MIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Undergraduate Theses
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Undergraduate Theses
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Solvent filtration through the use of monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles

Author(s)
Rogosic, John
Thumbnail
DownloadFull printable version (4.462Mb)
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.
Advisor
Francesco Stellacci.
Terms of use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Chemical purification is typically approached by taking advantage of the constituent molecules' sizes, densities, phase transitions, or bonding capabilities to isolate individual chemical components from one another. Here, a novel approach for solvent filtration is proposed based on localized geometric constraints and bonding capabilities through the use of mixed monolayer ligand coated nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized and coated with octane thiol and mercaptoproprionic acid in a 3:1 ratio. Such nanoparticles have been reported to form an interesting grooved surface morphology, and it has been shown that their solubility varies according to the ability for individual solvent molecules to penetrate these grooves. Here, a system of filtration was designed, aimed at using these nanoparticles to remove a small quantity of ethanol from a solution of methanol. Solubility tests were performed on the synthesized nanoparticles and additional possible contaminants were isolated for testing including toluene, chloroform, and trihydrofuran. Titration columns were run to test the ability of the synthesized nanoparticles to separate the candidate contaminants above from a methanol solution. NMR spectroscopy of both the filtered and unfiltered solutions was performed and the results compared. Although far from conclusive, the evidence presented in this paper indicates that it very may well be possible to remove specific solute molecules from solution by flowing them through a group of nanoparticles with very clearly defined surface morphologies.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2008.
 
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
 
Includes bibliographical references (p. 35).
 
Date issued
2008
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58069
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Materials Science and Engineering.

Collections
  • Undergraduate Theses

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
MIT
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.