56 research outputs found
Infrared Spectroscopy of Trapped Gases in Metal-Organic Frameworks
There are a range of environmental and industrial applications to capturing carbon dioxide from gas mixtures. Currently, materials being used in these applications bind carbon dioxide too strongly for practical purposes, such that they require large amounts of energy to be regenerated for reuse.
Highly porous materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could serve much more effectively as carbon-capturing materials, as they suck up large amounts of carbon dioxide gas at pressures and temperatures that are nearly ideal for carbon-capture applications. Moreover, they require much less energy than current materials to release the carbon dioxide and be regenerated. Additionally, many different structures can be created fairly easily, so scientists are on the hunt for the ideal carbon-capturing MOF.
In this thesis we study Mg-MOF-74, a particularly promising metal-organic framework material for separating carbon dioxide from gas mixtures. We use infrared spectroscopy to probe the interactions between the Mg-MOF-74 host and both carbon dioxide and methane. By shining infrared radiation on Mg-MOF-74 with gases trapped in it and looking at which frequencies of radiation are absorbed by the bound gases, we can learn about the binding nature of the framework. This in turn helps us to better understand the properties are are preferable in metal organic frameworks, and will aid chemists in fabricating new structures that are ideal for carbon-capture and other applications
Infrared Spectroscopy of Trapped Gases in Metal-Organic Frameworks
There are a range of environmental and industrial applications to capturing carbon dioxide from gas mixtures. Currently, materials being used in these applications bind carbon dioxide too strongly for practical purposes, such that they require large amounts of energy to be regenerated for reuse.
Highly porous materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could serve much more effectively as carbon-capturing materials, as they suck up large amounts of carbon dioxide gas at pressures and temperatures that are nearly ideal for carbon-capture applications. Moreover, they require much less energy than current materials to release the carbon dioxide and be regenerated. Additionally, many different structures can be created fairly easily, so scientists are on the hunt for the ideal carbon-capturing MOF.
In this thesis we study Mg-MOF-74, a particularly promising metal-organic framework material for separating carbon dioxide from gas mixtures. We use infrared spectroscopy to probe the interactions between the Mg-MOF-74 host and both carbon dioxide and methane. By shining infrared radiation on Mg-MOF-74 with gases trapped in it and looking at which frequencies of radiation are absorbed by the bound gases, we can learn about the binding nature of the framework. This in turn helps us to better understand the properties are are preferable in metal organic frameworks, and will aid chemists in fabricating new structures that are ideal for carbon-capture and other applications
Simultaneous Broadband Vector Magnetometry Using Solid-State Spins
We demonstrate a vector magnetometer that simultaneously measures all
Cartesian components of a dynamic magnetic field using an ensemble of
nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in a single-crystal diamond. Optical NV-diamond
measurements provide high-sensitivity, broadband magnetometry under ambient or
extreme physical conditions; and the fixed crystallographic axes inherent to
this solid-state system enable vector sensing free from heading errors. In the
present device, multi-channel lock-in detection extracts the
magnetic-field-dependent spin resonance shifts of NVs oriented along all four
tetrahedral diamond axes from the optical signal measured on a single detector.
The sensor operates from near DC up to a kHz measurement bandwidth; and
simultaneously achieves pT/ magnetic field
sensitivity for each Cartesian component, which is to date the highest
demonstrated sensitivity of a full vector magnetometer employing solid-state
spins. Compared to optimized devices interrogating the four NV orientations
sequentially, the simultaneous vector magnetometer enables a
measurement speedup. This technique can be extended to pulsed-type sensing
protocols and parallel wide-field magnetic imaging.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, Supplemental Material included as
ancillary fil
Sensitivity Optimization for NV-Diamond Magnetometry
Solid-state spin systems including nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond
constitute an increasingly favored quantum sensing platform. However, present
NV ensemble devices exhibit sensitivities orders of magnitude away from
theoretical limits. The sensitivity shortfall both handicaps existing
implementations and curtails the envisioned application space. This review
analyzes present and proposed approaches to enhance the sensitivity of
broadband ensemble-NV-diamond magnetometers. Improvements to the spin dephasing
time, the readout fidelity, and the host diamond material properties are
identified as the most promising avenues and are investigated extensively. Our
analysis of sensitivity optimization establishes a foundation to stimulate
development of new techniques for enhancing solid-state sensor performance.Comment: 73 pages, 36 figures, 17 table
Ultralong Dephasing Times in Solid-State Spin Ensembles via Quantum Control
Quantum spin dephasing is caused by inhomogeneous coupling to the
environment, with resulting limits to the measurement time and precision of
spin-based sensors. The effects of spin dephasing can be especially pernicious
for dense ensembles of electronic spins in the solid-state, such as for
nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. We report the use of two
complementary techniques, spin bath control and double quantum coherence, to
enhance the inhomogeneous spin dephasing time () for NV ensembles by
more than an order of magnitude. In combination, these quantum control
techniques (i) eliminate the effects of the dominant NV spin ensemble dephasing
mechanisms, including crystal strain gradients and dipolar interactions with
paramagnetic bath spins, and (ii) increase the effective NV gyromagnetic ratio
by a factor of two. Applied independently, spin bath control and double quantum
coherence elucidate the sources of spin dephasing over a wide range of NV and
spin bath concentrations. These results demonstrate the longest reported
in a solid-state electronic spin ensemble at room temperature, and
outline a path towards NV-diamond magnetometers with broadband femtotesla
sensitivity.Comment: PRX versio
Quantum Diamond Microscope for Dynamic Imaging of Magnetic Fields
Wide-field imaging of magnetic signals using ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy
(NV) centers in diamond has garnered increasing interest due to its combination
of micron-scale resolution, millimeter-scale field of view, and compatibility
with diverse samples from across the physical and life sciences. Recently,
wide-field NV magnetic imaging based on the Ramsey protocol has achieved
uniform and enhanced sensitivity compared to conventional measurements. Here,
we integrate the Ramsey-based protocol with spin-bath driving to extend the NV
spin dephasing time and improve magnetic sensitivity. We also employ a
high-speed camera to enable dynamic wide-field magnetic imaging. We benchmark
the utility of this quantum diamond microscope (QDM) by imaging magnetic fields
produced from a fabricated wire phantom. Over a field of view, a median per-pixel
magnetic sensitivity of
is realized with a
spatial resolution
and
sub-millisecond temporal resolution. Importantly, the spatial magnetic noise
floor can be reduced to the picotesla scale by time-averaging and signal
modulation, which enables imaging of a magnetic-field pattern with a
peak-to-peak amplitude difference of about .
Finally, we discuss potential new applications of this dynamic QDM in studying
biomineralization and electrically-active cells.Comment: 18 Pages, 13 figure
Multiphasic analysis of the temporal development of the distal gut microbiota in patients following ileal pouch anal anastomosis
Abstract
Background
The indigenous gut microbiota are thought to play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of the abnormal inflammatory responses that are the hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease. Direct tests of the role of the gut microbiome in these disorders are typically limited by the fact that sampling of the microbiota generally occurs once disease has become manifest. This limitation could potentially be circumvented by studying patients who undergo total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) for the definitive treatment of ulcerative colitis. A subset of patients who undergo IPAA develops an inflammatory condition known as pouchitis, which is thought to mirror the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Following the development of the microbiome of the pouch would allow characterization of the microbial community that predates the development of overt disease.
Results
We monitored the development of the pouch microbiota in four patients who underwent IPAA. Mucosal and luminal samples were obtained prior to takedown of the diverting ileostomy and compared to samples obtained 2, 4 and 8 weeks after intestinal continuity had been restored. Through the combined analysis of 16S rRNA-encoding gene amplicons, targeted 16S amplification and microbial cultivation, we observed major changes in structure and function of the pouch microbiota following ileostomy. There is a relative increase in anaerobic microorganisms with the capacity for fermentation of complex carbohydrates, which corresponds to the physical stasis of intestinal contents in the ileal pouch. Compared to the microbiome structure encountered in the colonic mucosa of healthy individuals, the pouch microbial community in three of the four individuals was quite distinct. In the fourth patient, a community that was much like that seen in a healthy colon was established, and this patient also had the most benign clinical course of the four patients, without the development of pouchitis 2 years after IPAA.
Conclusions
The microbiota that inhabit the ileal-anal pouch of patients who undergo IPAA for treatment of ulcerative colitis demonstrate significant structural and functional changes related to the restoration of fecal flow. Our preliminary results suggest once the pouch has assumed the physiologic role previously played by the intact colon, the precise structure and function of the pouch microbiome, relative to a normal colonic microbiota, will determine if there is establishment of a stable, healthy mucosal environment or the reinitiation of the pathogenic cascade that results in intestinal inflammation.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112442/1/40168_2012_Article_10.pd
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