Scandia doped zirconia has been considered a candidate for electrolyte material in intermediate temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) due to its high ionic conductivity, chemical stability and good electrochemical performance. The aim of this study is to determine the mechanical properties of SCZ, ie. zirconia (ZrO₂) doped with Scandia (Sc₂O₃) and small amount of ceria (CeO₂) that are important for reliability and durability of the components manufactured from SCZ. The SCZ was prepared from powder by uniaxiall cold pressing at subsequent sintering at 1550 ºC for 4 hours. The density and porosity of the sintered samples was measured following the ASTM Standard C20-00 for alcohol immersion method. A pure cubic phase of SCZ sample was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at room temperature. Quantitative compositional analyses for Zr, Sc, Ce, Hf and Ti were carried out on a Cameca SX50 electron microprobe with wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images were acquired using both secondary electron (SE) and back-scattered electron (BSE) detectors. WDS and EDS analysis also revealed that Zr, Sc, Ce, Hf and Ti are relatively homogeneously distributed in the structure. The average grain size of sintered SCZ samples was measured to be 4 μm. Thermal expansion at different temperatures for the SCZ ceramic was determined using Thermal Mechanical Analyzer, and the instantaneous Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) was found to be 8.726х10⁻⁶ 1/°C in the in 25-400 °C temperature range. CTE increases monotonically with temperature above 400 ºC to 1.16х10⁻⁵ at 890 °C, most likely as a result of thermo-chemical expansion due to an increase in oxygen vacancy concentration. Room temperature Vickers hardens of 12.5 GPa was measured at loads of 1000 g, while indentation fracture toughness was found to vary from 2.25 to 4.29 MPa m¹⁄², depending on the methodology that was used to calculate fracture toughness from the length of the median corner cracks. Elastic moduli, namely Young and shear moduli were determined using Resonance Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS). It was found that elastic moduli decreases with temperature in non-linear manner, with significant drop in the 300-600 °C temperature range, the same temperature range in which loss modulus determined by Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer exhibits frequency dependant peaks. The high loss modulus and significant drop in elastic moduli in that temperature regime is attributed to the relaxation of doping cation-oxygen vacancies clusters. The flexural strength in 4-point bending was measured at room temperature, 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C. and the results were analyzed using Weibull statistics. It was found that flexural strength changes with temperature in a sigmoidal way, with the minimum strength at around 600 °C. Non-linear decrease in strength with temperature can be traced back to the changes in elastic moduli that are caused predominately by relaxation of oxygen vacancies.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια διεξάγεται µια έντονη ερευνητική προσπάθεια µε στόχο την ανά- πτυξη αποτελεσµατικών καταλυτών για την εκλεκτική οξείδωση του CO παρουσία περίσσειας H2. Το ενδιαφέρον για αυτήν την διεργασία εντοπίζεται στην εφαρµογή της για τον καθαρισµό από το περιεχόµενο CO, πλούσιων σε Η2 αέριων µιγµάτων τα οποία χρησιµοποιούνται ως καύσιµο σε κυψελίδες καυσίµου τύπου PEM. Στην παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή εξετάστηκαν οι καταλυτικές ιδιότητες τριών συ- στηµάτων: Au/α-Fe2O3, Pt/γ-Al2O3 και CuO-CeO2, για την εν λόγω διεργασία. Η µελέτη εντοπί- στηκε, κατά κύριο λόγο, στους καταλύτες CuO-CeO2, οι οποίοι δε περιέχουν πολύτιµο µέταλλο. Στους εν λόγω καταλύτες, παράµετροι της µελέτης ήταν η µέθοδος παρασκευής, η φόρτιση των καταλυτών σε ενεργό φάση και η θερµοκρασία ενεργοποίησής τους. Σε κάθε περίπτωση εξετά- στηκε η ενεργότητα, εκλεκτικότητα και σταθερότητα των καταλυτών, καθώς και η ανθεκτικότητά τους στην παρουσία CO2 και Η2Ο στην τροφοδοσία. Για το χαρακτηρισµό των καταλυτών χρησι- µοποιήθηκαν: α) φασµατοσκοπία ατοµικής απορρόφησης, β) ρόφηση Ν2, γ) περίθλαση ακτίνων Χ, δ) ηλεκτρονική µικροσκοπία, ε) θερµοσταθµική ανάλυση, στ) φασµατοσκοπία φωτοηλεκτρο- νίων ακτίνων Χ και ζ) δυναµικά πειράµατα µε προγραµµατισµό θερµοκρασίας. Επιπλέον, κινητι- κές µελέτες πραγµατοποιήθηκαν σε επιλεγµένα δείγµατα CuO-CeO2. Οι καταλύτες CuO-CeO2 βρέθηκαν να έχουν σχεδόν ιδανική εκλεκτικότητα σε θερµο- κρασίες µικρότερες από 130οC. Ενεργοί και εξαιρετικά εκλεκτικοί καταλύτες CuO-CeO2 παρα- σκευάστηκαν µε διαφορετικές τεχνικές, και εµφάνισαν µεγάλη σταθερότητα µε το χρόνο αντί- δρασης και ικανοποιητική ανθεκτικότητα στην παρουσία Η2Ο και CO2. H σειρά ενεργότητας των καταλυτών, µε βάση τη µέθοδο παρασκευής τους, ήταν: (sol-gel) > (καύση) > (κιτρικά-υδρο- θερµική) > (συγκαταβύθιση) > (εµποτισµός). Ο βέλτιστος καταλύτης CuO-CeO2, ο οποίος παρα- σκευάστηκε µε τεχνική sol-gel, έδωσε ~99% µετατροπή του CO, µε ~87% εκλεκτικότητα, στους 175οC, σε συνθήκες εκλεκτικής οξείδωσης του CO (παρουσία CO2 και Η2Ο). Γενικά, η ένταση της αλληλεπίδρασης CuO-CeO2 βρέθηκε να εξαρτάται από τη θερµοκρασία ενεργοποίησης των καταλυτών. Σε χαµηλές θερµοκρασίες ενεργοποίησης η προω- θητική δράση της δηµήτριας εντοπίζεται στην αύξηση της ειδικής επιφάνειας των καταλυτών και στη δηµιουργία νέων ενεργών κέντρων, πιθανά στη διεπιφάνεια των δύο φάσεων. Απ’ την άλλη πλευρά, η ένταση της αλληλεπίδρασης ενισχύεται σε υψηλές θερµοκρασίες ενεργοποίησης, µε συνέπεια την αύξηση της εγγενούς ενεργότητας των ενεργών κέντρων. Στα περισσότερα καταλυ- τικά δείγµατα το οξείδιο του χαλκού βρισκόταν πολύ καλά διασπαρµένο στην επιφάνεια της δηµήτριας. Επιπλέον, η παρουσία και σταθεροποίηση ιόντων Cu1+ στους καταλύτες που παρα- σκευάστηκαν µε καύση, συγκαταβύθιση και sol-gel, και ενεργοποιήθηκαν σε υψηλές θερµοκρασίες, αποτελεί ένδειξη ισχυρής αλληλεπίδρασης ανάµεσα στο οξείδιο του χαλκού και στη δηµήτρια, µε αποτέλεσµα την εισχώρηση ιόντων Cu1+ στα πρώτα επιφανειακά στρώµατα της δηµήτριας. Κινητικά µοντέλα βασιζόµενα σε έναν οξειδοαναγωγικό µηχανισµό, µπορούν να περι- γράψουν τις αντιδράσεις οξείδωσης του CO και του Η2, τόσο στο καθαρό CuO, όσο και στους κα- ταλύτες CuO-CeO2. H αλληλεπίδραση ανάµεσα στο CuO και τη δηµήτρια έχει ως αποτέλεσµα την ευκολότερη αναγωγή των οξειδωµένων ενεργών κέντρων, σε σχέση µε το καθαρό CuO. Η ευχερέστερη αναγωγή αυτών των κέντρων από το CO, σε σχέση µε το Η2, είναι η αιτία της υψη- λής εκλεκτικότητας των καταλυτών CuO-CeO2. Η ενεργότητα των καταλυτών Au βρέθηκε να εξαρτάται από την επιφανειακή συγκέ- ντρωση του Au, γεγονός που καταδεικνύει τη σηµασία ύπαρξης καλώς διασπαρµένων νανοσωµα- τιδίων Au (µεγέθους ~3 nm), για την επίτευξη υψηλής καταλυτικής ενεργότητας. Την καλύτερη συµπεριφορά παρουσίασε το δείγµα µε 2.94 wt% Au, για το οποίο προσδιορίστηκε η µεγαλύτερη τιµή επιφανειακής συγκέντρωσης Au. Με αυτό το δείγµα επιτεύχθηκε µετατροπή του CO µεγαλύτερη από 99% (µε 52% εκλεκτικότητα), στους 100οC, σε ρεαλιστικές συνθήκες εκλεκτικής oξείδωσης του CO (παρουσία CO2 και Η2Ο). Η σύγκριση της καταλυτικής συµπεριφοράς καταλυτών Au/α-Fe2O3, Pt/γ-Al2O3 και CuOCeO2 έδειξε ότι σε σχετικά χαµηλές θερµοκρασίες λειτουργίας (<80oC) ο καταλύτης Au/α-Fe2O3 εµφανίζει τη βέλτιστη συµπεριφορά για την εκλεκτική οξείδωση του CO. Σε υψηλότερες θερµοκρασίες, καλύτερα αποτελέσµατα έδωσαν οι καταλύτες CuO-CeO2, ο οποίοι ήταν αντί- στοιχα ενεργοί, και σε κάθε περίπτωση πιο εκλεκτικοί από τον καταλύτη Pt/γ-Al2O3. Η παρουσία H2O και CO2 στο αντιδρόν µίγµα προκάλεσε σηµαντική µείωση στην ενεργότητα των καταλυτών Au/α-Fe2O3 και CuO-CeO2, αλλά δεν επηρέασε, τουλάχιστον αρνητικά, την ενεργότητα του Pt/γ- Al2O3. Οι καταλύτες CuO-CeO2 και Pt/γ-Al2O3 παρουσίασαν σταθερή καταλυτική συµπεριφορά για το χρονικό διάστηµα που εξετάστηκαν σε ρεαλιστικές συνθήκες αντίδρασης (7-8 ηµέρες), σε αντίθεση µε τον καταλύτη Au/α-Fe2O3. / The development of efficient catalysts for the selective oxidation of CO in the presence of excess H2 is the goal of intense research effort during the last years, due to the application of this process in removal of CO from H2-rich gas mixtures, which are used as fuel in PEM fuel cells. The catalytic properties of three systems: Au/α-Fe2O3, Pt/γ-Al2O3 και CuO-CeO2, were investigated for the title process of the present thesis. The study was focused mainly on the CuOCeO2 catalysts, which do not contain a noble metal. Parameters of the study were: the preparation method, the metal loading and the activation temperature. The activity, selectivity and stability of catalysts, and also their tolerance in the presence of CO2 and Η2Ο in the feed, were examined. The catalysts were characterized by: a) atomic adsorption spectroscopy, b) N2 adsorption, c) X-ray diffraction, d) electron microscopy, e) thermogravimetry, f) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and g) temperature-programmed dynamic tests. Additionally, kinetic studies were performed with selected CuO-CeO2 samples. CuO-CeO2 catalysts were found to be almost ideally selective in temperatures lower than 130οC. Active and selective CuO-CeO2 catalysts were prepared with various techniques, and showed high stability with time on stream and good resistance towards Η2Ο and CO2. Based on the preparation method, the activity ranking of the catalysts was: (sol-gel) > (combustion) > (citrate- hydrothermal) > (coprecipitation) > (impregnation). The best CuO-CeO2 catalyst, prepared with a sol-gel technique, showed ~99% CO conversion, with ~87% selctivity, at 175οC (in the presence of CO2 and Η2Ο). The interaction intensity between copper oxide and ceria was generally found to depend on the activation temperature of the catalysts. At low activation temperatures, the promoting effect of ceria causes enhancement of surface area and creation of additional active sites, probably at the interface of the two phases. On the other hand, the interaction is enhanced at high activation temperatures, resulting in increase of intrinsic activity of active sites. In most of the catalytic samples, copper oxide was well dispersed on the ceria surface. In addition, the presence and stabilization of Cu1+ ions in the catalysts that were prepared with combustion, coprecipitation and sol-gel, and were activated at high temperatures, indicates the presence of strong interaction between copper v oxide and ceria, resulting to the penetration of Cu1+ ions into the first surface layers of ceria. Kinetic models, based on the redox mechanism, can describe the oxidation reactions of CO and Η2, for both pure CuO and CuO-CeO2 catalysts. The interaction between CuO and ceria results in easier reduction of oxidized active sites, compared to pure CuO. The easier reduction of these sites from CO, compared to Η2, is the cause of high selectivity of CuO-CeO2 catalysts. The activity of gold catalysts was found to depend on the surface concentration of Au, implying that well-dipersed gold nanoparticles (size of ~3 nm) are essential for the achievement of high catalytic activity. The best performance was found for the sample with 2.94 wt% Au, which had the highest value of surface concentration of gold. In this case, CO conversion higher than 99% (with 52% selectivity) was obtained at 100οC, under realistic conditions of selective CO oxidation (in the presence of CO2 and Η2Ο). Comparison of the catalytic performance of Au/α-Fe2O3, Pt/γ-Al2O3 and CuO-CeO2 catalysts, showed that the Au/α-Fe2O3 catalyst is superior for the selective oxidation of CO at relatively low operation temperatures (<80oC). At higher temperatures, best results were obtained with the CuO-CeO2 catalysts, which proved to be comparably active, and in any case more selective than the Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. The presence of H2O and CO2 in the reactant mixture caused a significant decrease in the catalytic activity of Au/α-Fe2O3 and CuO-CeO2 catalysts, but didn’t affect, at least negatively, the activity of Pt/γ-Al2O3. With the exception of Au/α-Fe2O3, the CuO-CeO2 and Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalysts exhibited a stable catalytic performance for at least 7-8 days under realistic reaction conditions.

This thesis describes technical and scientific aspects of new types of composite films/coatings for corrosion protection of carbon steel, composite films with nanometer thickness consisting of mussel adhesive protein (Mefp‐1) and ceria nanoparticles, and polymeric composite coatings with micrometre thickness consisting of conducting polymer and ceria nanoparticles in a UV‐curing polyester acrylate (PEA) resin. The influence of microstructure on corrosion behaviour was studied for a Fe‐Cr‐V‐N alloy containing micro‐sized nitrides with different chemical composition spread in martensitic alloy matrix. The Volta potential mapping suggested higher relative nobility for the nitride particles than the alloy matrix, and the nitrides with higher amounts of nitrogen and vanadium exhibited higher nobility. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements in a 0.1 M NaCl solution at neutral pH and ambient temperature showed passivity breakdown with initiation of localized corrosion which started in the boundary region surrounding the nitride particles, especially the ones enriched in Cr and Mo. Mefp‐1/ceria nanocomposite films were formed on silica and metal substrates by layer‐by‐layer immersion deposition. The film formation process was studied in situ using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM‐D). The film grows linearly with increasing number of immersions. Increasing Mefp‐1 concentration or using Mefp‐1 with larger size leads to more Mefp‐1 being deposited. Peak Force Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping (Peak Force QNM) of the composite films in air indicated that the elastic modulus of the film increased when the film deposited had a higher Mefp‐1 concentration. It was also noted that the nature of the outermost layer can affect bulk morphology and surface mechanical properties of the film. The QCM‐D study of Mefp‐1 on an iron substrate showed that Mefp‐1 adsorbs at a high rate and changes its conformation with increasing adsorption time. The QCM‐D and in situ Peak Force QNM measurements showed that the addition of Fe3+ ions causes a transition in the single Mefp‐1 layer from an extended and soft layer to a denser and stiffer layer. In situ ATR‐FTIR and Confocal Raman Microscopy (CRM) analyses revealed complex formation between Fe3+ and catechol groups in Mefp‐1. Moreover, optical microscopy, SEM and AFM characterization of the Mefp‐1/ceria composite film formed on carbon steel showed micron‐size aggregates rich in Mefp‐1 and ceria, and a nanostructure of well dispersed ceria particles in the film. The CRM analysis confirmed the presence of Mefp‐1/Fe complexes in the film. Electrochemical impedance microscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements showed that the Mefp‐1/ceria composite film can provide corrosion protection for carbon steel, and that the protection efficiency increases with exposure time. Composite coatings of 10 μm thickness composed of a UV‐curing PEA resin and a small amount of conductive polymer and ceria nanoparticles were coated on carbon steel. The conductive polymer (PAni) was synthesized with phosphoric acid (PA) as the dopant by chemical oxidative polymerization. The ATR‐FTIR and SEM analyses confirmed that the added particles were well dispersed in the coatings. Electrochemical measurements during long exposure in 0.1 M NaCl solution, including open circuit potential (OCP) and EIS, were performed to investigate the protective performance of the coatings. The results showed that adding ceria nanoparticles can improve the barrier properties of the coating, and adding PAni‐PA can lead to active protection of the coating. Adding PAni‐PA and ceria nanoparticles simultaneously in the coating can improve the protection and stability of the composite coating, providing excellent corrosion protection for carbon steel. / <p>QC 20131024</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:06:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AnaKBS_DISSERT.pdf: 2809247 bytes, checksum: 1069d6e1b2ca10f4084e4b1f2fd44c9b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-12-13 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Given the environmental concern over global warming that occurs mainly by emission of CO2 from the combustion of petroleum, coal and natural gas research focused on alternative and clean energy generation has been intensified. Among these, the highlight the solid oxide fuel cell intermediate temperature (IT-SOFC). For application as electrolyte of the devices doped based CeO2 with rare earth ions (TR+ 3) have been quite promising because they have good ionic conductivity and operate at relatively low temperatures (500-800 ? C). In this work, studied the Ce1-xEuxO2-&#948; (x = 0,1, 0,2 and 0,3), solid solutions synthesized by the polymeric precursor method to be used as solid electrolyte. It was also studied the processing steps of these powders (milling, compaction and two step sintering) in order to obtain dense sintered pellets with reduced grain size and homogeneous microstructure. For this, the powders were characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution and scanning electrons microscopy, since the sintered samples were characterized by dilatometry, scanning electrons microscopy, density and grain size measurements. By x-ray diffraction, it was verified the formation of the solid solution for all compositions. Crystallites in the nanometric scale were found for both sintering routes but the two step sintering presented significant reduction in the average grain size / Diante da preocupa??o ambiental com o aquecimento global que ocorre principalmente pelas emiss?es de CO2 resultante da queima de combust?veis derivados do petr?leo, carv?o e g?s natural, as pesquisas voltadas para formas alternativas e n?o poluentes de gera??o de energia v?m se intensificando. Entre essas, destacam-se as c?lulas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido de temperatura intermedi?ria (IT-SOFC). Para aplica??o como eletr?lito deste tipo de dispositivo, as cer?micas ? base de CeO2 dopadas com ?ons de terras raras (TR+3) t?m se mostrado bastante promissoras pelo fato de possu?rem boa condutividade i?nica e operarem em temperaturas relativamente baixas (500-800?C). Neste trabalho, foram estudadas cer?micas de c?ria dopada com eur?pio, sintetizadas pelo m?todo dos precursores polim?ricos para uso como eletr?lito s?lido. Foram estudadas tamb?m as etapas de processamento desses p?s (moagem, compacta??o e sinteriza??o convencional e por duas etapas), visando ? obten??o de produtos sinterizados de elevadas densidades e microestrutura homog?nea e reduzido tamanho de gr?o. Para isto, os p?s foram caracterizados por an?lise termogravim?trica, difra??o de raios X, granulometria, e MEV, j? as amostras sinterizadas foram caracterizadas por dilatometria, MEV, medidas de densidades e medidas de tamanho de gr?o. Os resultados de difra??o de raios X indicaram a forma??o de solu??es s?lidas com estrutura c?bica do tipo fluorita apresentando cristalitos nanom?tricos para todas as composi??es em estudo. Ambas as rotas de sinteriza??o mostraram-se eficientes para a produ??o de cer?micas com densidades adequadas para aplica??o como eletr?litos s?lidos em c?lula a combust?vel, mas a sinteriza??o em duas etapas apresentou significativa redu??o do tamanho m?dio de gr?os

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 GislaineBPF_TESE.pdf: 3300091 bytes, checksum: 8adeb890624a95fdc27ae7d6a3f52ad8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-19 / Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy in electrical energy by a reaction directly. The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) works in temperature between 900?C up to 1000?C, Nowadays the most material for ceramic electrolytes is yttria stabilized zirconium. However, the high operation temperature can produce problems as instability and incompatibility of materials, thermal degradation and high cost of the surround materials. These problems can be reduced with the development of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) that works at temperature range of 600?C to 800?C. Ceria doped gadolinium is one of the most promising materials for electrolytes IT-SOFC due high ionic conductivity and good compatibility with electrodes. The inhibition of grain growth has been investigated during the sintering to improve properties of electrolytes. Two-step sintering (TSS) is an interesting technical to inhibit this grain growth and consist at submit the sample at two stages of temperature. The first one stage aims to achieve the critical density in the initiating the sintering process, then the sample is submitted at the second stage where the temperature sufficient to continue the sintering without accelerate grain growth until to reach total densification. The goal of this work is to produce electrolytes of ceria doped gadolinium by two-step sintering. In this context were produced samples from micrometric and nanometric powders by two routes of two-step sintering. The samples were obtained with elevate relative density, higher than 90% using low energy that some works at the same area. The average grain size are at the range 0,37 &#956;m up to 0,51 &#956;m. The overall ionic conductivity is 1,8x10-2 S.cm and the activation energy is 0,76 eV. Results shown that is possible to obtain ceria-doped gadolinium samples by two-step sintering technique using modified routes with characteristics and properties necessary to apply as electrolytes of solid oxide fuel cell / As c?lulas a combust?vel s?o dispositivos eletroqu?micos que convertem energia qu?mica em energia el?trica por uma rea??o direta. As c?lulas a combust?veis de ?xido s?lidos (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell - SOFC) operam em temperaturas entre 900 e 1000?C, com eletr?litos de cer?mica. Atualmente o material mais utilizado ? a zirc?nia estabilizada com ?tria, no entanto a alta temperatura de opera??o pode causar problemas de instabilidade e incompatibilidade de materiais, degrada??o t?rmica e alto custo dos materiais perif?ricos. Com a inten??o de minimizar esses problemas, s?o realizadas pesquisas para desenvolver c?lulas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido de temperatura intermedi?ria (IT-SOFC) que operam na faixa de temperatura de 600 a 800?C, utilizando c?ria dopada com gadol?nia como um dos mais promissores materiais para eletr?litos de IT-SOFC devido ? alta condutividade i?nica e uma boa compatibilidade com os eletrodos. Formas de inibir o crescimento do gr?o durante a sinteriza??o para melhorar as propriedades dos eletr?litos s?o investigadas. Para tal, ? utilizada a t?cnica de sinteriza??o em dois passo (two-step sintering - TSS), que consiste em submeter a amostra a dois est?gios de temperatura. O primeiro est?gio visa atingir a densidade cr?tica para dar in?cio ao processo de sinteriza??o. Em seguida a amostra ? submetida a um segundo est?gio de temperatura capaz de dar continuidade ? sinteriza??o sem que haja acelerado crescimento de gr?o, at? sua total densifica??o. O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir eletr?litos de c?ria dopada com gadol?nia pelo processo de sinteriza??o em dois passos. Neste contexto foram produzidas amostras a partir de p?s microm?tricos e nanom?tricos atrav?s de duas rotas de sinteriza??o em dois passos. Foram obtidas amostras com elevada densidade relativa, superior a 90%. Os tamanhos m?dios de gr?os obtidos est?o na faixa de 0,37 &#956;m a 0,51 &#956;m. Foram obtidas amostras com condutividade i?nica total de 1,8x10-2 S.cm e energia de ativa??o de 0,76 eV. A partir dos resultados obtidos neste trabalho, foi poss?vel obter amostras de c?ria dopada com gadol?nia atrav?s da t?cnica de sinteriza??o em dois passos, utilizando rotas modificadas com caracter?sticas e propriedades necess?rias para serem aplicadas como eletr?litos de c?lulas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WilsonJO_TESE.pdf: 5377189 bytes, checksum: 886cb0d3eb97075a3db2f3b7c1a15af0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-10-21 / Fuel cells are considered one of the most promising ways of converting electrical energy due to its high yield and by using hydrogen (as fuel) which is considered one of the most important source of clean energy for the future. Rare earths doped ceria has been widely investigated as an alternative material for the electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its high ionic conductivity at low operating temperatures compared with the traditional electrolytes based on stabilized zirconia. This work investigates the effect of gallium oxide (Gallia) as a sintering aid in Eu doped ceria ceramic electrolytes since this effect has already been investigated for Gd, Sm and Y doped ceria electrolytes. The desired goal with the use of a sintering aid is to reduce the sintering temperature aiming to produce dense ceramics. In this study we investigated the effects on densification, microstructure and ionic conduction caused by different molar fraction of the dopants europium (10, 15 and 20%) and gallium oxide (0.3, 0.6 and 0.9%) in samples sintered at 1300, 1350 and 1450 0 C. Samaria (10 and 20%) doped ceria samples sintered between 1350 and 1450 ?C were used as reference. Samples were synthesized using the cation complexation method. The ceramics powders were characterized by XRF, XRD and SEM, while the sintered samples were investigated by its relative density, SEM and impedance spectroscopy. It was showed that gallia contents up to 0.6% act as excellent sintering aids in Eu doped ceria. Above this aid content, gallia addition does not promote significant increase in density of the ceramics. In Ga free samples the larger densification were accomplished with Eu 15% molar, effect expressed in the microstructure with higher grain growth although reduced and surrounded by many open pores. Relative densities greater than 95 % were obtained by sintering between 1300 and 1350 ?C against the usual range 1500 - 1600 0 C. Samples containing 10% of Sm and 0.9% of Ga reached 96% of theoretical density by sintering at 1350 0 C for 3h, a gain compared to 97% achieved with 20% of Sm and 1% of Ga co-doped cerias sintered at 1450 0 C for 24 h as described in the literature. It is found that the addition of gallia in the Eu doped ceria has a positive effect on the grain conductivity and a negative one in the grain boundary conductivity resulting in a small decrease in the total conductivity which will not compromise its application as sintering aids in ceria based electrolytes. Typical total conductivity values at 600 and 700 ?C, around 10 and 30 mS.cm -1 respectively were reached in this study. Samples with 15% of Eu and 0.9 % of Ga sintered at 1300 and 1350 ?C showed relative densities greater than 96% and total conductivity (measured at 700 ?C) between 20 and 33 mS.cm -1 . The simultaneous sintering of the electrolyte with the anode is one of the goals of research in materials for SOFCs. The results obtained in this study suggest that dense Eu and Ga co-doped ceria electrolytes with good ionic conductivity can be sintered simultaneously with the anode at temperatures below 1350 ?C, the usual temperature for firing porous anode materials / As c?lulas a combust?vel s?o tidas como uma das mais promissoras formas de convers?o de energia el?trica devido ao seu alto rendimento e por utilizar o hidrog?nio como combust?vel, considerado por muitos a principal fonte limpa de energia para o futuro. C?ria dopada com terras raras tem sido amplamente investiga como material alternativo para eletr?lito de c?lulas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido (SOFC) devido sua alta condutividade i?nica em baixas temperaturas de opera??o quando comparado com os tradicionais eletr?litos ? base de zirc?nia estabilizada. Neste seguimento de pesquisa, este trabalho investiga o efeito do ?xido de g?lio (G?lia) como aditivo de sinteriza??o em eletr?litos cer?micos a base de c?ria dopada com eur?pio, uma vez que este efeito j? foi investigado por outros em eletr?litos ? base de c?ria dopada com Gd, Sm e Y. A meta almejada com a utiliza??o do aditivo de sinteriza??o ? reduzir a temperatura de sinteriza??o para a produ??o de cer?micas densas. Neste trabalho investigou-se o efeito na densifica??o, na microestrutura e na condu??o i?nica causado por diferentes fra??es molares do dopante eur?pio (10, 15 e 20%) e do aditivo de sinteriza??o ?xido de g?lio (0,3; 0,6 e 0,9%), em amostras sinterizadas a 1300, 1350 e 1450 0 C. A c?ria co-dopada com 10 e 20% de Sm e com os mesmos teores do aditivo de sinteriza??o g?lia, sinterizadas a 1350, 1450 e 1500 0 C, tamb?m foi investigada, por sua vez, como par?metro de refer?ncia experimental, haja visto que, nesta pesquisa, adotou-se s?nteses pelo m?todo de complexa??o de c?tions enquanto que os trabalhos encontrados na literatura utilizaram o m?todo convencional. Os p?s cer?micos sintetizados foram caracterizados por FRX, DRX e MEV e as amostras cer?micas sinterizadas por sua densidade relativa, MEV e espectroscopia de imped?ncia. Verifica-se que a G?lia com teores at? 0,6% atua como um excelente aditivo de sinteriza??o na c?ria dopada com Eu. Acima deste teor e at? 0,9% a adi??o da g?lia n?o promove significativos aumentos na densidade da cer?mica. Nas amostras livres do Ga, as maiores densifica??es foram alcan?adas com 15% de Eu, efeito manifestado na micro-estrutura com os maiores crescimentos de gr?os, embora ainda reduzidos e circundados por muitos poros abertos. Densidades relativas superiores a 95% da densidade te?rica podem ser obtidas com sinteriza??es entre 1300 e 1350 0 C, contra as usuais 1500 a 1600 0 C. Com a c?ria co-dopada com 10% de Sm e 0,9% de Ga alcan?ou-se neste trabalho 96% da densidade te?rica com sinteriza??o a 1350 0 C por 3h, um ganho em rela??o aos 97% alcan?ados com a c?ria co-dopada com 20% de Sm e 1% de Ga sinterizada a 1450 0 C por 24h conforme encontrado na literatura. Verifica-se que a adi??o da G?lia em eletr?litos ? base de c?ria dopada com Eu apresenta efeito positivo na condutividade do gr?o e negativo na do contorno de gr?o resultando em uma pequena redu??o na condutividade total, a qual n?o compromete sua promissora aplica??o como aditivo de sinteriza??o. Valores t?picos da condutividade total a 600 e 700 0 C, em torno de 10 e 30 mS.cm -1 respectivamente, foram alcan?ados neste trabalho. As amostras de eletr?litos ? base de c?ria co-dopada com 15% de Eu e 0,9% de Ga, sinterizados a 1300 e 1350 0 C, alcan?aram densidades relativas superiores a 96% e condutividade a 700 0 C entre 20 e 33 mS.cm -1 . A sinteriza??o simult?nea do eletr?lito com o anodo ? uma das metas da pesquisa em materiais para SOFCs. Os resultados alcan?ados neste trabalho sugerem que eletr?litos densos ? base de c?ria co-dopada com Eu e Ga podem ser sinterizados simultaneamente com o anodo ? temperatura de sinteriza??o entre 1300 e 1350 0 C, a faixa de temperatura usual de sinteriza??o do anodo poroso

[ES] Dado su tamaño subnanométrico, los clusters metálicos están regidos por el confinamiento cuántico, lo que les hace más "moleculares" y menos "metálicos". En consecuencia, manifiestan propiedades que difieren con respecto a las de partículas más grandes del mismo elemento, y que a menudo son ventajosas para la catálisis de reacciones específicas. Además, su menor tamaño los hace más económicos, con una mayor superficie expuesta. Todo ello hace que los clusters sean opciones muy interesantes en catálisis, y su estudio, síntesis y aplicación ha crecido continuamente desde su descubrimiento en los años 90. Esta tesis se ha centrado principalmente en el cobre, del que se presenta, en primer lugar, un estudio fundamental sobre la disociación de oxígeno por clusters de diferentes tamaños. Después, se explora computacionalmente la catálisis de las oxidaciones de CO y propeno, confirmando que los clusters de Cu5 (o inferior) son prometedores para reacciones de oxidación. Las dos reacciones utilizadas son buenos ejemplos de la aplicación potencial en industria, sea para reducir emisiones de CO o para producir epóxido de propeno, que es un intermedio importante en la producción de plásticos y adhesivos, entre otros. Además, también se estudió la influencia de dos soportes en los clusters de cobre y su capacidad de oxidación: N-grafeno como un sistema más inerte y ceria como uno que puede participar activamente en reacciones de oxidación. Finalmente, se incluyen otros dos estudios más específicos, sobre la capacidad de los clusters de Pt3 y Pd3 para catalizar reaciones de acoplamiento C-C como la reacción de Heck, importante para la síntesis de productos de la química fina, y sobre la reacción CO + NO en clusters de Pt, motivado por su uso potencial como catalizadores para la conversión de esas especies en los menos perjudiciales CO2 y N2 en motores de combustión interna. / [CA] Atès que són de grandària subnanomètrica, els clusters metàl·lics estan regits pel confinament quàntic, el qual els fa més "moleculars" i menys "metàl·lics". En conseqüència, manifesten propietats que són diferents a les de partícules més grans del mateix element, i que sovint són avantatjoses per a la catàlisi de reaccions específiques. A més a més, la seua menor grandària fa que siguen més econòmics, amb una major superfície exposada. Així, els clusters són una opció molt interesant en catàlisi, i el seu estudi, síntesi i aplicació ha cres-cut contínuament des del seu descobriment als anys 90. Aquesta tesi s'ha centrat principalment en el coure, del qual es presenta, en primer lloc, un estudi fonamental sobre la dissociació de l'oxígen per clusters de diferents grandàries. Després, s'explora computacionalment la catàlisi de les oxidacions de CO i de propè, confirmant que els clusters de Cu5 (o inferior) són prometedors per a reaccions d'oxidació. Les dues reaccions utilitzades són bons exemples de l'aplicació potencial en indústria, siga per reduir emissions de CO o per produir epòxid de propè, que és un intermedi important en la producció de plàstics i adhesius, entre altres. A més, també es va estudiar la influència de dos suports en els clusters de coure i la seua capacitat d'oxidació: N-grafè com a un sistema més inert i cèria com a un que pot participar activament en reaccions d'oxidació. Finalment, s'inclouen altres dos estudis més específics, sobre la capacitat dels clusters de Pt3 y Pd3 per catalitzar reaccions d'acoblament C-C com la reacció de Heck, important per a la síntesi de productes de la química fina, i sobre la reacció CO + NO als clusters de Pt, motivat pel seu ús potencial com a catalitzadors per a la conversió d'eixes espècies en els menys perjudicials CO2 i N2 als motors de combustió interna. / [EN] Due to their subnanometric size, metal clusters belong to the regime affected by quantum confinement, which makes them more "molecular" and less "metallic". As a result, they exhibit properties that differ with respect to those of larger particles of the same element, and which are often advantageous in the catalysis of specific reactions. Besides, their smaller size makes them more economic and with a higher surface exposed. All of this renders metal clusters very interesting options for catalysis, and their study, synthesis and application has steadily increased since their discovery in the 90s. In this work we have largely focused on copper, of which a fundamental study on the oxygen dissociation by clusters of different sizes is first presented. Then, the catalysis of the CO and propene oxidation reactions is theoretically explored, confirming that Cu5 (or smaller) clusters are promising systems for oxidation reactions. The two reactions used are good examples of the potential application in industry, either to reduce CO emissions or to produce propene epoxide, an important intermediate in the production of plastics and adhesives, among others. In addition, the influence of two supports in the copper clusters and their oxidation capability is explored: on N-graphene as a more inert system and on ceria as one that can actively participate in oxidation reactions. Finally, two other more specific studies are included, regarding the capability of Pt3 and Pd3 clusters to undergo C-C coupling reactions such as the Heck reaction, important for the synthesis of many products of fine chemistry, and regarding the CO + NO reaction on Pt clusters, motivated by their potential use as catalysts for the conversion of those species in less harmful CO2 and N2 in internal combustion engines. / En primer lugar me gustaría agradecer al Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España (MINECO) por la financiación de esta tesis mediante el programa Severo Ochoa (SVP-2013-068146), incluyendo los costes adicionales de mi estancia de investigación (EEBB-I-17-12057). / Fernández Villanueva, E. (2019). Theoretical Study of the Geometrical, Electronic and Catalytic properties of Metal Clusters and Nanoparticles [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/135277 / TESIS

In this work the structural transitions of the rare earth oxides praseodymia and ceria grown on Si(111) are investigated. It is demonstrated that several of the rare earth intermediate phases can be stabilizied by post deposition annealing in ultra high vacuum. However, in most cases no single phased but coexisting species are observed. In addition, the surface structure and morphology of hex-Pr2O3(0001) as well as reduced ceria films are investigated.

[pt] O controle de parâmetros físicos e químicos das nanopartículas, tais quais, forma, composição e tamanho, além da interação entre metal e suporte, são fatores determinantes no desenvolvimento de um nanocatalisador com uma boa performance. Desse modo, nanopartículas de ouro foram incorporadas em nanofios de céria e utilizados como nanocatalisador para a oxidação seletiva do tioanisol. Sendo a sua morfologia 1D, com grande área superficial específica, diâmetros finos, alta concentração de vacância de oxigênio e pequenas NPs de Au uniformemente distribuídas na superfície do CeO2, além de espécies oxidadas de ouro, temos em nosso material características que o torna favorável a reação de oxidação. Os nanofios de CeO2-Au demonstraram uma melhora na performance da oxidação seletiva do tioanisol quando comparados aos nanofios de céria puros, e ao material comercial com e sem a deposição de NPs de Au. Os nanofios de céria obtiveram uma seletividade de 100 porcento para o metil fenil sulfóxido, e uma conversão de 53 porcento em 2 h de reação. O impacto da temperatura também foi observado, demonstrando que esse é, também, um fator importante na análise da atividade de um catalisador. / [en] The control over physical and chemical parameters of nanoparticles, such as shape, composition and size as well as the interactions between metal and support, are important factors in the development of a nanocatalyst with high activity. In this context, gold nanoparticles were incorporated the surface of ceria nanowire for application as nanocatalysts towards the selective oxidation of thioanisole. Considerin their one-dimensional morphology, high specific surface area, thin diameters, significant concentration of oxygen vacancies, and small Au NPs uniformly deposited at the CeO2 nanowires surface, our material displayed characteristics that makes them favorable for oxidations reactions. The CeO2-Au nanowires showed improved catalytic performances in the selective oxidation of thioanisol relative to pure CeO2 nanowires and commercial CeO2 with and without Au NPs deposited. CeO2-Au nanowires catalyzed the desired product with 100 percent of selectivity and 53 percent of conversion. The impact of temperature, such as the solvent, were also observed revealing that these factors also influences in the activity of these nanocatalyst.

Fuel cells are known for their high efficiency and have the potential to become a major technology for producing clean energy, especially when the fuel, e.g. hydrogen, is produced from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. Currently, the two main obstacles to wide-spread commercialization are their high cost and the short operational lifetime of certain components. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells have been a focus of attention in recent years, due to their use of hydrogen as a fuel, their comparatively low operating temperature and flexibility for use in both stationary and portable (automotive) applications. Perfluorosulfonic acid membranes are the leading ionomers for use in PEM hydrogen fuel cells. They combine essential qualities, such as high mechanical and thermal stability, with high proton conductivity. However, they are expensive and currently show insufficient chemical stability towards radicals formed during fuel cell operation, resulting in degradation that leads to premature failure. The incorporation of durability improving additives into perfluorosulfonic acid membranes is discussed in this work. iv Cerium oxide (ceria) is a well-known radical scavenger that has been used in the biological and medical field. It is able to quench radicals by facilely switching between its Ce(III) and Ce(IV) oxidation states. In this work, cerium oxide nanoparticles were added to perfluorosulfonic acid membranes and subjected to ex-situ and in-situ accelerated durability tests. The two ceria formulations, an in-house synthesized and commercially available material, were found to consist of crystalline particles of 2 – 5 nm and 20 – 150 nm size, respectively, that did not change size or shape when incorporated into the membranes. At higher temperature and relative humidity in gas flowing conditions, ceria in membranes is found to be reduced to its ionic form by virtue of the acidic environment. In ex-situ Fenton testing, the inclusion of ceria into membranes reduced the emission of fluoride, a strong indicator of degradation, by an order of magnitude with both liquid and gaseous hydrogen peroxide. In open-circuit voltage (OCV) hold fuel cell testing, ceria improved durability, as measured by several parameters such as OCV decay rate, fluoride emission and cell performance, over several hundred hours and influenced the formation of the platinum band typically found after durability testing.