Acquisition
of an X-Ray Powder Diffractometer for Chemical, Materials and Environmental
Research and Education
X-ray
powder diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy are essential tools for
structural characterization, elemental analysis, and dynamic study of
solid-state materials, liquids and solutions important to chemistry,
engineering and the environment. As well as being important to academia, X-ray
powder diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy are widely used in
industry for research, quality control and product development. Acquisition of
this equipment will also foster greater interactions and collaboration between
the Chemistry Department and the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Civil and
Environmental Engineering, and Plant & Soil Sciences at OSU as well as
helping to maintain an active collaboration between OSU and Xavier University
of Louisiana. Additionally, interest in the equipment has been expressed by
ASEC, a local division of Allied Signal. A proposed Internet-based course and
promotional literature will be used to expand the user base to other nearby
universities and industries.
Sponsor:
National Science
Foundation
PI:
Allen Apblett
Development
of Electrochemical Capacitor Technology for DOD Applications
This
project will establish a viable research program that will provide new
capabilities, which will broaden the university research base in support of
national defense. The research will positively impact the development of
supercapacitors that are vital to the production of electrical vehicles and
low-maintenance power sources for military applications. The research will take
advantage of novel ceramic precursors to elaborate novel synthetic methods for
the preparation of electrode materials that are currently under investigation
for use in electrochemical capacitors. The research will also target the
identification of new, superior electrode materials based on a combinatorial
approach using water-based precursors. At the same time, the research will
provide for the training of at least two graduate students, two undergraduate
students, and a postdoctoral fellow in areas relevant to national defense.
Sponsors:
OSRHE, AFOSR
PI:
Allen Apblett
Expanding
Efforts in the Ultrapure Water Group to Address Resin Chemistry Issues: Phase 2
Phase
2 covered two directions: 1) Defining the impact of the hyposthesized fouling
mechanism on ion exchange resin performance; and 2) Fouling the resins by
specific chemical/physical means.
Sponsor:
Electric Power Research
Institute
PI: Alan Apblett
Ion
Exchangers with Completely-Reversible Binding Properties for Remediation of
Energy-Related Waste Streams
The research will be directed towards the
development and testing of new materials that are capable of absorbing and
concentrating toxic metal ions from aqueous solution and the separation of
these ions from environmentally-benign ones. The effectiveness of the exchange
materials for removal of actinides and heavy metals from aqueous solution will
be determined by investigating their uptake of uranium, thorium, cerium,
europium, lead and cadmium from aqueous solution. The total ion-exchange
capacity, the equilibrium binding constants, the selectivity of the ion
exchangers to a specific contaminated environment, and the purification of
leachate from uranium mine tailings using them, will be investigated. The
results will be submitted for publication in “Environmental Science and
Technology” and will be presented at national symposia such as the
“Emerging Technology in Hazardous Waste Remediation” series.
Sponsor:
Environmental Institute
PI: Allen Apblett
NanoNet
Seed Grant
In this research, a new method called the sol-gello method,
was used to synthesize nanoparticlate yttrium iron garnet, an important target
for high density magnetic and magneto-eprical drives and for the investigation
of magnetic phenomena on the nanometer scale.
Sponsor:
EPSCoR
PI: Alan
Apblett
New
Mono and Bicyclic Saturated Azaheterocycles with Anesthetic and Antiarryhthmic
Activity
This is a
two-year project to develop the chemistry of judiciously selected heterocyclic
systems that exhibit useful anti-arrhythmic and anesthetic properties. Our
research team from OSU will work with a team at the National Academy of
Sciences in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The chemistry involves synthesis of members of the family of 3, 7-dihetera-bicyclo[3.31]
nanones.
Sponsors: U.S. Civilian Research and Development
Fund, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
PI: K.D. Berlin
Pharmaceutical
Materials
An
agreement to provide materials of pharmaceutical testing and research.
Sponsor: Dow AgroSciences
PI: Richard A. Bunce
This research is directed toward the study of
tandem reaction for the efficient synthesis of new heterocyclic drug
candidates. The reaction sequences being studied are initiated by reduction of
an aromatic nitro group that is captured in subsequent reactions to generate
novel structures for drug testing. The focus of this study is to develop and
optimize each new process, elucidate its mechanism and scope, and search for
ways to generate product compounds with higher stereoselectivity.
Sponsor: Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of
Science and Technology (OCAST)
PI: Richard A. Bunce
Spectroscopic
and Simulation Studies of Structures and Mobilities of Icy Surfaces and
Adsorbates: Physics and Chemistry of Molecular Nanoparticles
The primary
objective of this research is to further characterize the surface of
crystalline ice (and related solids), in terms of both structure and kinetic
response to a variety of adsorbates.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: J. Paul Devlin
Electrically
Driven Microseparation Methods for Pesticides and Metabolites
The
broad objective of this investigation entails an integrated approach to the
development of high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) and capillary
electrochromatography (CEC) methods for the rapid, sensitive and efficient
separation of neutral and charged pesticides and their metabolites. This broad
objective will be approached by performing systematic studies on the mechanisms
of the electrophoretic migration and electrochromatographic partitioning of
pesticides and metabolites in HPCE and CEC. Also, detection methods for the
sensitive determination of these pollutants by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF)
are proposed as a plausible route to the broad objective.
Sponsor:
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
PI: Ziad El Rassi
Biophotonics:
Collaborative Research: Photoactivated Coupling of Nanoparticle Multilayers and
Nerve Cells
In this project, a multidisciplinary and multi-university
research team is investigating the dynamics and mechanisms of the live/lifeless
matter interaction in a model system consisting of a thin film composed of
nanoparticles and cultured nerve cells. Specifically, the objectives of the
project are the following: 1) Preparation and optimization of biocompatible
nanoparticle multilayers that can be attached to nerve cells; and 2)
Registration and characterization of the photoinduced nerve cell membrane
currents and potentials following optical excitation of the interface as
function of nanoparticle and biological structures.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PIs: Warren Ford, Nicholas Kotov
Department of
Physics: James Wicksted
EPSCoR
Research Infrastructure Improvement Plan
Continuing
its long-term strategy of building upon existing strengths, Oklahoma invests in
the emerging fields of nanotechnology and functional genomics to bring them to
a nationally competitive level. Both fields are federal as well as state
priorities. Two multidisciplinary, multi-campus research groups were formed by
investigators at Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, OU Health
Sciences Center, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and
the private sector. The participating institutions provided start-up costs and
sustained commitments to new faculty positions throughout the state. Targeting
of reference standards, utilizing the Mesonet system, investment in improved
microscopy equipment, statewide scientific symposia, promotion of linkages
between university researchers and small business, extensive education, human
resource and outreach programs were some of the goals charted for these groups.
This will facilitate efforts to develop major research centers and enhance private
sector research and development in the state and improve the statewide
educational infrastructure to provide highly qualified students and graduates
for the state’s emerging high technology businesses.
Sponsors: National Science Foundation, EPSCoR
PI: Warren Ford
Nanostructured
Materials from Composites of Polymer Latexes and Dendrimers
Polymer
colloids will be prepared <100nm diameter that are more nearly monodisperse
than any made before and assembled into colloidal crystals. Composite polymer
spheres will be created by nucleation of emulsion polymerization of styrene and
with dendritic macromolecules. A third phase of metal or semiconductor
nanoparticles about 2nm in diameter also may be created in the demdrimer phase.
The new materials are expected to self-assemble into colloidal crystalline
arrays in which all three components fit the same crystal lattice. The lattice
dimensions will depend on the concentration of latex particles. The new
materials may serve as calibration standards for electron microscopy, optical
filters and switches that operate at US-visible wavelengths, templates for the
synthesis of photonic bandgap materials and catalysts for reactions in aqueous
media.
Sponsor: OSU Center of Energy Research
PI: Warren Ford
New
Materials from Radical Chain Polymerizations
This
research will create three new types of polymers and test their optical and
mechanical properties for potential use in optical communication devices and in
improved plastics. The new materials will be: 1) Composites of silica in clear
acrylic polymer matrices; 2) Polymers that incorporate C60 (the most
common Buckminsterfullerene); and 3) Nanoparticles one millionth of an inch in
diameter that are single polymer chains.
Sponsor:
National Science
Foundation
PI:
Warren Ford
Radical
Routes to New Copolymeric Materials
Two
new types of polymers will be synthesized and characterized. Copolymers formed
by emulsion polymerization, which has been used for the manufacture of
synthetic rubber latex and coatings for more than fifty years, may provide a
low cost alternative to the block copolymers that are used now to stabilize
polymer blends. Model polyampholytes will be synthesized to enable testing of
current theory of their structures and properties in aqueous solutions.
Sponsor: National Science
Foundation
PI: Warren Ford
Molecular
Laboratory Experiments in Chemistry
This project addresses
four perceived problems in instruction at the introductory level in chemistry:
1) Curriculum materials that will support an inquiry oriented instructional
strategy; 2) The difficulty students have linking macroscopic, microscopic and
symbolic levels of understanding; 3) Computer based instructional materials
that are simple, dynamic and interactive; and 4) Identification and addressing
of student’s misconceptions. Instructional materials implemented follow a
macroscopic (sensory)/microscopic/symbolic inquiry-oriented laboratory based
model. Specifically the development of eight Molecular Level Experiment (MoLE)
simulations: Gas Laws, Gas Phase Equilibrium, Kinetics, Atomic Structure and
Periodcity, Acid-Base Chemistry, Calorimetry, Electrochemistry and Molecular
and Solid State Structure. Each MoLE includes a powerful, interactive, dynamic
computer simulation and is accompanied by a guided and open-inquiry activity.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: John Gelder
This project
seeks to average DEPSCoR funding aimed at the preparation and evaluation of
advanced hybrid coatings that are: 1) Environmentally-compliant; 2) Serve as an
effective barrier layer and are readily incorporated into a multi-layer paint
system; and 3) Contain a reservoir of nanoengineered structures targeted to
provide electrochemically-active corrosion inhibitors “on demand”
in the case of a barrier layer breach. The research also supports the
complementary materials and surface modification research programs in a
multidisciplinary approach aimed at the development of advanced
corrosion-mitigating nanotechnology hybrid coatings systems containing a
“release on demand” reservoir of the electrochemically-active corrosion
inhibitors and employ a series of chemical investigations that specifically
seek to elucidate the mechanism of enhanced corrosion resistance properties
that have been observed in such film systems to date.
Sponsors: DEPSCoR, Air Force Office of Scientific
Research
PI: Nicholas Kotov
In
order to combine the benefits offered by iron garnet materials and those of
all-fiber devices, a new approach to the design of the MO Faraday rotator will
be studied. The new type of Faraday rotator will take advantage of interaction
of the evanescent filed on the surface of specially prepared fiber with a thin
hybrid film of YIG nanoparticles. The objectives of the project will permit
addressing the development of the evanescent field MO devices, as well as
expanding the range of applications of nanostructured materials to fiber
optics.
Sponsors:
Oklahoma
Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Williams
Telecommunications
PI: Nicholas Kotov
Coating systems
comprising an inhibitor-doped layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly basecoat and a
dense organically-modified silicate (Ormosil) topcoat were investigated as
corrosion resistant coatings for 2024-T3 aluminum alloy. A combination of the
two coating methods was found to produce a synergistic enhancement of corrosion
resistance characteristics, as determined using electrochemical techniques.
Incorporation of an active corrosion inhibitor into the LBL layer was found to
significantly improve corrosion resistance properties.
Sponsor: Sciperio
PI: Nicholas Kotov
This project
will study an integrated approach to the study and design of new optical and optoelectronic
materials in the university environment.
The primary goals for this research is the development of structural
characterization and diversification of nanparticles modified by metal
complexes and to study their photochemical and photophysical properties.
Sponsor: National Sciences Foundation
PI: Nicholas Kotov
Phase
II: Layer-By-Layer Assembled Films for Light Emitting Diodes from Semiconductor
Nanoparticles
Light emitting diodes, LEDs, from poly (phenylene
vinylene) and CdSe/CdS nanoparticles will be made using layer-by-layer assembly
technique, LBL. This thin film deposition method afford preparation of pinhole
free molecularly organized layers with superior structural, optical and
electrical characteristics. The primary research effort of this project will be
focused on the improvement of the electron transport layer. Optimization of the
multiplayer architecture of the electron layer is expected to improve the
longevity of the device by the acceleration of heat dissipation in the thin
film. Application of the LBL to the deposition of electron transfer layer can
improve performance of LED as an element of flat panel displays, simplify
R&D-to-production transition and reduce the cost of the product.
Sponsors: Nomadics, Air Force Office of Scientific
Research
PI: Nicholas Kotov
Widegap
Semiconductor III — Nitride Research
This
research is aimed at the development of UV-blue range photonic and electronic
materials and devices. The focus is III-nitride structures for applications in
UV photodetectors, UV-blue laser diodes and high temperature electronics.
AlGaN- and InGaN-based materials with large alloy concentration will be grown
as well as nitride microstructure arrays. The final goal is to fabricate the
prototype photonic devices. Time-resolved lasing and femtosecond pump-probe
experiments are carried out for this goal and a theoretical model developed.
Sponsor: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
PI: Nicholas Kotov
Science
and Engineering Research Center (SERC) for Durable Miniaturized Systems
The goal of this project is to establish an
infrastructure for a distributed Center of Excellence for “Durable
Miniaturized Systems” in the mid-west. Durability is defined as the
synergistic reliable response of sub-systems as a function of operating time of
the system, and it will be addressed through: 1) Establishing design and
diagnostic tools at nano- and micro- dimensions; 2) Developing a knowledge base
of the effects of substrate processing, integration and manufacturing
parameters on durability; 3) Understanding the role of surfaces and interfaces
within multi-domain/ multi-signal subsystems and systems; and 4) Investigating
techniques for system prototyping.
Sponsors: University of Arkansas,
National Science Foundation
PI: Nicholas Materer
Surface
Photochemical Energy Transfer Mechanisms
This project will examine the surface
photochemical decomposition of titanium and tantalum halides on silicon
surface. There are three basic reaction steps that will be probed: 1) Absorption
of the precursor; 2) Decomposition of the halide; and 3) Desorption of the
unwanted halide. In addition to the fundamental science, two significant
technological issues will be addressed.
These issues are the incorporation of interfacial segregation of
precursors in the film at different stages of growth and the pre-nucleation
phenomenon where chemical vapor deposition proceeds at an enhanced rate in
locations previously exposed to optical radiation.
Sponsor: Environmental Institute
PI: Nicholas Materer
Development
of a Novel Chemical Methodology for Discovery of Angiogenesis Drugs as a Sensor
to Uncover the Mechanism of Angiogenesis
The major goal of this project is development of
a new chemical methodology for discovery of antiangiogenesis drugs as a sensor
to uncover the mechanism of angiogenesis.
Sponsor: Center for Sensors and Sensor
Technologies
PI: Satomi Niwayama
A
Novel Molecular Template for the Discovery of New Anticancer Drugs
A
new methodology for synthesis of anticancer drugs will be developed in the
research. Large libraries of chiral, small organic molecules with a
drug-related structure, will be prepared based on a template molecule that was
generated by a novel rearrangement.
This rearrangement is initiated by enzymatic hydrolysis, and renders
large-scale production of the rearranged product in quite simple and mild
conditions starting from inexpensive sources. Therefore, this method will not
only increase the efficiency of the production of a diverse set of derivatives,
but also lower the cost compared to the existing methods in drug discovery. The
derivatives synthesized in this method will be screened for inhibitors of human
papillomaviruses, and p210bcrabl kinase, in order to observe the
preliminary results on the inhibitory effects.
Sponsor: Elsa U. Pardee Foundation
PI: Satomi Niwayama
Ocular
Proteomics of Rodent Retina
The
goal of this project is to define all the proteins expressed in rodent retinas
in order to provide vision researchers with information regarding the proteins
actually expressed in retinal cells.
Sponsors:
National Institute for
Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
PI: Satomi Niwayama
Synthesis
of Amino Acids Derivatives
This
research is aimed at synthesizing an amino acid derivative as a precursor of an
anti-HIV drug. Several seed experiments such as enzymatic reactions and
resolution of a raccmic derivative for synthesis of the amino acid derivative
were conducted.
Sponsor: Ono Pharmaceuticals
PI: Satomi Niwayama
Synthetic
and Mechanistic Expansion of a New Energy-Conserving Reaction
The
major goals of this project are synthetic and mechanistic expansion of the
scope of a new two-phase monohydolysis reaction. Remarkable solvent effects,
structural effects and the origin of the high selectivity, combining both
synthetic organic chemistry and theoretical chemistry will be
investigated. Expanding the
possibility of asymmetrical momhydrolysis using chiral phase-transfer reagents
will also be explored.
Sponsor: Center for Energy Research
PI: Satomi Niwayama
Analytical
Measurements Using Optical Dichroism
Optical
dichroism is a very selective analytical method that focuses only on those
compounds that simultaneously absorb electromagnetic radiation and are
optically active. Because many compounds fail to satisfy both of these
requirements, the number of possible analytes that can be detected is greatly
reduced to the point that very frequently an assay can be done without
separation of the compound from the mixture it happens to be in. A great many
natural products do meet these requirements and are target analytes for
detection using this method. The current emphasis is in the direction of
biotechnology pharmaceutical products that are produced in the forms of pure enantiomers.
The motivations for the productions of these products are their specificity of
action, the potential toxicity of the other stereoisomer, and the provision of
a longer patent life by the FDA for those manufacturers who choose to make
chiral products. Our immediate interests are in oligopeptides and peptides as
large as insulin.
Sponsor:
State of Oklahoma
PI: Neil Purdie
Assays
for Unsaturated Lipids: A Diagnostic Tool for Early Detection of Serum Lipid
Disorders
Serum lipid disorders are accountable in the
processes that initiate several debilitating diseases such as heart disease,
cancer, diabetes, and mental disorders. The availability of a lipids specific
diagnostic assay, routinely performed during regularly scheduled physical
examinations, would be an indispensable aid as an early detection marker that
would allow for earlier intervention thereby saving lives and reducing health
care costs. With this goal in mind a routine clinical analysis procedure is
being perfected in which the following serum lipids, free cholesterol,
unsaturated cholesterol esters, triglycerides, polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA’s), and phospholipids are simultaneously determined in a
straightforward, single step, non-enzymatic assay in which unsaturated chemical
colored products are produced. Detection is done using a combination of
absorbance and emission spectroscopies. Full range spectral data for serum
samples that are representative of the various lipid disorders and disease
states are subjected to successive Principal Component Analysis and Clustering
Analysis algorithms. The diagnostic capability of the combined statistical
analysis procedures is presented in the form of 2-D and 3-D cluster diagrams
where relative spatial locations have been shown to correlate with specific
lipid disorders.
Sponsor: State of Oklahoma
PI: Neil Purdie
Modeling
of the Metal Cutting Process
Work on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of
the machining process. Objectives of the project are to advance the
understanding of the machining process in general and, in particular,
nanometeric cutting; and to model the submicron diamond turning process of both
non-ferrous and semiconducting materials at the atomistic level
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PIs: Lionel Raff
College
of Architecture, Engineering and Technology: Ranga Komanduri
Cytochrome
B5: A Case Study in Molecular Recognition
A project to
develop the methodology for the bacterial expression of 13C-heme
enriched b5 by combining the now elucidated biosynthetic pathway of
heme and the special properties built in our expression system of the
mitochondrial cytochrome b5. Expression of the cytochrome b5
gene turns on the synthesis of heme, which is then incorporated, in the
over-expressed polypeptide, thus avoiding toxic concentrations of free
macrocycle in the bacterial cell. Isotopically enriched heme will be used to
develop new NMR spectroscopic studies of important heme proteins such as
hemoglobin, myoglobin, and cytochromes b. Other types of spectroscopy such as
infrared, resonance Raman, EPR and Möbauer will also benefit from the
availability of isotopically enriched heme. Furthermore, radioiostopically
enriched heme can be used to study the metabolism of heme, the influence of
heme metabolism in diseases such as jaundice and prophyria, and the influence
of heavy metals such as Pb and Cd in the metabolism of heme.
Sponsors:
National Institute of
Health, Oklahoma Center of the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST)
PI: Mario Rivera
Biochemical
and Biophysical Characterization of Cytochrome b5 from Outer
Mitochondrial Membrane
Membrane-anchored,
mammalian cytochromes b5 are located in the endoplasmic reticulum
and the outer membranes of mitochondria. Although MC cytochromes b5
have been identified from a number of mammalian sources the only OM cyt b5
that have been positively identified to date originates from rat liver. A
systematic study will be conducted in which residues in the OM protein are
replaced with the corresponding residues in the bovine Mc isoform. These
studies will be preformed with the expectation of decreasing the stability and
kinetic barriers for hemin release of rat OM cyt b5. It is also
important to establish whether the biophysical properties of rat OM cyt b5
are restricted to this protein or rather are common to mitochondrial
cytochromes b5. If the latter is true it would be an indication that
nature has tailored these proteins for specific activity in the outer
mitochondrial membrane. This would set the stage for future investigations
regarding the specific function of these intriguing, yet poorly understood
proteins.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Mario Rivers
Star
Schools: The New Millennium Oklahoma State University
This is a multi-departmental education project
directed toward improving, via distance education, the science and mathematics
preparation of in-service middle school science and mathematics teachers.
Sponsor: Department of Education
PIs: Smith Holt
Department
of Physics: Bruce Ackerson
Arts
& Sciences Extension: Robert Brown
Microbiology
& Molecular Genetics: James Blankemeyer
Department
of Mathematics: James Choike
Department
of Chemistry: Mark Rockley
The basic goal of this research is to develop
accurate models that describe the crystalline states of nitramine and nitro
compounds. The models are formulated such that the proper account for the
fundamental thermodynamics, spectroscopic and kinetic properties of the solid,
liquid and gaseous phases of these materials.
Sponsor: Army Research Office
PI: Donald L. Thompson
The goal of this research is to develop accurate
potential energy surfaces that describe the initial physical and chemical
changes in ionic solids and H-bonded molecular crystals when subjected to
heating or shocking.
Sponsor: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
PI:
Donald L. Thompson
The focus of this research is on the development
of theoretical methods for studying rates processes in large polyatimic
molecules, particularly cyclic nitramines. The goal is to develop a better
understanding of the fundamental chemical dynamics of decomposition reactions.
Sponsor: Army Research Office
PI: Donald L. Thompson
The goal of this research is to develop models
and methods for studying the chemical reactions occurring on and in
nanoparticles composed of metals and energetic molecules, with and without
polymer coatings.
Sponsor: Army Research Office
PI: Donald L. Thompson
Theoretical
Chemical Dynamics Studies of Elementary Combustion Reactions
The goal of this research is to develop methods
and perform studies of the reactions of polyatomic radicals involved in
hydrocarbon combustion.
Sponsor: Department of Energy
PI: Donald L. Thompson
The
goal of this research is to perform ab initio and dynamics studies of small molecules
on metal surfaces.
Sponsor: Army Research Laboratory
PI: Donald L. Thompson