Dominique Escandon - NJIT Lab Week 1

I love my lab! My PI decided to switch me from the polynitrogen project (creating a single bond nitrogen polymer - the project would use plasma and my lab was worried I would blow myself up) to a biofuel cell project and I've really liked it so far! Essentially, I am trying to maximize the lifetime of a biofuel cell.

A fuel cell uses oxygen and hydrogen to create energy (very similar to a battery), but a biofuel cell derives hydrogen from the glucose in a person's body. It's end purpose would be a battery that never runs out, and could be used with pacemakers (where the battery runs out after a couple of years and you have to receive surgery to replace it) or in patients with diabetes as a topical patch. The current problem lies in the enzymes used - GOx (glucose oxidase) lacks stability and we've only been able to keep it running for a year max, but we're aiming for 20 years so it can be used commercially. What my lab is trying to do is see if the use of carbon nanotubes will help stabilize GOx, and I'm going to help!
So far, all I've done is create the carbon nanotubes to be used in the fuel cell, but once I return to my lab (I can't right now since we discovered I have some paperwork missing that my PI was unaware of) I'll be able to work independently with the biofuel cell and see what I can do with it.

Here's a picture of the first mulitwall carbon nanotube I made!

The process of create a carbon nanotube is actually pretty easy. We have a powdered version of carbon nanotubes, mix it with surfactant for cleaning purposes, and then filter out the surfactant and the carbon nanotube settles over the filter. I then peel off the carbon nanotube from the filter sheet and I have my finished product! (I will post pictures and a more detailed explination as soon as I get approval from my PI).

I find working in a lab to be both relaxing and exciting. The only step of the process that I have trouble with is when I have to use an ultrasonic processor to mix the surfactant and carbon nanotube. It stirs the solution so fast that it produces this ear-piercing noise whenever it's in use, and I always think that I did something wrong because it sounds like it's screaming at me or at the very least drilling a hole into the bottom of my beaker. Once I get over my initial bout of fear that I did EVERYTHING wrong, I feel pretty good about myself, so I guess it's all part of the learning experience. The fun part is that this noise continues for forty minutes, with thirty seconds of mixing and then ten seconds rest. Here's a video to give you the idea of what it's like.

The grad student that's showing me around the lab and my PI are so nice and informative, I really couldn't have asked for a better pair to guide me through this experience. I'm really looking forward to returning to my lab (hopefully this week) and learning all I can this summer!