Browsing by Subject "Materials"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item The Feasibility and Sustainability of Architectural Biomaterials(2016-04) Becker, Patrick J; Brownell, Blaine EThis research was centered on the development of a materials database as a resource for architects, designers,contractors,scientists, and consumers. A primary focus of the research is the feasibility and sustainability of materials with a metabolic or distinctly biological. Application of biomaterials and recycled materials can significantly reduce the impact of construction and the waste it generates. However,this application depends directly on the influence of architects in the design process, specifically material selection. The usage of the Transmaterial series, as a resource, can provide designers, architects, contractors, and end-users with access to cutting-edge materials that are changing the built environment.Item Nanostructured Materials for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications(2016-03) Wilson, BenjaminThis dissertation discusses work aimed at developing and improving nanostructured materials for electrochemical energy storage, specifically electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This was achieved through a combination of templating, precursor selection, and heteroatom doping to control the morphology and composition of the materials for improved performance in both types of energy storage. The first part of the thesis discusses EDLCs. First, a new method to produce soft-templated carbon materials is described. This process allows for improved production of mesoporous carbon made through soft templating. The work continues with using ionic liquids to dope nitrogen into hard templated mesoporous carbon. This led to a 40% improvement in specific capacitance due to improved conductivity. The section concludes with an investigation of physical and electrochemical properties of twelve ionic liquid electrolytes to determine which parameters are most important to achieve a high energy density. The second part discusses my work on LIBs, starting with a design of a low-cost electrochemical cell for in-situ X-ray diffraction monitoring during galvanostatic cycling. It continues with the development of a novel cathode material, Li8ZrO6, with a high lithium content. In this material, the redox activity is localized on oxygen atoms. Li8ZrO6 displays initial capacities higher than those of commercial materials but has large polarization. The capacity is further improved with transition metal doping, leading to a final specific capacity of over 175 mAh/g after 140 cycles at a rate of C/5.Item Potential Impacts of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Contamination in Laboratory Materials and Model Organisms on Laboratory-based Studies(2021-12) Rushing, JuliannaPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are persistent chemicals that present risks to human environmental health as a result of their ubiquitous nature. These compounds also impact laboratory based exposure and toxicology experiments through PFAS contamination in common materials used for aquatic laboratory exposure experiments. This thesis reviews literature surrounding PFAS bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms in laboratory exposure studies using several measures such as the bioaccumulation factor, bioconcentration factor, biomagnification factor, rate of uptake, and elimination rate. Lack of standardization in how the bioaccumulation factors were calculated creates challenges in statistical comparisons. This thesis also investigates potential PFAS contamination and impacts on aquatic laboratory based exposure experiments in habitat materials, fish feed, and aquaculture fish. Results suggest that PFAS contamination is present in common fish feed and can also be found in aquaculture fish. Unaccounted PFAS contamination in bioaccumulation and toxicity studies could confound results and ultimately influence environmental health recommendations.