Date of Award

6-2002

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Mary Carroll

Language

English

Abstract

The purpose of the first project, performed in collaboration with Professor Frank Bright of SUNY at Buffalo, was to optimize the conditions and variables for a Cartesian Technologies Pinprinter to print reproducible spots of sol-gels doped with Ruthenium Diphenylphenathrene (Ru(dpp)32+), an oxygen-sensing complex, on microscope slides. We attempted to optimize these variables by l) the alteration of the printing speed of the sol-gel microarrays, 2) variation of the drying temperature of the gels after they had been printed, 3) controlling the reaction rate of the sol-gel, and 4) various methods of slide pre-treatment. We found that a print speed of 10-25ms, drying the sol-gels at room temperature and no spin-coating over the microarrays were the most optimal results, and the resulting microarrays could be employed for analytical chemistry research purposes. The primary purpose of the second project was to create an effective pH sensor through the use of Eosin-Y within a sol-gel monolith matrix. The most effective precursor(s) must meet the criteria of adherence to a linear plot of fluorescence intensity versus concentration of encapsulated Eosin-Y, reversibility of the sensing capabilities as close to 100% as possible, and minimal cracking in the monolith. The precursors tested were TMOS, TEOS, n-propyl TMOS/ TMOS, methyl-TMOS/ TMOS and phenyl TEOS/ TEOS. It was found that the ormosils n-propyl TMOS/TMOS and methyl TMOS/ TMOS yielded the most effective sensors, overall. The use of Eosin-Y as an indicator for reaction rate of the sol-gel was also explored, as its emission spectra shifts when the ratio of water to ethanol in the solvent is varied.

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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.