Polymer Chemistry Commons^™

Nanomedicine-Based Immunochemotherapy For The Mr Imaging And Treatment Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Saloni Darji

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Cancer is known to be a detrimental disease and it accounts for many deaths every year. In women Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) known to be a very aggressive type of tumor. Current treatment approaches are abortive and have many side effects. With the recent advances in nanotechnology and immunotherapy for cancer treatment, we have designed new nanomedicine that combines both the aspects of cancer treatment. In this work, we have developed an anti-PD-L1-conjugated, Doxo-SS-Gd MR imaging agent encapsulating iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) to form IONP-Doxo-SS-Gd-PD-L1 nanomedicine for the targeted MR imaging and treatment of TNBC. The anti-PD-L1 acts as …

High Performance Carbon Derived From Soybean Waste For Energy Storage Applications, Chen Zhao

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The ever-increasing energy demands of daily life by devices such as portable electronics, vehicle equipment, and medical instruments stimulate development of highly efficient, cost-effective, and non-polluting materials for energy storage applications. Bio-based carbon material is the most promising and greenest class of electrodes based on the principle of the electrical double layer capacity, which has many merits such as high efficiency, long lifespan, fast charge-discharge rate, etc. for energy storage devices. In this study, combining carbonization and chemical activation processes through KOH, micropore and mesopore structures of soybean shells, stems, and leaves are successfully synthesized. Physical morphology and structures of …

Method Development To Quantify The Reinforcing Properties Of Silica Fillers, Hamid Reza Givehchi

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Polysiloxane polymers are widely used as a high-temperature resistant materials with the ability to maintain flexibility at extremely low temperatures. Unfortunately, polysiloxane elastomers generally exhibit low strength and poor mechanical properties and have no practical use unless they are reinforced. These elastomers can be mechanically improved through the use of reinforcing silica-based fillers. It is known that silanol groups on the surface of silica filler particles can interact with the polysiloxane backbone. Interactions of silanol groups on the fillers’ surfaces with the polysiloxane backbone through hydrogen bonding may hinder the mobility of the polymer chain and can improve thermal, physical, …

Combination Therapy: Parp Inhibitor Synergizes The Therapeutic Efficacy Of Doxorubicin In The Treatment Of Prostate Cancer, Momin Ansare

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Men are most susceptible to prostate cancer in the United States. The general treatment options include surgery, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. But in recent days, the nanoformulation have shown promising applications in overcoming the drawbacks of the currently available treatment options. To complement, we tried to enhance the capability of the nanoparticle formulation by loading them with a novel drug combination for the treatment of prostate cancer. Herein, we synthesized folate conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated with doxorubicin and olaparib for imaging and targeted treatment of prostate cancer. Both drugs are approved by FDA for clinical cancer treatment. …

Synthesis Of Doxorubicin-Based Prodrug And Activatable Mr Nanoprobe For The Imaging And Treatment Of Cancer, Bayan Dous

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used as a diagnostic tool for cancer. We propose a novel molecular probe, Gadolinium-DTPA disulfide-bonded Doxorubicin (Gd-DTPA-SS-Doxo) encapsulated in iron oxide which could provide a dual modality for detecting malignant growth while simultaneously targeting treatment options. We first synthesized Gd-DTPA-SS-Doxo followed by encapsulation within the poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) coating of iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP), producing a nanoprobe (IO-Gd-DTPA-SS-Doxo) with quenched longitudinal spin lattice magnetic relaxation (T1). After receptor-mediated internalization, Gd-DTPA-SS-Doxo is released from the nanoprobe’s polymeric coating due to the acidic microenvironment of the tumor. When the molecular probe is subjected to …

A Detailed Study Of Novel High-Performance Bromine And Phosphorus Based Reactive Flame Retardants In High-Quality Bio-Polyol Based Rigid Polyurethane Foams, Sanket Bhoyate

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Structural fire is one of the most catastrophic issues related to human safety observed from reports of National Fire Protection Association of United States in past years. Polyurethanes are one of the important structural material used as thermal insulation in housing. They are also used in automotive, construction, medical, packaging, furniture, thermal, electrical, and vibration insulation. Considering this, we have synthesized bio-based polyurethane foams using limonene-based polyol, isocyanates, and other compounds. Flame retardancy was imparted using reactive flame retardant polyols. Firstly, flame retardancy test was performed on the foams using two novel aliphatic and two novel aromatic bromine-based synthesized reactive …

Flame Retardancy Of Ferrocene Incorporated Epoxide, Sultan Alanazi

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Epoxy resins are thermosetting resins that are used in a variety of applications such as electrical and electronic devices. However, epoxy resins can be inherently flammable. To circumvent this problem, epoxy resins were prepared by incorporating ferrocene carboxylic acid into the epoxy prior to thermal setting, as a flame retardant. Ferrocene carboxylic acid was prepared by condensing o-chlorobenzoyl chloride with ferrocene followed by hydrolysis. The synthesized ferrocene carboxylic acid was characterized by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Epoxy films were then prepared by reacting ferrocene carboxylic acid (10, 15, and 20% by wt) with bisphenol A …

Nanocomposites Of Polypyrrole And Cobalt Oxide As Efficient And Stable Multifunctional Materials For Supercapacitors And Overall Water Splitting, Ahlam Alghamdi

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

NANOCOMPOSITES OF POLYPYRROLE AND COBALT OXIDE AS EFFICIENT AND STABLE MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR SUPERCAPACITORS AND OVERALL WATER SPLITTING

An Abstract of the Thesis by

Ahlam Alghamdi

The main objective of this study is to synthesize nanostructured cobalt oxide decorated on polypyrrole using a facile method for energy applications. For this, polypyrrole was first synthesized using a chemical polymerization method. In the second step, a varying amount of cobalt oxide was decorated on polypyrrole using a hydrothermal process. The synthesized materials were structurally and electrochemically characterized. It was observed that the electrochemical properties of the composites depend on their composition. The …

Targeted Triple Drug Regimen For The Treatment Of Prostate Cancer, Tanuja Tummala

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the most common amongst men. According to ACS 2018 statistics, about 164,690 new cases appear and 29,430 deaths occur. Nearly 6 in 10 cases are diagnosed in men over 50 years of age and often there are no early symptoms. The treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and/or radiation and it can often be treated successfully. However, the poor management and adverse effects demanded ways to find better treatment option. Towards the development of a personalized medicine for prostate cancer treatment, we proposed to design prostate cancer targeting magnetic nanoplatform. This integrates various key components such …

Highly Flame Retardant And Bio-Based Rigid Polyurethane Foams Derived From Orange Peel Oil, Chunyang Zhang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Polyurethane is an important class of polymer which is being used for various industrial applications in the form of rigid foams, flexible foams, thermoplastic, elastomer, coating, and adhesive. Especially there is a huge market for rigid polyurethane foams for their applications as thermal insulating material in building and housing. In general, polyurethanes are prepared using polyols and diisocyanates. Most of the polyols used by industries are petrochemical based. In this project, a novel polyol from an orange peel oil-based derivative, limonene dimercaptan, was synthesized using one step photochemical thiol-ene reaction. The synthesized polyol was used to prepare flame retardant polyurethane …

Characterization Of Polymers Containing Ferrocene And Imidazole With Density Functional Theory, Eric Mullins

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Electrochemical and UV-Vis studies on these polymers in the presence of aqueous solutions containing metal ions have revealed significant modifications in the electrochemical properties and absorption spectra. These modifications in electrochemical properties could be attributed to the ability of the imidazole to coordinate with metal ions, increasing its electron deficiency and enhancing oxidization of the nearby ferrocene moiety if it is in close proximity with imidazole. However, the mechanism of interaction between the imidazole and metal ions, as well as the equilibrium geometry of the resulting polymer-metal ion complex is unknown.

In this thesis, density functional theory (DFT) was used …

Graphene Nanoribbons And Their Polymeric Nanocomposites: Controlled Synthesis, Characterization And Applications, Nada M. Aljehany

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Carbon based materials are very promising as electrode materials energy generation and storage devices. They have been used for fuel cells, supercapacitors and solar cells. Among the carbon-based materials, graphene is very attractive due to its unique properties such as high electrical conductivity, good mechanical flexibility, large theoretical surface area (2630 m²/g), and high thermal and chemical stability. These unique properties make them very suitable for energy storage applications particularly for supercapacitors. The performance of the graphene as energy storage material could be further improved by growing them in nanoribbon form by unzipping carbon nanotubes. In this thesis, …

Use Of Decahydrodecaborate As Flame Retardants In Polyurethanes, Austin W. Bailey

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

There is a growing need for non-halogenated flame retardants due to the toxicity and environmental impacts that are exhibited by current ones. The polyurethane industry is one that has expressed a need for flame retardants in many of its industrial and commercial applications. For these reasons, two different decaborate compounds, tetramethyl and tetrabutyl ammonium decahydrodecaborate, were synthesized and incorporated into polyurethane films for testing. The compounds were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Proton-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy, Carbon-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹³C-NMR) spectroscopy, and Boron-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹¹B-NMR) spectroscopy. The compounds were incorporated …

One-Pot Syntheses And Characterizations Of “Click-Able” Polyester Polymers For Potential Biomedical Applications, James F. Beach Ii

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In this study, a synthetic polyester polymer was designed using polyethylene glycol, sorbitol, glutaric acid and 4-pentynoic acid as monomers. The synthesis was carried out using standard melt polymerization technique and catalyzed by Novozyme-435, an enzyme suitable for polyesterification of biocompatible compounds. The progress of the reaction was monitored with respect to time and vacuum exposure, with samples being subjected to standard characterization protocols. Polymers with high molecular weight and water solubility were chosen for further modification into folate-functionalized polymeric nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to cancer cells. This was achieved by employing a solvent diffusion method, wherein the polymer …

Sulfurization Of Nanostructured Cobalt Oxide For Energy Storage Applications, Samiyah Fahad Aloqayli

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Development of energy storage devices with high energy performance, power density, fast charge-discharge capability and long cyclability is needed to meet the increasing demand for energy, power and environmental protection in our daily life. Supercapacitors have great potential in future energy storage devices with magnificent properties. Recently, researchers have shown great progress for the improvement of supercapacitor performance by fabrication of nanostructured transition metal chalcogenides materials. One of the main objectives of this thesis is to synthesize nanostructured cobalt oxide and then converte them to cobalt sulfide using a facile hydrothermal method. The synthesized cobalt oxide and cobalt sulfide were …

Biowaste Derived Rigid Polyurethane Foams And Supercapacitors: A Renewable And Sustainable Alternative For Petrochemicals, Charith K. R. Akurana Gamaralalage

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Bio-based polyol for rigid polyurethane (PU) foams and porous structured carbon as an electrode material for supercapacitors were synthesized from readily available biowaste precursor (orange peel) as an alternative to currently used petroleum-based starting materials. Synthesized bio-based polyols were characterized using FTIR, GPC, hydroxyl number, and viscosity measurements. These analyses indicated that intended bio-based polyol was obtained via thiol-ene chemistry with a high yield. Rigid PU foams prepared from bio-based polyol exhibited density around 35 kg/m³, maintained a regular cell structure with uniform cell distribution, closed cell content over 90%, and excellent compressive strength of ~230 kPa, suggesting …

Molecularly Targeted Nanomedicine: Role Of Hsp90 Inhibitor And Sophorolipids In The Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Shuguftha Naz Ms

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Lactonic sophorolipids (LSL) are a class of enzymatically modified glycolipids known to have HDAC inhibition activity and anticancer properties. Ganetespib (GT), an Hsp90 inhibitor, is known for its superior antitumor activity in several K-RAS mutant Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) cells. In this study, a new anti-oxidant nanoplatform is formulated using the combination of these two drugs, LSL and GT, in order to target both HDAC inhibition and Hsp90 signaling pathways in NSCLC. Nanoceria (NC) is an excellent redox platform will be specifically used to supplement the therapeutic potency of these drugs in the effective treatment of NSCLC. We hypothesized that …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Molybdenum Sulfide And For Hydrogen Evolution Reaction And Supercapacitor Applications, Zhuo Wang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

To meet the constantly rising requirement of energy other than traditional fossil fuel and environment protection, it is a perfect time to development low cost, and efficient materials for clean energy production. Hydrogen generation by water splitting is one of the cleanest ways to produce cheaper energy. Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the key steps in water splitting process. Ideally, the thermodynamic potential for HER should be at 0 V (vs. SHE). However, without an efficient catalyst, this reaction occurred at higher potential, called overpotential. A good HER catalyst is needed to lower the overpotential and hence to …

Effects Of Processing Parameters On Properties Of Novel Silica-Filled Polysiloxane Materials, Kyle W. Schwenker

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Polysiloxanes are a class of materials that possess high temperature stability and the ability to remain flexible at extremely low temperatures. Their elastomers generally exhibit low strength and have poor mechanical properties unless reinforced with fillers. Reinforcement can be accomplished by compounding reinforcing silica fillers with polysiloxanes via twin-screw extrusion compounding that vigorously mixes the fillers into a polymer matrix. In this thesis, a lab-scale twin-screw extruder was utilized to compound thermoplastic materials to determine the effects of processing on thermoplastics material properties, as well as to determine the extruder’s compounding effectiveness. Processing via lab-scale twin-screw extrusion did not negatively …

Thermomechanical Performance Assessment Of Bio-Based Pu Adhesives Derived From Castor Oil, Anand Patel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Thermomechanical Performance Assessment of Bio-based PU Adhesives Derived from Castor Oil

An Abstract of the Thesis by

Anand V. Patel

Adhesives play a critical role in binding diverse materials, thereby promoting structural integrity and functional versatility across numerous daily applications. A significant challenge remains in developing polyurethane adhesives that exhibit exceptional bonding strength, as many are derived from petroleum products. To reduce dependence on non-renewable resources and offer sustainable and affordable alternatives, vegetable oils are being utilized to create a range of polyurethane adhesives. These oils are preferred due to their low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and reduced environmental impact. This research …