A variety of laser spectroscopic methods are employed in this
thesis research for studies of CF₃NO, an interesting model
photodissociative system, and for investigation of low energy rotations
and vibrations of small molecules and low molecular weight clusters in
free jet expansions.
Nonradiative energy decay for electronically excited CF₃NO is...
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds, Qams, are an important class of
chemicals which present interesting challenges to analysts. This thesis
reports results of investigations on uses of ion-pairing techniques for
separations and detection of Qams. Special apparatus for post-column
solvent extraction of liquid chromatographic eluates was developed as
part of this work....
Contaminant transport in ground water is an important environmental process that
affects a host of natural systems. Transport of contaminants is affected by many
processes, including aqueous complexation, adsorption, and redox reactions. One of the
most important components of an aquifer that controls transport is iron-oxide. In this
study, the...
Mitochondria provide energy for biological cells to function, but this process is also a source of oxygen radicals that are capable of damaging nearby proteins. Mitochondrial protein damage can eventually lead to cell death, especially in the case of heart cells, where mitochondria are present in the highest concentrations. As...
This dissertation demonstrated that the electrical properties of complex oxide-based perovskite materials could be controlled through the careful modification of both material composition and structure. This was first shown through the modification of lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, PZT) solid solutions with bismuth indate (BiInO3, BI) where the relative stability of...
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a separation method in which a non-uniform electric
field is used to induce a dipole moment in a suspended particle. If the polarization
of the particle is greater than that of the suspending medium, the particle will move
towards the region of higher field strength (positive DEP);...