Materials Chemistry Commons^™

Visualization Without Vision – How Blind And Visually Impaired Students And Researchers Engage With Molecular Structures, Croix J. Laconsay, Henry B. Wedler, Dean J. Tantillo

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This article examines the tools and techniques currently available that enable blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals to visualize three-dimensional objects used in learning chemistry concepts. How BVI individuals engage with and visualize molecular structure is discussed and recent tactile (or haptic) and auditory methods for visualization of various chemistry concepts are summarized. Remaining challenges for chemistry education researchers are described with the aim of highlighting the potential value of educational research in further enabling BVI students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Thermotropic And Lyotropic Phase Behaviours Of Spontaneously Self-Assembled Amphiphilic Branched-Chain Glycosides With Various Chain Length, Abdul Hamid Hairul Amani

Student Works (2020-2029)

Lipid polymorphism is a process which illustrates the self-assembly of lipid aggregation depending on the environment. Lipids such as branched-chain glycolipids which are amphiphilic molecules also known as amphitropic tend to generate mesophases in thermotropic (dry) and lyotropic (solvation) conditions. These molecules are capable of self-aggregating into various types of glycolipid self-assemblies offering an interesting insight in relation to their functions in living cells. Hence, this study aims to investigate the mesophases of ꞵ-D-glycosides which are branched-chain synthetic glycolipids, namely, ꞵ-D-glucosides and ꞵ-D-maltosides. The study was carried out on the thermotropic phases of dry glycosides and the lyotropic phases of …

Benzosiloles With Crystallization-Induced Emission Enhancement Of Electrochemiluminescence: Synthesis, Electrochemistry, And Crystallography, Liuqing Yang, Donghyun Koo, Jackie Wu, Jonathan M. Wong, Tyler Day, Ruizhong Zhang, Harshana Kolongoda, Kehan Liu, Jian Wang, Zhifeng Ding, Brian Pagenkopf

Chemistry Publications

Crystallization-induced emission enhancement (CIEE) was demonstrated for the first time for electrochemilunimescence (ECL) with two new benzosiloles. Compared with their solution, the films of the two benzosiloles gave CIEE of 24 times and 16 times. The mechanism of the CIEE-ECL was examined by spooling ECL spectroscopy, X-ray crystal structure analysis, photoluminescence, and DFT calculation. This CIEE-ECL system is a complement to the well-established aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) systems. Unique intermolecular interactions are noted in the crystalline chromophore. The first heterogeneous ECL system is established for organic compounds with highly hydrophobic properties.

I. Non-Degradable Polysiloxane Networks For Controlled Release Applications, And Ii. Additive Free, Degradable Silyl-Ether Furyl-Maleimide Networks, Caleb M. Bunton

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

I. Two different series of non–degradable polysiloxane networks were prepared for the encapsulation and controlled release of a small molecule agent. For the first series, hydrosilylation was utilized to prepare networks of varying crosslink densities, as determined from swelling studies, from vinyl terminated and silylhydride functional poly(dimethyl)siloxanes. For the second series, the thiol-ene reaction was utilized to prepare networks of varying crosslink densities, as determined from swelling studies, from vinyl terminated and mercaptopropyl functional poly(dimethyl)siloxanes. Nile red dye was used as an encapsulated agent and dye release from each series of networks was measured using UV–vis spectroscopy to determine controllability …

Mesoporous Adsorbents For Perfluorinated Compounds, Bertha Lotsi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective adsorbents for polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were successfully prepared. And they were tested in the adsorption of perfluorooctanoic and perfluorooctanesulfonic acids. Bridged silsesquioxanes containing secondary and tertiary amino groups were synthesized by sol-gel condensation of bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]amine and bis[3-(methylamino)propyl]-trimethoxysilane in acidic media with surfactants. Obtained materials are mesoporous with a high BET surface area. They combine high structural stability with a high concentration of surface amino groups serving as adsorption sites. Batch adsorption tests demonstrated their extremely high adsorption capacity on PFCs: in some experiments, it reached up to 88% of the adsorbent weight. Adsorption of PFCs changed the surfaces of …

Immobilization Of Phosphotungstic Acid On Silica Surface For Catalytic Alkylation Of Aromatic Compounds, Anastasia Kuvayskaya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Superacidic mesoporous materials containing covalently embedded PTA were synthesized by sol-gel method. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and phosphotungstic acid (PTA) were used as precursors in the synthesis, ionic and nonionic surfactants were used as pore-forming agents, the reaction proceeded in acidic media. TEM images revealed mesoporous structure with embedded PTA clusters. FT-IR spectra of obtained materials contained characteristic bands of PTA at 957 cm-1. Synthesized catalysts had high BET surface area and high concentration of acidic sites. Alkylation of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene by 1-decene demonstrated high catalytic activity. The catalyst obtained with Pluronic P123 as a template was the most effective and resulted …

The Synthesis Of Urethane Acrylate Resin From Palm Fatty Acid Distillate And Some Mechanical Properties, Kim Teck Teo

Student Works (2020-2029)

Depletion of petroleum reserves and increasing environmental concerns have stimulated the efforts to explore materials from readily available, renewable natural resources, such as carbohydrates, oils, fats and proteins. Plant oil and its fatty acids are promising renewable resources to produce environmentally friendly polymeric materials. Palm oil is a major crop in Malaysia and consequently palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) has been an abundant by-product during the refinery process. PFAD could be a renewable raw material for industrial application. Thus, we develop new PFAD-based acrylate resins UV curable for coatings applications. The resins could be produced by two approaches. Firstly, mixtures …

Surface Chemistry And Surface Properties Of Energetic Nitrocellulose (Nc), Henry Grau

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This research describes an investigation into the wettability of nitrocellulose (NC), most importantly to nitroglycerin (NG), which are key components of formulations used to propel military ammunition. NG demonstrates complete wetting of NC and, overtime, NG sweats on the NC surface and leaks out. The leaking out of NG from the solid formulation is a known cause of fires and explosions resulting from storage. The origin of this research is inspired by the need to engineer a solution to leakage problems of energetic plasticizer in NC based propellant. While searching for a viable material for a specific application, we journeyed …

Redox-Active Porous Organic Materials For Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications, K. Shamara Weeraratne

Theses and Dissertations

As the demand for renewable energy technologies grows, so does the need for cheaper, more efficient rechargeable batteries to store the energy. While lithium-ion battery (LIBs) technology is well established, it suffers from limited lithium supplies. Furthermore, the highly toxic transition metals used in the electrodes places a huge burden on the environment. Therefore, replacing lithium with more economical sodium metal in rechargeable batteries (i.e. sodium-ion batteries, SIBs) has garnered considerable attention. Despite the fact that sodium and lithium share similar electrochemical properties, which may cause the transition from lithium to sodium easier, the larger ionic radius of Na^{+ …}

Filtration Apparatus Design For Oil-Water Separation Using Membranes And Sponges, Alec Jerger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

It can be difficult to separate water and oil emulsions through traditional filtration. Therefore, investigations of filtering using thermo-responsive (TR) polymers, in this case poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), was conducted. It’s hypothesized that below its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), PVME has an affinity for water while oil substances do not. Above the LCST the opposite will be true. To verify this hypothesis, iterations of filtration designs were created to provide optimum control over the parameters to measure flow. The final optimized experimental apparatus was a Chromaflex glass column which was air tight and controlled all parameters besides fluid flow. …

Sugar-Derived Oleogels In Cosmetics And Food Applications: A Case Study Of Trehalose- And Mannitol-Based Gelators, Polina Tsupko

Dissertations and Theses

Gels represent an indispensable part of our everyday lives with direct applications in food, medicine, cosmetics and other industries. Amphiphilic molecules have been shown to act as low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) and are becoming the main focus of several research groups. Their ability to self-assemble into various morphologies from micelles to bilayer sheets, and remain stable due to noncovalent forces responsible for the formation of the 3D network—Self-Assembled Fibrillar Network (SAFiNs)—is in the core of their ability to produce molecular gels. Those amphiphilic molecules capable of adsorbing at the interface and behaving as surface active agents are known as …

Derivatization Of Stable, Soluble Redox-Active Organic Materials For Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries, Thilini Malsha Suduwella

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

In screening active materials for redox flow batteries (RFBs) – in which solubility is important to raise the volumetric energy density – scientists are slave to trial and error, modifying organic molecules in an attempt to optimize (increase) solubility without compromising other important properties such as stability and redox potential. A trained chemist can often predict the trends of solubility with the structural modifications in the neutral state of the materials, but when it’s come to the charged state of the materials, it doesn’t follow the same trend as the neutral species and relative values are hard to predict. The …

Effects Of Hole Transporting Layers And Surface Ligands On Interface Energetics And Photovoltaic Performance Of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskites, So Min Park

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Organic metal halide perovskites are promising materials for various optoelectronic device applications such as light emitting diodes (LED) and photovoltaic (PV) cells. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown dramatic increases in power conversion efficiency over the previous ten years, far exceeding the rate of improvement of all other PV technologies. PSCs have attracted significant attention due to their strong absorbance throughout the visible region, high charge carrier mobilities, color tunability, and ability to make ultralight weight devices. However, organic metal halide perovskites still face several challenges. For example, their environmental stability issue must be overcome to enable widespread commercialization. Meeting …

Designing Metal-Halide Perovskites With Enhanced Optical Properties And Stability Using Surface Ligands, Md Aslam Uddin

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Metal-halide perovskites (MHPs), with formula ABX₃ (A = methylammonium, formamidinium, or Cs⁺; B = Sn²⁺ or Pb²⁺; and X = Cl^-, Br^-, or I^-) are versatile and attractive materials because of their tunable optical and electronic properties. These optical and electronic properties include tunable direct band gaps, high absorption coefficients, low exciton binding energies, relatively high electron and hole mobilities, narrow emission line-widths, and high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields (Φ_PL). Much of the initial excitement around organic metal-halide perovskites focused on their application in photovoltaics (PVs) …

Developing And Testing Redox Active Organic Molecules For Nonaqueous Redox Flow Battery Applications, Nuwan Harsha Attanayake

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Non-emissive, sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal power have continued to provide an increasing amount of electricity to support electrical grids. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, grid energy storage systems must adjust for variations in and mismatches between electricity production and consumption. Among the available energy storage technologies, redox flow batteries (RFBs) are expected to play a critical role in the grid energy storage due to their decoupled energy and power, long service life, and simple manufacturing. However, the worldwide market penetration of RFB systems is still limited due …

Hypervalent Iodine Compounds With Carboxylate And Tetrazolate Ligands, Avichal Vaish

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

In modern organic chemistry, hypervalent (HV) iodine(III) compounds are frequently used as oxidizing agents but application of λ³-iodanes in polymer and material chemistry is still underexplored. This dissertation describes the preparation of dynamic and self-healing materials by employing ligand exchange reactions involving HV iodine(III) compounds of the type ArIL₂ (Ar = Aryl, L = ligand, e.g., carboxylate or (pseudo)halide). These compounds can undergo ligand exchange reactions in presence of nucleophiles (Nu^-) to form ArINu₂. Diacetoxyiodo benzene was successfully employed as a crosslinker to prepare dynamic and self-healing gels derived from carboxylate-containing polymers. Furthermore, …

Preparation Of Folic Acid-Carbon Dots-Doxorubicin Nanoparticles As Targeting Tumor Theranostics, Samson Dada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted much attention as an excellent gene/drug delivery and biological imaging agent for early cancer theranostics. In this study, we prepared two series of nanoparticles (NPs), which are composed of (CDs) with a targeting agent, folic acid (FA), and a chemotherapeutic agent Doxorubicin (Dox). All the NPs and their intermediates were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The drug loading capacity (DLC) and drug loading efficiency (DLE) of two series of FA-CDs-Dox were assessed using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy at the wavelength of 485 nm. Both showed good DLE and DLC …

Conformational Polymorphism In Organic Crystals: Structural And Functional Aspects - A Review, Bidisha Sengupta, Pradeep K. Sengupta, Romans Grant1, Matthew Beasley1, Benjamin Mason1, Tanesha Love1, Larissa Barroso9, Mariela Alvarado9, M S. Zaman

Faculty Publications

Polymorphism in organic crystals involves the formation of isomeric molecular identities. It is dependent on the structural arrangement due to inter-atomic interactions, as well as external stimuli, which include temperature, visible and UV radiation. Conformational polymorphism of organic crystalline molecules is often the result of isomerism due to the twisting and turning of angular bonds. The arrangement of the atoms supports different types of bonding mechanisms (which include hydrogen bonding) within the same compound. This, in turn, results in the formation of cis/trans configurational isomers or a proton transfer species (tautomer), having different functional properties. The conformers support the flexibility …

Photoswitchable Self-Complementary Hydrogen Bond Arrays, Suendues Noori, James A. Wisner

Western Research Forum

Background: Photochromism is the reversible transformation of a chemical material to another form by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation (light), where the two metastable forms have distinct absorption spectra and other properties. Photochromism in materials allows for the switching of their function solely based on irradiation with light. Polymers are used frequently as the building blocks for materials as they are versatile, multifunctional, can carry charge and be processed by solution-based deposition methods. Supramolecular polymers share the same definition as polymers with the exception that they are held together by reversible and directional non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonds. Synthesizing …

Mild Synthesis Of Perylene Tetracarboxylic Monoanhydrides With Potential Applications In Organic Optoelectronics, Xizhe Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Perylene tetracarboxylic derivatives are considered good n-type semi-conductors. In past decades, there has been extensive study on their synthesis and electronic properties. Because of the high electron affinity, the ability to form π-π stacks, they have been widely utilized in organic photovoltaic solar cells, field-effect transistors and light-emitting diodes. Many of those applications prefer unsymmetrically substituted perylene tetracarboxylic derivatives. Perylene monoanhydrides are the most versatile intermediates for the preparation of unsymmetrically substituted perylene tetracarboxylic derivatives. In this thesis, I focused on introducing new synthesis methods for perylene monoanhydrides with labile functional group and their potential applications in organic optoelectronics.

In …

Bridging The Molecular/Material Divide: An Investigation Into The Properties Of Polyesters, Terra Marie M. Jouaneh

Senior Honors Projects

By definition, polymers consist of large molecules composed of small, repeating units called monomers. These monomers give characteristic material properties to polymers, whether they be the melting point, the folding character, or the inherent stability. Many of the objects we encounter on a daily basis are composed of polymers. These polymers may be synthetic, such as the plastic in disposable bags, or natural, like glycogen in the liver. Recent developments in biotechnology have used synthetic polymers in drug delivery, contact lenses, and even organ transplants. Polyesters, in particular, have been utilized pharmacologically due to their biodegradable properties. Understandably, not all …

Synthesis Of N-Heterocyclic Molecules And Their Applicability Towards Ion Sensing: Polymeric Chemosensors, Aikohi M. Ugboya

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Critical to biological and environmental processes are anions because often times their relative concentration in our body can be an indicator of one’s well-being. Therefore, highly sensitive and cost-efficient methods for ions recognition is necessary for human health. In recent times, polymeric chemosensors have become a vital tool for sensing ions because of its higher sensitivity and good mechanical properties compared to their monomeric counterparts. These sensors are designed to produce a measurable response in the presence of a targeted ion such as an electrochemical or optical signal. The unique structure and the photophysical properties of the 1,2,3-triazole core coupled …

Oxidative Degradation Of Lignin And Investigation Of Utilization Of Lignin-Derived Materials As Building Blocks For Epoxy Resins, Zhen Fang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer on earth, is potentially a replaceable source for bulky fuels and chemical feedstocks. There have been numerous reports on methods for the oxidative cleavage of β-O-4 linkages but relatively few reports of how those methods affect other linkages that are present in lignin. We investigated how the β-1 and β-5 linkages respond under oxidative conditions proposed for lignin deconstruction based on their effect on β-O-4 linkages. Mechanochemical treatment of lignin can greatly improve the yield of monomer products and we applied a mechanochemical approach, using powerful ring-and-puck milling to promote lignin degradation. Along with …

Modeling The Condensed-Phase Behavior Of Π-Conjugated Polymers, Walker Mask

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

It is well established that the morphology and physical properties of an organic semiconducting (OSC) material regulate its electronic properties. However, structure-function relationships remain difficult to describe in polymer-based OSC, which are of particular interest due to their robust mechanical properties. If relationships among the molecular and bulk levels of structure can be found, they can aid in the design of improved materials. To explore and detail important structure-function relationships in polymer-based OSC, this work employs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study various π-conjugated polymers in different environments. Two independent investigations are discussed in this work. One investigation examines how …

Stabilized, Hybrid Solid-State Photocatalysts For Water Purification: Preparation, Properties And Performance Under Visible Light Irradiation, Karpagavalli Ramji

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Stabilized heterogeneous photocatalysts that use only solar light and air have been prepared and successfully employed to decontaminate water from organic pollutants. Organic dye pollutants present, for example in textile effluents, are one of the major sources of water pollution owing to their limited biodegradability, toxicity and potential carcinogenic risks. Before certifying water for public consumption, reuse in industries or for discharge in surface water the organic pollutants must be degraded, an effort that is energy intensive and currently requires complex methodologies. We report solid-state photocatalysts that use only visible light and air to treat wastewater. Perfluoroalkyl perfluoro-substituted zinc phthalocyanine …

Examining The Effects Of Amino And Thiolate Ligands On The Reactivity And Selectivity Of Palladium On Carbon In Hydrogenation Reactions, Eric Liu, Christina Li

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heterogeneous catalysts are used widely by chemical and energy industries because they show high reactivity but often suffer from lack of selectivity. On the other hand, ligands are commonly used in homogeneous catalysts to control the reactivity and selectivity; however, the effects of the ligands on the steric and electronic properties of heterogeneous catalysts are less understood. We examine the effects of four different ligands: 1-adamantanethiol, 1-adamantylamine, 1-dodecanethiol, and 1-dodecylamine, for the commercial hydrogenation catalyst palladium on carbon. Hydrogenation reactions are used as a screening tool to see the behavior that the different catalysts exhibit in the presence of unsaturated …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Block Copolymers For Shear Force Responsive Materials And Sugar Conjugated Fluorescent Probes, Jacob Ryan Blankenship

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Herein, I present my work towards two goals: shear force-responsive materials and sugarconjugated fluorescent probes for bacterial identification applications. The first work is on the development of stimuli-responsive polymers that allow for precise control over the release of encapsulated material. Stimuli-responsive polymers are becoming increasingly important in drug delivery and other applications. However there have been few reports on shear force-responsive micellar systems. I show the synthesis, and characterization by ¹H and ¹³C NMR of four macro-chain transfer agents (macro-CTAs), one of which has not been previously reported. The resulting macro-CTAs were used in polymerization of vinyl acetate …

Thermosetting Polymers Via Azide Alkyne Cycloaddition, Richard H. Cooke Iii

Dissertations

This dissertation exploits properties inherent to azide-alkyne cycloaddition and applies practical solutions to difficult problems. Chapter II addresses structure-property relationships in glassy azido-alkyne matrices by varying the identity of the central linkage within tetrapropargyl bis-aniline-type crosslinkers, and by the addition or omission of Cu(I) catalyst. This systematic study showed that an ether or methylene linkage yielded lower melting tetrapropargyl crosslinkers that were soluble in, and produced homogeneous, networks when cured with, a standard azido resin, di(3-azido-2-hydroxypropyl) ether of bisphenol-A; in contrast, a sulfone linkage yielded a relatively insoluble crosslinker and poorly dispersed, heterogeneous networks when reacted with the same …

Tumor-Targeting Fluorinated Phthalocyanines For Theranostic Applications, Erik Nathaniel Carrión

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Hydrocarbon-based therapeutics and imaging agents are prone to chemical oxidation and degradation resulting in loss of activity and limited functional utility. Thus, more material is required to achieve long-lasting therapeutic effects. Phthalocyanines (Pcs) and their metal complexes (PcMs) can be utilized as prodrugs requiring only renewable energy resources namely, air and light, for cancer therapy and diagnostic (theranostic) applications related to photodynamic therapy (PDT). Replacement of labile C-H bonds in the Pc scaffold with a combination of fluoro and perfluoroisopropyl groups has resulted in a stable yet reactive oxidation catalyst of biological significance and importance. For example, F₆₄PcZn, …

Long-Range Electrostatic Interactions In Gold Catalysis And Fluorinating Reagent Development., Zhichao Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our research focus is on applying two long range electrostatic interactions--coulombic interaction between ion pairs and hydrogen bonding—to two tasks: exploring counterion effects in gold catalysis and utilizing hydrogen bonding for fluorinating reagent development. Cationic gold catalysis is considered one of the most important breakthroughs in organic synthesis over the past two decades. A wealth of empirical information on counterion effects is now available regarding homogeneous gold catalysis. However, the rational understanding of the counterion effect on reactivity is still elusive. We proposed a widely applicable model to rationalize the kinetic effect in gold catalyzed reaction. We first solved the …