abstract: Over the past years, an interest has arisen in resolving two major issues: increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and depleting energy resources. A convenient solution would be a process that could simultaneously use CO2 while producing energy. The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to fuels over the photocatalyst titanium dioxide (TiO2) is such a process. However, this process is presently inefficient and unsuitable for industrial applications. A step toward making this process more effective is to alter TiO2 based photocatalysts to improve their activity. The interactions of CO2 with oxygen-deficient and unmodified (210) surfaces of brookite TiO2 were studied using first-principle calculations on cluster systems. Charge and spin density analyses were implemented to determine if charge transfer to the CO2 molecule occurred and whether this charge transfer was comparable to that seen with the oxygen-deficient and unmodified anatase TiO2 (101) surfaces. Although the unmodified brookite (210) surface provided energetically similar CO2 interactions as compared to the unmodified anatase (101) surface, the unmodified brookite surface had negligible charge transfer to the CO2 molecule. This result suggests that unmodified brookite is not a suitable catalyst for the reduction of CO2. However, the results also suggest that modification of the brookite surface through the creation of oxygen vacancies may lead to enhancements in CO2 reduction. The computational results were supported with laboratory data for CO2 interaction with perfect brookite and oxygen-deficient brookite. The laboratory data, generated using diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, confirms the presence of CO2- on only the oxygen-deficient brookite. Additional computational work was performed on I-doped anatase (101) and I-doped brookite (210) surface clusters. Adsorption energies and charge and spin density analyses were performed and the results compared. While charge and spin density analyses showed minute charge transfer to CO2, the calculated adsorption energies demonstrated an increased affinity for CO2adsorption onto the I-doped brookite surface. Gathering the results from all calculations, the computational work on oxygen-deficient, I-doped, and unmodified anatase and brookite surface structures suggest that brookite TiO2 is a potential photocatalysts for CO2 photoreduction. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Chemical Engineering 2012

abstract: The mitigation and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to more useful carbon chemicals is a research topic that is at the forefront of current engineering and sustainability applications. Direct photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with water (H2O) vapor to C1-C4 hydrocarbons has significant potential in setting substantial groundwork for meeting the increasing energy demands with minimal environmental impact. Previous studies indicate that titanium dioxide (TiO2) containing materials serve as the best photocatalyst for CO2 and H2O conversion to higher-value products. An understanding of the CO2-H2O reaction mechanism over TiO2 materials allows one to increase the yield of certain products such as carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4). The basis of the work discussed in this thesis, investigates the interaction of small molecules (CO, CH4,H2O) over the least studied TiO2 polymorph - brookite. Using the Gaussian03 computational chemistry software package, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the adsorption behavior of CO, H2O, and CH4 gases on perfect and oxygen-deficient brookite TiO2 (210) and anatase TiO2 (101) surfaces. The most geometrically and energetically favorable configurations of these molecules on the TiO2 surfaces were computed using the B3LYP/6-31+G(2df,p) functional/basis set. Calculations from this theoretical study indicate all three molecules adsorb more favorably onto the brookite TiO2 (210) surface. Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) was used to investigate the adsorption and desorption behavior of H2O and CH4 on Evonik P25 TiO2. Results from the experimental studies and theoretical work will serve as a significant basis for reaction prediction on brookite TiO2 surfaces. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Chemical Engineering 2012

Au cours de cette étude, nous avons synthétisé par chimie douce en solution aqueuse des particules de TiO2 sous forme anatase, brookite et rutile. Chaque polymorphe a été obtenu pur, avec des nanoparticules de taille et de morphologie contrôlées. Ces particules ont ensuite été calcinées à des températures comprises entre 500 et 750°C afin d'étudier le phénomène de frittage. Nous avons observé que la morphologie initiale des particules a un impact sur celle des particules frittées. Nous avons également montré que les mécanismes et les cinétiques de transition de phase anatase → rutile et brookite → rutile étaient fortement impactés par le changement morphologique des nanoparticules initiales ainsi que par la nature de l'atmosphère gazeuse et par la présence d'impuretés en surface des particules. Cette dernière propriété a été utilisée dans un second temps pour stabiliser thermiquement les particules d'anatase et de brookite par des dopages au lanthane, ce qui a permis de gagner au moins 100°C sur la température de transition et d'obtenir ainsi des surfaces spécifiques conséquentes, même à 500°C. Ces études se sont appuyées sur de nombreuses techniques de caractérisations comme l'analyse thermogravimétrique, la spectroscopie UV, les microscopies électroniques à balayage et en transmission. La diffraction des Rayons X a été abondamment utilisée afin de caractériser les tailles, les morphologies et l'évolution des différentes phases avec la température / During this study, we have synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles by soft routes in aqueous media. Anatase, brookite and rutile have been obtained in pure phases, with well-defined size and morphology. Thermal treatments were conducted at temperatures ranging from 500 to 750°C to study particles sintering. We have observed the influence of initial morphology on particles sintering. We also have shown that the anatase → rutile and brookite → rutile phase transition and kinetic were modified by initial morpholgy of particules, but also by annealing gas atmosphere and by the presence of impurities on the particles. This last result was used in a second point to thermically stabilized anatase and brookite nanoparticles by lanthanum doping. Particles have been characterized by numerous techniques, such as high resolution transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analyses and differential scanning calorimetry. X-ray diffraction was widely used to characterize sizes, morphologies and phase transition during sintering

Depuis de nombreuses années, les conditions d'agrégations de colloïdes chargés en suspension sont étudiées dans le but de contrôler la structure des agrégats [KIM 2003] ou encore la porosité [SNO 2005] des matériaux séchés. Durant cette thèse, nous nous sommes focalisés sur la compréhension des mécanismes de formation et de croissance d'hétéroagrégats composés de nanoparticules d'oxydes de différentes natures. Après validation de la preuve de concept d'hétéroagrégation à partir de sphères de silice amorphe sur des bâtonnets de goethite, notre étude s'est portée sur des systèmes entièrement cristallins afin de montrer le rôle des faces cristallographiques émergeantes des particules utilisées dans le mécanisme d'hétéroagrégation. Dans un deuxième temps, nous nous sommes intéressés aux propriétés générées par l'hétéroagrégation des particules d'oxydes. Quatre familles de particules modèles, des particules isotropes de brookite (TiO2) et de silice (SiO2), et des particules anisotropes de goethite (α-FeO(OH)) et de boehmite (γ-AlO(OH), ont été synthétisées et caractérisées en termes de taille, de morphologie et de charge de surface. Pour générer l'hétéroagrégation, nous avons développé et adapté à chaque système une méthodologie de mise en contact des particules et de suivi in situ par Diffusion Quasi Elastique de la Lumière (DQEL) et granulométrie laser. Nous avons identifié des conditions de pH qui favorisent l'hétéroagrégation au détriment de l'homoagrégation des particules. Dans ce cas, le mécanisme d'agrégation et de croissance des agrégats se fait par pontage des deux types de particules. L'ajustement des proportions relatives de chacune permet de contrôler la taille et la structure des hétéroagrégats. La réversibilité du procédé est limitée notamment par le temps de vieillissement des agrégats en solution du fait d'une évolution de la nature des interactions à l'interface des deux oxydes mais aussi par une taille critique de l'agrégat. Les hétéroagrégats présentent une porosité spécifique très différente des poudres homoparticulaires dont le diamètre des pores peut être contrôlé par la taille et le nombre des particules recouvrantes. Enfin, pour les systèmes mixtes silice-alumine hétéroagrégés, nous avons mis en évidence la possibilité de générer des sites acides aux interfaces en relation avec l'activité catalytique des hétéroagrégats au test d'isomérisation du m-xylène.

MSc (Physics) / Department of Physics / Since the discovery of water photolysis on a TiO2 electrode by Fujishima and Honda in 1972, TiO2 has attracted extensive attention as an ideal photocatalytic material because of its excellent properties such as high activity, good stability, nontoxicity and low cost. Hence, it has been widely used in the fields of renewable energy and ecological environmental protection. However, as a wide band gap oxide semiconductor (Eg = 3.14 eV), brookite TiO2 can only show photocatalytic activity under UV light irradiation (λ < 387.5 nm) that accounts for only a small portion of solar energy (approximately 5 %), in contrast to visible light for a major part of solar energy (approximately 45 %). Therefore, effectively utilizing sunlight is the most challenging subject for the extensive application of TiO2 as a photocatalyst. Due to the unique d electronic configuration and spectral characteristics of transition metals, transition metal doping is one of the most effective approaches to extend the absorption edge of TiO2 to the visible light region. This method of doping either inserts a new band into the original band gap or modifies either the conduction band or valence band, improving the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 to some degree. In this work, the structural, electronic and optical properties of doped and undoped TiO2 (100), (110) and (210) surfaces were performed using first principle calculations based on DFT using a plane-wave pseudopotential method. The generalized gradient approximation was used in the scheme of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof to describe the exchangecorrelation functional as implemented in the Cambridge Sequential Total Energy Package code in the Materials Studio of BIOVIA. The metal dopants shift the absorption to longer wavelengths and improves optical absorbance in visible and near- IR region. The un-doped (210) surface showed some activity in the visible and near IR region. / NRF

PhD (Physics) / Department of Physics / Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted rapid interest over the recent years with prospect of emerging as a viable alternative to conventional silicon based solar cells. The photoanode of DSSCs comprises of dye molecules anchored to the surface of semiconductors such as TiO2. However, the major drawback of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is its wide band gap (3.0 eV to 3.2 eV) which limits its photocatalytic activities to the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Understanding the interaction of dye molecules with the surfaces of TiO2 is crucial for optimizing light-harvesting, photoconversion function and photocurrent densities in DSSCs. The three polymorphs of TiO2 are anatase, brookite and rutile. The optical properties of brookite semiconductor have not been much studied although brookite has been reported to have good photocatalytic properties. In this work, Density functional theory (DFT) computational approach was used through various computational softwares which are CASTEP, GAUSSIAN, GAUSSUM, GPAW, ASE, and AVOGADRO with B3LYP, LANL2DZ, PBE, and GGA functional to explore the photocatalytic properties of the typical ruthenium N3 complex, polyenediphenyl-aniline dye moiety, croconate dye molecules and three modelled surfaces of brookite which are (TiO2)5, (TiO2)8 and (TiO2) 68 for application in DSSCs. We also studied the absorption of the corresponding dye molecules on the three surfaces of brookite TiO2. Our findings showed strong binding ability, good electronic coupling, efficient charge separation, spontaneous electron injection and good spectral properties upon adsorption of the dye molecules to brookite TiO2 semiconductor clusters. Our findings on the optical absorption spectra of ruthenium N3 dye, croconate dye and polyenediphenyl-aniline dye molecule absorbed on (TiO2)5 and (TiO2)8 brookite cluster shows bathocromatic shift of the absorption maxima to higher wavelength and improve optical response of TiO2 brookite cluster. A red spectra shift and absorption over a wide range of the solar spectrum in the visible and near infra-red region of the solar spectrum was achieved upon absorption of the ruthenium N3 complex and polyenediphenyl-aniline dye molecules on (TiO2)5 and (TiO2)8 brookite cluster. The results generally suggest that the absorption of dye molecules on TiO2 brookite cluster improves its spectra responsivity in the UV region and makes it possible to absorb over the whole spectrum range, that is, the UV, visible and near infra – red region of the solar spectrum. Our findings also showed good electron injection kinetics from the dye to TiO2 brookite clusters, which suggests higher photocurrents density and open circuit voltage in DSSCs. / NRF

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