Inorganic Chemistry Commons^™

Thermally Induced Color Changes In Iron Oxide Containing Coatings, Tabatha Whitfield

Master's Theses

Wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires and residential conflagrations present significant challenges for post-fire damage and fire propagation analysis. CAL FIRE observed reddening in architectural coatings during the 2025 Pacific Palisades fire with no determination of the cause. While heat-induced color change of infrastructure coatings has been studied, its potential use as a thermal exposure indicator in residential fire events remains largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to characterize the heat-induced color change of yellow iron oxide containing coatings subjected to thermal exposures, replicating residential fire conditions. The coatings were applied to commonly used building materials and exposed to direct …

Comparative Development Of Mof‑Based And Mof‑Free Agnp Functionalized Zno Nanorod–Cotton Fabric Composites For Photocatalytic Applications, Md Al Mamun

Master's Theses

Photocatalysis offers a cost‑effective and environmentally friendly strategy for degrading organic pollutants and addressing energy and environmental challenges. This study initially explored MOF‑based cotton‑fabric‑supported ZnO nanorod composites but found that the MOF component primarily acted as an adsorbent rather than an effective photocatalyst. Consequently, MOF‑free composites were developed by directly growing ZnO nanorods on cotton fabric and functionalizing them with silver nanoparticles. Photocatalytic testing revealed that AgNP‑modified ZnO nanorods, particularly at 10 mM AgNP, exhibited superior dye degradation efficiency, thereby demonstrating a scalable and effective photocatalytic platform.

Investigating The Influence Of Experimental Parameters On The Formation Of Gold Nanoparticles: A Green Synthesis And Design Of Experiments Approach, Isaac Opeyemi Subuloye

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using catechin, a naturally occurring plant-derived compound, as both a reducing and capping agent. The synthesis process was guided by a structured Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology to ensure systematic investigation and optimization. A two-phase experimental approach was adopted. First, a full factorial screening design was used to evaluate the effects of catechin concentration, NaOH concentration, and pre-reaction time. This was followed by an optimization phase using a face-centered composite design to identify conditions that produce nanoparticles with ideal characteristics. The nanoparticles were analyzed using UV-visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering …

Investigation Of Surface Chemistry From Electron Irradiation Of Synthetic Schreibersite, Tyler Davis

Master's Theses

While phosphorus is one of the key elements for life on Earth, it has relatively low abundance in extraterrestrial environments, making it a target for astronomers and astrobiologists interested in the possibility of life beyond our planet. Schreibersite (Fe,Ni)₃P is one of the first P-containing minerals to condense during planetary cooling and one of the primary P-containing minerals in iron and stony-iron meteorites. Therefore, it is a likely P-bearing mineral in cometary cores and dust grains within the interstellar medium and circumstellar envelopes. Experiments in this project were performed with the aim of observing the formation of small …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Ruthenium Complexes And Their Potential And Photosensitizers For Photodynamic Therapy, Keit Dine

Master's Theses

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world with over 10 million people dying of the disease every year. Inorganic complexes supported by platinum metal centers are often used in cancer treatment. However, these complexes lack selectivity for tumor cells. As such, other alternatives to platinum have been explored. Ruthenium (Ru) complexes are one of the most promising candidates due to their ability to be used as photosensitizing drugs in photodynamic therapy. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of two novel ruthenium-based complexes. One compound is a Ru(II) homoleptic complex, while the other is …

An Investigation Of Antenna, Ligand Side-Chain, And Metal Ion Effects On The Optical And Mri Properties Of Bimodal Lanthanide (Iii) Complexes, Marisa Poveda

Master's Theses

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a leading anatomical imaging modality for disease diagnosis. With the aid of Gd³⁺ based contrast agents, high resolution images of biological structures can be obtained. However, there is an increased need for contrast agents that are responsive to specific analytes and chemical environments. Paramagnetic Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (PARACEST) agents that utilize a paramagnetic lanthanide ion chelated with a ligand have shown great promise in this area. Lanthanide ions also possess luminescence properties that do not suffer from common limitations of conventional optical imaging agents such as autofluorescence and photobleaching. The projects described in …

Dendrimer Modified Silica Nanoparticles As Fluorescent Chemosensors For The Detection Of Copper And Cyanide Ions, Alicia Luhrs

Master's Theses

A series of silica nanoparticle-based fluorescent chemosensors were synthesized for the sensitive and selective detection of Cu²⁺ ions in aqueous solution and subsequent CN^- ion detection. Silica nanoparticles (SNP) were modified with branching polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, which function as selective turn-off Cu²⁺ ion chelators and platforms for the attachment of rhodamine isothiocyanate (RITC) or fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) fluorescent dyes. In the presence of Cu²⁺ ions, the emission of the fluorescent dye is quenched by Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and is dependent upon dendrimer generation, pH, fluorescent dye, and surface charge. The quenching effectiveness was analyzed …

Production And Harvest Of Microalgae In Wastewater Raceways With Resource Recycling, Alexander Colin Roberts

Master's Theses

Microalgae can be grown on municipal wastewater media to both treat the wastewater and produce feedstock for algae biofuel production. However the reliability of treatment must be demonstrated, as well as high areal algae productivity on recycled wastewater media and efficient sedimentation harvesting. This processes was studied at pilot scale in the present research.

A pilot facility was operated with nine CO₂-supplemented raceway ponds, each with a 33-m² surface area and a 0.3-m depth, continuously from March 6, 2013 through September 24, 2014. The ponds were operated as three sets of triplicates with two sets continuously fed …

Electrolyte Effects On The Kinetics Of Comproportionation Electron-Transfer Reactions And On Intervalence Charge-Transfer Band Energies Of Binuclear Ruthenium Ammine Complexes, Zhiji Han

Master's Theses

Chapter 1 describes an overview of electron-transfer reactions. The kinetic equations for ET reactions have also been described in detail.

Chapter 2 describes a series of novel kinetic accelerations which deviate strongly from the predictions of the classical Debye-Huckle theory with a range of different added “inert” electrolytes. The greater catalytic effects seen with the heavier halides and other catalytic electrolytes (especially certain dicarboxylates) indicate an important role for hole-transfer superexchange in the ET transition state. The hypothesis of a catalytic ternary association complex, [RuII--X--RuIII] has also been explored by kinetic modeling of the reaction. An increasing ratio of anion-catalyzed …

Mechanistic Studies Of Salt Effects On Bimolecular Electron-Transfer Reactions Of Pentaamine Ruthenium Pyridyl Complexes Studied By 19f Nmr Line-Broadening And T2 Spin-Echo Techniques, Nicholas J. Magarian

Master's Theses

Kinetic salt effects on the bimolecular ET self-exchange reaction between pentaamineruthenium(II)(3-trifluoromethylpyridine)²⁺, (NH₃)₅Ru^IItfmp²⁺, and pentaamineruthenium(III)(3-trifluoromethylpyridine)³⁺, (NH₃)₅Ru^IIItfmp³⁺, have been measured using both ¹⁹F NMR line-broadening and CPMG T₂ spin-echo relaxation techniques in H₂O and D₂O. Over the equimolar reactants concentration range of 0.10 mM – 8.00 mM there was a definite “self-salting” rate increase arising from the increased solution ionic strengths due to the reactants and counterions themselves. The magnitude of this effect diverged significantly, however, …

Mechanistic Studies Of Bimolecular Electron Transfer Self-Exchange Rates Of Ruthenium Ammine Pyridyl Complexes Measured By Nmr Line Broadening Techniques, Yishun Qin

Master's Theses

The electron transfer (ET) self-exchange rates on a series of complexes of (NH₃)₅Ru^II/III L^2+/3+ in D₂O (where L is a substituted pyridyl ligand) were investigated by dynamic NMR measurements. Significant rate enhancement was observed for the cases of L = 3-phenylpyridine and 4-phenylpridine due to possible π-π stacking between Phpy ligands. These observations matche well with recent stopped-flow work by Mehmood on a similar set of related pseudo-self exchange reactions. Kinetics of the (NH₃)₅Ru^II/III (3-trifluoromethylpyridine)^2+/3+ self-exchange reactions with addition of various simple/complex salts and hexacyano salts …

Surface Tethered Pamam Dendrimers On Controlled Pore Glass As Color Release Sensors For Phosphates, Chang Liu

Master's Theses

Poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (PAMAM) are highly branched macromolecules with reactive amine groups in their interior and exterior. PAMAM dendrimers were attached to controlled pore glass (CPG) surfaces in order to create new functionalized surfaces and used as platforms for UV-vis and fluorescent sensing of phosphate substrates via indicator displacement assays (IDA).

CPG surfaces were first modified with different sized PAMAM dendrimers (generation 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0), then reacted with two strong metal-chelators: aminofunctionalized terpyridine (synthesized from 2,2’:6’,2’’-terpyridine) and Nα-Nα-bis(carboxymethyl)-L-lysine (Lys-NTA). First of all, Cu(II) metal ion binding capacities were measured on the surfaces. Second, two terminal group density tests, amine assay …

Design And Synthesis Of Fluorescence Turn-On Probes For Iron, Randy K. Jackson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Part A: The Use Of Nonionic Associative Polymers For The Thickening And Emulsifying Of Personal Care Products/ Part B: The Synthesis Of A Manganese Sod Mimetic For Reactive Coatings, Mallory Lynn Mcmahon

Master's Theses

Part A

The use of nonionic associative thickeners was proposed for personal care applications.  Various limitations of current rheology modifiers used in personal care were discussed.  Nonionic associative polymers were examined as both thickeners and emulsifiers.  The structure/property relationship for nonionic polymers and their ability to thicken and emulsify were fully examined.  Results showed an increase in thickening efficiency for nonionic associative polymers with higher log(P) (partition coefficient) values.  This was due to the formation of smaller aggregates and increased bridging between aggregates.  The connection between oil polarity, log(P) of the associative polymer, and emulsion stability showed no relationship however; …