Date of Award

8-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Mathematical Science

Committee Chair/Advisor

Burr, Michael A

Committee Member

Cox, Christopher L

Committee Member

Marcus, Richard K

Abstract

Analytical chemistry uses high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate desired macromolecules from a fluid. This thesis is concerned with monolithic column environments used in HPLC separations. The monolithic column environment under consideration consists of many long polymer fibers suspended in a tube. Between the fibers are voids (interstices) which regulate the separation process. The goal of this thesis is both to identify interstices of a size such that the interstice contributes to the separation process, and to identify the boundaries of the fibers along such interstices. We model the cross section of the column environment with a collection of polygons. We define the desired interstices and boundaries in the model. We implement (using C++) an algorithmic approach to identify the desired boundaries from which we generate images and summarize relevant data.

Included in

Mathematics Commons

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