Chemistry Commons^™

Multi-Level Analysis Of Atomic Layer Deposition Barrier Coatings On Additively Manufactured Plastics For High Vacuum Applications, Nupur Bihari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While hardware innovations in micro/nano electronics and photonics are heavily patented, the rise of the open-source movement has significantly shifted focus to the importance of obtaining low-cost, functional and easily modifiable research equipment. This thesis provides a foundation of open source development of equipment to aid in the micro/nano electronics and photonics fields.

First, the massive acceptance of the open source Arduino microcontroller has aided in the development of control systems with a wide variety of uses. Here it is used for the development of an open-source dual axis gimbal system. This system is used to characterize optoelectronic properties of …

Novel Surfactant Stabilized Plga Cisplatin Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery Applications, Samra Umar, Manzar Zahra, Muhammad Akhter, Amir Waseem

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In the current study, cisplatin loaded (Poly(lactic-co-glycolicacid)) (PLGA) stabilized with 4-phenylphenacylbromide based surfactants nanoparticles were developed for drug delivery applications. For the course of this study four new 4-phenylphenacylbromide based compounds abbreviated as PA(C2)3, PA(C8)3, PAC16 and PAC18 have been synthesized by the reaction of 4-phenylphenacylbromide with various long chain amines. The new surfactants were characterized with 1H and 13C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of newly synthesized surfactants are in the range of 0.024-0.091 mM. The newly synthesized surfactants have been incorporated in PLGA based nanoparticles and are used for drug encapsulation and delivery of …

Study On Potential Applications And Toxicity Analysis Of Green Synthesized Nanoparticles, Rajni Garg, Priya Rani, Rishav Garg, Nnabuk Okon Eddy

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Nanomaterials have garnered the significant interest of scientists owing to their technological as well as medical applications. In particular, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles have gained prominence because of their enhanced performance as compared to their bulk counterparts. Metal-supported nanomaterials are anticipated to make major contributions to solving today's most challenging issues, like energy harvesting and environmental remediation. The incorporation of nanoparticles into sensors has significantly enhanced their precision and selectivity. With the advent of green chemistry, green synthetic techniques have been prioritized for the synthesis of single and multicomponent nanomaterials. In the current review, we have addressed the multidimensional …

Puerarin-Coated Gold Nanoparticles (Pue-Aunps) Synthesized Via Green Synthetic Route: A New Colorimetric Probe For The Detection Of Ciprofloxacin, Tasneem Zehra, Faiqa Ahsan, Muhammad Ali Versiani, Sana Wahid, Sajid Jahangir, Muhammad Raza Shah

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Puerarin-coated gold nanoparticles (PUE-AuNPs) synthesized via green synthetic route, a new colorimetric sensor, efficiently detected the ciprofloxacin (CP) in tap water and cow milk samples. The PUE-AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible, FTIR, AFM, and DLS techniques and were found to be spherical with an average size of approximately 19-20 nm. FTIR spectrum confirms that functional groups such as -OH, -C=O, -CO and -C=C were responsible for the reduction of gold (III) chloride trihydrate. These functional groups acted as capping agents to form AuNPs. The PUE-AuNPs sensor was proved to be selective and sensitive for the detection of CP through colorimetric …

Crystal Structure And Vibrational Spectra Of Bis(2-Isobutyrylamidophenyl)Amine:A Redox Noninnocent Ligand, Emrah Aslantatar, Savita K. Sharma, Omar Villanueva, Cora E. Macbeth, İlkay Gümüş, Hakan Arslan

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The molecular structure of bis(2-isobutyrylamidophenyl)amine (H3LNNN) has been determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The crystal packing of H3LNNN is governed by the N-H...O and C-H...O hydrogen-bonding and C-H...π stacking interactions between the vicinal molecules. The intermolecular interactions in the crystal structure of H3LNNN have been also examined via Hirshfeld surface analysis and fingerprint plots. The Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the important role of N-H...O and C-H...π interactions in the solid-state structure of H3LNNN. The molecular structure, vibrational frequencies, and infrared intensities of H3LNNN were computed by ab initio HF and DFT (B3LYP, B3PW91, and BLYP) methods using the …

A Fluorescent Sensor-Based Tripodal-Bodipy For Cu (Ii) Ions: Bio-Imaging On Cells, Ahmed Nuri̇ Kurşunlu, Mustafa Özmen, Ersi̇n Güler

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A general synthetic method was improved to synthesize a chemosensor based on a tripodal Bodipy (t-BODIPY) structure. The product and its intermediate products were successfully prepared and fully characterized. The metal ion sensing performance of the tripodal compound was evaluated by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. According to the obtained data, t-BODIPY is a selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for detection of Cu2+ ions in the presence and in the absence of competing ions. This chemosensor presents relatively a low detection limit of 5.4 x10-7 M for Cu2+. Bio-imaging studies on living yeast cells suggest that t-BODIPY has some advantages over …

การพัฒนาหน่วยควบแน่นแบบระเหยสำหรับระบบปรับอากาศขนาดกลาง, ไปรยา ทองเหลือง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

หน่วยควบแน่นแบบระเหย (Evaporative condenser unit) คือการอาศัยหลักการระเหยของน้ำมาช่วยเพิ่มความสามารถในการระบายความร้อนของเครื่องปรับอากาศ งานวิจัยนี้มีจุดประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาหน่วยควบแน่นแบบระเหยและศึกษาปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อการเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพของเครื่องปรับอากาศ ได้แก่ ความชื้นสัมพัทธ์โดยรอบ (Ambient relative humidity) และอัตราการไหลของน้ำ (Water flow rate) โดยออกแบบคอยล์เสริมเพื่อเป็นบริเวณที่ใช้ในการฉีดพ่นน้ำ พบว่าการเชื่อมต่อคอยล์เสริมบริเวณดิสชาร์จสูงกว่าบริเวณลิควิด 3.5% การทดลองเพื่อศึกษาเปลี่ยนแปลงค่าความชื้นสัมพัทธ์ควบคุมโดยปรับค่าความเร็วอากาศพบว่าเมื่อความเร็วอากาศลดลงทำให้ความชื้นสัมพัทธ์เพิ่มขึ้น และความสามารถในการระบายความร้อนมีค่าสูงสุดในช่วงความชื้นสัมพัทธ์ระหว่าง 73.1% ถึง 80.9% การทดลองศึกษาการเปลี่ยนแปลงอัตราการไหลของน้ำพบว่าพื้นที่สัมผัสบริเวณผิวคอยล์เสริมมากจะสามารถลดอุณหภูมิของสารทำความเย็นได้มากเช่นกัน นอกจากนี้ขนาดของหัวฉีดพ่นและความชื้นสัมพัทธ์ยังส่งผลต่อการลดลงของอุณหภูมิสารทำความเย็นอีกด้วย ยิ่งไปกว่านั้นในการทดลองเพื่อหาประสิทธิภาพการทำงานของต้นแบบหน่วยควบแน่นแบบระเหยพบว่าสามารถเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพจากเครื่องปรับอากาศที่ระบายความร้อนด้วยลมปกติได้สูงถึง 20.36%

Synthesis And Biological Activities Of Chalcone Derivatives, Ade Danova

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Chalcones have drawn attention due to the simple structures and wide spectra of biological activities. Their core structure bearing diaryl rings with α,β-unsaturated ketone was generated easily using Claisen-Schmidt condensation. In this study, one hundred and eight chalcones and their derivatives were synthesized; among them, twenty-five were disclosed as new compounds. All synthesized chalcones were well-characterized by means of spectroscopy and evaluated for their anti-cancer (A549) and anti-inflammatory activities, and α-glucosidase inhibition. For anti-cancer activity, 3',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl on the A ring, and hydroxy and methoxy groups on the B ring exhibited high potent inhibitory activity against A549 with three best potent …

Advanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection Of Oxidative Damage In Nucleic Acid Bases: Probing Chemical Changes And Intermolecular Interactions In Guanosine At Ultralow Concentration, Francesca Ripanti, Claudia Fasolato, Flavia Mazzarda, Simonetta Palleschi, Marina Ceccarini, Chunchun Li, Margherita Bignami, Enrico Bodo, Steven E.J. Bell, Filomena Mazzei, Paolo Postorino

Bioelectrics Publications

DNA/RNA synthesis precursors are especially vulnerable to damage induced by reactive oxygen species occurring following oxidative stress. Guanosine triphosphates are the prevalent oxidized nucleotides, which can be misincorporated during replication, leading to mutations and cell death. Here, we present a novel method based on micro-Raman spectroscopy, combined with ab initio calculations, for the identification, detection, and quantification of oxidized nucleotides at low concentration. We also show that the Raman signature in the terahertz spectral range (<100 >cm(-1)) contains information on the intermolecular assembly of guanine in tetrads, which allows us to further boost the oxidative damage detection limit. Eventually, we …

Development Of Analytical Methods For The Determination Of Β-Lactam Antibiotic Residues In Meat, Milk And Dairy Products, Melissa Di Rocco

Theses

In this project, analytical methodologies for the determination of β-lactam antibiotic residues in meat and dairy products were developed and validated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The methods included the main penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems commonly employed in human or veterinary medicine for the treatment of bacterial infections. A multi-residue method for the analysis of 30 β-lactams was developed and validated in bovine muscle using dispersive-solid phase extraction (d-SPE), reversed-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry detection. A number of sorbent materials were assessed for clean-up, and a simple and straightforward sample preparation protocol developed for …

Cytoviva Hyperspectral Imaging For Comparing The Uptake And Transformation Of Agnps And Ag+ In Mitochondria, Kristina Steingass

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Nanomaterials have attracted significant attention in the last decade, with applications in everyday products. Amongst all known nanomaterials in use, silver is the leading metal, present in 531 different types of products, owing to their unique optical, electrical, antimicrobial, and thermal properties. Though silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) come in contact regularly with the general population, there is little known about their toxicity mechanism due to limited techniques for thorough analysis. CytoViva Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) shows potential for filling these gaps. In this study, borohydride-capped AgNPs with an approximate diameter of 10 nm were synthesized using the modified Creighton method and characterized …

Development Of Synthetic Coal Char Simulant For Microwave Conversion Studies: A Computationally-Driven Approach, Kevin A. Hager

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent experimental demonstration of new reaction windows for coal char/methane reactions that are less energy-intensive, provides innovation for modular reactors. However, the correlation of the exact mechanism for the enhancement of these reaction windows is not certain. This study investigates the simplification of these experimental studies by developing a well-characterized coal char simulant. The approach involves using a computational approach to screen macroscopic composition to replicate the dielectric and compositional response of actual char. This study is focused on PRB coal char. A discrete element method (DEM) technique was used to simulate the packing of coal chars to give the …

Gas Phase Reactions Of Cyclopentadiene With Ch And Oh Radicals, Kacee Lynn Caster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbon-based nanoparticles in combustion environments is driven by the pyrolysis and oxidation of abundant fuel molecules. The subsequent growth of these pyrolytic byproducts is then propagated by reactions with small free radical species like OH, CH, O atoms, and C₂H. Cyclopentadiene (C₅H₆) is a significant five-member combustion intermediate that has been detected in many high temperature reactions, such as in the pyrolysis of jet fuels like JP-10. Experimental and theoretical investigations in the reactions of cyclopentadiene with these small free radical species are necessary towards understanding …

Harnessing Acoustic Streaming For Bioanalysis In Microfluidics, Xiaojun Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the past few decades, microfluidic technology has been developed rapidly in both fabrication methods and multifunctionality integrations, making it a powerful tool for a wider variety of biological applications. The device fabrication method has expanded from conventional polymer-based micro devices to 3D-printed micro devices, and allows multiple functions such as electric, optic, magnetic and acoustic to be integrated on a single platform. This dissertation focuses on method development of acoustic streaming-based microfluidics in bioanalysis such as immunoassay, enzyme kinetics and DNA fragmentation analysis. In this dissertation, a micromixer was developed based on acoustic streaming generated from sharp-edge structure vibration …

Structual Analysis Of The Cl-Par-4 Tumor Suppressor As A Function Of Ionic Environment, Krishna K. Raut, Komala Ponniah, Steven M. Pascal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) is a proapoptotic tumor suppressor protein that has been linked to a large number of cancers. This 38 kilodalton (kDa) protein has been shown to be predominantly intrinsically disordered in vitro. In vivo, Par-4 is cleaved by caspase-3 at Asp-131 to generate the 25 kDa functionally active cleaved Par-4 protein (cl-Par-4) that inhibits NF-κB-mediated cell survival pathways and causes selective apoptosis in tumor cells. Here, we have employed circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to assess the effects of various monovalent and divalent salts upon the conformation of cl-Par-4 in vitro. We have …

Biolability Of Fresh And Photodegraded Pyrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter From Laboratory-Prepared Chars, K. W. Bostick, A. R. Zimmerman, A. I. Goranov, S. Mitra, P. G. Hatcher, A. S. Wozniak

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Pyrogenic dissolved organic matter (pyDOM) is known to be an important biogeochemical constituent of aquatic ecosystems and the carbon cycle. While recent studies have examined how pyDOM production, composition, and photolability varies with parent pyrogenic solid material type, we lack an understanding of potential microbial mineralization and transformation of pyDOM in the biogeosphere. Thus, leachates of oak, charred at 400 °C and 650 °C, as well as their photodegraded counterparts were incubated with a soil‐extracted microbial consortium over 96 days. During the incubation, significantly more carbon was biomineralized from the lower versus higher temperature char leachate (45% vs. 37% lost, …

A Dual Nanostructured Approach To Sers Substrates Amenable To Large-Scale Production, Kory Brian Castro, Cicely Rathmell, John Cooper

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), although popular in research, has not yet been adopted in industrial applications. This is largely due to the challenge of manufacturing cost-effective, reproducible SERS substrates in volume that can be read by a compact reader for practical deployment in the field. Here we demonstrate and characterize a new dual-nanostructured SERS substrate approach that could be amenable to large-scale production. This dual-nanostructured surface combines long-range ordering of silver nanowires (AgNWs) with dense non-ordered decoration via silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to improve on the SERS response characteristics of the individual structures, using fabrication methods that could be scaled …

Aggregation And Degradation Of Dispersants And Oil By Microbial Exopolymers (Addomex): Toward A Synthesis Of Processes And Pathways Of Marine Oil Snow Formation In Determining The Fate Of Hydrocarbons, Antonietta Quigg, Peter H. Santschi, Chen Xu, Kai Ziervogel, Manoj Kamalanathan, Wei-Chun Chin, Adrian B. Burd, Andrew Wozniak, Patrick G. Hatcher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Microbes (bacteria, phytoplankton) in the ocean are responsible for the copious production of exopolymeric substances (EPS) that include transparent exopolymeric particles. These materials act as a matrix to form marine snow. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, marine oil snow (MOS) formed in massive quantities and influenced the fate and transport of oil in the ocean. The processes and pathways of MOS formation require further elucidation to be better understood, in particular we need to better understand how dispersants affect aggregation and degradation of oil. Toward that end, recent work has characterized EPS as a function of microbial community and …

Synthesis And Self-Assembling Properties Of Peracetylated Β-1 Triazolyl Alkyl D Glucosides And D-Galactosides, Pooja Sharma, Anji Chen, Dan Wang, Guijun Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbohydrate-based low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) are useful classes of compounds due to their numerous applications. Among sugar-based LMWGs, certain peracetylated sugar beta-triazole derivatives were found to be effective organogelators and showed interesting self-assembling properties. To further understand the structural influence towards molecular assemblies and obtain new functional materials with interesting properties, we designed and synthesized a library of tetraacetyl beta-1-triazolyl alkyl-D-glucosides and D-galactosides, in which a two or three carbon spacer is inserted between the anomeric position and the triazole moiety. A series of 16 glucose derivatives and 14 galactose derivatives were synthesized and analyzed. The self-assembling properties of these new …

Fifteen Years Of Hfc-134a Satellite Observations: Comparisons With Slimcat Calculations, Jeremy J. Harrison, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Christopher D. Boone, Sandip S. Dhomse, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The phase out of anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons under the terms of the Montreal Protocol led to the development and worldwide use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration, air conditioning, and as blowing agents and propellants. Consequently, over recent years, the atmospheric abundances of HFCs have dramatically increased. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases and are now controlled under the terms of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. HFC-134a is currently the most abundant HFC in the atmosphere, breaking the 100 ppt barrier in 2018, and can be measured in the Earth's atmosphere by the satellite remote-sensing instrument …

Fine-Tuning Of Molecular Structures To Generate Carbohydrate Based Super Gelators And Their Applications For Drug Delivery And Dye Absorption, Jonathan Bietsch, Mary Olson, Guijun Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbohydrate-based low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) exhibit many desirable properties making them useful in various fields including applications as drug delivery carriers. In order to further understand the structural connection to gelation properties, especially the influence of halide substitutions, we have designed and synthesized a series of para-chlorobenzylidene acetal protected D-glucosamine amide derivatives. Fifteen different amides were synthesized, and their self-assembling properties were assessed in multiple organic solvents, as well as mixtures of organic solvents with water. All derivatives were found to be gelators for at least one solvent and majority formed gels in multiple solvents at concentrations lower than …

Does The Short Term Fluctuation Of Mineral Element Concentrations In The Closed Hydroponic Experimental Facilities Affect The Mineral Concentrations In Cucumber Plants Exposed To Elevated Co2?, Xun Li, Jinlong Dong, Nazim Gruda, Wenying Chu, Zengqiang Duan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Aims

Studies dealing with plants’ mineral nutrient status under elevated atmospheric CO₂concentration (eCO₂) are usually conducted in closed hydroponic systems, in which nutrient solutions are entirely renewed every several days. Here, we investigated the contribution of the fluctuation of concentrations of N ([N]), P ([P]), and K ([K]) in nutrient solutions in this short period on their concentrations in cucumber plants exposed to different [CO₂] and N levels.

Methods

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants were hydroponically grown under two [CO₂] and three N levels. [N], [P], and [K] in nutrient solutions …

Line-Of-Sight Winds And Doppler Effect Smearing In Ace-Fts Solar Occultation Measurements, Chris D. Boone, Johnathen Steffen, Jeff Crouse, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Line-of-sight wind profiles are derived from Doppler shifts in infrared solar occultation measurements from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometers (ACE-FTS), the primary instrument on SCISAT, a satellite-based mission for monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere. Comparisons suggest a possible eastward bias from 20 m/s to 30 m/s in ACE-FTS results above 80 km relative to some datasets but no persistent bias relative to other datasets. For instruments operating in a limb geometry, looking through a wide range of altitudes, smearing of the Doppler effect along the line of sight can impact the measured signal, particularly for saturated absorption lines. Implications …

Potentiometric Biosensing Of Ascorbic Acid, Uric Acid, And Cysteine In Microliter Volumes Using Miniaturized Nanoporous Gold Electrodes, Christopher J. Freeman, Borkat Ullah, Md. Shafiul Islam, Maryanne M. Collinson

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Potentiometric redox sensing is a relatively inexpensive and passive approach to evaluate the overall redox state of complex biological and environmental solutions. The ability to make such measurements in ultra-small volumes using high surface area, nanoporous electrodes is of particular importance as such electrodes can improve the rates of electron transfer and reduce the effects of biofouling on the electrochemical signal. This work focuses on the fabrication of miniaturized nanoporous gold (NPG) electrodes with a high surface area and a small footprint for the potentiometric redox sensing of three biologically relevant redox molecules (ascorbic acid, uric acid, and cysteine) in …

Chemometrics Using R, David T. Harvey

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Although you may not yet know what we mean by the term chemometrics, you almost certainly make routine use of chemometric techniques in your classes and labs: reporting an average result for several trials of an experiment or creating a calibration curve and using it to find an analyte’s concentration are two examples of chemometric methods analysis with which you almost certainly are familiar. The goal of this textbook is to provide an introduction to chemometrics suitable for the undergraduate chemistry curriculum at the junior or senior level; indeed, much of this textbook's content, including many of the examples and …

Establishing Independent Tunability Of The Mechanical And Transport Properties Of Polymer Gels, Lucas Rankin

Master’s Theses

Polymer gels can be used in the fabrication of materials for filtering liquid and gaseous media, solid-state electrolytes, and transdermal medical patches. This diverse range of applications primarily relies on the transport and mechanical properties of polymer gels. Both sets of properties have shown excellent tunability, but typically in a coupled fashion. Establishing the independent tunability of the transport and mechanical properties of polymer gels (using simple, cost-effective methods) is paramount if polymer gels are to be used to their full potential. Specifically, block copolymer gels self-assemble into organized nanoscale networks within the gel solvent, which allows for facile control …

The Effects Of Increasing Positively Charged Metal Ions Within Synovial Fluid, Kandisi Anyabwile

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects 10% of men and 13% of women over age of 60. It is the degradation of the cartilage between two bones; obesity, age, overuse, or injury are major contributors to the development of this disease. The joint is incapsulated by the synovial sac filled with a viscous solution that aids in lubrication referred to as synovial fluid. If the synovial sac is ruptured due to injury, positive ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺) may affect viscoelastic properties within the sac. The purpose of this …

Proto-Rna Synthesis Using Glycerol And Phosphate Anion, Noah Parker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Nucleic acids are important molecules for all life, serving as the primary molecules for information storage and reproduction. RNA has long been thought to be the molecule that initiated protein synthesis. However, RNA has recently been thought to be too complex to synthesize prebiotically. Through a 1:1 mole ratio condensation of glycerol and phosphoric acid, I generated glycerol-phosphate oligomers that resemble a primitive form of the carbon-phosphate backbone of RNA. 75 mmol MgCl2 was added to some samples to see if the Mg cation could stabilize the reaction intermediates and further promote longer proto-RNA oligomers. These samples were all heated …

Continuing The Metalation And Ring Closure Of Biliazine, Joshua Villers

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Continuing previous research conducted by Dr. Ziegler and his Graduate Students in which different metals were selected to metalate the compound Biliazine as well as finding metals that could be used to close the ring system in Biliazine.

Quantifying Confinement Of Chain Dynamics For Chains Tethered To Self-Assembling Crystalline Nanodomains Using Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy, Logan Benninghoff

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Polyisobutylene (PIB) rubbers can be reinforced with crystalline β-alanine nanodomains. Progress has been made in understanding the morphology of the nanodomains, but the dynamics of the PIB molecule chains attached to the surface of the nanodomains and in the matrix are not well understood. It is possible to observe the motion of these PIB chains using Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) experiments, since the experimental technique can give data for smaller timescales. Data collection for reinforced rubber samples has already been performed, but the data still need to be analyzed. For my honors project I will be comparing the data to …