Upper-Division Honors/Scholars Research Opportunities

Liquid Crystals and Aligned Films of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Templated Boron Nitride Nanotube Dispersions	Dr. Ao
Reaction Engineering Routes to Waste Gasification for Sustainable Living Environments	Dr. Gatica
Characterizing the Temperature Responsive Behavior of Decorated Viral Like Particles	Dr. Holland
Flexible electronic device for on-demand ocular drug delivery	Dr. Uz
2D CHA-Type Zeolite Synthesis and Adsorption Related Applications	Dr. Yang
Wearable fabric sensors for detection of sweat biomarkers	Dr. Monty-Bromer
Investigating Axonal Biology using Microfluidic Devices	Dr. Kothapalli
Characterization of Thermally Responsive Polypeptide Nanoparticles	Dr. Holland
Developing Protein-Based Bio-Inks for 3-D Bioprinting	Dr. Holland
Catalytic Gasification for Waste Management and In-Situ Resource Utilization	Dr. Gatica
Sugar Cane Bio-ethanol Dehydration Assessment including Environmental Issues	Dr. Gatica

 

 

Liquid Crystals and Aligned Films of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Templated Boron Nitride Nanotube Dispersions

Dr. Geyou Ao: g.ao@csuohio.edu (216) 687-3522

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are lightweight, one-dimensional nanomaterials with exceptional thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties.  This project will explore the liquid crystallin phase behavior of BNNTs templated by cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) dispersions, which is known to form chiral nematic liquid crystals.  The mixtures of BNNTs/CNC will be used as precursors for assembling aligned films with improved properties.  The potential applications of these aligned films are thermal interface materials for electronics and protective coatings.

 

Reaction Engineering Routes to Waste Gasification for Sustainable Living Environments

Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: j.gatica@csuohio.edu (216) 523-7274

Concern over "green," or environmentally friendly, technologies has risen considerably over the past decade. Thus, over the past 50 years, metropolitan areas have realized a need for waste disposal alternatives as landfills approach capacity and take up valuable land space. This sparked the widespread construction and planning of waste incinerators in Europe and the United States. Although newer technology has made incinerators more efficient, there is an increasing interest in formulating more ‘green' gasification options as alternatives to incinerators.
Gasification converts organic and carbonaceous materials into a combination of gaseous products known as "syngas," or synthetic gas (also often referred to as "supply gas"). This process does not involve full combustion; which, in turn, greatly reduces the amount of hazardous emissions. The syngas produced by gasifiers has a very wide range of uses, including their conversion into diesel, ethanol, methane, methanol and other synthetic fuels. Gasification technologies can convert biomass waste into synthetic gas, which make them an attractive alternative for reducing the carbon footprint of energy generation as well as an efficient route for waste management and in-situ resource utilization.
This project consists on an experimental assessment of low-temperature Wet Thermal Oxidation (WTO) promoted by Ru-based and Pt-based catalysts as a gasification technology to process polymeric waste into supply gas.

 

Characterizing the Temperature Responsive Behavior of Decorated Viral Like Particles

Dr. Nolan B. Holland: n.holland1@csuohio.edu (216) 687-2572

In recent years the tools of synthetic and microbiology have shown promise for creating novel protein structures for use in biomanufacturing and pharmaceuticals. One area of particular interest is using the coat protein (CP) of a virus to create viral-like particles that can deliver fragile biological cargo to a site of interest. Two possible applications for this are a reagent or enzyme delivered to the reaction site of a process or therapeutic proteins delivered to a specific area within the body. One challenge of this cargo delivery system is controlling delivery to a specific target or location. One means that control can be established is by attaching an elastin-like-polypeptide (ELP) chain segment on the outside of the particle. ELPs are a class of biopolymers that undergo a thermo-reversible phase transition above a well-defined transition temperature.  Incorporating these chains on the surface of a capsid formed of coat proteins would allow directed delivery of small molecules with a temperature gradient or other basic environmental stimuli. In our research laboratory, we have designed and synthesized several of these hybrid CP-ELP particles systems and are now seeking to better understand their key characteristics and responses to various stimuli.  Students will be involved in synthesizing and characterizing the viral-like particles.

Flexible electronic device for on-demand ocular drug delivery

Dr. Metin Uz: m.uz@csuohio.edu (216) 687-3526

In this project, we aim to develop a self-administered flexible electronic device in the form of a contact lens for on-demand ocular drug delivery. The proposed device will be integrated with site-specific and localized drug reservoirs, along with conductive microcircuits for electrical stimulation directed on-demand drug release. With this combinatorial approach, we expect to deliver the ocular therapeutics to the posterior segments of the eye to treat ocular conditions, such as retinitis pigmentosa, by repairing the optic nerve damage.

 

2D CHA-Type Zeolite Synthesis and Adsorption Related Applications

Dr. Shaowei Yang: s.yang4@csuohio.edu (216) 687-3569

Two-dimensional (2D) zeolite are attractive for adsorption, catalysis and membrane applications. The preparation of 2D zeolite are challenging due to the limited knowledge on organic structure directing agent structure and chemistry's influence on zeolite crystal growth. In this research, we will explore the synthesis of 2D CHA-type zeolite and potential adsorption related applications. The proposed work is well aligned with the PI research interest and future proposal directions.

 

Wearable fabric sensors for detection of sweat biomarkers
Dr. Chelsea Monty-Bromer: c.montybromer@csuohio.edu (216) 687-9399

The need for well-managed hydration and the monitoring of physiological parameters in real-time is not only crucial for athletes to optimize performance but to also prevent illness and injury from occurring.  Understanding sweat loss and calculating hydration requirements to avoid dehydration or overhydration is a significant challenge for athletes.  This is because sweat losses vary significantly from athlete to athlete both in terms of concentration of electrolytes and total volume of sweat lost.  When sweating, an individual may lose as little as ~200mg of sodium per liter or as much as ~2000 mg. This variance, combined with significant differences in sweat volume, lead to vastly different hydration requirements among individuals. The RooSense Optimal Sweat Performance (OSP) Band is the first lightweight fabric sensor to provide real-time information regarding hydration levels during exercise or training through selective determination of sodium levels, a better marker for athletic performance, safety, and injury.
    Monitoring sweat is a compelling choice to gain insight into a person's health at the molecular level, as sweat is rich in physiological and metabolic information that can be obtained non-invasively.  In spite of advances made towards the detection of biomarkers in sweat, there is no sensor capable of long-term detection in constricted or load-bearing applications where other flexible plastic sensors might cause discomfort.  Textile-based and nanocomposite technologies, such as those developed in the Monty-Bromer research group, provide an optimum scaffold for monitoring biomarkers at the surface of the skin as they do not influence the sweat composition or sweat rate and can be seamlessly integrated for wearable sensing and translational medicine applications.  This project will focus on the development of a prototype wearable hydration monitor, validation of the prototype in the laboratory, on body testing in an exercise physiology laboratory.  

 

Investigating Axonal Biology using Microfluidic Devices
Dr. Chandrasekhar Kothapalli c.kothapalli@csuohio.edu (216) 687-2562

During the nervous system development, various biomolecules guide the growing axons to their targets along specific pathways. These biomolecules could be attractive or repulsive, and exist at different concentrations (gradients) in the brain microenvironment. The tip of the axons, i.e., growth cones, sense and respond to these biomolecules, by exhibiting longer outgrowth or by changing their direction. However, it is not yet clear how the distribution and gradients of biomolecules is maintained in the nervous system to modulate this axonal biology. The goal of this project is to investigate the effect of biomolecules and their respective gradients on cortical neuronal extensions and turning in a microfluidic environment.
Students work, under the guidance of Dr. Kothapalli, learning the aseptic cell culture techniques, isolation and culture of cortical neurons from rat brains, implementation of microfluidic devices, and imaging and analysis of biomolecular gradients; aiming to optimize the conditions for cortical neuron culture in microfluidic devices and evaluate the role of biomolecular gradients on their outgrowth and turning.

 

 

Characterization of Thermally Responsive Polypeptide Nanoparticles
Dr. Nolan B. Holland: n.holland1@csuohio.edu (216) 687-2572

Our lab is working with an interdisciplinary team to characterize a material system that reversibly forms nanoparticles in response to environmental changes. The system has potential for use in numerous practical applications, e.g. as biosensors, drug-delivery vehicles, or viscosity modifiers. The particles are prepared from materials inspired by elastin, a naturally occurring protein. They are biosynthesized in E. coli and can be made to respond to a wide variety of stimuli, including temperature, pH, salt concentration, light, and solvent. We are characterizing the size and shape of the particles and devising methods to control their behavior.

 

Developing Protein-Based Bio-Inks for 3-D Bioprinting
Dr. Nolan B. Holland: n.holland1@csuohio.edu (216) 687-2572

Tissue engineering combines biomaterial scaffolds with living cells to produce functional replacements for the repair of damaged tissues and organs.  The advent of additive 3-D fabrication techniques capable of printing cells in aqueous solution has provided a means for assembling cells and scaffolds in the complex arrangements necessary to produce functional tissues. In order to keep the cells in the appropriate arrangements, a material that forms a gel is printed with the cells. Such hydrogel biomaterials printed by these methods have been termed bio-inks and are significantly different than the traditional materials used in additive manufacturing.  They must be maintained in conditions that cells can survive throughout the printing process and once printed must confine the cells and provide an appropriate environment for the cells to grow by mimicking the natural extracellular matrix of tissues. Our lab has designed a protein-based material for use as a new bio-ink hydrogel that overcomes some of the deficiencies of current bio-inks. This project involves charaterizing the rheological and phase behavior of these materials as a function of temperature and making structural changes to the materials to optimize their properties.  

 

Catalytic Gasification for Waste Management and In-Situ Resource Utilization
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: j.gatica@csuohio.edu (216) 523-7274

This research project is focused on the formulation and characterization of a low-to-mid temperature catalytic gasification process. The overall goal is to develop alternatives for converting spaceflight waste materials into high-value products. Since, approximately six (6) kilograms of waste are produced daily by a crew of four, the intrinsic value of this waste can be greatly enhanced by gasification technologies. Indeed, in-situ processing of trash would provide an option to control waste, while maintaining a healthy habitat, during long-duration missions. Affordable human exploration beyond low earth orbit (LEO) cannot include continuous logistic resupply. The results are therefore anticipated to find application in advancing NASA's mission supporting space exploration activities such as the International Space Station or extended Space Travel.

 

Sugar Cane Bio-ethanol Dehydration Assessment including Environmental Issues
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: j.gatica@csuohio.edu (216) 523-7274

Environmental effects and health hazards posed by fossil-fuel based technologies complemented by changes in the global economy have further demanded the need for developing "cleaner" and more efficient technologies that rely on renewable or synthetic resources. An alternative, commonly referred to as bio-fuels, has significantly matured and today's economy recognizes the significance of being able to produce ethanol from renewable resources such as biomass. Moreover, the potential of ethanol to be further converted to hydrogen makes it a very attractive alternative to replace or complement fossil fuels as sources of energy.

Though many techniques for ethanol dehydration are known; adsorption, distillation, hybrid processes, and pervaporation, are the most common technologies in practice. Two alternatives ethanol dehydration technologies are considered in this project. The first is based on the combination of distillation and azeotropic distillation, while the second relies on hybrid distillation and pervaporation processes.

Currently we are developing a simulation model (a user-defined module) and the interface that would enable to integrate this module with two popular Porcess Simulators: ASPEN Plus(TM) and ASPEN HYSYS(TM)

The immediate goal is to simulate both alternatives aiming to identify optimal design and operating parameters by means of rigorous simulation. Plans for a second phase include formulating an approach that would account for environmental issues in explicit form. The approach is to be based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as described by the ISO 14000 series. Unlike most common approaches that consider environmental impact by focusing on reducing effluents, this methodology also considers the impact associated with all the involved processes in the FPD. One could consider the addition of environmental aspects within energy systems optimization as a promising contribution to the energetic optimization and LCA.