New halo-carbon precursor, CH3Cl, is used in this work to replace the traditional C3H8 gas as a carbon precursor for the homoepitaxial growth of 4H-SiC. The traditional SiH4-C3H8-H2 systems require high growth temperatures to enable the desirable steplow growth for high-quality epilayers. A well known problem of the regular-temperature growth is the homogeneous gas-phase nucleation caused by SiH4 decomposition. However, the degree of Si cluster formation in the gas phase and its influence on our low-temperature epitaxial growth was unknown prior to this work. Growth at temperatures below 1400°C was demonstrated previously only for a limited range of substrate surface orientations and with poor quality. Mirror-like epilayer surface without foreign polytype inclusions and with rare surface defects was demonstrated at temperatures down to 1280-1300°C for our halo-carbon growth. Quantitatively different growth-rate dependences on the carbon-precursor flow rate suggested different precursor decomposition kinetics and different surface reactions in CH3Cl and C3H8 systems. Photoluminescence measurement indicated the high quality of the epilayers grown at 1300°C. A mirror-like surface morphology with rare surface defects was demonstrated for the growth on low off-axis substrates at 1380°C. The most critical growth-rate limiting mechanism during the low-temperature epitaxial growth is the formation of Si clusters, which depleted the Si supply to the growth surface, in the gas phase. Presence of chlorine in the CH3Cl precursor significantly reduces but does not completely eliminate this problem. The addition of HCl during growths improved the growth rate and surface morphology drastically but also brought up some complex results, suggesting more complex mechanisms of HCl interaction with the gas-phase clusters. These complicated results were explained partly by an additional mechanism of precursor depletion enhanced in presence of HCl. Complex changes in the effective silicon to carbon ratio in the growth zone indicated that the supply of carbon species may also be enhanced at least at low HCl flow rates. This fact allowed us to suggest that the gas-phase clusters may contain a significant amount of carbon. The new model assuming coexistence of the silicon and carbon in the gas-phase clusters enabled the explanation of the complex experimental trends reported in this work.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Linear Alpha Olefins (LAOs) are one of the most important commodities in the chemical industry, which are currently mainly produced via homogenous catalytic processes. Heterogeneous catalysts have always been desirable from an industrial viewpoint due to their advantages of low operation cost, ease of separation, and catalyst reusability. However, the development of highly active, selective, and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the production of LAOs has been a challenge throughout the last 60 years. In this dissertation, we designed and prepared a series of heterogeneous catalysts by incorporating structural moieties of homogenous benchmark catalysts into metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs), aiming to provide a feasible solution to this long-standing challenge. First, we reviewed the background and state of the art of this field and put forward the main objectives of our research. Then, we thoroughly discussed a novel heterogeneous catalyst (Ni-ZIF-8) that we developed for ethylene dimerization to produce 1-butene, focusing on its designed principle, detailed characterizations, catalytic performance evaluation, and reaction mechanisms. Ni-ZIF-8 exhibits an average ethylene turnover frequency greater than 1,000,000 h$^{-1}$ (1-butene selectivity >85%), far exceeding the activities of previously reported heterogeneous and many homogenous catalysts under similar conditions. Compared with homogenous nickel catalysts, Ni-ZIF-8 has significantly higher stability and showed constant activity during four hours of continuous reaction for at least two reaction cycles. The combination of isotopic labeling studies and Density Functional Theory calculations demonstrated that ethylene dimerization on Ni-ZIF-8 follows the Cossee-Arlman mechanism, and that the full exposure and square-planer coordination of the nickel sites account for the observed high activity. After that, we further optimized the Ni-ZIF-8 catalytic system from the perspective of practical applications. We achieved double productivity of 1-butene by optimizing the synthetic conditions and explored its usability and performances under solvent-free conditions. Then, we extended our catalyst design concept to prepare heterogeneous catalysts comprising other metals and MOFs, which provided a suitable platform for studying the effects of the metallic center and coordination environment on the catalytic production of LAOs. Finally, we gave our perspectives on the further development of heterogeneous catalysts for the production of LAOs.

No abstract provided. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

Yes / The development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients (1). Endothelial injury and dysfunction are critical steps in atherosclerosis, a major CVD (2). Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been associated with the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension and heart failure (3). However, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) modulates endothelial cell function by intricate mechanisms. Ambient production of O2.− and subsequently H2O2 at low levels, maintained via basal activity of pre-assembled endothelial NAD (P) H oxidases (4). Endothelial cells play an important regulatory role in the circulation as a physical barrier and as a source of a variety of regulatory substances. Dysfunction of the vascular endothelium is thus leading to atherosclerosis which is characterised by overexpression of adhesion molecule expression, comprising vascular cell adhesion molecule 1(VCAM1). This adhesion molecule has been found to be up-regulation in human atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of H2O2 on the endothelial cells adhesion molecules expression. Primary cultures of Human Umbilical Vascular Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) will be maintained in endothelial growth medium supplemented with penicillin-streptomycin and supplement mix of fetal calf serum in a 37C humidified incubator in an atmosphere of 5% v/v CO2. HUVECs will be treated with in the presence and absences of 50 μM of H 2O2 for 2, 6, 12 and 24 h. Intracellular superoxide anion production in HUVECs will be detected by using p-Nitro Blue Tetrazolium (NBT) assay to demonstrate whether H2O2 induce the generation of superoxide anions intracellularly in HUVECs. The formation of blue formazan will be measured spectrophotometrically at 570 nm. Total RNA will be extracted from non-treated and treated cells and RNA quantity and quality will be checked by OD260/280 measurements. VCAM-1 mRNA expression will be assessed using RT-PCR. Our results show that H2O2 could potentially significantly induce EC activation through increased mRNA expression of ICAM-1 adhesion molecules in cultured HUVECs. Treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) (bulk/nano form) could significantly attenuate the effect of H2O2 administration on adhesion molecule protein expression. This strongly suggests the role of ROS in the endothelial cell damage sustained. Future work is to find reliable methods to test endothelial function. Non-invasive studies such as brachial ultrasound testing are also needed to determine its predictive value as a potential predictor for cardiovascular disease.

The study was conducted regarding the prevalence of risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among 150 Caucasian and African-American, low-income women and the effectiveness of a six-month intervention in reducing risks. Seventy-four and 76 participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups, respectively. Intervention consisted of 18 lessons taught by EFNEP paraprofessionals. A family record, three random-repeat 24-hour food recalls, and a health risk appraisal were collected at pre- and post-intervention sessions. Lipid profile, height, weight, percent body fat, and body mass index were measured on a sub-sample of 75 subjects. Descriptive statistics, two-sample t-tests and ANOVA (P < 0.05) were calculated. Results suggest that African-American and Caucasian, low-income women have high risks for CVD due to excessive intakes of total fat, saturated fats, sodium, and fats and sweets, but have low-intakes of dietary fiber, calcium, milk, vegetables, and fruits. They also had high incidences of obesity and smoking and low levels of physical activity. The intervention was successful in reducing intakes of energy and fats, sweets, and increasing intakes of dietary fiber I vegetable, and fruits. No significant change occurred with lipid profiles, obesity, and smoking. A six-month education program resulted in significant dietary improvement, but interventions of longer duration, specifically targeting obesity, physical activity, and smoking, are needed to improve those risk factors. / Master of Science

Silicon Carbide (SiC) has the potential to significantly improve electronics. As a material, it can conduct heat better, carry larger currents and can give faster responses compared to today’s technologies. One way to produce SiC for use in electronics is by growing a thin layer in a CVD-reactor (chemical vapour deposition). A CVD-reactor leads a carrier gas with small parts of active gas into a heated chamber (susceptor). The gas is then rapidly heated to high temperatures and chemical reactions occur. These new chemical substances can then deposit on the substrate surface and grow a SiC layer. This thesis investigates the effect of different opening angles on a susceptor inlet in a SiC horizontal hot-walled CVD-reactor at Linköping University. The susceptor inlet affects both the flow and heat transfer and therefore has an impact on the conditions over the substrate. A fast temperature rise in the gas as close to the substrate as possible is desired. Even temperaturegradients vertically over the substrate and laminar flow is desired. The CVD-reactor is modeled with conjugate heat transfer using CFD simulations for three different angles of the inlet. The results show that the opening angle mainly affects the temperature gradient over the substrate and that a wider opening angle will cause a greater gradient. The opening angle will have little effect on the temperature of the satellite and substrate.