Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Facile Sol-Gel Molten Salt Synthesis Of Double Perovskite La 2nimno6 As An Electrocatalyst For Oxygen Evolution Reactions, Padmini Kukkapalli

Theses and Dissertations

Double perovskites have attracted a great attention recently for its high intrinsic activity in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems in alkaline media. In this study, we are the first to report the new approach of La2NiMnO6 double perovskite which was synthesized via Sol-gel molten-Salt synthesis method. However their stability and specific activity remain challenging that need to be addressed to meet the reqiurement for OER activities. Here in this study we synthesized three different samples with varying concentrations by taking molten salts NaNO 3 and KNO3 in (1:1) ratio such as 30:30, 60:60, 90:90. …

Influence Of Shelling Temperature And Time On The Optical And Structural Properties Of Cuins2/Zns Quantum Dots, Colette Robinson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

CIS/ZnS core/shell QDs are an important class of nanomaterials for optoelectronic, photovoltaic and photoluminescence applications. They consist of lower toxicity materials than the prototypical II-VI Cd-based QDs and show long fluorescence lifetimes, which generates prospective in biological imaging applications. It is vital to develop reproducible synthetic methods for this new class of nanomaterials in order to maintain small sizes with high QYs. CIS core QDs have been shelled with ZnS at various temperatures from 90-210°C for reaction times ranging from 20-140 minutes to examine the role of thermodynamics and kinetics on the shell growth. Using HR-TEM and ICP-MS, it was …

Photochemistry Of A Series Of Weakly Coupled Dinuclear Ruthenium(Ii) Complexes, Latisha Michelle Puckett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An improved synthetic method was developed for symmetric ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes with the form L2Ru(diphen)RuL2. The scope of the reaction was investigated in regards to the ligands, bridging ligands, and starting materials. Several ligands were successful in the synthesis, including 2,2’-bipyridine (bpy), 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-dipyridyl (dmb), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dpphen), and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (tmphen). Ligands that did not react to form symmetric dimeric complexes were 2,2’-bipyrazine, bpz, and 2,2’-bipyrimidine, bpm.

Dpp, 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)-pyrazine, effectively replaced diphen as the bridging ligand to produce (phen)2Ru(dpp)Ru(phen)24+. However, replacing the [Ru(CO)2Cl2]n with Ru(DMSO)4Cl2 did not prove successful. The newly developed synthesis was also applied to the synthesis of …

Molecular Modeling And Mutational Mapping Of The Gpr119 Binding Site, Shane M. Askar

Theses and Dissertations

GPR119 receptor’s biological role in regulating glucose homeostasis has been studied extensively. Results in the scientific literature indicate that, when activated, GPR119 releases insulin in a glucose dependent manner. Currently the 3D structure of GPR119 has not been resolved.

The goal of this research is to use a combination of homology modeling and ligand docking studies to predict the binding mode of GPR119 ligands. Amino acids implicated to have direct interactions with docked ligands will further be assessed experimentally for their roll in binding and activation of GPR119. Our results indicate that residues W2656.48 and R813.28 are likely to be …

Fret Study Of Ligand Binding And Exchange Kinetics On The Surface Of Cdse/Zns Quantum Dots, Randee Jean Mcbride

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantum dots are a valuable tool in many research applications and commercial development. Their applications are far reaching and as such have become a topic of great interest. One of their greatest assets is the ability to utilize them as water soluble fluorescent labels. Rendering the nanocrystals water soluble can be accomplished in several ways, but one very popular method is by capping them with water-soluble multi-functional organic ligands. However, these ligands, when attached to the quantum dot surface, are labile and can be exchanged which can be problematic when using the quantum dots in research applications. This projects investigates …

In Vitro Microdialysis Sampling Collection Of Volatile Organic Compounds (Voc's), Dodecafluoropentane (Ddfp) And Isoflurane, Valerie Shannon Mckinney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Death by stroke occurs every four minutes to human beings. Strokes cause necrosis within the tissue of the brain due to deprivation of oxygen. Perfluorocarbons have the ability to transport oxygen to tissue and in return decrease cell death. Dodecafluoropentane (DDFP) is a volatile fluorocarbon and collection in vivo can be a challenge since this compound evaporates at room temperature. There is currently not an efficient collection method in vivo for compounds that are volatile. Without a method to collect DDFP it is impossible to be approved for clinical use since exact concentrations of the drug within the body will …

Fundamental Studies Of Magnetoconvective Forces And Density Gradients In A Microfluidic Environment, Adam James Kreidermacher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magnetoconvection is a promising phenomenon for developing new electrochemical-based microfluidic flow devices with unique capabilities, such as easily switching flow direction and adjusting flow speeds and flow patterns as well as avoiding bubble formation. In order to develop these devices it is necessary to study the underlying forces. Four contributions toward fluid flow were considered. The first and foremost is the magnetohydrodynamic force, which is the magnetic component of the Lorentz force and governed by the right hand rule. It generates the majority of the convention, and is the most well-known. The second is the gravitational force, which causes convection …

Surface Modification Of Noble Metal Nanostructures Toward Biomedical Applications, Samir V. Jenkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Noble metal nanostructures have seen a steady increase in biomedical application over the last several decades; new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities are under intense investigation. Many of these applications are possible because of post-synthetic modifications to the particle surface. These modifications take a variety of forms and can significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of these particles. In this work, various surface modifications were investigated. Particle agglomeration, which occurs when particle surfaces remain in contact, can significantly affect the toxicity and efficacy of a nanomedicine. Darkfield microscopy and single-particle ICP-MS were developed as complementary methods to detect agglomeration in blood, with the …

Designing Fret Assays To Study Electrostatic Interactions Pertaining To The Binding Of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins, Ashley Ann Howard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fibroblast growth factor receptor plays a major role in several biological processes. Without FGFR, a human cannot live. FGFR is involved in cell differentiation and wound healing. Of course, if FGFR signaling becomes unregulated, it causes severe distress in the body. Several cancers are contributed to high signaling levels, as well as developmental conditions like rickets and Kallmann’s syndrome. FGFR is thought to undergo an auto-inhibition (or self-regulatory) process in order to try to facilitate regulation. The exact method of this inhibition is currently unknown, but is proposed to involve the unstructured acid box region of FGFR. We developed a …

Asymmetric Synthesis And Transition Metal-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Arylations Of Selected Organolithiums, Barry Kyle Sharp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My former boss, Dr. Gawley, always loved to say, “The world is chiral” (à la Pasteur). From DNA and proteins to hands and feet, it is obviously true. Also, a wide variety of chemical products exist as single enantiomers. Advances in chemical technology have greatly accelerated asymmetric synthesis in the past quarter century, and namely, organolithiums, have been shown to provide a versatile route to chiral natural products and biologically active molecules. Versatility arises from the array of methods that produce a chiral organolithium. Dynamic thermodynamic resolution (DTR) is considered one of the most practical methods, but among the others …

Characterization Of Cellulase Enzyme Inhibitors Formed During The Chemical Pretreatments Of Rice Straw, Kalavathy Rajan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Production of fuels and chemicals from a renewable and inexpensive resource such as lignocellulosic biomass is a lucrative and sustainable option for the advanced biofuel and bio-based chemical platform. Agricultural residues constitute the bulk of potential feedstock available for cellulosic fuel production. On a global scale, rice straw is the largest source of agricultural residues and is therefore an ideal crop model for biomass deconstruction studies. Lignocellulosic biofuel production involves the processes of biomass conditioning, enzymatic saccharification, microbial fermentation and ethanol distillation, and one of the major factors affecting its techno-economic feasibility is the biomass recalcitrance to enzymatic saccharification. Preconditioning …

Oxidation Of Dibenzothiophene To Dibenzothiophene-Sulfone Using Molybdenum (Vi) Oxide, Tungsten (Vi) Oxide, And Ratios Of Molybdenum (Vi) Oxide And Tungsten (Vi) Oxide At Atomspheric Pressure, Sean M. Pelfrey

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a study of the catalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene to dibenzothiophene sulfone using molybdenum (VI) oxide, tungsten (VI) oxide, and mixtures of molybdenum (VI) oxide and tungsten (VI) oxide at atmospheric pressure. The oxidative desulfurization reaction is studied with respect to the kinetics and thermodynamics of the process. Five catalysts were synthesized using a precipitation reaction. The five catalysts were 100% MoO3, 75/25% MoO3/WO3, 50/50% MoO3/WO3, 25/75% MoO3/WO3, and 100% WO3. Each catalyst was calcinated at three different temperatures 250oC, 500oC, 750oC and characterized using X-Ray Diffraction. Reactions of DBT-catalyst were held, under reflux, at temperatures from 140 oC …

Inertial Force-Driven Synthesis Of Near-Infrared Plasmonic Nanosphere Composites: Physicochemical Characterizations, Joseph Noel Batta-Mpouma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Near-infrared (NIR) responsive nanoparticles (NPs) like gold nanorods (GNRs) are important in biomedical fields because of their transparency for biological tissues. Although GNRs are sought after as contrast agents for theranostics in cancer studies, capping ligands like cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) for the GNR synthesis are toxic for biological tissues. The need for an alternative to toxic GNRs is of interest to alleviate the problem.

This work aimed to optimize the synthesis of NIR responsive nanosphere composites (NSCs) by inertial force (g-force) using colloidal gold NPs as model, elucidate the mechanism for the NSC formation, and study their detailed physicochemical characteristics. …

Effect Of Crimping, Multilayering, And Twisting On Polymer Fibers For Acl Replacement, Mariana Ocampo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is the most common knee injury in the United States; roughly 150,000 ACL surgeries are performed annually. The ACL lacks self-healing properties due to its location inside the knee’s intra – articular environment (IA). Treatments for ACL ruptures involve the use of autogenous grafts or allografts. More suitable treatments can be found in new bio engineered tissue scaffolds, composed of natural and synthetic polymers. The polymers provide stronger mechanical properties and the ability to promote cell adhesion. It is believed that mimicking the crimping pattern of human ligaments will enhance polymer properties. Four polymers were …

Removal Of Cobalt And Nickel From Water Using Mno2 And Mn3o4 Nanomaterials, Maria Dolores Pacheco

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Nanomaterials MnO2 and Mn3O4 were synthesized using a titration/precipitation technique and characterized with powder XRD. A pH assay determined the optimum binding for cobalt and nickel occurred at pH 5 for both nanomaterials. A time dependency study determined that cobalt and nickel required more time with MnO2 for maximum adsorption than Mn3O4. The binding capacity study showed cobalt and nickel have good binding capacity with both nanomaterials. Interfering ion assay in the presence of Na+ , Ca2+ and Mg2+ showed minimal difference in the adsorption of cobalt and nickel to MnO2 or Mn3O4. Cobalt and nickel showed a reduction in …

The Effects Of Molecular Chaperones On Tau Fibril Assembly, Ahmed Omran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The accumulation of microtubule-associated protein tau into fibrillar aggregates is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, collectively referred to as tauopathies. Fibrils can propagate from one cell to the next and spread throughout the brain. However, a study shows that only small aggregates can be taken up by cultured neuronal cells. The mechanisms that lead to the breakage of fibrils into smaller fragments remain unknown. In yeast, the AAA+ chaperone HSP104 processes the reactivation of protein aggregates and is responsible for fragmentation of fibrils. This study focused on investigating the effects of molecular chaperones on tau fibrils …