Undergraduate Research Experiences
in Functional Materials

funded by the National Science Foundation
and
sponsored by the Center of Membrane Sciences

National Science Foundation Logo

Spotlights

PROGRAM FLYER (PDF)

You may apply by downloading and following the instructions in the Word or PDF Application or by submitting the ONLINE APPLICATION


CMS · REU · Presidential Award   

 

 

2004 Coryell Award Winner

The Undergraduate Awards Committee of the division of Nuclear Chemistry and
Technology of the American Chemical Society  would like to offer
congratulations to Michelle L. Kovarik as the recipient of the 2004 Coryell
Award.  Michelle is a student at Saint Louis University and did her research
with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky.
Her mentors were Dr. Michael Jay and graduate student Jim Weekley, and
the title of her research was “Development and Application of
Nanosuspension Liquid Scintillation Counting Fluid.”

A short write-up about Michelle's research:
(Michelle's poster will be presented at the March National ACS meeting in Anaheim. Her poster is CHED #736 in the Monday 2-4 PM Undergraduate Research poster session in Hall A of the conference center.)

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) currently accounts for 71% of mixed radioactive, organic waste.  Development of an aqueous-based scintillation cocktail is desirable to reduce the amount of mixed waste produced. 
Polymerization of styrene-in-water microemulsions was used to entrap LSC fluor molecules, 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) and p-bis(o-methylstyryl)-benzene (bis-MSB), in polystyrene nanoparticles to create an aqueous suspension.   These nanosuspensions were characterized using quasi-elastic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy and optimized with respect to PPO concentration, surfactant molecule(s), and styrene purification.  The nanosuspensions were used successfully to count various aqueous samples, including biological samples of digested blood and tissue.  Optimized nanosuspensions yielded counting efficiencies for 14C-acetic acid of up to 46% compared to commercially available LSC cocktail.