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New phenanthroline derivatives ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) containing phenol groups have been synthesized and optimized. The nano-material of compound 2 was also developed. Their binding properties were evaluated for various biological anions (F – , Cl – , Br – , I – , AcO – and H 2 PO 4 – ) by theoretical investigation, UV-vis, fluorescence, 1 HNMR titration experiments and these compounds all showed strong binding ability for AcO – without the interference of other anions tested. The anion binding ability could be regularized by electron push-pull properties of the ortho- or para- substituent on benzene. Theoretical investigation analysis revealed the effect of intramolecular hydrogen bond existed between -OH and other atoms in the structure of these compounds.

In this experimental study, the effects of using nano-sized Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) on the strength of cement mortars is investigated. The CKD was milled up to 4 hours in a planetary ball mill. In addition to the control cement mortar mixture with 0% CKD, a total of 28 concrete mortar mixtures were prepared with four different replacement percentages of nano-CKD (5, 10, 15, and 20 %), and seven different milling times (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 hours). The compressive strengths of all cement mortar mixtures were evaluated after curing periods of 7, 28, and 56 days. In addition, the chemical, physical and microscopical properties of the nano-CKD were evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The experimental results showed that the partial replacement of the OPC with the nano-CKD enhanced the compressive strength of the cement mortar by about 15-30% compared with normal mortar without CKD. Moreover, the experimental results indicated that no change was observed in the chemical composition of CKD after 4 hours of milling. However, there was a decrease in the Portlandite content in parallel with an increase in the density and the surface area.

Blood glucose monitoring is considered the gold standard for diabetes diagnostics and self-monitoring. However, the underlying process is invasive and highly uncomfortable for patients. Furthermore, the process must be completed several times a day to successfully manage the disease, which greatly contributes to the massive need for non-invasive monitoring options. Human serums, such as saliva, sweat, breath, urine and tears, contain traces of glucose and are easily accessible. Therefore, they allow minimal to non-invasive glucose monitoring, making them attractive alternatives to blood measurements. Numerous developments regarding noninvasive glucose detection techniques have taken place over the years, but recently, they have gained recognition as viable alternatives, due to the advent of nanotechnology-based sensors. Such sensors are optimal for testing the amount of glucose in serums other than blood thanks to their enhanced sensitivity and selectivity ranges, in addition to their size and compatibility with electronic circuitry. These nanotechnology approaches are rapidly evolving, and new techniques are constantly emerging. Hence, this manuscript aims to review current and future nanomaterial-based technologies utilizing saliva, sweat, breath and tears as a diagnostic medium for diabetes monitoring.

Lithium Ion Batteries (LIBs) are a promising green energy storage system with application toward portable electronic devices, electronic vehicles (EVs) and smart grid energy storage. High energy density is one of the most important advantages for LIB, however, improvements toward performance measures, such as energy density, power and rate capability, cycling life, safety and cost, need to meet the different requirements for various applications. It is well known that battery performance is highly dependent on the type of electrode material that is employed. Currently most LIBs are predominantly fabricated using graphite as an anode material. Therefore, finding a qualified candidate of anode material to replace graphite is the key to achieve a higher energy density of LIB. Silicon is a hopeful candidate for use as an anode material due to its super-high specific capacity (4200 mAh/g). However, this material suffers from severe volume change during the lithiation/delithiation process, thereby limiting its practical application in LIB. In this thesis, three sections of work were made for the practical application of Si anode in LIB. The first section was to develop a novel method to synthesis nanostructured Si anode materials, which is easy to handle, low cost and environmental friendly. The second section is focused on electrode optimization based on an engineering point of view, including electrode mass loading and density, binder selection and optimized cycle mode. The last section pertains to the development of electrolyte, which can further improve battery performance. A better Si-based electrode is presented LIB after this study.

A series of colorimetric anion probes 1-6 containing OH and NO₂ groups were synthesized, and their recognition properties toward various anions were investigated by visual observation, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance titration spectra and theoretical investigation. Nanomaterials of three compounds 2-4 were prepared successfully. Four compounds 3-6 that contain electron-withdrawing substituents showed a high binding ability for AcO(-). The host-guest complex formed through a 1:1 binding ratio, and color changes were detectable during the recognition process. Theoretical investigation analysis revealed that an intramolecular hydrogen bond existed in the structures of compounds and the roles of molecular frontier orbitals in molecular interplay. These studies suggested that this series of compounds could be used as colorimetric probes to detect of AcO(-).

Current first-line treatments for most cancers feature a short-list of highly potent and often target-blind interventions, including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical excision. These treatments wreak considerable havoc upon non-cancerous tissue and organs, resulting in deleterious and sometimes fatal side effects for the patient. In response, this past decade has witnessed the robust emergence of nanoparticles and, more relevantly, nanoparticle drug delivery systems (DDS), widely touted as the panacea of cancer therapeutics. While not a cure, nanoparticle DDS can successfully negotiate the clinical payoff between drug dosage and side effects by encompassing target-specific drug delivery strategies. The expanding library of nanoparticles includes lipoproteins, liposomes, dendrimers, polymers, metal and metal oxide nano-spheres and -rods, and carbon nanotubes, so do the modes of delivery. Importantly, however, the pharmaco-dynamics and -kinetics of these nano-complexes remain an urgent issue and a serious bottleneck in the transition from bench to bedside. This review addresses the rise of nanoparticle DDS platforms for cancer and explores concepts of gene/drug delivery and cytotoxicity in pre-clinical and clinical contexts.

The application of bio-active noble-metal-based nano-particles (NPs) with unique physico-chemical properties is multifaceted. Among other roles, they can be used as anti-viral agents, and at the same time might serve as matrix to facilitate the transport of various molecules for therapeutic purposes directly or via genetically modified microbes. For this reason, the influence of nano-materials on viral infection in living cells is described in this study utilizing pseudo-typed lenti-viral particles based on human immuno-deficiency virus 1 (HIV-1). Cells were exposed to various NPs and subsequently infected with lenti-virus. Transfection efficiency was quantified by flow-cytometry analysis. Gold-based NPs increased, silver-containing NPs decreased, while other NPs had little or no effect on viral infection rate. The opposing effect of NPs is determined by the size, chemical nature and surface chemistry of the nano-materials, which govern their interactions with molecular species present in their environment. These characteristics enable the distinct use of different NPs in various fields of bio-medicine. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers. Russian Foundation for Basic Research: 11-04-00612-a

The application of bio-active noble-metal-based nano-particles (NPs) with unique physico-chemical properties is multifaceted. Among other roles, they can be used as anti-viral agents, and at the same time might serve as matrix to facilitate the transport of various molecules for therapeutic purposes directly or via genetically modified microbes. For this reason, the influence of nano-materials on viral infection in living cells is described in this study utilizing pseudo-typed lenti-viral particles based on human immuno-deficiency virus 1 (HIV-1). Cells were exposed to various NPs and subsequently infected with lenti-virus. Transfection efficiency was quantified by flow-cytometry analysis. Gold-based NPs increased, silver-containing NPs decreased, while other NPs had little or no effect on viral infection rate. The opposing effect of NPs is determined by the size, chemical nature and surface chemistry of the nano-materials, which govern their interactions with molecular species present in their environment. These characteristics enable the distinct use of different NPs in various fields of bio-medicine. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers.

A new kind of barrier materials, so called “chaotic” materials and involving interactions with nano-charges, is presented. By contrast with conventional use of nano-clays, the sought effect consists not in increasing the tortuosity to penetrants but in increasing the dwelling times of solutes around accessible clays designed on purpose. The paper reviews several theoretical models that explain why effective diffusion coefficients (D) decay due to entropic trapping. The physical concepts are applied to a simple material made of a deactivated glass column filled with montmorillonites and exposed to several gas phases enriched in organic solutes. In this simple physical model, a carrier gas replaces the polymer so that molecular effects can be visualized and analyzed almost in real time with a simple flame-ionization detector. The future directions to combine a bio-sourced material (PLA) and montmorillonites are outlined.

A new kind of barrier materials, so called “chaotic” materials and involving interactions with nano-charges, is presented. By contrast with conventional use of nano-clays, the sought effect consists not in increasing the tortuosity to penetrants but in increasing the dwelling times of solutes around accessible clays designed on purpose. The paper reviews several theoretical models that explain why effective diffusion coefficients (D) decay due to entropic trapping. The physical concepts are applied to a simple material made of a deactivated glass column filled with montmorillonites and exposed to several gas phases enriched in organic solutes. In this simple physical model, a carrier gas replaces the polymer so that molecular effects can be visualized and analyzed almost in real time with a simple flame-ionization detector. The future directions to combine a bio-sourced material (PLA) and montmorillonites are outlined.

In this paper, the initial susceptibility of ε-Fe3N magnetic fluid at volume concentrations in the range Φ = 0.0 ∼ 0.0446 are measured. Compared with the experimental initial susceptibility, the Langevin, Weiss and Onsager susceptibility were calculated using the data obtained from the low concentration ε-Fe3N magnetic fluid samples. The viscosity of the ε-Fe3N magnetic fluid at the same concentrations is measured. The result shows that, the initial susceptibility of the low concentration ε-Fe3N magnetic fluid is proportional to the concentration. A linear relationship between relative viscosity and the volume fraction is observed when the concentration Φ < 0.02.

A nano-material filter is an efficient device for improving indoor environmental quality (e.g. smoke reduction, air purification in buildings). Studying the effectiveness of nano-materials used in the device by computer simulation is challenging because very different size scales are involved. Therefore, numerical methods have to be developed to accommodate varying magnitudes of scales. In the current study, the simulation has been divided into three scales: macro-, micro- and nano-scale. The numerical schemes at each scale are targeted at a particular scale; however, the relationship of the general transport phenomena, physical mechanisms and properties among different scales are uniquely linked at the same time. The objective of the macro-scale simulation was to design and study a gas filter constructed with nano-material pellets. The filter was considered a packed-bed tube filled with manufactured nano-material pellets. Commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) packages were used along with the embedded programming macros. In the filtration process, we focused on the flow and species transport phenomena through the porous substrate. The mathematical/numerical models were built and tested based on the physical models used in the experimental setups for different materials that were tested. The results from the numerical models were validated and compared well to experimental data obtained from the pressure drop measurements and the adsorption (breakthrough) tests. In the micro-scale simulation, a modified immersed-boundary method (IBM) with the Zwikker-Kosten (ZK) porous model and the high-order schemes was validated and applied to simulate a representative porous unit that represented a periodic array of solid/porous cylinders. In the periodic unit, the solid cylinder case was used to validate the high-order schemes by comparing it to the results obtained from the commercial CFD software. The relationship between the pressure gradient and the porosity (Blake-Kozeny equation) was determined from this level and fed back to the macro-scale simulation, which provided a link between the two scales. In the porous cylinder case, both flow field and species transport were investigated with a porous model similar to the one used in the macro-scale. The species concentration change was calculated and found to be nonlinearly related to the adsorption coefficient. In the nano-scale simulation, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and a coupled molecular-continuum scheme were applied to solve the momentum and the mass transport problems at the molecular level at which the traditional continuum theory is no longer applicable. Both schemes were verified from the surface slip behavior study compared to the literature. The scale and shear effects in the Coutte flow were investigated, showing that in the micro-scale and macro-scale, the slip behavior could be neglected since it was only important in much smaller scales. The same hybrid scheme was then applied to a diffusion model with nano-pores constructed in the solid substrate. The adsorptions between various gases and the carbon substrate were simulated. The mass fluxes cross the fluid/solid interfaces were counted and both self-diffusivity and transport diffusivity were estimated and compared to their respective values found in the literature. The transport properties are closely related to the species transport (Fick's law) in the macroscopic simulations. Linear concentration profiles in the channel were obtained based on those transport properties for various gases going through different sizes of nano-pores, which, as a connection to the continuum model, were to be used as boundary conditions in the continuum simulation.