Ma, Xuhang = 柔性襯底銅銦鎵硒太陽能電池製備工藝 / 馬續航. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-91). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Ma, Xuhang = Rou xing chen di tong yin jia xi tai yang neng dian chi zhi bei gong yi / Ma Xuhang.

Trianglamines are triangular chiral macrocycles that were first synthesized by Gawronski’s group in Poland in the year 2000.1 Despite their unique properties; triangular pore shape, chirality, symmetric structure and tunable pore size, they are still a poorly researched class of macrocycles today. Trianglamines have yet a role to play as porous organic molecules for separation processes, as macrocyclic precursors to build increasingly complex supramolecular assemblies and as building blocks for caged porous organic structures. The aim of the Thesis work is to explore trianglamine, its derivatives, and assemblies as viable porous organic molecules for potential gas capture and separation.

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The frictional behaviour of rubber is a topic of great interest and importance due to the invaluable uses of rubber in industry. The very particular behaviour of rubber also makes rubber friction a fascinating subject matter. Despite this it is still a topic not well understood. Previous studies have attempted to link the fracture mechanics of rubber crack propagation to the adhesive friction of rubber. The feasibility of such an approach to the adhesive friction of a rough rubber against a smooth surface, a configuration which can occur in various situations such as rubber seals or windscreen wipers, has been investigated. Rolling friction, described well by a fracture-like peeling process, is used to evaluate the viscoelastic dependence of sliding friction for various combinations of surfaces. A novel use of rubber is proposed as a material for particles to be used for jamming based soft robotics applications. This area of soft robotics is comparatively new and the materials that are being used at present are neither well established nor have been examined in great detail. Rubber would offer a material easily manufactured to desired shapes and dimensions with a wide range of moduli allowing modification to suit specific applications. The effect of jammed rubber particles on the response of a jammed packing to an externally applied load is examined. The evolution of inter-particle forces is studied using a rheometer configuration. Finite element techniques and modelling are employed to study the rubber in more detail.

This dissertation describes advances toward creating programmable building blocks and assembling them into new, tailored materials. I describe extended materials formed of bonded sets of cobalt selenide clusters. Rationally designed chemical transformations that form these sets give us precise control over the extent and dimensionality of the material. The cobalt selenide clusters fundamental to this study are members of a larger class of clusters with the M6E8 core (M = metal, E = chalcogen). Chapter 1 introduces this family of clusters and reviews examples of previously made materials. Chapter 2 unveils a family of site-differentiated clusters, Co6Se8(CO)x(PEt3)6-x, their substitution reactions, and assembly into bridged dimers and trimers. Electrochemical methods were used to investigate electronic coupling between the cores, by comparing the electrochemical behavior of the dimer and trimer relative to their monomeric counterparts. We further performed magnetic susceptibility measurements of the monomers and assemblies. Chapter 3 introduces electrocrystallization as a method to synthesize extended, crystalline, solid state compounds from superatomic building blocks. By electrocrystallizing redox-active [Co6Se8] clusters with labile ligands in the presence of an ionic template, we created a crystalline polymeric material that exhibits weaving at the nanoscale. Chapter 4 presents a metal coordination approach to [Co6Se8] materials via reactive groups on the capping ligands. The redox-activity and multinuclearity of the superatom components creates a new level of complexity and synthetic sophistication to previously reported frameworks. In collaboration with Prof. Christopher Bejger (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), I installed carboxylate groups on the surface of the cluster. With this building block in hand and a simple metal salt, Zn(NO3)2, we discovered two sets of distinct solvothermal reaction conditions that yielded two different solids. Both are homogenous, crystalline, porous solids whose dimensionality is tuned by subtle changes in reaction conditions. I further showed that the dimensionality could be further reduced by chemical exfoliation to yield free-floating sheets of zinc-coordinated clusters in which the porosity and redox-activity of the bulk solid is preserved. Finally, Chapter 5 outlines a novel chemical transformation that dimerizes [Co6Se8] units to form a material with an expanded core, [Co12Se16], that exhibits electronic and optical properties distinct from the parent monomer. To accomplish this dimerization, I installed a reactive carbene on the [Co6Se8] core to create a latent fusion site. We show by cyclic voltammetry, infrared spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and density functional theory calculations that the resulting fused [Co12Se16] material exhibits strong electronic coupling and electron delocalization. These chapters present novel synthetic approaches toward creating [Co6Se8] materials with tuned dimensionality, size, and extensive charge delocalization.

Clay aerogels are relatively a new class of materials with number of merits suitable for many applications in various industrial sectors. With the current mandate to utilise environmentally friendly materials to produce functional materials, clay aerogels provide an attractive potential green solution to overcome thermal issues in construction. However for it to be effectively used as an insulation material, research work is required to address several critical issues and setbacks: the first of these is poor mechanical properties highlighted in the literature as its main weakness; the second is there extremely high hydrophilic and hygroscopic nature identified as the main research gap, which not only can cause a significant increase in thermal conductivity but also can disintegrate the aerogels. This thesis investigates and develops novel methodologies to overcome the associated setbacks through comprehensive characterisation and better understanding of mechanisms of formulation, architecture, behaviour and corresponding performance of clay aerogel constituents and composites: (I) The anisotropic structure of the aerogel was thoroughly investigated and its influence on properties was established; (II) By adjusting and tuning the mixing temperatures, the compressive modulus was enhanced by more than 7 folds; (III) Ultrasonic technologies were used to prepare organoclay- polyvinyl alcohol aerogel composites with 40% less moisture absorption in addition to lower thermal conductivity; (IV) Implementing organosilanes and isocyanates to prepare clay-PVA aerogels resulted in an effective method to reduce the moisture absorption by more than 40% with a 6 fold increase in compressive modulus; (VI) soluble water repellent was incorporated to prepare hydrophobic aerogel composites with contact angles of 140°; and (VII) Organosilanes and isocyanates are combined with a water repellent to generate highly functional clay aerogel composites. Overall this thesis paves the way for the industrialisation of functional clay-aerogel insulation materials for construction and other sectors.

This study is about the structure and content of two specific English textbooks used in upper secondary school. The aim of the study is to get a deeper understanding of the structure of textbooks in English teaching, and what topics are used and what skills are emphasised when teaching English as a second language with the guidance of those textbooks. The textbooks studied, World Wide English 5 Samhällsvetenskapsprogrammet and In Real Life, are designed for the course ‘English 5’ in the upper secondary school curriculum. World Wide English 5 Samhällsvetenskapsprogrammet is designed for an academic program, while In Real Life is designed for  vocational programs. The study contains a content analysis of the textbooks with both a qualitative perspective and a quantitative perspective. The quantitative part of the analysis shows the different kinds of skills promoted by the exercises while the qualitative part shows what different texts are used in the textbooks. The study of the textbooks shows that when it comes to texts the textbooks emphasise different types of text (eg. fictional or non fictional) for the different programs. The exercises in both books focus on vocabulary and grammar activities. This study concludes that the textbooks are different but also have some similarities and both encourage the communicative aspects promoted in the new curriculum.

Wang, Mingdong. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

Nanomaterials have gained much attention as in energy storage application for its unique electrical properties. Many research groups have developed various methods to fabricate nanomaterials for various applications. However, there exists much possibilities of developing cost-effective methods for nanomaterial fabrication. No one has studied using natural organic compound A as solution base for wet process nanomaterial synthesis. In this study, a new method of fabricating two-dimensional structure nanomaterials is proposed. This method is applicable for multiple metal elements such as copper oxide, copper hydroxide, and iron oxide. The two dimensional structure nanomaterials have prestige properties because of their large surface aspect ratio. The organic compound A is also found useful for silver nanoparticle synthesis. The growth mechanism of copper nanowires is also studied using other synthesis method. The IR absorption property for 2D materials as well as copper nanorod are tested, and the 2D copper sheets perform light absorption properties characterized by UV-VIS. The organic compound A used in this study is under provisional patent process.

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