University of Utah – TechConnect Briefs

A Biomedical Sensor Based on Resonant Absorption of Ultrasound Waves in Hydrogel-based Resonators

Farhoudi N., Leu H-Y, Magda J., Solzbacher F., Reiche C.F., University of Utah, US

Smart hydrogels can be tailored to undergo a vol- ume change in response to an analyte. The potential biocompatibility of these materials has made them a very promising material for biomedical sensing applica- tions. To [...]

A novel co-resonantly coupled cantilever sensor platform

Koerner J., University of Utah, US

Dynamic cantilever sensors are used for many different applications, for example in material’s research to study magnetic properties of small particles and thin films, in biology for real-time observation of cell processes and as balances [...]

Fast-reacting smart hydrogel-based sensor platform for biomedical applications

Koerner J., Reiche C.F., Leu H-Y, Magda J., Solzbacher F., University of Utah, US

Smart hydrogels are highly biocompatible polymeric materials which change their volume in the presence of an analyte they have been tailored for by molecular imprinting or aptamer-based approaches. These properties make hydrogels ideal candidates for [...]

Transition from exo to endo Cu absorption in SinCu clusters: A Genetic Algorithms Density Functional Theory (DFT) Study

Oña O.B., Ferraro M.B., Facelli J.C., University of Utah, US

The characterization and prediction of the structures of metal silicon clusters is important for nanotechnology research because these clusters can be used as building blocks for nano devices. Several authors have postulated that there is [...]

Optimizing nanoparticle functionalization for quantum dot formation

Hooper J.B., Bedrov D., Smith G.D., Kim H., University of Utah, US

Utilizing state-of-the-art molecular dynamics simulation techniques, we have developed a methodology for determining the gross functionalization parameters required to promote formation of small, compact, and stable nanoparticle clusters in aqueous solutions. The ultimate goal of [...]

Multiscale Modeling of Polymer Based Nanomaterials

Smith G.D., Smith J.S., Bedrov D., Borodin O., Smith G.D., Smith J.S., University of Utah, US

In materials design and engineering there is a need for fundamental information that spans large scales of time and distances, from the quantum chemical nature of interactions to the macroscopic mechanical, and electrical properties. In [...]

Modeling of PDMS – Silica Nanocomposites

Smith G.D., Smith J.S., Smith G.D., Smith J.S., Borodin O., University of Utah, US

A hydrogen bonding pathway between polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and hydroxyl groups on a silica surface was studied using quantum chemistry calculations of disiloxane and hexamethyldisiloxane molecules with small silica clusters. A newly developed classical force field [...]

Dynamic, Transport, and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites and Nanocomposite Solid Polymer Electrolytes

Borodin O., Smith G.D., Bedrov D., Bardenhagen S.G., Nairn J., University of Utah, US

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on PEO-based polymer nanocomposites and nanocomposite polymer electrolytes. MD simulations revealed that the PEO density is significantly perturbed by TiO2 surfaces, PEO and ion dynamics in the vicinity of [...]