{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129435"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129435","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Nucleation and growth: models for faceted and layered materials","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Weatherspoon, Howard Bernard"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Chemical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Peters, Baron","Kenis, Paul","Yang, Hong","Statt, Antonia"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-04-24","date_published":"2025-04-24","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z","subjects":["Nucleation and growth","magic-sized clusters, covalent organic frameworks","population balance equations"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Howard Weatherspoon"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129435","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Peters, Baron","Kenis, Paul","Yang, Hong","Statt, Antonia"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Weatherspoon, Howard Bernard"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-04-24","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Nucleation and growth","magic-sized clusters, covalent organic frameworks","population balance equations"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Howard Weatherspoon"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129435"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Howard Weatherspoon, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-23 at 14:09.","The student, Howard Weatherspoon, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-23 at 14:16.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-24 at 08:49.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21920 on 2025-10-19 at 18:18:51","This dissertation presents the development of mechanistic models to describe the nucleation and growth kinetics of various nanoparticle systems. Nucleation and the subsequent growth processes govern the outcomes of nanoparticle formation; however, the kinetics are complicated because numerous processes, pathways, and components are involved. To address this, we integrate classical and nonclassical nucleation theories (CNT and NCNT) with thermodynamic and kinetic modeling tools to predict particle size distributions, nucleation rates, and yield. A phenomenological free energy model incorporating atomistic interactions and Becker–Döring theory is developed to describe the layer-by-layer growth of tetrahedral magic-sized clusters (MSCs), a class of semiconductor nanocrystals, which is poorly captured by traditional CNT model due to their non-spherical geometry and discrete growth. We also present population balance models for covalent organic frameworks (COFs), accounting for multilayer growth via a two-step nucleation process involving crystallization and polymerization. These models include analytical and numerical solutions that track monomer concentration, induction time, and yield as functions of time. The population balance approach incorporates templated nucleation and lateral growth for multilayer COF formation. Altogether, these models link molecular-scale interactions and thermodynamic driving forces with macroscopic synthesis outcomes, offering a quantitative framework for predicting and controlling nanoparticle properties such as size and aspect ratio. This work bridges experimental observations with predictive modeling, enabling the optimization of nanoparticle and COF synthesis for applications ranging from optoelectronics to membrane separations."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Nucleation and growth: models for faceted and layered materials"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Peters, Baron","Kenis, Paul","Yang, Hong","Statt, Antonia"],"dc:creator":["Weatherspoon, Howard Bernard"],"dc:date":["2025-04-24","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Howard Weatherspoon, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-23 at 14:09.","The student, Howard Weatherspoon, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-23 at 14:16.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-24 at 08:49.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21920 on 2025-10-19 at 18:18:51","This dissertation presents the development of mechanistic models to describe the nucleation and growth kinetics of various nanoparticle systems. Nucleation and the subsequent growth processes govern the outcomes of nanoparticle formation; however, the kinetics are complicated because numerous processes, pathways, and components are involved. To address this, we integrate classical and nonclassical nucleation theories (CNT and NCNT) with thermodynamic and kinetic modeling tools to predict particle size distributions, nucleation rates, and yield. A phenomenological free energy model incorporating atomistic interactions and Becker–Döring theory is developed to describe the layer-by-layer growth of tetrahedral magic-sized clusters (MSCs), a class of semiconductor nanocrystals, which is poorly captured by traditional CNT model due to their non-spherical geometry and discrete growth. We also present population balance models for covalent organic frameworks (COFs), accounting for multilayer growth via a two-step nucleation process involving crystallization and polymerization. These models include analytical and numerical solutions that track monomer concentration, induction time, and yield as functions of time. The population balance approach incorporates templated nucleation and lateral growth for multilayer COF formation. Altogether, these models link molecular-scale interactions and thermodynamic driving forces with macroscopic synthesis outcomes, offering a quantitative framework for predicting and controlling nanoparticle properties such as size and aspect ratio. This work bridges experimental observations with predictive modeling, enabling the optimization of nanoparticle and COF synthesis for applications ranging from optoelectronics to membrane separations."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129435"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Howard Weatherspoon"],"dc:subject":["Nucleation and growth","magic-sized clusters, covalent organic frameworks","population balance equations"],"dc:title":["Nucleation and growth: models for faceted and layered materials"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z"}