• Functional Nitroxyls for Polypropylene Modification 

  McLaren, Michael

  Chemistry for introducing a long-chain branch (LCB) architecture to linear, isotactic polypropylene (PP) is described, wherein degradation of the polymer matrix through β-scission of macroradicals is inhibited by an additive ...

• Polymeric Liquid Behavior in Oscillatory Shear Flow 

  Kanso, Mona

  One of the great challenges in chemical engineering is to predict physical properties from molecular structure. Predicting transport properties presents special challenges, especially for macromolecular structures. This ...

• Improved recipes for leuco-crystal violet micelle gel dosimeters 

  Smith, Mandy

  An optimized recipe for a radiochromic micelle (RM) leuco-crystal violet (LCV) gel dosimeter was proposed using full-factorial designed experiments and model-based optimization. Linear regression models were used to optimize ...

• Development of a solid-phase extraction method for the separation of algal lipid classes 

  Claudio Pachecano, Elizabeth

  Algal oils have been extensively used as feedstocks for the production of biodiesel. These can be obtained using one of several extraction techniques, such as Soxhlet extraction. A critical issue is the presence of compounds ...

• Electrokinetic Assembly of Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Based (Bio)Chemical Sensing 

  Dies, Hannah

  Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enables sensitive detection of (bio)chemical analytes. However, the need for nanostructured noble metal substrates poses a major obstacle to its application. In this thesis, we ...

• Exploiting the Unique Plasmonic Phenomenon of Metallic Nanostructures for Sensing and Biosensing Applications 

  Nair, Srijit

  Real-time, accurate sensing promoted by analytical sensors is extremely important for advances in drug discovery, disease diagnosis and for studying biological systems. In particular, label-free surface plasmon resonance ...

• Modulating the Inflammatory Response of Macrophages on Biomaterial Surfaces 

  Comas, Rosa

  The foreign body response is an inflammatory response to implanted materials and poses significant challenges for biomaterials-based medical applications, often leading to the degradation or fibrous encapsulation of an ...

• An Efficient Process for the Cu(0)-Catalyzed Controlled Radical Synthesis and Subsequent Chain Extension of Poly(Methyl Acrylate) Macroinitiator 

  Shirali zadeh, Niloofar

  Copper mediated polymerization is used to produce poly(methyl acrylate) with an average degree of polymerization of 10 (P(MA)10) and narrow distribution in both batch and continuous tubular reactors at ambient temperature. ...

• Degradation and Crystallization Studies of Branched PLA Prepared by Reactive Extrusion 

  Simmons, Heather

  This thesis proposes strategies to improve the crystallinity and mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and investigates the effects of these modifications on hydrolytic degradation. The effect of long-chain ...

• Polymeric Ionic Liquid Compositions for In-Situ Product Removal Bioreactor Applications 

  Biro, Robert

  Although the biosynthesis of n-butanol and succinic acid can afford renewable fuels, solvents, and chemical intermediates, these bioprocesses suffer from the cytotoxicity of their end products, leading to reduced production ...

• An evaluation of hyaluronic acid and poly-L-lysine polyelectrolyte layers on alginate microspheres for use in protein-triggered drug release 

  Baldwin, Emily

  Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in developed countries in those 50 years of age and older. Increased expression of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a ...

• Investigation of Hydroisomerization Catalysts and Reaction Conditions to produce Branched-Chain Fatty Acids 

  Duff, Samantha

  Fatty acids (FAs) from vegetable oils can be used as feed to produce renewable hydrocarbons and bio-lubricants. Naturally occurring FAs are, however, susceptible to oxidative attack and have operating temperature limitations ...

• Modification of Polysaccharides and their Use as Pickering Emulsifiers in Oil/Water Emulsions, Miniemulsion, and Microsuspension Polymerization 

  Glasing, Joe

  Emulsion and suspension systems are the basis for the formulation of a wide variety of products including pharmaceuticals, consumables such as food, personal care or cosmetics and commodity materials such as adhesives, ...

• Radical Copolymerization of Hydroxy-Functional Monomers 

  Idowu, Loretta

  Solvent-borne acrylic resins are commonly used in automotive coatings formulations due to the superior characteristics they provide to the final products. Hydroxyl-functionality, incorporated by selection of 2-hydroxyethyl ...

• Improvement of Biofuel Fermentation Processes With Use of Poly(vinyldodecylimidazolium bromide) for In-situ Product Removal 

  Vincent, Rachel

  The production of biofuels through fermentation has become increasingly important due to the need for sustainable energy sources. The fermentation processes of ethanol and n-butanol, by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and ...

• Mathematical Modeling of Nylon 6/6,6 Copolymerization 

  Liu, Fei

  This thesis develops a mathematical model for the hydrolytic copolymerization of caprolactam with hexamethylene diamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA) in a batch reactor to produce nylon 6/6,6 copolymer. The reaction mechanism ...

• Macromolecular Orientation of Rigid Dumbbells in Shear Flow 

  Jbara, Layal

  We use molecular modeling to study the non-equilibrium behaviour of polymeric fluids. Specifically, we explore the macromolecular orientation induced by shear flow fields. We choose the simplest molecular model, the rigid ...

• A New Approach to Make Starch Graft Copolymers via Nitroxide-Mediated Polymerization 

  Fritz, Alexander

  Starch is one of the most abundant polysaccharides worldwide next to cellulose. Starch bio-polymers are sustainable, biodegradable, and abundant, but are often chemically modified to improve the physical or chemical ...

• The biological treatment of synthetic fracking fluid in an extractive membrane bioreactor: selective transport and biodegradation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic contaminants 

  Mullins, Nathan

  Hydraulic fracturing involves the use of horizontal drilling techniques and high-pressure liquid injections to stimulate the production of natural gas through the resultant micro-fracturing networks in tight formations. ...

• Nanoplasmonic Sensors Based on Chirped Crossed Surface Relief Gratings 

  Bdour, Yazan

  This work presents a new type of nano-plasmonic sensor based on crossed surface relief gratings (CSRGs) with gradually varying pitch generated on top an azobenzene thin films using a 532 nm laser and a modified Lloyd mirror ...

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