V této práci byl demonstrován grafenový polem řízený transistor (GFET) jako platforma pro detekci glukózy. Sukcinimidyl ester pyrenbutanové kyseliny (PSE) sloužící jako nosič a enzym glukóza oxidáza (GOx) byly úspěšně použity k funkcionalizaci grafenového kanálu ve FE transistoru. Enzym GOx byl imobilizován na kanálu pro glukózovou detekci, jelikož indukuje selektivní katalytickou reakci glukózy. Proces funkcionalizace byl charakterizován pomocí Ramanovy spektroskopie a Atomární silové mikroskopie (AFM). Vyrobený biosenzor na bázi grafenu umožnil elektrickou detekci glukózy ve dvou různých uspořádáních. V uspořádní FET prostřednictvím posunu Diracova bodu ve voltampérové charakteristice, jakož i v nastavení pro kotinuální monitorování v reálném čase prostřednictvím změny odporu grafenového kanálu. Tato studie naznačuje, že grafen je slibným materiálem pro vývoj nanoelektronických biosenzorů včetně aplikací pro monitorování hladiny glukózy.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOX) are biocompatible polymers that act as hydrophilic "stealth" drug carriers. As block copolymers, the PEOX group offers a wider variety of functionalization. The goal of this project was to synthesize a poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEO-b-PEOX) block copolymer and functionalize pendent groups of PEOX with phosphonic acid. This was achieved through cationic ring opening polymerization (CROP) of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline monomer onto PEO. These polymerizations used tosylsulfonyl chloride as initiator. Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used to determine the molecular weights of the block copolymers. Two samples of 1:2 and one sample of 1:3 of PEO-to-PEOX block copolymers were made. These samples underwent partial hydrolysis of the PEOX pendent groups to form the random block copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-co-poly(ethyleneimine) (PEO-b-PEOX-co-PEI). These reactions showed that there was a degree of control based on the moles of acid. Diethyl vinyl phosphonate was attached to the nitrogen of PEI units via Michael addition where the phosphorylation left <1% of PEI units unattached. The ethyl groups on the phosphonates were further hydrolyzed off phosphonate with HCl acid leaving phosphonic acid. After each step of synthesis, structures and composition were confirmed using ¹H NMR. Due to the nature of the phosphonic acid, the polymer can be utilized in the incorporation and release of cationic drugs. / Master of Science

No description available.

No description available.

The first step of the synthesis of the hydrocarbon-based chiral surfactant (2) involved the methylation of (S)-leucinol to give (2S)-N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-(1-hydroxy-4-methyl-1-pentyl)-2-ammonium bromide (2.92g, 67%). The chiral surfactant was synthesized by reacting (2S)-N,N-dimethyl-2-amino-4-methyl-1-pentanol (1) with bromohexadecane (2.06g, 71%). The functionalized styrene for the polymer supported chiral catalyst (6) was synthesized by reacting (1) with 4-vinylbenzyl chloride. The polymerization was carried out with 10% of the functionalized monomer (5) (1.26g, 70.2%), 5% cross-linking agent divinylbenzene, and 85% of styrene with AIBN as the initiator. The structure of each of the products was confirmed by using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. The activity of the hydrocarbon surfactant and polymeric catalyst were examined by using them as additives in a standard reduction of 2-pentanone with sodium borohydride to yield (R)- and (S)-2-pentanol (3) (4gm, 25%). The resulting alcohol was then esterified with (2S)-methylbutyric acid with iodine as the catalyst and the ester was characterized.

Reactions of catalytic hydrogenations and polymerizations are widely used in industry for manufacture of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Homogeneous catalysts for the processes that have low stability and their separation is difficult. Therefore, the development of new highly active and stable catalysts for hydrogenations and polymerizations is a necessity. The objective of this research was the development of a strategy for immobilization of heterogeneous metallocene catalysts. First, a methodology of immobilization of bis-indenyl ligands on the surface of mesoporous silica gel was designed. Four bis-indenyl ligands containing functionalized tethers of various lengths with terminal alkene groups were synthesized. All bis-indenyl ligands were immobilized on the surface of mesoporous functionalized silica gel by two methods: hydrosilylation and thiol-ene coupling of the double bond. After comparing the results, the second strategy was chosen as more efficient. The materials can be used further as intermediates for synthesis of supported metallocene catalysts.

Two diverse projects illustrate the application of various materials characterization techniques to investigate the structure and properties of nanostructured functional materials formed in both bulk as well as in solutions. In the first project, ordered magnetic nanostructures were formed within polymer matrix by novel metallopolymers. The novel metal-functionalized block copolymers (BCPs) enabled the confinement of cobalt metal ions within nanostructured BCP domains, which upon simple heat treatment resulted in room temperature ferromagnetic (RTFM) materials. On the contrary, cobalt functionalized homopolymer having similar chemical structure and higher loading of metal-ion are unstructured and exhibited superparamagnetic (SPM) behavior at room temperature. Based on a series of detailed investigations, using various materials characterization techniques, it was hypothesized that the SPM cobalt particles within BCP microdomains exhibited a collective behavior due to increased dipolar interactions between them under the nanoconfinement of cylindrical domains in BCP, resulting in RTFM behavior. On contrary, the same SPM cobalt particles formed within homopolymer, without any confinement exhibited SPM behavior either due to lack of interactions or random interactions between them. To further support this hypothesis, a series of BCPs were prepared in which the BCP morphology was varied between the cylindrical, lamellar, and inverted cylindrical phases and their magnetic properties were compared. All these BCPs, which are nanostructured, exhibited RTFM behavior, further supporting the proposed hypothesis. Different dimensionality or degree of nanoconfinement in BCP morphologies affected the magnetization reversal processes in these BCPs, yielding different macroscopic magnetic properties. Most strongly constrained cylindrical morphology has shown best magnetic properties (highest coercivity) among other BCP morphologies. Inverted cylindrical morphology, in which a 3-D matrix is confined between the non-magnetic cylinders, had second highest and lamellar morphology with least confinement among BCPs, exhibited lowest coercivity. The proposed hypothesis was further tested by systematically varying the dipolar interactions between the SPM cobalt nanoparticles by reducing the density of cobalt within the cylindrical domains and varying the dimensions of the cylindrical domains (i.e. diameter). A series of novel ferrocene-cobalt containing block copolymers were developed and cobalt density within the cylindrical domains of BCP was varied by changing the chemical composition of the metal functionalized block. Further, the diameter of the cylindrical domains was varied by varying the molecular weight of the cobalt-containing BCPs. These studies allowed us to understand the fundamental correlations between the self-assembled nanostructures and their macroscopic magnetic properties. In the second part of the thesis, a novel amphiphilic block copolymer (ABC), composed of a hydrophilic zwitterionic block and a hydrophobic PS block, was synthesized by ROMP. The formation of zwitterionic vesicles in an ionic liquid, as well as in PBS buffer, was confirmed by TEM and DLS characterization. The dispersion of vesicles within ionic liquid enabled the usage of conventional, room temperature TEM to visualize them in their solution state. This technique of materials characterization could be extended for the visualization of other hydrophilic soft matter.

No description available.

No description available.

Polylactide homopolymers with pendent carboxylic acid functional groups have been designed and synthesized to be studied as magnetite nanoparticle dispersion stabilizers. Magnetic nanoparticles are of interest for a variety of biomedical applications including magnetic field-directed drug delivery and magnetic cell separations. Small magnetite nanoparticles are desirable due to their established biocompatibility and superparamagnetic (lack of magnetic hysteresis) behavior. For in-vivo applications, it is important that the magnetic material be coated with biocompatible organic materials to afford dispersion characteristics or to further modify the surfaces of the complexes with biospecific moieties. The acid-functionalized silane endgroup was utilized as the dispersant anchor to adsorb onto magnetite nanoparticle surfaces and allowed the polylactide to extend into various solvents to impart dispersion stability. The homopolymers were complexed with magnetite nanoparticles by electrostatic adsorption of the carboxylates onto the iron oxide surfaces, and these complexes were dispersible in dichloromethane. The polylactide tailblocks extended into the dichloromethane and provided steric repulsion between the magnetite-polymer complexes. The resultant magnetite-polymer complexes were further incorporated into controlled-size nanospheres. The complexes were blended with poly(ethylene oxide-b-D,L-lactide) diblock copolymers to introduce hydrophilicity on the surface of the nanospheres with tailored functionality. Self-assembly of the PEO block to the surface of the nanosphere was established by utilizing an amine terminus on the PEO to react with FITC and noting fluorescence. / Ph. D.