%A Cheuk Fai Chiu
%T NANO EMITTERS: FLUORIMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES IN BIO-OXIDATION
%X Carbon nanotubes have remarkable electrical, mechanical and optical properties. They have been employed for applications such as electronics, sensors, composite materials and solar cells. One developing application is biomedical imaging and nanomedicine. For these in vivo applications, the interactions between carbon nanotubes and biomolecules are particularly important.

This dissertation will guide the reader through the recent studies of bio-oxidations of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of SWCNTs will be examined using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The analysis of photoluminescence data will extend the understanding of enzymatic oxidation of SWCNTs to include CNTs of different diameters and geometries. The mechanism of these processes will be discussed. The enzyme-shortened SWCNTs may find application in cellular imaging and drug delivery systems. Furthermore, the effect of CNT coatings on bio-oxidation will be studied. Surfactants and biomolecules that protect SWCNTs from enzymatic degradation will be identified. The findings will provide an important insight into the mechanism of bio-degradation of coated-nanotubes, and can be applied and extended to other nanomaterials and nano-emitters.

Finally, reaction between SWCNTs and polyunsaturated fatty acids will be examined. Reaction mechanism will be established and products identified. The reaction of interest will provide a new understanding of SWCNT-lipid interactions, and can be potentially used for in vivo lipid peroxidation detection.
%D 2018
%K Carbon Nanotube, Bioxidation, Enzyme, fatty acid, photoluminescence
%I University of Pittsburgh
%L pittir33175