Thesis advisor: Lawrence T. Scott / The work described herein stems from an effort to develop a method for growing single-chirality carbon nanotubes from small hydrocarbon templates using a Diels-Alder cycloaddition/rearomatization strategy. Current technologies are incapable of producing significant amounts of homogeneous carbon nanotubes; therefore, much research has been put into the development of aromatic templates (belts and bowls), from which one type of nanotube might be grown (Chapter 1). Since no such functional template had yet been synthesized, the work in this dissertation developed reagents and methods for forming new benzene rings on aromatic test systems that would be analogous to the rim of a growing nanotube (Chapters 2 and 4). Theoretical investigations relating to nanotube dimensions (Chapter 3) were undertaken and paired with experimental work that would take into consideration the changing properties of growing tubes (Chapter 5). The test systems used for discovering new reagents for growth also became functional platforms for studies of new reactivity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as bay-region oxidation (Chapter 6) and progress toward the synthesis of soluble graphene ribbons (Chapter 7). This PAH work also resulted in the observation of unique solid state properties in the crystal form (Chapter 8) and novel reactivity, generating five-membered rings by Scholl reactions of tethered PAHs (Chapter 9). Additional considerations for future nanotube templates and fullerene precursors also bore scrutiny (Chapter 10). / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Traditional philosophy has been under attack from several quarters in recent years. The traditional philosopher views philosophy as an armchair discipline relying, for the most part, on reason and reflection. Some philosophers doubt the legitimacy of this type of inquiry. Their arguments usually occur along two dimensions. Some argue that the primary data source for the armchair philosopher--intuition--does not provide evidence for philosophical theories. Others argue that conceptual analysis, which is the preferred method of inquiry for armchair philosophers, can't yield the results the philosopher is looking for, since concepts like 'knowledge' or 'free-will' vary from culture to culture or even between persons within a culture. Finally, some philosophers argue that we should abandon the armchair program because philosophy should be an empirical enterprise continuous with the sciences. I argue that attempts to undermine intuition fail and that one can justify the evidential status of intuition in a non-question begging way. I then argue that attacks on the belief in shared concepts do not succeed because they often conflate the nature of scientific objects with those of interest to the philosopher. However, if concepts do vary from culture to culture, I show that the philosopher need not abandon the armchair. She can still do conceptual analysis but it will be only the entry point into the philosophical dialogue. I apply this approach to epistemology arguing that the central epistemic questions ought to be the existential and the normative. This approach helps to vindicate epistemic internalism.

The armchair variety of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is the only nanotube species that behaves as a metal with no electronic band gap and massless carriers, making them ideally suited to probe fundamental questions of many-body physics of one-dimensional conductors as well as to serve in applications such as high-current power transmission cables. However, current methods of nanotube synthesis produce bulk material comprising of a mixture of nanotube lengths, diameters, wrapping angles, and electronic types due to the inability to control the growth process at the nanometer level. As a result, measurements of as-grown SWCNTs produce a superposition of electrical and optical responses from multiple SWCNT species. This thesis demonstrates production of aqueous suspensions composed almost entirely of armchair SWCNTs using a post-synthesis separation method employing density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) to separate different SWCNT types based on their mass density and surfactant-specific interactions. Resonant Raman spectroscopy determines the relative abundances of each nanotube species, before and after DGU, by measuring the integrated intensity of the radial breathing mode, the diameter-dependent radial vibration of the SWCNT perpendicular to its main axis, and quantifies the degree of enrichment of bulk nanotube samples to exclusively armchair tubes. Raman spectroscopy of armchair-enriched samples of the G-band mode, which is composed of longitudinal (G-) and circumferential (G+) vibrations oscillating parallel and perpendicular to the tube axis, shows that the G- peak, long-held to be an indicator for the presence of metallic SWCNTs, appears only when electronic resonance with narrow-gap semiconducting SWCNTs occurs and shows only the G+ component in spectra containing only armchair species. Finally, by combining optical absorption measurements with nanotube composition as determined earlier via Raman scattering, peak fitting of absorption spectra indicates that interband transitions of armchair SWCNTs are strongly excitonic as shown by the highly symmetric peak lineshapes, a property normally attributed to semiconductors. Such lineshapes allow classification of armchair SWCNTs as a unique hybrid class of optical nanomaterial. Combining absorption and Raman scattering measurements establishes a distinct optical signature that describes the fundamental optical processes within armchair SWCNTs and lays the foundation for future studies of many-body photophysics and electrical applications.

Bakalauro darbą sudaro: kūrybinis darbas, teorinis aprašas, du projektai ir verslo planas. Pateikiamas kūrybinis darbas pavadinimu „ TRANSFORMATA “. Tai daugiafunkcinis interjero objektas, lengvai transformuojamas bei transportuojamas, padedantis greitai ir efektyviai pakeisti aplinką, prisitaikantis prie besikeičiančių poreikių. Kilimą sudaro dvi atskiros dalys, kiekviena iš jų susilanksto į komfortabilų mini foteliuką. Atskiros dalys užsegimų pagalba jungiamos tarpusavyje į vientisą paminkštintą kilimą, kuris yra daugiafunkcinis, pritaikomas įvairioje aplinkoje, skirtas jaunimui mėgstančiam aktyvų gyvenimą, palankiai reaguojančiam į naujoves, siekiančiam minimalių pastangų dėka išgauti efektą. Objektas kuriamas poilsio zonai, taip pat gali būti naudojamas laisvalaikio praleidimui. Jis ne tik padeda taupyti kambario erdvę, bet ir sukuria neįpareigojančio, komfortiško, jaunatviško interjero įvaizdį ir suteikia jaukumo bei erdvumo namams. Kadangi kilimas kuriamas poilsio zonai, jo spalvinis sprendimas parinktas atsižvelgiant į spalvų psichofiziologinį poveikį žmogaus organizmui. Parinktas turkio ir juodos spalvų derinys veikia raminančiai, puikiai dera ir merginos, ir vaikino kambario interjere. Diplominiame darbe tiriama problema yra modernių, meninių sprendimų trūkumas Lietuvos kilimų ir jaunimo baldų rinkoje. Siekiant atrasti tiriamos problemos sprendimo būdą, sukurtas transformuojamas kilimas, kuris padės išvengti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Bachelor work consist: creative work, theoretical description, project and business plan. Here we represent creative project with the name “TRANSFORMATA”. This is multifunctional object of interior, which is easy to transform and transport; helps fast and effectively change surroundings; adjust to your needs and demands. The carpet is divided into two separate pieces, and each piece can be transformed as a mini comfortable armchair. Separate pieces with the help of fasteners are connected into united, softened carpet, which is multifunctional, usable in various surroundings; also it is desighned for youth, who enjoys active life, positively reacts to changes and who seeks with minimal struggle achieve high effects. Although object is desighned for rest area, it can be used for leisure . It doesn’t just help to save space, but as well creates noncommittal, comfort and youtful image of interior; any house will look cosy and spacious. As the carpet designed for rest area, because of that the decision of the color was based on influence of colors to human psychology. The complex of turquoise and black colors was chosen as it affects people to calm down and it’s suited either to girls’ or either to boys’ home interior. In this graduation dissertation, we analyse the lack of modern, artistic solutions as a problem at Lithuanian industry of carpet and furniture for the youth. In order to find the solution to this certain problem, the transformable carpet was... [to full text]

The aim of this project is to develop an armchair for work, in collaboration with the furniture company Jooy. A background study was first performed to define the mission statement and to set the requirements. The background study includes a market research to know who the customers and the potential clients can be, a study of the Scandinavian design style and gathering data from customers to define the users’ needs. After the background study, potential users were delivered a questionnaire to clarify the objectives. The next step has been to set the specifications. At this point, the idea generation stage was carried out using creative and rational design methods, such as the Morphological Chart, until the final concept was chosen. Using the specifications and creative methods such as Brain drawing, different possible solutions were generated. When the product was defined, a study in materials and ergonomics was performed. In addition, a prototype was built to test by users at University of Skövde. Finally, 3D CAD model was implemented in PTC Creo Parametric. The design process followed is inspired by the front-end concept development process.   During the development of the project the collaboration with the company has been crucial in order to learn about materials, ergonomics and how to make a prototype. Also feedback from the supervisor and the company has been continuously considered to improve the project.

Orientadores: Peter Alexander Bleinroth Schulz, Ana Luiza Cardoso Pereira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T12:03:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BahamonArdila_DarioAndres_D.pdf: 15568018 bytes, checksum: 6b550b7e0291945e86b0152735b9ea2c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Neste trabalho analisamos os efeitos das bordas nas propriedades eletrônicas e de transporte em estruturas finitas de grafeno, como nanofitas, pontos quânticos e anéis quânticos de grafeno. Nós focamos essencialmente no acoplamento entre os estados localizados nas bordas externas e estados localizados nas bordas internas, tais como as bordas internas dos anéis, vacâncias ou defeitos estendidos gerados pelas fronteiras de grão. Os cálculos são abordados no formalismo tight-binding para a rede hexagonal do grafeno. Para calcular as propriedades de transporte utilizamos o formalismo de Landauer-Buttiker e as funções de Green da rede. Para anéis quânticos observamos que a evolução dos estados localizados nas bordas internas, em função do campo magnético é oposta à dos estados localizados nas bordas externas. Tanto para anéis quânticos quanto para nanofitas, quando a magnitude do campo magnético gera um comprimento magnético maior do que a metade da separação entre as bordas internas e externas, os estados se acoplam levando à criação de gaps no espectro de auto-energias e ressonâncias de Fano na condutância. Este cenário é enriquecido pelo fato do grafeno ter duas sub-redes (novo grau de liberdade), identi cando que uma mudança na sub-rede dos átomos mais externos ou mais internos dos braços vizinhos de um anel muda a distribuição de carga e que a sub-rede de uma vacância fortemente modifica a forma de linha da condutância em uma nanofita. O mapeamento da densidade local de estados, diferenciada por sub-rede, nos leva a propor uma possível imagem experimental da força de acoplamento, que caracteriza a forma de linha das ressonâncias Fano. Quando consideramos um defeito estendido na rede do grafeno (defeito linear como os recentemente observados experimentalmente) foi encontrado que ele age como uma borda interna, que adiciona um novo canal para elétrons de baixa energia, e que tem aplicações promissórias como um o metálico quântico. Todos os nossos resultados são robustos quando a desordem nas bordas é incluído / Abstract: This work is concerned with the effects of the edges in the electronic and transport properties of nite structures of graphene, such as quantum dots, quantum rings and graphene nanoribbons. We primarily focus on the coupling between states located at the outer edges and states located at the inner edges, as internal edges of rings, vacancies or extended defects generated by the grain boundaries. The calculations are addressed within the tight-binding formalism for the hexagonal lattice. To calculate the transport properties we use the Landauer-B uttiker formalism and the recursive lattice Green's functions. For quantum rings we observed that the evolution of the states located at the inner edges, as a function of magnetic eld is opposite to that of the states located on the outer edges. For quantum rings as well as graphene nanoribbons when the magnitude of the magnetic eld creates a magnetic length larger than a half of the separation between the inner and outer edges, the states are coupled creating gaps in the self-energy spectrum and Fano resonances in the conductance of the graphene nanoribbons. This scenario is enriched when the sublattice is added as a new degree of freedom, identifying that a change in sublattice of the most external or most internal atoms of neighboring arms of a ring changes the charge distribution and the sublattice of a vacancy strongly modify the lineshape of the conductance. Sublattice differentiated Local density of states mapping for different lineshapes leading us to propose a possible experimental imaging of the coupling strength, which characterizes the lineshape of the Fano resonances. When we considered the recently experimentally observed extended defect, we found that it acts as an internal edge, which adds a new channel for low energy electrons, and would have promissory applications as metallic wire. All of our results are robust when edge disorder is included / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Doutor em Ciências

This report employs advanced Raman spectroscopy techniques to investigate the fundamental properties of 9-AGNRs comprehensively. It is divided into two main sections addressing distinct aspects of 9-AGNR behavior. In the first section, Polarization Raman spectroscopy (PRS) probes phonon mode symmetries in 9-AGNRs. Our analysis reveals deviations from predicted symmetries, suggesting the presence of lattice defects. We also investigate specific phonon modes (G, D, and RBLM), providing insights into lattice integrity. The second section employs temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy to explore the thermal properties of 9-AGNRs. This dynamic analysis quantifies vibrational mode responsiveness to temperature variations using the Grüneisen parameter (χ). Comparisons across various carbon-based materials uncover distinct sensitivities and stabilities. This research advances our understanding of 9-AGNR properties, with implications for nanomaterial science and potential applications. / Denna rapport använder avancerade Raman spektroskopitekniker för att på ett omfattande sätt undersöka de grundläggande egenskaperna hos 9-AGNRs. Den är uppdelad i två huvudsektioner som tar upp distinkta aspekter av 9-AGNR beteende. I det första avsnittet sonderar Polarisation Raman spektroskopi (PRS) fononlägessymmetrier i 9-AGNRs. Vår analys avslöjar avvikelser från förutsagda symmetrier, vilket tyder på närvaron av gitterdefekter. Vi undersöker också specifika fononlägen (G, D och RBLM), vilket ger insikter om gitterintegritet. Den andra sektionen använder temperaturberoende Raman-spektroskopi för att utforska de termiska egenskaperna hos 9-AGNRs. Denna dynamiska analys kvantifierar vibrationslägets känslighet för temperaturvariationer med hjälp av Grüneisen-parametern (χ). Jämförelser mellan olika kolbaserade material avslöjar distinkta känsligheter och stabiliteter. Denna forskning främjar vår förståelse av 9-AGNR-egenskaper, med implikationer för nanomaterialvetenskap och potentiella tillämpningar.

The binary of gender is a socially constructed system dividing two opposite sexes, as a result fashion design has required two main fields, womenswear and menswear, and in between them: unisex. In unisex fashion, the male coded garments are favored due to social constructions about gender and norms as well to their loose fitting silhouettes that are used as a solution for being able to fit male and female coded bodies. This work proposes an alternative of what unisex can be through exploring the non-human form of a chair with the purpose to step away from the human body’s biological differences that often dictates fashion design. The method allows for unisex cuts to be explored through the means of experimental pattern cutting, as the gendered body does not dictate the shape of the garment. As a result this work proposes a reaction to the male coded unisex, including female coded materials, decorative shapes allowed to fit many through elasticity. / De binära könsrollerna är ett socialt konstruerat system som delar upp två motsatta kön, vilket resulterat i att modedesign krävt två huvudområden, damkläder och herrkläder, och betraktat som däremellan: unisex. Inom unisex modet gynnas de manligt kodade plaggen på grund av sociala konstruktioner om kön och normer, samt deras löst sittande silhuetter som används som en lösning för att kunna passa både manligt och kvinnligt kodade kroppar. Detta arbete föreslår ett alternativ till vad unisex kan vara genom att utforska den icke-mänskliga formen av en stol med syftet att ta ett steg bort från människokroppens biologiska skillnader som ofta dikterar modedesign. Resultatet föreslår en reaktion på det manligt kodade unisex modet genom att inkludera kvinnligt kodade material, dekorativa former som passar olika kroppar genom sin elasticitet.

The main purpose of this report is to analyze a practical method of design while doing an innovation project connected to a specific armchair. The aim is to re-vitalize the pre-existing product. This project is done within the context of a specific furniture producer. This report describes theories about practical methods of design and how the practical intellect is used in a creative process. It also contains background research about classics. The background research is based on a brief literature review on the subject as well as interviews with professionals within the field of furniture design.  A few factors that can be said to characterize what makes a classic are suggested. The development of a specific armchair is described. Earlier projects where practical methods of design have been used are also described. The practical methods of design used in this project are described. The main method for this is making physical models by hand together with hand sketching.  The design process of developing a new product is described and discussed. As a final result visualizations and a description of a suggestion of how one can re-vitalize the specific armchair are shown. The outcomes and learning from using a practical method of design are discussed. The final suggestion is analyzed according to the factors suggested in the background research to characterize what makes a classic.