Spatially Resolved Quantum Sensing with High-Density Bubble-Printed Nanodiamonds
Not Available
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Engineering topics
Blankenship, Brian W.
Publications and source records attributed to Blankenship, Brian W..
Near-Field Nanoimaging of Phases and Carrier Dynamics in Vanadium Dioxide Nanobeams
Not Available
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Light-driven C–H activation mediated by 2D transition metal dichalcogenides
C–H bond activation enables the facile synthesis of new chemicals. While C–H activation in short-chain alkanes has been widely investigated, it remains largely unexplored for long-chain organic molecules. Here, we report light-driven C–H activation in complex organic materials mediated by 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and the resultant solid-state synthesis of luminescent carbon dots in a spatially-resolved fashion. We unravel the efficient H adsorption and a lowered energy barrier of C–C coupling mediated by 2D TMDCs to promote C–H activation and carbon dots synthesis. Our results shed light on 2D materials for C–H activation in organic compounds for applications in organic chemistry, environmental remediation, and photonic materials.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Biomass pretreatment with distillable ionic liquids for an effective recycling and recovery approach
Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment methods show incredible promise for the efficient conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to fuels and chemicals. Given their low vapor pressures, distillation-based methods of extracting ionic liquids out of biomass post-pretreatment have historically been ignored in favor of alternative methods. We demonstrate a process to distill four acetate-based ionic liquids ([EthA][OAc], [PropA][OAc], [MAEthA][OAc], and [DMAEthA][OAc]) at low pressure and high purity that overcome some disadvantages of “water washing” and “one pot” recovery methods. Out of four tested ILs, ethanolamine acetate ([EthA][OAc]) is shown to have the most agreeable conversion metrics for commercial bioconversion processes achieving 73.6% and 51.4% of theoretical glucose and xylose yields respectively and >85 % recovery rates. Our process metrics are factored into a techno-economic analysis where [EthA][OAc] distillation is compared to other recovery methods as well as ethanolamine pretreatment at both milliliter and liter scales. In conclusion, although our TEA shows [EthA][OAc] distillation underperforming against other processes, we show a step-by-step avenue to reduce sugar production cost below the wholesale dextrose price at scale.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Complex Three-Dimensional Microscale Structures for Quantum Sensing Applications
Not Available
2-photon polymerization↗
Photothermally Activated Artificial Neuromorphic Synapses
Biological nervous systems rely on the coordination of billions of neurons with complex, dynamic connectivity to enable the ability to process information and form memories. In turn, artificial intelligence and neuromorphic computing platforms have sought to mimic biological cognition through software-based neural networks and hardware demonstrations utilizing memristive circuitry with fixed dynamics. Here, to incorporate the advantages of tunable dynamic software implementations of neural networks into hardware, we develop a proof-of-concept artificial synapse with adaptable resistivity. This synapse leverages the photothermally induced local phase transition of VO 2 thin films by temporally modulated laser pulses. Such a process quickly modifies the conductivity of the film site-selectively by a factor of 500 to “activate” these neurons and store “memory” by applying varying bias voltages to induce self-sustained Joule heating between electrodes after activation with a laser. These synapses are demonstrated to undergo a complete heating and cooling cycle in less than 120 ns.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Factors that influence the activity of biomass-degrading enzymes in the presence of ionic liquids—a review
Ionic liquids (ILs) are seen as a more sustainable alternative to volatile organic solvents that are accelerating innovations in many industries such as energy storage, separations, and bioprocessing. The ability to effectively deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass is a significant hurdle in the biorefining/bioprocessing industry and presents limitations towards the commercial production of bioproducts (such as biofuels, biomaterials, etc. ). Certain ILs have been shown to promote effective lignin removal, cellulose recovery, and sugar yields from various biomass feedstocks such as corn stover, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, sorghum, switchgrass, miscanthus, poplar, pine, eucalyptus, and certain mixtures of municipal solid waste. However, these improvements are often counteracted by the limited biocompatibility of ILs, which results in an IL-induced reduction in enzyme activity and stability—an important downstream step in the conversion of biomass to biofuels/bioproducts. As a result, significant efforts have been made to discover and engineer compatible enzyme-IL systems and to improve our understanding on the effect that these ILs have on these systems. This review seeks to examine the impact of ionic liquids on enzymes involved in lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction, with a specific focus on their relevance in the context of pretreatment. Beyond presenting an overview of the ionic liquid pretreatment landscape, we outline the main factors that influence enzyme activity and stability in the presence of ILs This data is consolidated and analyzed to apply this body of knowledge towards new innovations that could lead to improvements in the processing of biomass to biofuels and bioproducts.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗