Preview
Publication Date
Spring 2018
Abstract
Ethinylestradiol (EE2) is an endocrine disrupting hormone polluting aquatic systems resulting fish feminization. Current methods of remediation fail to remove enough of the pollutant or produce copious amounts of hazardous waste. Our proposed remediation system works by covalently binding EE2 to a self-assembled monolayer surface(SAM) via radical coupling. Via subsequent SAM polymerization our system allows us to quantify the amount of pollutant, unlike current EE2 removal methods. Adhering our synthesized target molecule (A2) to a gold surface created our SAMs. Surface IR verified successful gold SAM synthesis and was used to monitor changes in surface spectra over time in the presence or absence of laccase, phenol (our EE2 proxy), or both materials combined. The degree of SAM polymerization was unclear due to wide variation in initial absorption of the various gold SAMs utilized. Future studies could offer further evidence supporting this radical removal system as a possible EE2 remediation alternative.
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholarship
1
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Scholarship
1
Recognition
ACS Poster Presenter