Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 149 p.; also includes graphics. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: F. Robert Tabita, Dept. of Microbiology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-149).

Thesis (M.S.) in Mechanical Engineering--University of Maine, 2002. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 108).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

Rigorous thermodynamic and kinetic models were developed in Aspen Plus® Rate SepTM for 8 m PZ, 5 m PZ, 7 m MDEA/2 m PZ, and 5 m MDEA/5 m PZ. Thermodynamic data was regressed using a sequential regression methodology, and incorporated data for all amine, amine/water, and amine/water/CO₂ systems. The sensitivity of CO₂ absorption rate was determined in a wetted wall column simulation in Aspen Plus®, and the results were used in Microsoft Excel to determine the optimum reaction rates, activation energies, and binary diffusivities. Density, viscosity, and binary diffusivity are calculated using user-supplied FORTRAN subroutines rather than built-in Aspen Plus® correlations. Three absorber configurations were tested: adiabatic, in-and-out intercooling, and pump-around intercooling. The two intercooled configurations demonstrated comparable improvement in capacity and packing area, with the greatest improvement in 8 m PZ occurring between lean loadings of 0.20 and 0.25 mol CO₂/mol alkalinity. The effects of absorber temperature and CO₂ removal were tested in the adiabatic and in-and-out intercooled configurations. For 7 m MDEA/2 m PZ at a lean loading of 0.13 mol CO₂/mol alkalinity reducing the absorber temperature from 40 °C to 20 °C increases capacity by 64% without an appreciable increase in packing area. Increasing CO₂ removal from 90% to 99% does not double the packing area due to favorable reaction rates at the lean end of the absorber. Two stripper configurations were tested: the simple stripper and the advanced flash stripper. For all amines, absorber configurations, and lean loadings the advanced flash stripper demonstrated the better energy performance, with the greatest benefit occurring at low lean loadings. An economic estimation method was developed that converts purchased equipment cost and equivalent work to $/MT CO₂. The method is based on economic factors proposed by DOE-NETL and IEAGHG. The total cost of CO₂ decreases as lean loading decreases for all amines and configurations. Increasing CO₂ removal from 90% to 99% results in a 1% increase in the total cost of CO₂ capture. Decreasing absorber temperature for 7 m MDEA/2 m PZ from 40 °C to 20 °C decreases total cost of CO₂ capture by up to 9.3%. / text

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Among various electrochemical devices that have been developed for energy storage and conversion, electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) have received much research attention. Nanostructured carbon materials have been playing an important role in the development of these devices, due to such characteristics as good electrical conductivity, high chemical stability, high surface area and large pore volumes and etc. In an EDLC, nanostructured carbon electrodes, possessing pores of varied length scales, can deliver electric energy at high current loadings. This kind of pore structure also benefits the deposition of metal catalysts and the transport of reactants and products in the methanol oxidation reaction. In order to systematically study the structural effects on the electrochemical capacitance and ionic transport, a series of three-dimensional hierarchical carbons with hollow core-mesoporous shell (HCMS) structure were template-synthesized. Periodically ordered macroscopic hollow cores of 330 nm in diameter were surrounded by a mesoporous shell containing uniform pores of 3.9 nm. The shell thickness was stepwise increased from 0, 25, 50 to 100 nm. The HCMS structure was modeled by a 5-level transmission line model to study the capacitance contribution from the pores at different length scale. Results revealed that the HCMS carbon with thicker mesoporous shells can provide high capacitance, while thinner shells could deliver high power output. A series of HCMS carbon sphere supported Pt nanoparticles were synthesized via the “Carbonization over Protected and Dispersed Metal” (CPDM) method. Contrary to the conventional “polyol” synthetic method, whereas most of Pt nanoparticles were deposited on the external surface of carbon spheres; the Pt nanoparticles synthesized via the CPDM method were found encapsulated in the mesoporous carbon shells and highly dispersed throughout the carbon texture. „Accelerated stress tests‟ (ASTs) were conducted to investigate the nanopores confinement effect toward the electrochemical stability of these Pt catalysts. Results revealed that (1) the nanopores confined Pt nanoparticles on HCMS carbon spheres exhibited a stable electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) and catalytic activity; and (2) thick mesoporous carbon shells could provide better protection over the Pt nanoparticles. This “CPDM” method was further extended to synthesize highly alloyed PtRu nanoparticles supported electrocatalysts. It is expected that this CPDM method can also be applied to synthesize other metal/metal oxide supported catalysts with stable electrochemical performance. WO3 has been demonstrated as a promsing co-catalyst for Pt in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The synthesis of Pt-WO3/C catalyst with well-controlled nanoparticle size (2.5 nm) and composition was achieved via a microwave-assisted water-oil microemulsion reaction. Hydrogen adsorption, CO-stripping and Cu- stripping methods were used to estimate the ECSA of Pt in the Pt-WO3/C catalysts. Among these, Cu-stripping method was relatively more reliable due to the overlapping involvement of the WO3 component in the other methods. The methanol oxidation measurement shows that a 1:1 Pt:W ratio catalyst exhibits the highest Pt-mass current density of 271 mA mg-1-Pt, 1.4 times higher than that of commercial E-TEK catalyst. / published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Two polyelectrolytes were synthesized with reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization for the functionalization of carbon nanotubes. The responses of functionalized carbon nanotubes towards different substrates were well studied. A diblock polyelectrolyte with methacrylic acid containing block and pyrene pendant block was synthesized by RAFT polymerization. The pyrene pendant block anchored on the surface of carbon nanotubes while the methacrylic acid containing block dissolved in methanol to disperse individual carbon nanotubes. The dispersed carbon nanotubes have shown morphological responsive towards substrates with pyridine groups and amino groups on surface. The thickness of functionalized carbon nanotubes on these substrates increased from tens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers due to the swelling of the methacrylic acid containing block. The methacrylic acid units were deprotonated by pyridine groups and amino groups on the surface so the polymer chains in the methacrylic acid containing block stretched into rigid rod structure leading to the swelling effect. A polythiophene-based conjugated polyelectrolyte with positive quaternary ammonium species on its side chains was synthesized by GRIM polymerization. The self-assembly behaviors of this conjugated polyelectrolyte in solvents with different polarities led to solvatochromism and different efficiencies for dispersion of carbon nanotubes. The efficiency of this conjugated polyelectrolyte for the dispersion of carbon nanotubes was highest when no aggregation was formed. The functionalized carbon nanotubes could be deposited on conductive substrates applied with negative potential due to the positive quaternary ammonium species. The density of carbon nanotubes deposited on the substrate increased with the potential applied. The electro-deposition of this functionalized carbon nanotubes could be applied for large scale fabrication of carbon nanotubes thin film. / published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Physics / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The thermal degradation of piperazine (PZ)-promoted tertiary amine solvents for CO2-capture has been investigated and quantified in this study, which takes place in the high temperature (>100 °C) section of the capture plant. PZ-promoted tertiary amine solvents possess comparable energy performance to concentrated PZ, considered a benchmark solvent for CO2 capture from flue gas without its solid solubility limits that hinder operational performance. PZ-promoted aliphatic tertiary amine solvents with at least one methyl group, such as methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), were found to be the least stable solvents and can be regenerated in the desorber between 120 and 130 °C. PZ-promoted tertiary amine solvents with no methyl groups, such as ethyldiethanolamine (EDEA), were found to have an intermediate stability and can be regenerated in the desorber between 130 and 140 °C. PZ-promoted tertiary morpholines, such as hydroxyethylmorpholine (HEM), were found to be stable above 150 °C. Tertiary amines with at least one hydroxyethyl or hydroxyisopropyl functional group form intermediate byproducts that can accelerate the degradation rate of the promoter by a factor from 1.5 to 2.3. Tertiary amines with 3-carbon and 5-carbon functional groups, such as dimethylaminopropanol or dimethylaminoethoxyethanol, form stable intermediate byproducts that do not readily react with the promoter. A degradation model for PZ-promoted MDEA that can be used for process design calculations using acidified solvent degradation to model the initial degradation rate over a range of CO2 loading and initial amine concentration was developed. Thermal degradation was modeled using second-order kinetics as a function of free amine and protonated amine. The degradation kinetics, along with the observed degradation products, suggest that the dominant pathway is by free PZ attack on a methyl substituent group of protonated MDEA to form diethanolamine (DEA) and 1-methylpiperazine (1-MPZ). The model predicts total amine loss from experimental CO2 degradation rate measurements within 20%. The modeling work was extended to other PZ-promoted tertiary amine solvents with bulkier substituent groups. PZ attack on ethyl or hydroxyethyl groups was 17% and 4% as fast, respectively, as attack on methyl groups. / text

Not available / text