Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Heterogeneous Oxidation Of Catechol, Elizabeth A. Pillar, Ruixin Zhou, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Natural and anthropogenic emissions of aromatic hydrocarbons from biomass burning, agro-industrial settings, and fossil fuel combustion contribute precursors to secondary aerosol formation (SOA). How these compounds are processed under humid tropospheric conditions is the focus of current attention to understand their environmental fate. This work shows how catechol thin films, a model for oxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons present in biomass burning and combustion aerosols, undergo heterogeneous oxidation at the air–solid interface under variable relative humidity (RH = 0–90%). The maximum reactive uptake coefficient of O₃(g) by catechol γ_O3 = (7.49 ± 0.35) × 10^–6 occurs for …

Inhalable Nanocomposites And Anticancer Agents For Cancer Therapy, Nathanael A. Stocke

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Cancer is designated as the leading cause of mortality worldwide and lung cancer is responsible for nearly 30% of all cancer related deaths. Over the last few decades mortality rates have only marginally increased and rates of recurrence remain high. These factors, among others, suggest the need for more innovative treatment modalities in lung cancer therapy. Targeted pulmonary delivery is well established for treating pulmonary diseases such as asthma and provides a promising platform for lung cancer therapy. Increasing local deposition of anticancer agents (ACAs) and reducing systemic exposure of these toxic moieties could lead to better therapeutic outcomes and …

Development Of An Extraction Method For The Mass Spectral Analysis Of Organic Gunshot Residue From Clothing, Brent Casper

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

This dissertation will focus on the extraction of volatile organic compounds associated with gunshot residue from articles of clothing, followed by analysis with mass spectrometry. During the discharge of a weapon, a cloud of volatile organic gunshot residue (OGSR) is dispersed around a firearm. This will create a high probability of transfer between the OGSR and the clothing of individuals who are near a discharged weapon.

The first part of this dissertation will be the development of a method for removal of volatile OGSR from articles of clothing. Extraction of OGSR will be completed by solid phase microextraction (SPME), followed …

Plasma Treated Mesoporous Tio2 Thin Films For Energy Storage Applications, Allen D. Reed

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Mesoporous TiO₂ films treated with N₂/argon plasma or H₂ plasma were studied for use in photoelectrochemical water splitting and electrochemical supercapacitors, respectively. Cubic-ordered mesoporous thin films were prepared by a templated sol-gel method. UV-Vis absorbance spectra indicated that nitrogen plasma treatment significantly reduced the band gap of the TiO₂. XPS analysis showed that nitrogen atoms are incorporated into substitutional sites, rather than interstitial. Photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped TiO₂ films was evaluated by chronoamperometry and linear sweep voltammetry. Compared to pristine TiO₂, plasma-treated films showed remarkable photocurrent enhancement (up to 240 times) …

A Molecular-Level View Of The Physical Stability Of Amorphous Solid Dispersions, Xiaoda Yuan

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Many pharmaceutical compounds being developed in recent years are poorly soluble in water. This has led to insufficient oral bioavailability of many compounds in vitro. The amorphous formulation is one of the promising techniques to increase the oral bioavailability of these poorly water-soluble compounds. However, an amorphous drug substance is inherently unstable because it is a high energy form. In order to increase the physical stability, the amorphous drug is often formulated with a suitable polymer to form an amorphous solid dispersion. Previous research has suggested that the formation of an intimately mixed drug-polymer mixture contributes to the stabilization …