King his guidance over the course of this decade. Through his patience and tutelage I have learned independence and the systematic approach of being a scientist. Through his confidence in me I have grown more independent and self reliant in my ideas and abilities. I would also like to thank the Dr. Vahid Majidi and the staff of the Chemistry Science and Technology Division 9 (CST-9) at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where a significant part of this work materialized. Also, I would like to thank my committee members, for their advice and suggestions on the preparation of this thesis. The staff and faculty for their help and knowledge passed on to me over these few years. I would also like to make a special acknowledgement to Donald Feathers and Allen Burns for their patience, professional skills and engineering feats. And how can I forget my graduate peers for making this possibly the most enjoyed time of my life. Foremost, I would like to express my appreciation to my parents Oswald and Barbara Lewis for their encouragement and continued support throughout this and all of my life's endeavors. Without their love and encouragement I would not be where I am today.