No description available.

Typescript (Photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This thesis is directed towards expanding and refining a free radical multi-component polymerization model. The model considers up to six monomers (unique in the literature), both in bulk and solution polymerization, for either batch or semi-batch reactor modes. As the simulator database contains 13 monomers, 5 initiators, 4 solvents, 3 chain transfer agents and 2 inhibitors, all tested over a wide range of polymerization conditions, from data in both academic and industrial laboratories, several hundred combinations of ingredients can be modeled. The many outputs generated by the model include conversion, molecular weight, polymer composition, branching indicators, sequence length, as well as many others polymerization characteristics related to both production rate and polymer quality. Although the only literature data found to-date contains a maximum of four monomers, model predictions for homo-, co-, ter- and tetra-polymerizations show reasonable agreement against the data at both regular and elevated temperatures. Recently, with the basic polymerization kinetics modeled sufficiently, several expansions to the simulation software have been added. Specifically, depropagation, multiple initiators, back-biting, and composition control have been incorporated and/or improved, each adding to the advancement of the polymerization simulation tool. Depropagation is a vital mechanism that should be accounted for at elevated temperatures. Currently the software has the functionality to implement depropagation but requires further literature resources for improving the kinetic predictions for conversion and polymer composition. Consequently, depropagation research is ongoing. Back-biting and beta-scission of butyl acrylate (BA) is a recent development in free radical polymerization. The completed extension can model BA under the same diverse conditions as the base model, in homo-, co- and ter-polymerizations with depropagation, if applicable. The ability to generate a polymer with a constant (or controlled) composition throughout the reaction has several practical uses. Originally, three composition control scenarios were considered. At present, several methods as well as combinations of methods have been integrated into the model. With these new expansions and the ability to simulate several initiators at the same time, this model is directed towards becoming a complete free radical polymerization tool for training and educational uses both in industry and academia.

This thesis is directed towards expanding and refining a free radical multi-component polymerization model. The model considers up to six monomers (unique in the literature), both in bulk and solution polymerization, for either batch or semi-batch reactor modes. As the simulator database contains 13 monomers, 5 initiators, 4 solvents, 3 chain transfer agents and 2 inhibitors, all tested over a wide range of polymerization conditions, from data in both academic and industrial laboratories, several hundred combinations of ingredients can be modeled. The many outputs generated by the model include conversion, molecular weight, polymer composition, branching indicators, sequence length, as well as many others polymerization characteristics related to both production rate and polymer quality. Although the only literature data found to-date contains a maximum of four monomers, model predictions for homo-, co-, ter- and tetra-polymerizations show reasonable agreement against the data at both regular and elevated temperatures. Recently, with the basic polymerization kinetics modeled sufficiently, several expansions to the simulation software have been added. Specifically, depropagation, multiple initiators, back-biting, and composition control have been incorporated and/or improved, each adding to the advancement of the polymerization simulation tool. Depropagation is a vital mechanism that should be accounted for at elevated temperatures. Currently the software has the functionality to implement depropagation but requires further literature resources for improving the kinetic predictions for conversion and polymer composition. Consequently, depropagation research is ongoing. Back-biting and beta-scission of butyl acrylate (BA) is a recent development in free radical polymerization. The completed extension can model BA under the same diverse conditions as the base model, in homo-, co- and ter-polymerizations with depropagation, if applicable. The ability to generate a polymer with a constant (or controlled) composition throughout the reaction has several practical uses. Originally, three composition control scenarios were considered. At present, several methods as well as combinations of methods have been integrated into the model. With these new expansions and the ability to simulate several initiators at the same time, this model is directed towards becoming a complete free radical polymerization tool for training and educational uses both in industry and academia.

Nanopartículas (NPs) que apresentam ressonância plasmon de superfície localizada (RPSL) são aplicáveis em diversas áreas como, por exemplo, em terapia e diagnóstico na área biomédica. Estudos e aplicações in vivo requerem que a banda plasmon (BP) ocorra na mesma região da janela terapêutica, entre 600 e 1000 nm. Esta condição pode ser atingida com a modulação da BP pelo controle da morfologia e da composição química das NPs. Os objetivos principais deste trabalho foram estudar métodos de síntese que permitissem obter maiores quantidades de materiais quando comparados aos métodos convencionais em meio aquoso, e conjuntamente avaliar os parâmetros de síntese para obter NPs com diferentes morfologias e composições almejando modular a BP para região de interesse. Obteve-se nanoesferas (NEs) de Au monodispersas com diâmetro médio de 9 nm por redução com oleilamina em solução concentrada de sais de ouro. Dispersibilidade em água com elevada estabilidade coloidal foi alcançada via um procedimento de troca de ligantes, substituindo as moléculas de oleilamina, presentes na superfície das NPs assim como sintetizadas, por moléculas de ácido 11-mecaptoundecanóico. Nanobastões (NBs) de Au (largura de 12 nm) com diferentes comprimentos (30-300 nm) foram obtidos em misturas incomuns das fases cristalinas fcc e hcp. Estes NBs apresentam duas BP no espectro UV-Vis-NIR, uma em 520 nm e outra banda alargada a partir de 800 nm atribuídas à RPSL transversal e longitudinal, respectivamente. Inicialmente, os NBs foram sintetizados utilizando oleilamina como agente redutor e surfactante, sendo posteriormente avaliado que a presença de álcool oleico ou trietilamina no meio mantiveram uma condição de crescimento-1D mantendo a forma dos nanomateriais. NEs de Ag foram obtidas em condições semelhantes às NEs de Au com a BP em torno de 420 nm. Obteve-se misturas de NEs e NBs de AuCu3 (NBs, com razão de aspecto de 3) em todas as condições estudadas, sendo posteriormente separadas. Duas BP foram observadas para os NBs de AuCu3 em 560 e 766 nm, atribuídas à ressonância transversal e longitudinal, respectivamente. NPs monodispersas de Cu1,8S com 10 nm e BP centradas em 1150 nm foram sintetizadas por injeção a quente. Uma tentativa de recobrimento com Au das NPs de Cu1,8S resultou em uma reação de substituição, formando NPs de Au2S, a qual não apresentou BP. Investigou-se sínteses de NPs Cu1,8S dopado com M (M = Fe, Al e Zn) e alguns resultados foram: i) todas amostras foram obtidas na fase digenita e com baixa dispersão de tamanho; ii) Al e Fe incorporaram na estrutura cristalina, mas aparentemente o Zn não incorporou; iii) a BP foi deslocada para maiores comprimentos de ondas em todas amostras. Em resumo, obteve-se NPs com BP na região de interesse, em quantidades maiores que as sínteses convencionais. Este trabalho contribui para a compreensão da ação de reagentes/condições experimentais sobre a composição e o controle morfológico das NPs (principalmente crescimento-1D). Ressalta-se, entre os estudos, a formação de NBs de Au na fase hcp, possibilitando futuros estudos de propriedades; o redshift da BP das NPs de Cu1,8S dopados que não eram esperados, sendo um resultado instigante para futuros estudos; e a efetiva modificação de superfície das NPs de Au que resultou em elevada estabilidade coloidal na faixa de pH entre 6 e 10, possibilitando futuras aplicações. / Nanoparticles (NPs) that present localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enables several applications, for example, therapy and diagnosis in the biomedical area. In vivo studies and applications require that plasmon band occurs in the same region of the therapeutic window, between 600 and 1000 nm. This condition can be achieved with the plasmon band (PB) modulation by morphological and chemical composition control of the NPs. The main purpose of this work concerning to evaluate of the syntheses parameters to obtain NPs with different morphologies and compositions by using experimental procedures, which to enable reach larger NPs amounts than the conventional aqueous medium methods. Monodisperse Au nanospheres (NSs) with average diameter of 9 nm were obtained by reduction of gold salts in concentrated solutions by oleylamine. As-synthesized Au-NSs present oleylamine molecules onto the surface that it was replaced by 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid by using a ligand exchange procedure, resulting in the water-dispersible system with high colloidal stability. Au nanorods (NRs, 12 nm-width) with different lengths (30-300 nm) were synthesized. These NRs are an expressive result, because its present an unusual fcc and hcp crystalline phases mixtures. There is only one paper in the literature that reports the direct synthesis of Au-hcp nanostructure. The NRs dispersion show two PB in the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum at 520 nm and another large band starting in 800 nm attributed to transversal and longitudinal LSPR, respectively. Initially, the NRs were synthetized by using oleylamine as reducing agent and surfactant, and NPs with same shape were obtained in presence of oleyl alcohol or triethylamine as surfactant in the medium. Ag NSs were obtained in similar conditions of Au NSs with shape control, and LSPR band in 420 nm. Mixtures of NSs and NRs (aspect ratio of 3) of AuCu3 were obtained for all studied conditions, and separated by using a selective separation process. Two PB were observed for AuCu3 NRs at 560 and 766 nm, assigned to transversal and longitudinal resonance, respectively. Monodisperse Cu1,8S semiconductor NSs with 10 nm and PB centered in 1150 nm were synthetized via hot-injection, and attempts to cover them with Au resulted in a substitution reaction that lead the formation of Au2S NPs, which did not present PB. Syntheses of M-doped Cu1,8S NPs (M = Fe, Al e Zn) were investigated and some results were: i) all samples are digenite phase and presented low dispersivity of size; ii) Al and Fe were incorporate more effective into the crystal structure than Zn; iii) were observed redshift of PB for all samples. In summary, NPs with PB in the region of interest were obtained in greater amounts than the conventional syntheses. This thesis presents contributions to the understanding of experimental parameters that act on the compositional and morphological control of NPs (mainly 1D growth). It is emphasized among the studies: the formation of Au NRs in the hcp phase, enabling future studies of properties; the PB redshift of the doped Cu1,8S NPs that were not expected, however, this is a stimulating result for future studies; and an effective surface modification of the Au NPs that result in high colloidal stability in the pH range between 6 and 10, allowing for future applications.

Nanopartículas (NPs) que apresentam ressonância plasmon de superfície localizada (RPSL) são aplicáveis em diversas áreas como, por exemplo, em terapia e diagnóstico na área biomédica. Estudos e aplicações in vivo requerem que a banda plasmon (BP) ocorra na mesma região da janela terapêutica, entre 600 e 1000 nm. Esta condição pode ser atingida com a modulação da BP pelo controle da morfologia e da composição química das NPs. Os objetivos principais deste trabalho foram estudar métodos de síntese que permitissem obter maiores quantidades de materiais quando comparados aos métodos convencionais em meio aquoso, e conjuntamente avaliar os parâmetros de síntese para obter NPs com diferentes morfologias e composições almejando modular a BP para região de interesse. Obteve-se nanoesferas (NEs) de Au monodispersas com diâmetro médio de 9 nm por redução com oleilamina em solução concentrada de sais de ouro. Dispersibilidade em água com elevada estabilidade coloidal foi alcançada via um procedimento de troca de ligantes, substituindo as moléculas de oleilamina, presentes na superfície das NPs assim como sintetizadas, por moléculas de ácido 11-mecaptoundecanóico. Nanobastões (NBs) de Au (largura de 12 nm) com diferentes comprimentos (30-300 nm) foram obtidos em misturas incomuns das fases cristalinas fcc e hcp. Estes NBs apresentam duas BP no espectro UV-Vis-NIR, uma em 520 nm e outra banda alargada a partir de 800 nm atribuídas à RPSL transversal e longitudinal, respectivamente. Inicialmente, os NBs foram sintetizados utilizando oleilamina como agente redutor e surfactante, sendo posteriormente avaliado que a presença de álcool oleico ou trietilamina no meio mantiveram uma condição de crescimento-1D mantendo a forma dos nanomateriais. NEs de Ag foram obtidas em condições semelhantes às NEs de Au com a BP em torno de 420 nm. Obteve-se misturas de NEs e NBs de AuCu3 (NBs, com razão de aspecto de 3) em todas as condições estudadas, sendo posteriormente separadas. Duas BP foram observadas para os NBs de AuCu3 em 560 e 766 nm, atribuídas à ressonância transversal e longitudinal, respectivamente. NPs monodispersas de Cu1,8S com 10 nm e BP centradas em 1150 nm foram sintetizadas por injeção a quente. Uma tentativa de recobrimento com Au das NPs de Cu1,8S resultou em uma reação de substituição, formando NPs de Au2S, a qual não apresentou BP. Investigou-se sínteses de NPs Cu1,8S dopado com M (M = Fe, Al e Zn) e alguns resultados foram: i) todas amostras foram obtidas na fase digenita e com baixa dispersão de tamanho; ii) Al e Fe incorporaram na estrutura cristalina, mas aparentemente o Zn não incorporou; iii) a BP foi deslocada para maiores comprimentos de ondas em todas amostras. Em resumo, obteve-se NPs com BP na região de interesse, em quantidades maiores que as sínteses convencionais. Este trabalho contribui para a compreensão da ação de reagentes/condições experimentais sobre a composição e o controle morfológico das NPs (principalmente crescimento-1D). Ressalta-se, entre os estudos, a formação de NBs de Au na fase hcp, possibilitando futuros estudos de propriedades; o redshift da BP das NPs de Cu1,8S dopados que não eram esperados, sendo um resultado instigante para futuros estudos; e a efetiva modificação de superfície das NPs de Au que resultou em elevada estabilidade coloidal na faixa de pH entre 6 e 10, possibilitando futuras aplicações. / Nanoparticles (NPs) that present localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enables several applications, for example, therapy and diagnosis in the biomedical area. In vivo studies and applications require that plasmon band occurs in the same region of the therapeutic window, between 600 and 1000 nm. This condition can be achieved with the plasmon band (PB) modulation by morphological and chemical composition control of the NPs. The main purpose of this work concerning to evaluate of the syntheses parameters to obtain NPs with different morphologies and compositions by using experimental procedures, which to enable reach larger NPs amounts than the conventional aqueous medium methods. Monodisperse Au nanospheres (NSs) with average diameter of 9 nm were obtained by reduction of gold salts in concentrated solutions by oleylamine. As-synthesized Au-NSs present oleylamine molecules onto the surface that it was replaced by 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid by using a ligand exchange procedure, resulting in the water-dispersible system with high colloidal stability. Au nanorods (NRs, 12 nm-width) with different lengths (30-300 nm) were synthesized. These NRs are an expressive result, because its present an unusual fcc and hcp crystalline phases mixtures. There is only one paper in the literature that reports the direct synthesis of Au-hcp nanostructure. The NRs dispersion show two PB in the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum at 520 nm and another large band starting in 800 nm attributed to transversal and longitudinal LSPR, respectively. Initially, the NRs were synthetized by using oleylamine as reducing agent and surfactant, and NPs with same shape were obtained in presence of oleyl alcohol or triethylamine as surfactant in the medium. Ag NSs were obtained in similar conditions of Au NSs with shape control, and LSPR band in 420 nm. Mixtures of NSs and NRs (aspect ratio of 3) of AuCu3 were obtained for all studied conditions, and separated by using a selective separation process. Two PB were observed for AuCu3 NRs at 560 and 766 nm, assigned to transversal and longitudinal resonance, respectively. Monodisperse Cu1,8S semiconductor NSs with 10 nm and PB centered in 1150 nm were synthetized via hot-injection, and attempts to cover them with Au resulted in a substitution reaction that lead the formation of Au2S NPs, which did not present PB. Syntheses of M-doped Cu1,8S NPs (M = Fe, Al e Zn) were investigated and some results were: i) all samples are digenite phase and presented low dispersivity of size; ii) Al and Fe were incorporate more effective into the crystal structure than Zn; iii) were observed redshift of PB for all samples. In summary, NPs with PB in the region of interest were obtained in greater amounts than the conventional syntheses. This thesis presents contributions to the understanding of experimental parameters that act on the compositional and morphological control of NPs (mainly 1D growth). It is emphasized among the studies: the formation of Au NRs in the hcp phase, enabling future studies of properties; the PB redshift of the doped Cu1,8S NPs that were not expected, however, this is a stimulating result for future studies; and an effective surface modification of the Au NPs that result in high colloidal stability in the pH range between 6 and 10, allowing for future applications.

Os copolímeros de 3-hidroxibutirato e 3-hidroxihexanoato (P3HB-co-3HHx) são da família dos polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA), materiais termoplásticos e biodegradáveis acumulados por bactérias a partir de fontes de carbono renováveis. O P3HB-co-3HHx desperta interesse industrial para frações de 3HHx menores que 20 mol%, assemelhando-se ao polietileno de baixa densidade. Neste projeto, criou-se um sistema genético para controlar a composição do copolímero P3HB-co-3HHx pela indução de genes da biossíntese de precursores 3HB. Baseado no promotor lac foram construídas cinco versões do plasmídeo de controle de copolímero (pCC) utilizando o promotor Lac. Porém, mesmo com a versão mais aprimorada, não foi possível o controle de composição de P3HB-co-3HHx em Pseudomonas sp. LFM461. Através de experimentos de atividade enzimática e RT-qPCR do cDNA do gene phaA e phaB, foi possível indicar que o problema está na impossibilidade do promotor Lac de promover expressão dos genes de biossíntese de 3HB presentes nos pCC. / Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are polyesters material accumulated by bacteria which has thermoplastic and biodegradable proprieties and can be produced from renewable feedstocks. Copolymers of 3-hydroxybutirate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (P3HB-co¬-3HHx) which contain less than 20mol% of 3HHx have being researched for its industrial proprieties. Recently, our laboratory has been researching a Pseudomonas sp. strain, LFM461, which can produce high 3HHx content when hosting PHA biosynthesis genes from Aeromonas. In this project, it was design a genetic system for control of P3HB-co-3HHX composition through induction of 3HB monomers biosynthesis. Thus, five versions of a copolymer control plasmid (pCC) was built based on Lac promoter. However, even through improvements on stability and expression profile of pCC it was not possible to stablish an assay of successful PHA composition control in Pseudomonas sp. LFM461. By enzymatic activity and RT-qPCR of cDNA experiments we have indications of problems of Lac promoter on driving the expression of 3HB genes in pCC.

Additive manufacturing (AM) – and laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) specifically – constructs geometry that would not be possible using standard manufacturing techniques. This geometric versatility allows integration of multiple components into a single part. While this practice can reduce weight and part count, there are also serious drawbacks. One is that the LPBF process can only build parts with a single material. This limitation generally results in over-designing some areas of the part to compensate for the compromise in material choice. Over-designing can lead to decreased functional efficiency, increased weight, etc. in LPBF parts. Methods to control the material composition spatially throughout a build would allow designers to experience the full benefits of functionality integration. Spatial composition control has been performed successfully in other AM processes – like directed energy deposition and material jetting – however, these processes are limited compared to LPBF in terms of material properties and can have inferior spatial resolution. This capability applied to the LPBF process would extend manufacturing abilities beyond what any of these AM processes can currently produce. A novel concept for spatial composition control – currently under development at Brigham Young University – utilizes liquid or liquid-encased dopants to selectively alter the composition of the powder bed, which is then fused with the substrate to form a solid part. This work is focused on evaluating the feasibility and usefulness of this novel composition control process. To do this, the present work evaluates two deposition methods that could be used; explores and maps the laser parameter process space for zirconia-doped SS 316L; and investigates the incorporation of zirconia dopant into SS 316L melt pools. In evaluating deposition methods, inkjet printing is recommended to be implemented as it performs better than direct write material extrusion in every assessed category. For the process space, the range of input parameters over which balling occurred expanded dramatically with the addition of zirconia dopant and shifted with changes in dopant input quantities. This suggests the need for composition-dependent adjustments to processing parameters in order to obtain desired properties in fused parts. Substantial amounts of dopant material were confirmed to be incorporated into the laser-fused melt tracks. Individual inclusions of 100 $nm$ particles distributed throughout the melt pool in SEM images. Howewver, EDX data shows that the majority of the incorporated dopant material is located around the edges of the melt pools. Variations of dopant deposition, drying, and laser scanning parameters should be studied to improve the resulting dopant incorporation and dispersion in single-track line scans. Area scans and multi-layer builds should also be performed to evaluate their effect on dopant content and dispersion in the fused region.