Chemistry Commons^™

High Throughput Analysis To Study Emerging Pollutants And Nanoparticle Fate In Biological Systems, Xiaolong He

Doctoral Dissertations

”The increasing applications of emerging and fugitive contaminants (EFCs) and engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) attract significant research interest for their potential risks to human health and the environment. In order to assess the health risks of these emerging contaminants, rapid and reliable analytical methods to measure the concentrations and fates of these contaminants are imperative. This dissertation focuses on the developments of advanced analytical methods and their applications to study those emerging contaminants in crop plant and simulated gastric fluid (SGF). Three types of mass spectrometry based methodologies have been developed, one is freeze-thaw/centrifugation extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography …

Subsumption Reduces Dataset Dimensionality Without Decreasing Performance Of A Machine Learning Classifier, Donald C. Wunsch, Daniel B. Hier

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

When Features in a High Dimension Dataset Are Organized Hierarchically, There is an Inherent Opportunity to Reduce Dimensionality. Since More Specific Concepts Are Subsumed by More General Concepts, Subsumption Can Be Applied Successively to Reduce Dimensionality. We Tested Whether Sub-Sumption Could Reduce the Dimensionality of a Disease Dataset Without Impairing Classification Accuracy. We Started with a Dataset that Had 168 Neurological Patients, 14 Diagnoses, and 293 Unique Features. We Applied Subsumption Repeatedly to Create Eight Successively Smaller Datasets, Ranging from 293 Dimensions in the Largest Dataset to 11 Dimensions in the Smallest Dataset. We Tested a MLP Classifier on All …

A Deep Learning Model To Predict Traumatic Brain Injury Severity And Outcome From Mr Images, Dacosta Yeboah, Hung Nguyen, Daniel B. Hier, Gayla R. Olbricht, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

For Many Neurological Disorders, Including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Neuroimaging Information Plays a Crucial Role Determining Diagnosis and Prognosis. TBI is a Heterogeneous Disorder that Can Result in Lasting Physical, Emotional and Cognitive Impairments. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a Non-Invasive Technique that Uses Radio Waves to Reveal Fine Details of Brain Anatomy and Pathology. Although MRIs Are Interpreted by Radiologists, Advances Are Being Made in the Use of Deep Learning for MRI Interpretation. This Work Evaluates a Deep Learning Model based on a Residual Learning Convolutional Neural Network that Predicts TBI Severity from MR Images. the Model Achieved a …

Nanostructured Copper Selenide As An Ultrasensitive And Selective Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensor, Siddesh Umapathi, Harish Singh, Jahangir Masud, Manashi Nath

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

CuSe nanostructures exhibit high-efficiency for glucose detection with high sensitivity (19.419 mA mM-1 cm-2) and selectivity at a low applied potential of +0.15 V vs. Ag|AgCl, a low detection limit of 0.196 μM and a linear range of glucose detection from 100 nm. to 40 μM. This journal is

Preparation Of Green Biosorbent Using Rice Hull To Preconcentrate, Remove And Recover Heavy Metal And Other Metal Elements From Water, Yongbo Dan, Lei Xu, Zhimin Qiang, Huiyu Dong, Honglan Shi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sodium hydroxide treated rice hulls were investigated to preconcentrate, remove, and recover metal ions including Be²⁺, Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, CO²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ag⁺, Cd²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Pb²⁺ in both batch mode and column mode. Sodium hydroxide treatment significantly improved the removal efficiency for all metal ions of interest compared to the untreated rice hull. The removal kinetics were extremely fast for Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, and Ba, which made the treated rice hull a …

Schizophrenia Classification Using Resting State Eeg Functional Connectivity: Source Level Outperforms Sensor Level, Sima Azizi, Daniel B. Hier, Donald C. Wunsch

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Disrupted Functional and Structural Connectivity Measures Have Been Used to Distinguish Schizophrenia Patients from Healthy Controls. Classification Methods based on Functional Connectivity Derived from EEG Signals Are Limited by the Volume Conduction Problem. Recorded Time Series at Scalp Electrodes Capture a Mixture of Common Sources Signals, Resulting in Spurious Connections. We Have Transformed Sensor Level Resting State EEG Times Series to Source Level EEG Signals Utilizing a Source Reconstruction Method. Functional Connectivity Networks Were Calculated by Computing Phase Lag Values between Brain Regions at Both the Sensor and Source Level. Brain Complex Network Analysis Was Used to Extract Features and …

Automated Cervical Digitized Histology Whole-Slide Image Analysis Toolbox, Sudhir Sornapudi, Ravitej Addanki, R. Joe Stanley, William V. Stoecker, Rodney Long, Rosemary Zuna, Shellaine R. Frazier, Sameer Antani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is regarded as a potential precancerous state of the uterine cervix. Timely and appropriate early treatment of CIN can help reduce cervical cancer mortality. Accurate estimation of CIN grade correlated with human papillomavirus type, which is the primary cause of the disease, helps determine the patient's risk for developing the disease. Colposcopy is used to select women for biopsy. Expert pathologists examine the biopsied cervical epithelial tissue under a microscope. The examination can take a long time and is prone to error and often results in high inter-and intra-observer variability in outcomes. Methodology: We propose …

Fabrication, Characterization And Environmental Monitoring Of Polymer-Based Materials For Biomedical And Structural Applications, Mousumi Bose

Doctoral Dissertations

"Polymers are versatile materials utilized for variety of applications. In biomedical field, luminescence quenching based optical oxygen sensors encapsulated in polymeric substances are gaining attention for early detection of surface wounds associated with tissue oxygen. A simple and low-cost fabrication technique was developed to produce sensor arrays for continuous two-dimensional oxygen tension measurement. Sensor patch along with smart phone-based readout technique is being evaluated as a smart bandage.

The environmental concerns and limited petroleum supply demand for replacing petroleum-based polymers with renewable bio-based sources while maintaining comparable properties. A sustainable and green approach was adopted to synthesize soy polyol-derived rigid …

Development Of Tripodal And Bipodal Ligand Frameworks And First-Row Transition Metal Reagents For Selective C-N Bond Construction Methodologies, Anshika Kalra

Doctoral Dissertations

"We present a family of anionic Mn(II) reagents supported by trisphenylamido- amlne frameworks that offer guidance with regards to ligand selection for developing C—N bond construction methodologies (extensively used in the synthesis of petrochemicals, household chemicals) through nitrene- transfer chemistry. We subsequently extend the study to include the corresponding Fe(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) reagents, to gain insights in their comparative reactivity/selectivity patterns. Attenuated levels of electrophilicity of anionic complexes proved to be more suitable for discriminating aromatic from aliphatic olefins for aziridination purposes, especially for Mn(II) complexes. However, in the case of Co(II) reagents, we observe that additional stereoelectronic parameters …

Relating Detonation Parameters To The Detonation Synthesis Of Nanomaterials, Martin Langenderfer

Doctoral Dissertations

“This research investigates the physical and chemical processes that contribute to the detonation synthesis of silicon carbide nanoparticles. Bulk production of SiC nanoparticles through detonation is possible due to pressures achieved over 20 GPa and temperatures over 2000 K as well as quenching rates in excess of 13 billion K/second. These conditions catalyze reaction and bottom-up molecular growth while retaining particles < 100 nm in diameter. In this work, detonation synthesis of SiC was demonstrated by incorporation of polycarbosilane, an SiC precursor material, into an RDX/TNT explosive matrix prior to detonation. Detonation Synthesis of SiC was also accomplished by reacting elemental silicon with carbon liberated by the detonation of negatively oxygen balanced TNT. Hydrodynamic simulation of a 60:40 mass ratio RDX/TNT detonation created conditions thermodynamically suitable to produce cubic silicon carbide within the first 500 nanoseconds after the passage of the detonation wave while carbon remains chemically reactive for molecular formation. Simulations and experimental tests indicated that loading configuration and impedance mismatch of the precursor additives used in detonation synthesis results in conditions in the additives that exceed the accepted detonation pressure of the explosive by greater than three times. Finally, a full factorial experimental design showed increasing silicon concentration, reducing silicon size, and reducing oxygen balance by adjusting the ratio of RDX to TNT decreased the explosives detonation pressure by 20% and increased the soot yield and concentration of SiC observed in the detonation products by 82% and 442% respectively”--Abstract, page iv.

Development Of High-Performance Hydrogels, Buddhabhushan Salunkhe

Doctoral Dissertations

Here, we present a systematic approach to design robust hydrogel compositions. The goal was to achieve excellent properties to open up new opportunities in especially two challenging applications not previously well-served by hydrogels.

The first part of this research will discuss the systematic screening of polymers for their hydrothermal stability under brine, acidic, neutral, and basic pH conditions followed by novel designs of hydrogel compositions. Certain hydrogel compositions withstand temperatures of up to 150 °C for more than 24 months in high salinity brines. This novel hydrogel composition fills a technology gap between the existing polyacrylamide-based preformed particle gels (PPGs) …

Designing Transition Metal Chalcogenides Electrocatalyst Surfaces For High-Efficiency Water Oxidation, Umanga De Silva

Doctoral Dissertations

”The rising demand for energy security and reducing fossil fuel dependence has prompted researchers to search for a clean, sustainable, and efficient energy generation system with low environmental impact. Water electrolysis has been identified as one of the most important processes satisfying the above needs to generate hydrogen as a clean fuel. Two half-cell reactions of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode comprise the main process of water electrolysis. However, the oxygen evolution reaction is the most crucial step for efficient water splitting. Traditionally, metal oxides have been utilized as catalysts …

Development Of Intelligent Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials And Nanodevices, Shuo Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Structural DNA nanotechnology utilizes DNA molecules as building blocks to fabricate ordered artificial nanostructures at the molecular level. Among all DNA-based techniques, DNA origami has been considered as one of the most powerful tools for constructing artificial nanostructures with excellent programmability and addressability. Currently, most DNA origami nanostructures are static and do not have the ability to response to environmental stimulation. The development of environmental-responsive DNA origami nanostructures is a critical step towards the realization of intelligent dynamic DNA origami-based nanodevices. This research focuses on the design and fabrication process of both static and dynamic DNA origami nanostructures and their …

Novel Synthetic Methods And Applications Of Porous Materials: Aerogel Foams, Metallic Aerogels, Amorphous And Graphitic Carbon Aerogels, Rushi Soni

Doctoral Dissertations

"We report novel methods for the synthesis of porous materials such as polymeric aerogel foams, pure metallic aerogels, amorphous and graphitic carbon aerogels, and their applications. I. Polyurethane based aerogel foams were synthesized with an aliphatic triisocyanate and ethylene glycol through a pressurized (7 bar) sol-gel method. The foam-like structure is prepared without any chemical foaming agents or templates, resulting in less expensive, more efficient, readily adaptable, and environmentally friendly process. Those materials exhibited lower thermal conductivity (by 25%) and higher oil adsorption capacity (by 36% w/w) than their corresponding aerogels. II. Monolithic, pure metallic Co(0) aerogels were synthesized from …

Cf⁺ Excitation In The Interstellar Medium, Benjamin Desrousseaux, François Lique, Javier R. Goicoechea, Ernesto Quintas-Sánchez, Richard Dawes

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The detection of CF⁺ in interstellar clouds potentially allows astronomers to infer the elemental fluorine abundance and the ionization fraction in ultraviolet-illuminated molecular gas. Because local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions are hardly fulfilled in the interstellar medium (ISM), the accurate determination of the CF⁺ abundance requires one to model its non-LTE excitation via both radiative and collisional processes. Here, we report quantum calculations of rate coefficients for the rotational excitation of CF⁺ in collisions with para- and ortho-H₂ (for temperatures up to 150 K). As an application, we present non-LTE excitation models that reveal population inversion …

Structural Determinants Of Flavin Dynamics In A Class B Monooxygenase, Ashley C. Campbell, Reeder Robinson, Didier Mena-Aguilar, Pablo Sobrado, John J. Tanner

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The ornithine hydroxylase known as SidA is a class B flavin monooxygenase that catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of hydroxamate-containing siderophores in Aspergillus fumigatus. Crystallographic studies of SidA revealed that the FAD undergoes dramatic conformational changes between out and in states during the catalytic cycle. We sought insight into the origins and purpose of flavin motion in class B monooxygenases by probing the function of Met101, a residue that contacts the pyrimidine ring of the in FAD. Steady-state kinetic measurements showed that the mutant variant M101A has a 25-fold lower turnover number. Pre-steady-state kinetic measurements, pH profiles, and …

Nerve Response To Superelastic Shape Memory Polyurethane Aerogels, Martina Rodriguez Sala, Omar Skalli, Nicholas Leventis, Firouzeh Sabri

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have previously shown the suitability of aerogels as scaffolds for neuronal cells. Here, we report on the use of super elastic shape memory polyurethane aerogels (SSMPA). SSMPA have a distinctly different stiffness than previously reported aerogels. The soft and deformable nature of SSMPA allowed for radial compression of the aerogel induced by a custom designed apparatus. This radial compression changed the pore diameter and surface roughness (Sa) of SSMPA, while maintaining similar stiffness. Two varieties of SSMPA were used, Mix-14 and Mix-18, with distinctly different pore diameters and Sa. Radial compression led to a decreased pore diameter, which, in …

Spincoating Epitaxial Films, Jay A. Switzer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A process for forming an epitaxial film comprising spinning a substrate having an ordered crystal structure ; heating the substrate during spinning to a temperature between 70° C. and 150° C .; dripping epitaxial film precursor solution onto the spinning substrate , where the precursor solution comprises inorganic film precursor material in a solvent ; and continuing the heating and spinning to remove the solvent and epitaxially grow the epitaxial film on the substrate .

Investigation Of The Evaporation Rate Of Water From Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (Cup) Systems By Isothermal Tga, Peng Geng, Ashish Zore, Michael R. Van De Mark

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Studies of the evaporation of aqueous nanoparticle solutions have been limited due to lack of homogeneity of the solution, difficulties in obtaining reproducible samples and stability of substrates, as well as the effect of other volatile components or contaminants such as surfactants. Colloidal unimolecular polymer (CUP) is a spheroidal nanoparticle with charged hydrophilic groups on the surface, and the particle size ranges from 3 to 9 nm. The large amount of surface water on the CUP surface provides the opportunity to evaluate the evaporation of surface water, which may contribute to the investigation the factors that affect the evaporation rate …

Corrigendum To “Biosynthesis Of Desferrioxamine Siderophores Initiated By Decarboxylases: A Functional Investigation Of Two Lysine/Ornithine-Decarboxylases From Gordonia Rubripertincta Cwb2 And Pimelobacter Simplex Vkm Ac-2033d” [Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 689 (2020) 108429] (Archives Of Biochemistry And Biophysics (2020) 689, (S0003986120304380), (10.1016/J.Abb.2020.108429)), Marika Hofmann, Julia S. Martin Del Campo, Pablo Sobrado, Dirk Tischler

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The authors regret that mistakenly the wrong strain was named in the article title. The decarboxylase gene psdesA originates from Pimelobacter simplex VKM Ac-2033D, not from Pimelobacter simplex 3E. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Competition Between Solvent-Solvent And Solvent-Solute Interactions In The Microhydration Of The Hexafluorophosphate Anion, Pf6⁻(H2o)N=1,2, Yasmeen A. Abdo, Gregory S. Tschumper

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study systematically examines the interactions of the hexafluorophosphate anion (PF₆^-) with one or two solvent water molecules (PF₆^-(H₂O)n where n = 1, 2). Full geometry optimizations and subsequent harmonic vibrational frequency computations are performed on each stationary point using a variety of common density functional theory methods (B3LYP, B3LYP-D3, M06-2X, and ωB97XD) and the MP2 and CCSD(T) ab initio methods with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on all non-hydrogen atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for P, O, and F; denoted as haTZ). Five new stationary …

Trapping Conformational States Of A Flavin-Dependent N-Monooxygenase In Crystallo Reveals Protein And Flavin Dynamics, Ashley C. Campbell, Kyle M. Stiers, Julia S. Martin Del Campo, Ritcha Mehra-Chaudhary, Pablo Sobrado, John J. Tanner

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The siderophore biosynthetic enzyme A (SidA) ornithine hydroxylase from Aspergillus fumigatus is a fungal disease drug target involved in the production of hydroxamate-containing siderophores, which are used by the pathogen to sequester iron. SidA is an N-monooxygenase that catalyzes the NADPH-dependent hydroxylation of L-ornithine through a multistep oxidative mechanism, utilizing a C4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate. Here we present four new crystal structures of SidA in various redox and ligation states, including the first structure of oxidized SidA without NADP(H) or L-ornithine bound (resting state). The resting state structure reveals a new out active site conformation characterized by large rotations of the FAD …

Erratum: Basis Set Dependence Of Higher-Order Correlation Effects In Π -Type Interactions (J. Chem. Phys. (2012) 136 (014103) Doi: 10.1155/2019/4057848), Emily J. Carrell, Cara M. Thorne, Gregory S. Tschumper

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

For a sequence of three correlation consistent basis sets,1 an algebraic expression can be obtained from Feller's three-parameter exponential function for the complete basis set (CBS) limit of the Hartree–Fock (HF) energy.2 During the derivation of a general three-point algebraic expression for the HF CBS limit,3 it was recognized that Eq. (2) in our original paper4 had the wrong sign in the last term in the denominator. The correct equation is as follows: (Formula Presented). (Table Presented).

Structure And Function Of A Flavin-Dependent S-Monooxygenase From Garlic (Allium Sativum), Hannah Valentino, Ashley C. Campbell, Jonathan P. Schuermann, Nazneen Sultana, Han G. Nam, Sophie Leblanc, John J. Tanner, Pablo Sobrado

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Allicin is a component of the characteristic smell and flavor of garlic (Allium sativum). A flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) produced by A. sativum (AsFMO) was previously proposed to oxidize S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) to alliin, an allicin precursor. Here, we present a kinetic and structural characterization of AsFMO that suggests a possible contradiction to this proposal. Results of steady-state kinetic analyses revealed that AsFMO exhibited negligible activity with SAC; however, the enzyme was highly active with L-cysteine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and allyl mercaptan. We found that allyl mercaptan with NADPH was the preferred substrate-cofactor combination. Rapid-reaction kinetic analyses showed that NADPH binds tightly (KD of …

Effect Of Vortex-Induced Physical Stress On Fluorescent Properties Of Dye-Containing Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-Block-Poly(Lactic Acid) Micelles, Tyler L. Odom, Jacob R. Blankenship, Giselle Campos, Devin C. Mart, Wenyan Liu, Risheng Wang, Keiichi Yoshimatsu

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of vortex-induced mechanical stresses on the fluorescent properties of dye-containing poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-b-PLA) block copolymer micelles has been investigated. PEG-b-PLA block copolymer micelles containing fluorescent dyes, 3,3′-dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate (DiO) and/or 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), are prepared by a simple one-step procedure that involves the self-assembly of block copolymers and spontaneous incorporation of hydrophobic dyes into the core of the micelles. Upon vortexing, the micelle dispersion samples showed a decrease in fluorescence intensity in a rotational speed- and time-dependent manner. The results demonstrated that the vortexing can alter the fluorescent properties of the dye-containing PEG-b-PLA block copolymer micelle dispersion …

Postharvest Application Of Thiol Compounds Affects Surface Browning And Antioxidant Activity Of Fresh-Cut Potatoes, İnci Cerit, Annalise Pfaff, Nuran Ercal, Omca Demirkol

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of sodium metabisulphite and the thiol compounds, glutathione (GSH), L-cysteine (CYS), and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), on the enzymatic browning, antioxidant activities, total phenolic, and ascorbic acid content of potatoes after 1, 24, and 48 hr. Three different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0%) of each thiol compound were tested. While sulphite solution inhibited polyphenol oxidase as expected, NAC and CYS also decreased its activity. CYS-treated samples exhibited the highest residual thiol content, while the amount of residual thiol in GSH-treated samples was the lowest. The 2.0% NAC and 2.0% CYS solutions were …

Observation Of The Low-Frequency Spectrum Of The Water Trimer As A Sensitive Test Of The Water-Trimer Potential And The Dipole-Moment Surface, Raffael Schwan, Chen Qu, Devendra Mani, Nitish Pal, Gerhard Schwaab, Joel M. Bowman, Gregory S. Tschumper, Martina Havenith

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Intermolecular interactions in bulk water are dominated by pairwise and non-pairwise cooperative interactions. While accurate descriptions of the pairwise interactions are available and can be tested by precise low-frequency spectra of the water dimer up to 550 cm−1, the same does not hold for the three-body interactions. Here, we report the first comprehensive spectrum of the water trimer in the frequency region from 70 to 620 cm−1 using helium-nanodroplet isolation and free-electron lasers. By comparison to accompanying high-level quantum calculations, the experimentally observed intermolecular bands can be assigned. The transition frequencies of the degenerate translation, the degenerate in-plane and the …

Thermal And Electrical Properties Of Isocyanate Derived Organic Aerogels For Cryogenic Insulation Applications, G. Churu, J. A. Demko, A. Mole, R. C. Duckworth, H. Lu, S. Malakooti, Nicholas Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use and storage of cryogens such as liquefied nitrogen, helium, hydrogen among others requires reliable and efficient thermal insulation systems. Passive insulation from high performance materials that are well-known for their inherent low thermal conductivity would reduce the overall costs involved in design, manufacture and maintenance of such systems. One such class of materials are referred to as aerogels. These materials are known for their low density, high mesoporosity, high surface areas, low thermal conductivity and high acoustic impedance. Aerogels were invented by S.S. Kistler in 1931, and the most common type are those made of silica. However, the …

Anchoring The Hydrogen Sulfide Dimer Potential Energy Surface To Juxtapose (H2s)2 With (H2o)2, Morgan A. Perkins, Kayleigh R. Barlow, Katelyn M. Dreux, Gregory S. Tschumper

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Twelve stationary points have been characterized on the (H₂S)₂ potential energy surface using the MP2 and CCSD(T) methods with large, correlation consistent basis sets. To the best of our knowledge, five of the structures have not been identified elsewhere and are presented here for the first time. A similar analysis was performed on the ten, well-known structures of the water dimer in order to facilitate direct comparisons between the corresponding (H₂O)₂ and (H₂S)₂ configurations. Harmonic vibrational frequency computations identify three (H₂S)₂ configurations as minima, four as transition states, …

Thermodynamic Characterization Of Free And Surface Water Of Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (Cup) Particles Utilizing Dsc, Peng Geng, Ashish Zore, Michael R. Van De Mark

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (CUP) particles are spheroidal, 3-9 nm with charged groups on the surface and a hydrophobic core, which offer a larger surface water fraction to improve the analysis of its characteristics. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed to determine the characteristics of surface water. These properties include the amount of surface water, the layer thickness, density, specific heat of the surface water above and below the freezing point of water, melting point depression of free water, effect of charge density and particle size. The charge density on the CUP surface was varied as well as the molecular weight …