Chemistry Commons^™

Detection Of Nitrogen Dioxide Via Graphene-Enhanced Raman Scattering, Spencer Hazeslip

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper presents the development of a nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sensor that utilizes the phenomenon of graphene-enhanced Raman scattering (GERS). The sensor consists of monolayer graphene on a silicon wafer, functionalized noncovalently with Copper(II) 2,9,16,23-tetra-tert-butyl-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (CuTTPc) via the solution soaking method. A custom sensing chamber was constructed to enable Raman spectra to be collected during NO₂ exposure. The response of the sensor was found to be linear between 10 and 100 ppm NO₂, indicating that it could be used for both detection and quantification. Furthermore, the sensor was shown to be reusable after …

Carbon Dioxide Reduction On Large Area Liquid Metal Gallium-Indium Electrocatalysts, Thomas Hollis

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is widely known as a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels. The carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is widely studied to reutilize CO₂ to useful products, including methane, ethane, and carbon monoxide. This project studies the use of liquid metal gallium-indium as an electrocatalyst to perform CO₂ reduction to carbon monoxide (CO) or possibly solid carbon in various solutions. Gallium-indium is characterized and studied through its “wetting” properties and adhesion to substrate foil through the measurement of contact angles inside solution. These liquid …

Dual Crosslinked Poly(Acrylamide-Co-N-Vinylpyrrolidone) Microspheres With Re-Crosslinking Ability For Fossil Energy Recovery, Jingyang Pu, Baojun Bai, Jiaming Geng, Na Zhang, Thomas Schuman

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microspheres have been proposed to be applied in controlling wastewater production for mature oilfields and migrating leakage for gas and nuclear waste storage. However, it remains challenging for stacked microspheres to maintain strong blocking ability in micron-sized small pores or fractures. in this study, a novel microsphere was developed with comprehensive properties including high deformability and long re-crosslinking time upon tunable swelling ratio for the applications. a dual covalent and physical crosslinking strategy was used to develop novel microspheres reinforced by a hydrogen bond (H-bond, between pyrrole ring and amide group) and coordination bond (between chromium acetate (CrAc) and carboxyl …

Designing Noncentrosymmetric Multifunctional Materials, Ebube Oyeka

All Dissertations

Noncentrosymmetric (NCS) materials with crystal lattices lacking spatial inversion symmetry display a wide range of exciting functionalities. This dissertation covers two classes of functional NCS materials: magnetic skyrmion-host compounds and multifunctional materials. Magnetic skyrmion and multifunctional materials combining optical and magnetic responses are providing avenues for developing and optimizing the performance of electronic devices that can have uses in memory storage, laser technology, medicine, sensors, etc. The formation of skyrmions is driven by asymmetric Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction facilitated by broken spatial inversion symmetry and large spin-orbit coupling (SOC), while multiple functionalities arise when spin carriers and optical chromophores are optimally …

Dual Crosslinked Poly(Acrylamide-Co-N-Vinylpyrrolidone) Microspheres With Re-Crosslinking Ability For Fossil Energy Recovery, Jingyang Pu, Baojun Bai, Jiaming Geng, Na Zhang, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microspheres have been proposed to be applied in controlling wastewater production for mature oilfields and migrating leakage for gas and nuclear waste storage. However, it remains challenging for stacked microspheres to maintain strong blocking ability in micron-sized small pores or fractures. In this study, a novel microsphere was developed with comprehensive properties including high deformability and long re-crosslinking time upon tunable swelling ratio for the applications. A dual covalent and physical crosslinking strategy was used to develop novel microspheres reinforced by a hydrogen bond (H-bond, between pyrrole ring and amide group) and coordination bond (between chromium acetate (CrAc) and carboxyl …

The Study Of Corrosion On Additive-Manufactured Metals., Braydan Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the corrosion mechanisms between wrought and additive-manufactured (3D-printed) copper and stainless steel. The experimental procedure consisted of measuring the open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, Tafel analysis, surface topology, and scanning electron microscopy for each metal within salt water, tap water, sulfuric acid, and synthetic body fluid (excluding copper in synthetic body fluid).

Overall, printed stainless steel was more corrosion-resistant than wrought stainless steel in tap water and synthetic body fluid based on OCP, LSV, and surface topology results. Additionally, printed copper was more corrosion-resistant than wrought …

Structural, Magnetic, Electrical, Pseudocapacitive, And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Bilayered Ruddlesden-Popper Oxides., Chandana Kananke-Gamage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ruddlesden Popper (RP) oxides are perovskite-derived functional materials with the general formula An-1Aʹ2BnO3n+1, where A/Aʹ is often a lanthanide or alkaline earth metal, and B is usually a transition metal. These materials contain perovskite-like connectivity, where BO6 units share apexes to form layers that are stacked above each other. The number of layers in each stack is represented by n in the above formula. The spaces between stacks are often occupied by lanthanide or alkaline-earth metals (Aʹ-site metals), which also reside in intra-stack spaces (A-site) between the octahedra. Oxide materials derived from perovskites have been studied for a wide range …

Cobalt/Carbon Composites As Sulfur Hosts For High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Yun-Rui Yang, Huan-Huan Dong, Zhi-Qiang Hao, Xiang-Xi He, Zhuo Yang, Lin Li, Shu-Lei Chou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is one of the promising energy storage devices because of its high energy density. However, the sulfur cathode suffers from sluggish electrochemical reaction kinetics, slow charge transfer, large volume expansion and severe shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides inevitably resulting in low reversible capacity, poor rate performance and short cycle life, limiting its practical applications. Herein, the recent progress of cobalt/carbon composites, including cobalt nanoparticles and cobalt single atoms, as the sulfur host materials in Li-S batteries is overviewed. In general, cobalt plays the role of electrocatalyst, which inhibits the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides, accelerates the electrochemical …

Metals And Alloys As Catalytic Hosts Of Sulfur Cathode For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Zhen-Yu Wang, Xue-Ping Gao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur batteries are recognized as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage devices, owing to the high theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh·kg^–1. However, their application has been seriously hindered by the sluggish electrochemical reaction kinetics of elemental sulfur and discharged products (Li₂S₂/Li₂S), and the notorious “shuttle effect” of soluble intermediate lithium polysulfide species, leading to poor cycle stability, low sulfur utilization and inferior coulombic efficiency. Introducing catalytic hosts into sulfur cathode is an efficient path to propel the conversion of sulfur-contained species, thus preventing the dissolution and loss of active-sulfur …

Ultraviolet-Initiated In-Situ Cross-Linking Of Multifunctional Binder Backbones Enables Robust Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Sha Li, Xiao Zhan, Gu-Lian Wang, Hui-Qun Wang, Wei-Ming Xiong, Li Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries show attractive prospects owing to their high theoretical energy density, but their commercialization still faces such challenges as lithium polysulfides shuttling, severe volume change and considerable polarization. These stubborn issues place higher demands on each component in the battery, such as the development of multifunctional binders with superior mechanical properties. Herein, ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate was firstly introduced into sulfur cathodes, and in-situ cross-linked by ultraviolet (UV) curing combined with traditional polyvinylidene difluoride binder (i.e., forming a binary binder, denoted as c-ETPTA/PVDF) to construct high-loading and durable Li-S batteries. The covalently cross-linked ETPTA framework not only significantly enhances …

Preface To The Special Issue On Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Jia-Jia Chen, Ren-Jie Chen, Zhong Jin

Journal of Electrochemistry

No abstract provided.

Recent Advances Of Functional Electrolyte Additives For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Xiu-Qing Zhang, Shuai Tang, Yong-Zhu Fu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have become one of the most promising next-generation battery systems due to their high energy density and low cost. However, the application of Li-S batteries still faces critical challenges, such as the low conductivities of S and Li₂S, shuttle effect of polysulfides and dendrite growth of Li, etc. The optimization of the electrolyte can ameliorate the electrolyte|electrode interphase, conveniently regulating the parasitic reaction and improving the performance of the resultant batteries. The functional additives in electrolytes provide chances to tune the interphase and even the redox mechanism to improve the performance of the batteries. In …

Chemically Responsive Hydrogels, Properties, Pharmaceuticals, And Agricultural Applications: A Review, Mohammad Alrbaihat, Qusay Abu-Afifeh, Firas Al-Zeidaneen

Al-Bahir

A review of the literature on chemically responsive hydrogels about the selection of selectivity based on classification, properties, and application is presented in this article. Chemically responsive hydrogels are a type of hydrogel that undergo changes in their properties in response to specific stimuli. These hydrogels have attracted significant attention due to their potential applications in various fields, including pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Chemically crosslinked hydrogels are synthesized by covalent crosslinking of end-functionalized macromeres. Currently, a great deal of research is being conducted on hydrogel networks, also known as smart networks or hungry networks. This is owing to their potential use …

Science Club, Danielle Gibson, Krista Andersen

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Honors After School program for elementary age children to engage with scientific principles. Students performed hands-on experiments to explore various STEM fields. Each weekly lesson consisted of a different concept to be learned or explored by early elementary aged students.

Physical And Chemical Changes Lesson Plan, Admin Stem For Success

STEM for Success Showcase

Lesson plan and video for an activity on the difference between physical and chemical changes.

Silicon In Renewable Power Generation And Storage: Decarbonizing The Grid And Automobile Transport, Kurt W. Kolasinski

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Kurt Kolasinski, Chemistry - Silicon in renewable power generation and storage: Decarbonizing the grid and automobile transport.

Synthesis And Properties Of Bio-Based 3d Printable Resins, Cameron Woods, Seth Taylor, Jeremiah Coughlon, Turner Perdue, Sourav Chatterjee, Jason E. Bara

Scholars Week

A photopolymer resin is a monomer that, when introduced to light of a certain wavelength, starts to polymerize into a solid. This has become a growing part of the 3D printing industry. There have been many advancements in the field of 3D printing, however, a lot of these resins are not environmentally friendly and even harmful if not handled in the correct manner. Plant based resins are becoming more and more popular because of their biodegradability and for the possibility of using renewable resources. Glycerol is a plant-based compound that is produced in excess in industry. Glycerol obtained from bioethanol …

Physiochemical Properties Of Urethane-Containing Ionic Liquids And Ionenes From A Non-Isocyanate Synthetic Approach, George Timmermann

Scholars Week

Ionic polymers that are designed to contain ionic liquids (ILs) in their backbones have been shown to exhibit a high degree of variability through changing the type of ionic character and the location of the ionic region within the molecule. This large amount of variability in both the structure and characteristics of ILs allows researchers to design task-specific ionic polymers and ILs for a variety of applications including gas separation membranes and solid polymer electrolytes. The synthesis of a specific class of ILs and ionenes through the incorporation of urethane groups with imidazolium rings by reacting carbonyl diimidazole with various …

Microscale Chemical Manipulation And Imaging Using Photoactive Molecules And Light, Uroob Haris

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

Chemical manipulation with light has been an active and growing area of research with important implications in materials science, biotechnology, and environmental science. From early investigations of light sensitive materials for photography in the 19^th century, to printing billions of transistors on a semiconductor chip in present day, scientists have gained a deep understanding of photochemistry and the processes that allow us to harness light for everyday applications. In this work, we explore microscale fabrication and molecular imaging using light and photoactive molecules as foundational tools. We develop a visible-light mediated technique for high resolution microscale chemical lithography comprising …

Molecular Cluster Complex Of High-Valence Chromium Selenide Carbonyl As Effective Electrocatalyst For Water Oxidation, Ibrahim Munkaila Abdullahi, Manashi Nath

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Developing Simple, Affordable, and Environmentally Friendly Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts with High Intrinsic Activity and Low overpotential Continues to Be an Area of Intense Research. in This Article, a Trichromium Diselenide Carbonyl Cluster Complex (Et₄N)₂[Se₂Cr₃(CO)₁₀], with a Unique Bonding Structure Comprising Bridging Se Groups, Has Been Identified as a Promising Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER). This Carbonyl Cluster Exhibits a Promising overpotential of 310 MV and a Low Tafel Slope of 82.0 MV Dec⁻¹ at 10 MAcm⁻², with Superior Durability in an Alkaline Medium, for a Prolonged …

Recent Research Progresses Of Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Yu Luo, Ru-Qin Ma, Zheng-Liang Gong, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

All solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) are considered to be one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems, due to the promises of high energy density and safety. Although the use of solid-state electrolytes could effectively suppress the "shuttle effect" and self-discharge of the conventional liquid lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery, the commercialization of ASSLSBs has been seriously hampered by the electrolyte degradation, electrode/electrolyte interfacial deterioration, electrochemo-mechanical failure, lithium dendrite growth and electrode pulverization, etc. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent research progresses on the solid-state electrolytes, sulfur-containing composite cathodes, lithium metal and lithium alloy anodes, and electrode/electrolyte interfaces in …

Coni-Based Bimetal-Organic Framework Derived Carbon Composites Multifunctionally Modified Separators For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Yan-Jie Wang, Hong-Yu Cheng, Ji-Yue Hou, Wen-Hao Yang, Rong-Wei Huang, Zhi-Cong Ni, Zi-Yi Zhu, Ying Wang, Ke-Yi Wei, Yi-Yong Zhang, Xue Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The commercial application of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSB) is still limited by the irreversible capacity fading caused by the shuttle of lithium polysulfides (LIPS). To address this issue, a bimetal (nickel, cobalt)-organic framework (MOF) derived carbon, (Ni, Co)/C, was prepared to modify the separator. The multifunctionally modified separator effectively captures LIPS, ensuring the stability and reversibility of sulfur fixation, while providing catalytic activity and improving ionic conductivity. The cobalt metal has a larger coordination number, more pore structure distribution, larger specific surface area, more surface C=O, and smaller particle size to achieve a large and rapid chemical sulfur fixation. The high …

Bimetallic Compound Catalysts With Multiple Active Centers For Accelerated Polysulfide Conversion In Li-S Batteries, Wu-Xing Hua, Jing-Yi Xia, Zhong-Hao Hu, Huan Li, Wei Lv, Quan-Hong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Practical applications of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are hindered mainly by the low sulfur utilization and severe capacity fading derived from the polysulfide shuttling. Catalysis is an effective remedy to those problems by promoting the conversion of polysulfides to reduce their accumulation in the electrolyte, which needs the catalyst to have efficient adsorption ability to soluble polysulfides and high activity for their conversion. In this work, we have proposed a bimetallic compound of NiCo₂S₄ anchored onto sulfur-doped graphene (NCS@SG) to fabricate a catalytic interlayer for Li-S batteries. Compared to CoS, the NiCo₂S₄ demonstrated much higher …

A Review On Solid-State Li-S Battery: From The Conversion Mechanism Of Sulfur To Engineering Design, Huan-Huan Jia, Chen-Ji Hu, Yi-Xiao Zhang, Li-Wei Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries attract sustained attention because of their ultrahigh theoretical energy density of 2567 Wh·kg^–1 and the actual value over 600 Wh·kg^–1. Solid-state Li-S batteries (SSLSBs) emerge in the recent two decades because of the enhanced safety when compared to the liquid system. As for the SSLSBs, except for the difference in the conversion mechanism induced by the cathode materials themselves, the physical-chemical property of solid electrolytes (SEs) also significantly affects their electrochemical behaviors. On account of various reported Li-S batteries, the advantages and disadvantages in performance and the failure mechanism are discussed in this review. …

Preface To The Special Issue On Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Jia-Jia Chen, Ren-Jie Chen, Zhong Jin

Journal of Electrochemistry

No abstract provided.

Carbon Dioxide-Induced Corrosion Of Aisi 4140 Steel In Acidified Artificial Geothermal Brine, Anawati Anawati, Rayhan Izzat, Riene Kaelamanda Pragitta, Rafli Ihsan Hernandi

Makara Journal of Science

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)-induced corrosion often occurs in the structural materials of geothermal industry. The presence of CO₂ influences the formation of various corrosion products. This research investigates the effect of dissolved CO₂ in acidic brines on the corrosion behavior of AISI 4140 steel at atmospheric pressure. The brines were the standard brine, Ca-free brine, and high-salinity brine. The corrosion behavior was studied using electrochemical and immersion tests. A cyclic polarization test showed that the corrosion rate was higher in dissolved CO₂ brine than in non-CO₂ brine, and an immersion test demonstrated a similar result. …

Pyrrolopyrrole-Based Materials For High-Contrast Electrochromics, Allison Marie Hawks

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

Understanding structure-property relationships of underutilized p-conjugated chromophores is an important task for the continued discovery of materials that will find utility in organic electronic applications. Dihydropyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrroles (DHPPs) are synthetically simple and highly tailorable chromophores that can be decorated with diverse functionalities that readily manipulate optoelectronic properties useful for a variety of applications. However, a thorough understanding of how these functionalities influence properties of DHPPs that will be useful in applications such as electrochromism is unknown. Motivated to exploit the synthetic simplicity and tailorability of DHPPs, a family of DHPP chromophores was synthesized to probe how functionality and connectivity …

Recent Advances In Anode Materials Of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells, Geng Zou, Wei-Cheng Feng, Yue-Feng Song, Guo-Xiong Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) as an electrochemical energy conversion device has attracted increasing attention due to its large current density, high Faradaic efficiency and energy efficiency. Oxygen evolution reaction at the anode, a four-electron transfer process, is an important half-reaction for SOEC, which contributes to the main polarization resistance and consumes most electric energy during the electrolysis process. Hence, designing anode materials with high activity and stability is crucial for the performance improvement and practical application of SOEC. Recently, some advances have been made in the development of high-performance anode. In the current review, the mechanisms for CO_{2 …}

Anodic Electrocatalysis Of Glycerol Oxidation For Hybrid Alkali/Acid Electrolytic Hydrogen Generation, Xin Feng, Bo-Wen Liu, Ke-Xin Guo, Lin-Feng Fan, Gen-Xiang Wang, Su-Qin Ci, Zhen-Hai Wen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrolytic hydrogen production is heavily restricted by high-energy consumption majorly due to the relatively high potential of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Development of OER-alternative reaction at the anode has been recently proposed as a promising pathway to address the associated issues. In this work, we report a hybrid acid/alkali dual-electrolyte electrolyzer by coupling acidic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) using commercial Pt/C cathode with alkaline Electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation (GOR) which is implemented by developing a nickel foam (NF) supporting Co₃O₄ nanosheets anode that shows low overpotential and high selectivity toward GOR for formate production. The hybrid acid/alkali …

Highly Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles Root In Single-Atom Fe Sites In Ldhs Toward Efficient Methanol Oxidation, Qing-Cheng Meng, Lin-Bo Jin, Meng-Ze Ma, Xue-Qing Gao, Ai-Bing Chen, Dao-Jin Zhou, Xiao-Ming Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Active and durable electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction are of critical importance to the commercial viability of direct methanol fuel cell, which has already attracted growing popularities. However, current methanol oxidation electrocatalysts fall far short of expectations and suffer from excessive use of noble metal, mediocre activity, and rapid decay. Here we report the Pt anchored on NiFe-LDHs surface hybrid for stable methanol oxidation in alkaline media. Based on the high intrinsic methanol oxidation activity of Pt nanoparticles, the substrates NiFe-LDHs further enhanced anti-poisoning ability and maintained unaffected stability after 200,000 s cycle test compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst. The …