, polymeric chemosensors have become a vital tool for sensing ions because of its higher sensitivity and good mechanical properties compared to their monomeric counterparts. These sensors are designed to produce a measurable response in the presence of a targeted ion such as an electrochemical or optical signal. The unique structure and the photophysical properties of the 1,2,3-triazole core coupled …


Asymmetric Membranes For High Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes, Ian Byrd Jan 2017

Asymmetric Membranes For High Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes, Ian Byrd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) have broad applications such as portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and for green energy storage from intermittent sources. Current LIBs are limited by their low capacity materials at both the anode and cathode. At the anode, graphite suffers from a low capacity of only 372 mAh g-1. The most commonly used cathode material is LiCoO2 which has a meager capacity of 140 mAh g-1. Thereby the broader applications of LIBs are limited due to these low capacities. It is imperative to develop higher capacity materials to further improve the performance of LIBs. …


Α-Eleostearic Acid Extraction By Saponification Of Tung Oil And Its Subsequent Polymerization, Amanda Murawski Jan 2017

Α-Eleostearic Acid Extraction By Saponification Of Tung Oil And Its Subsequent Polymerization, Amanda Murawski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of environmentally sound research is to provide alternatives that are more sustainable and renewable, such as vegetable oil-based polymers, than the current petroleum-based products. Vegetable oil-based polymers have received a lot of attention recently due their multifaceted properties, which are simply achieved by adjusting the monomer or resin composition. The carbon-carbon double bonds in unsaturated oils are ideal reactive sites for the free radical or cationic polymerizations. Most vegetable oils must be modified before polymerization due to the low reactivity of their non-conjugated fatty acid chains. Tung oil (TO) contains ~83% of a triply conjugated fatty acid ( …