Nanocrystalline cerium oxide thin films on metal and semiconductor substrates have been fabricated with a novel electrodeposition approach - anodic oxidation. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that as-produced cerium oxide films are characteristic face-centered cubic fluorite structure with 5 ~ 20 nm crystal sizes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study probes the non-stoichiometry property of as-produced films. Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy have been applied to analyze the films as well. Deposition mode, current density, reaction temperature and pH have also been investigated and the deposition condition has been optimized for preferred oriented film formation: galvanostatic deposition with current density of -0.06 mA/cm2, T > 50oC and 7 < pH < 10. Generally, potentiostatic deposition results in random structured cerium oxide films. Sintering of potentiostatic deposited cerium oxide films leads to crystal growth and reach nearly full density at 1100oC. It is demonstrated that in-air heating favors the 1:2 stoichiometry of CeO2. Nanocrystalline cerium oxide powders (4 ~ 10 nm) have been produced with anodic electrochemical synthesis. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were employed to investigate lattice expansion phenomenon related to the nanoscale cerium oxide particles. The pH of reaction solution plays an important role in electrochemical synthesis of cerium oxide films and powder. Cyclic voltammetry and rotation disk electrode voltammetry have been used to study the reaction mechanisms. The results indicate that the film deposition and powder formation follow different reaction schemes. Ce(III)-L complexation is a reversible process, Ce3+ at medium basic pH region (7~10) is electrochemically oxidized to and then CeO2 film is deposited on the substrate. CE mechanism is suggested to be involved in the formation of films, free Ce3+ species is coordinated with OH- at high basic pH region (>10) to Ce2O3 immediately prior to electrochemically oxidation Ce2O3 to CeO2. CeO2 / montmorillonite nanocomposites were electrochemically produced. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy illustrate the retaining of FCC structure for cerium oxide. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry of composites indicate the insertion of montmorillonite platelets into the structural matrix of cerium oxide. Sintering study of the nanocomposites demonstrates that low concentration of montmorillonite platelet coordination into cerium oxide matrix increases crystal growth rate whereas high concentration of montmoillonite in nanocomposites retards the increase of crystallite size during the densification process.

Nanoscale cerium oxide (nanoceria) have shown to possess redox active property , and has been widely studied for potential use in catalysis, chemical-mechanical planarization, biomedical and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), etc. The redox state of nanoceria can be tuned by controlling the defects within the lattice and thus its physical and chemical properties. Perfect ceria lattice has fluorite structure and the research in last decade has shown that oxide and mixed oxide systems with pyrochlore and fluorite have better structural stability under high energy radiation. However, the current literature shows a limited number of studies on the effect of high energy radiation on nanoceria. This dissertation aims at understanding the phenomena occurring on irradiation of nanoceria lattice through experiments and atomistic simulation. At first, research was conducted to show the ability to control the defects in nanoceria lattice and understand the effect in tailoring its properties. The defect state of nanoceria was controlled by lower valence state rare earth dopant europium. Extensive materials characterization was done using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy to understand the effect of dopant chemistry in modifying the chemical state of nanoceria. The defects originating in the lattice and redox state was quantified with increasing dopant concentration. The photoluminescence property of the control and doped nanoceria were evaluated with respect to its defect state. It was observed that defect plays an important role in modifying the photoluminescence property and that it can be tailored in a wide range to control the optical properties of nanoceria. iv Having seen the importance of defects in controlling the properties of nanoceria, further experiments were conducted to understand the effect of radiation in cerium oxide thin films of different crystallinity. The cerium oxide thin films were synthesized using oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (OPA-MBE) growth. The thin films were exposed to high energy radiation over a wide range of fluence (1013 to 1017 He+ ions/cm3 ). The current literature does not report the radiation effect in nanoceria in this wide range and upto this high fluence. The chemical state of the thin film was studied using in-situ XPS for each dose of radiation. It was found that radiation induced defects within both the ceria thin films and the valence state deviated further towards non-stoichiometry with radiation. The experimental results from cerium oxide thin film irradiation were studied in the light of simulation. Classical molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation were used for designing the model ceria nanoparticle and studying the interaction of the lattice model with radiation. Electronic and nuclear stopping at the end of the range were modeled in ceria lattice using classical molecular dynamics to simulate the effect of radiation. It was seen that displacement damage was the controlling factor in defect production in ceria lattice. The simulation results suggested that nanosized cerium oxide has structural stability under radiation and encounters radiation damage due to the mixed valence states. A portion of the study will focus on observing the lattice stability of cerium with increasing concentration of the lower valence (Ce3+) within the lattice. With this current theoretical understanding of the role of redox state and defects during irradiation, the surfaces and bulk of nanoceria can be tailored for radiation stable structural applications

Magnesium alloys have poor formability at room temperature, due to a limited number of slip systems owing to the hexagonal closed packed structure of magnesium. One possibility to increase the formability of magnesium alloys is to refine the grain size. A fine grain magnesium alloy shows high strength and high ductility at room temperature, hence an improved formability. In addition to grain refinement, the formability of Mg alloys can be improved by controlling crystallographic texture. Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes namely, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and multi-axial forging (MAF) have led to improvement in room temperature mechanical property of magnesium alloys. Further, it has been reported that by adding rare earth elements, room temperature ductility is enhanced to nearly 30%. The increase in property is attributed to crystallographic texture. Many rare earth elements have been added to magnesium alloys and new alloy systems have been developed. Amongst these elements, Ce addition has been shown to enhance the tensile ductility in rolled sheets at room temperature by causing homogeneous deformation. It has been observed that processing of rare-earth containing alloys below 300°C is difficult. Processing at higher temperatures leads to grain growth which ultimately leads to low strength at room temperature. The present thesis is an attempt to combine the effect SPD and rare earth addition, and to examine the overall effect on microstructure and texture, hence on room temperature mechanical properties. In this thesis, Mg-0.2%Ce alloy has been studied with regard to the two SPD processes, namely, ECAP and MAF. The thesis has been divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 is dedicated to introduction and literature review pertaining to different severe plastic deformation processes as applied to different Mg alloys. Chapter 2 includes the details of experimental techniques and characterization procedures, which are commonly employed for the entire work. Chapter 3 addresses the effect of ECAP on the evolution of texture and microstructure in Mg-0.2%Ce alloy. ECAP has been carried out on two different initial microstructure and texture in the starting condition, namely forged and extruded. ECAP has been successfully carried out for the forged billets at 250°C while cracks get developed in the extruded billet when ECAP was done at 250°C. The difference in the deformation behaviour of the two alloys has been explained on the basis of the crystallographic texture of the initial materials. The microstructure of the ECAP materials indicates the occurrence of recrystallization. The recrystallization mechanism is identified as “continuous dynamic recovery and recrystallization” (CDRR) and is characterized by a rotation of the deformed grains by ~30⁰ along c-axis. The yield strengths and ductility of the two ECAP materials have been found quite close. However, there is a difference in the yield strength as well as ductility values when the materials were tested under compression. The extruded billet has the tension compression asymmetry ~1.7 while the forged material has the asymmetry as ~2.2. After ECAP, the yield asymmetry reduces to ~1 for initially extruded billet, while for the initially forged billet the yield asymmetry value reduces to ~1.9. In chapter 4, the evolution of microstructure and texture was examined using another severe plastic deformation technique, namely multi axial forging (MAF). In this process, the material was plastically deformed by plane strain compression subsequently along all three axes. In this case also two different initial microstructures and texture were studied, namely the material in as cast condition and the extruded material. The choice of initial materials in this case was done in order to examine the effect of different initial grain size in addition to different textures. By this method, the alloy Mg-0.2%Ce could be deformed without fracture at a minimum temperature of 350⁰C leading to fine grain size (~3.5 µm) and a weak texture. Grain refinement was more in the initial cast billets compared to the initial extruded billet after processing. The mechanism of grain refinement has been identified as twin assisted dynamic recrystallization (TDRX) and CDRR type. The mechanical properties under tension as well as under compression were also evaluated in the present case. The initially extruded billet has shown low tension compression asymmetry (~1.2) than cast billet (~1.9), after MAF. Chapter 5 addresses the exclusive effect of texture on room temperature tensile properties of the alloy. Different textures were the outcomes of ECAP and MAF processes. In this case, in order to obtain an exact role of texture, a third of deformation mode, rolling, was also introduced. All the processed materials were annealed to obtain similar grain size but different texture. A similar strength and ductility for ECAP and MAF, where the textures were qualitatively very different, was attributed to the fact that texture of both the ECAP and MAF processed materials, was away from the ideal end orientation for tensile tests. In chapter 7, the final outcomes of the thesis have been summarized and scope for the future work has been presented.

Atualmente o aço galvannealed é submetido à fosfatização e/ou cromatização como pré-tratamento superficial; no entanto, por questões econômicas e ambientais, estuda-se a viabilidade de utilizar os silanos como pré-tratamento alternativo. Os silanos são moléculas organofuncionais conhecidas por atuar como agentes de ligação entre superfícies orgânicas e inorgânicas, promotores de adesão em sistemas de pintura e também por fornecerem proteção contra a corrosão. A proteção à corrosão depende principalmente do silano a ser utilizado, das condições de hidrólise e de cura. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar as condições de hidrólise através de um projeto estatístico de experimentos e o efeito na proteção contra corrosão, de um agente promotor de polimerização redox (íons de cério IV) ou de um inibidor de corrosão (íons de cério III) aplicado aos filmes de silanos (bis-silano funcional: bis-1,2- [(trietoxisilil)propil] tetrasulfeto (BTESPT) e bis-(g-trimetoxysililpropil)amina (BTSPA)) obtidos em 1%, 2% ou 3% de concentração de silano em massa de solução solvente água/etanol (50/50%), nos pHs 4,0, 5,0, 6,5 e 9,0, depositados sobre o aço galvannealed. A natureza porosa natural da superfície desse aço, consequência do tratamento térmico do revestimento de zinco, leva à necessidade de tempos maiores de imersão do metal na solução hidrolizada do silano para que seja completamente molhada levando à formação de um filme compacto e homogêneo. A adição de nanopartículas de sílica também foi estudada variando sua concentração nos filmes. A aplicação dos filmes sobre a superfície metálica foi feita pelo processo de dip-coating. Os filmes foram obtidos em mono e bi-camadas. As condições de cura, em estufa, para a mono camada foram à temperatura de 150ºC por 40 minutos. As condições de cura, em estufa, para a bi-camada foram: primeira camada à temperatura de 150ºC por 20 minutos e segunda camada à temperatura de 150ºC por 40 minutos. Os estudos eletroquímicos foram realizados utilizando medidas de técnica de varredura do eletrodo vibratório (SVET) e de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIS), medidas de resistência de polarização linear (Rp) e curva de polarização potenciodinâmicas, obtidas respectivamente, em solução aerada de NaCl 0,05 mo.L-1 e 0,1 mol L-1. A caracterização química dos filmes foi feita através das técnicas de espectroscopia no infravermelho (IR) e micro Raman. A caracterização física das amostras foi analisada por medida da viscosidade cinemática. Foram obtidas medidas de ângulo de contato para caracterizar a hidrofobicidade da superfície do metal recoberto pelo filme de polissilanos modificados. As imagens de microscopias óptica, eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e de força atômica (AFM) foram obtidas para conhecer a morfologia do filme e dispersão (homogeneidade) das nanopartículas de sílica no filme. Os resultados mostraram que tanto para o filme de BTSPA como de BTESPT o pH ideal para a obtenção de um filme mais resistente à corrosão foi o pH 4,0. As análises físico-químicas mostram que a adição de íons Ce (III) ou íons Ce (IV) melhoram as propriedades protetoras e reticulação dos filmes, respectivamente, formando um filme mais homogêneo e compacto. As caracterizações morfológicas mostraram que as nanopartículas de sílica, quando em excesso, formam aglomerados na superfície porosa do galvannealed, promovendo trincas e diminuindo as propriedades anticorrosivas dos filmes. / Currently, galvannealed carbon steel has been submitted to phosphatizing and/or chromatizing as surface pre-treatment; however, for economic and environmental issues, the viability to use silanes as an alternative pre-treatment has been studied. The silanes are organofunctionals molecules known for acting as coupling agents, adhesion promoters in paintings as well as for supplying protection against corrosion. The protection against corrosion depends mainly on the silane to be used, cure and hydrolysis conditions. The aim of this work is to study the conditions of the hydrolysis by a statistical project of experiments and the effect on corrosion protection, of either redox polymerization agent(ions of cerium IV) or a corrosion inhibitor (ions of cerium III) added to silane films (bis-functional silane: bis-[trimethoxysililpropyl]amine (BTSPA) and bis-1.2- [triethoxysilylpropyl]tetrasulfide (BTESPT)) obtained at silane concentration of 1%, 2% or 3% in mass of the solvent solution (50/50%) at pHs 4,0, 5,0, 6,5 and 9,0, deposited on galvannealed steel. The natural porous nature of the galvannealed steel surface as a results of thethermal annealing treatment o the zinc coating leads to higher needed immersion times inthe hydrolised silane solution in order to promote a complete wetting of the surface to reach a compact and homogeneous film. The addition of silica nanoparticles was also studied at different concentrationsin the films. The samples of galvannealed steel were immersed in the hydrolysis solution by dip-coating process. The films were obtained in mono and double layers. The cure conditions for the monolayer were obtained at temperature of 150ºC for 40 minutes. The cure conditions for the double layer were obtained: at temperature of 150ºC for 20 minutes for the first layer and at temperature of 150ºC for 40 minutes for the second layer. The electrochemical studies were performed using the scanning vibrate technique (SVET), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear polarization resistance (Rp) and potenciodinamyc polarization curves, all measurements were obtained in aerated NaCl 0.1mol.L-1or 0.05 mol.L-1solution . The chemical properties of the films were analyzed by infrared (IR) and micro Ramanspectroscopies. The physical characterization of samples was performed by measuring the kinematic viscosity. The contact angle measurements were obtained in order to characterize the hydrophobicity of the silane film coated metal surface. The images from optical y, scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microscopies (AFM) were performed to characterize the morphology of the film and/or the dispersion of silica nanoparticles in the film. The results showed that for BTSPA as well as for BTESPT the ideal pH to obtain a more corrosion resistant silane film is pH 4.0. The physico-chemical analysis showed that the addition of cerium (III) or cerium (IV) ions increases the cross linking of the film, and the film obtained was more homogeneous, compact and corrosion resistant. The morphological characterization showed that in the porous of galvannealed surface silica nanoparticles agglomerated, consequently promoting cracks and the decrease of anti-corrisive properties of the films.

[Truncated abstract] Corrosion of steel structures caused by sulphide is a common engineering problem encountered by many industries, such as the petroleum, chemical processing, mining and mineral processing industries. The control of sulphide corrosion is still a controversial topic among corrosion engineers. There is an absence of guideline for a reliable acceptable limit of sulphide level in service and each processing industry has its own empirical values. Selection of inhibitors in the sulphide environment depends on laboratory testing before its actual application in pipelines and reaction vessels. Many investigators have postulated the corrosion mechanisms due to sulphide based on operating envelopes such as pH, chloride, manganese, hydrogen sulphide, sulphate reducing bacteria levels and inhibitor concentration. It is recommended in the literature that the batch dosing of inhibitor and biocide needs to be evaluated in regards to sulphide reducing bacteria (SRB) level, which may produce sulphide concentrations up to 2000 ppm. Although sulphide scale formation may protect the base metal by providing a physical barrier, the detrimental effects of sulphide are often inevitable, such as stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen embrittlement, etc. Currently, there are many chemicals that are used as inhibitors to prevent corrosion by scavenging the sulphide from the environment. Cerium, a rare-earth element, is not used as inhibitor in the sulphide environment. Also, there are no previous research findings on the effects of compounds of rare-earth metals, such as cerium chloride (CeCl3), in sulphide environment. This research examines the corrosion behaviour of 0.4Mo-0.8Cr steel, a High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel, in sulphide-polluted artificial seawater with the addition of CeCl3 and glutaraldehyde. ... It is postulated that the moderate inhibiting effect of CeCl3 is due to the scavenging effect thereby forming Ce2S3 complex. Further reaction of sulphide with steel resulted in ferrous sulphide, leading to an increased corrosion rate. It is also concluded that the CeCl3 interferes with both anodic and cathodic reactions in deaerated conditions. Addition of glutaraldehyde in the sulphide-polluted seawater was found to decrease the corrosion rate. According to the electrochemical measurements conducted, the concurrent addition of glutaraldehyde and CeCl3 appeared to have an added effect on reducing the corrosion of the steel, as evidenced by the increase of the open circuit potential during the short-term testing. From the weight loss measurements after 60 days, sulphide pollution in deaerated seawater was found to increase corrosion rate. This is attributed to the increase of sulphide activity whereby continual dissolution of steel was encountered. From the weight loss tests, it was found that the addition of CeCl3 and glutaraldehyde reduced the corrosion rate of the steel in the solutions containing 0-10 ppm sulphide. There is no noticeable corrosion rate decrease for the solution containing 100 ppm sulphide. The added effect of CeCl3 and glutaraldehyde to the SRB medium has resulted in lower corrosion rates. Further detailed experimentation is required to elucidate the corrosion reduction mechanism in glutaraldehyde-containing environments.

[Truncated abstract] This work was concerned with investigations into the synthesis of Ce(OH)4, Sm(OH)3 and hydrated Ce-Sm mixed oxide nanoparticles with anisotropic morphologies via a chemical precipitation technique. The effect of various experimental parameters including temperature, aging time, ionic environment and thermal treatment on the morphology, structure of nanoparticles as well as elemental homogeneity of the mixed oxide nanoparticles was emphasised. It was shown that different experimental conditions resulted in different particle morphologies. This suggested that by tuning experimental parameters an ultimate goal of nanotechnology, the formation of nanoparticles with desired morphologies and sizes, may be achieved. It was found that by modifying experimental parameters it was possible to influence the development of various morphological and structural characteristics of Ce(OH)4 nanoparticles. The resulting morphologies were fibrous needle-like, rod-like and nanowire particles of various sizes. Characterisation of the nanoparticles was conducted through analysis by X-ray diffraction, surface area analysis and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Investigations into the structure of the hydrated CeO2 nanoparticles were undertaken since it is considered to be a key to the relevant properties of the material. The structure was found to exhibit multiple twinning phenomenon with 5-fold symmetry, with a consequence that atomic planes formed the particle surface. However, upon thermal treatment of needle-like particles, structural transformation was observed that possibly led to the development of more reactive and particle circumferential facets. A structural model and formation mechanism of such structures was proposed. ... A preliminary study into suitability of particle anisotropic morphology for compaction and densification processes was undertaken. Investigations into the sintering behaviour of the particles with anisotropic morphology were conducted on ceria nanoneedles. It was found that these particles displayed favourable sintering characteristics. The final densities of the hydrated ceria needle-like particle samples were achieved as high as 94.1% of the theoretical density after sintering at 1100°C for 5 hours.

Atualmente o aço galvannealed é submetido à fosfatização e/ou cromatização como pré-tratamento superficial; no entanto, por questões econômicas e ambientais, estuda-se a viabilidade de utilizar os silanos como pré-tratamento alternativo. Os silanos são moléculas organofuncionais conhecidas por atuar como agentes de ligação entre superfícies orgânicas e inorgânicas, promotores de adesão em sistemas de pintura e também por fornecerem proteção contra a corrosão. A proteção à corrosão depende principalmente do silano a ser utilizado, das condições de hidrólise e de cura. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar as condições de hidrólise através de um projeto estatístico de experimentos e o efeito na proteção contra corrosão, de um agente promotor de polimerização redox (íons de cério IV) ou de um inibidor de corrosão (íons de cério III) aplicado aos filmes de silanos (bis-silano funcional: bis-1,2- [(trietoxisilil)propil] tetrasulfeto (BTESPT) e bis-(g-trimetoxysililpropil)amina (BTSPA)) obtidos em 1%, 2% ou 3% de concentração de silano em massa de solução solvente água/etanol (50/50%), nos pHs 4,0, 5,0, 6,5 e 9,0, depositados sobre o aço galvannealed. A natureza porosa natural da superfície desse aço, consequência do tratamento térmico do revestimento de zinco, leva à necessidade de tempos maiores de imersão do metal na solução hidrolizada do silano para que seja completamente molhada levando à formação de um filme compacto e homogêneo. A adição de nanopartículas de sílica também foi estudada variando sua concentração nos filmes. A aplicação dos filmes sobre a superfície metálica foi feita pelo processo de dip-coating. Os filmes foram obtidos em mono e bi-camadas. As condições de cura, em estufa, para a mono camada foram à temperatura de 150ºC por 40 minutos. As condições de cura, em estufa, para a bi-camada foram: primeira camada à temperatura de 150ºC por 20 minutos e segunda camada à temperatura de 150ºC por 40 minutos. Os estudos eletroquímicos foram realizados utilizando medidas de técnica de varredura do eletrodo vibratório (SVET) e de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIS), medidas de resistência de polarização linear (Rp) e curva de polarização potenciodinâmicas, obtidas respectivamente, em solução aerada de NaCl 0,05 mo.L-1 e 0,1 mol L-1. A caracterização química dos filmes foi feita através das técnicas de espectroscopia no infravermelho (IR) e micro Raman. A caracterização física das amostras foi analisada por medida da viscosidade cinemática. Foram obtidas medidas de ângulo de contato para caracterizar a hidrofobicidade da superfície do metal recoberto pelo filme de polissilanos modificados. As imagens de microscopias óptica, eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e de força atômica (AFM) foram obtidas para conhecer a morfologia do filme e dispersão (homogeneidade) das nanopartículas de sílica no filme. Os resultados mostraram que tanto para o filme de BTSPA como de BTESPT o pH ideal para a obtenção de um filme mais resistente à corrosão foi o pH 4,0. As análises físico-químicas mostram que a adição de íons Ce (III) ou íons Ce (IV) melhoram as propriedades protetoras e reticulação dos filmes, respectivamente, formando um filme mais homogêneo e compacto. As caracterizações morfológicas mostraram que as nanopartículas de sílica, quando em excesso, formam aglomerados na superfície porosa do galvannealed, promovendo trincas e diminuindo as propriedades anticorrosivas dos filmes. / Currently, galvannealed carbon steel has been submitted to phosphatizing and/or chromatizing as surface pre-treatment; however, for economic and environmental issues, the viability to use silanes as an alternative pre-treatment has been studied. The silanes are organofunctionals molecules known for acting as coupling agents, adhesion promoters in paintings as well as for supplying protection against corrosion. The protection against corrosion depends mainly on the silane to be used, cure and hydrolysis conditions. The aim of this work is to study the conditions of the hydrolysis by a statistical project of experiments and the effect on corrosion protection, of either redox polymerization agent(ions of cerium IV) or a corrosion inhibitor (ions of cerium III) added to silane films (bis-functional silane: bis-[trimethoxysililpropyl]amine (BTSPA) and bis-1.2- [triethoxysilylpropyl]tetrasulfide (BTESPT)) obtained at silane concentration of 1%, 2% or 3% in mass of the solvent solution (50/50%) at pHs 4,0, 5,0, 6,5 and 9,0, deposited on galvannealed steel. The natural porous nature of the galvannealed steel surface as a results of thethermal annealing treatment o the zinc coating leads to higher needed immersion times inthe hydrolised silane solution in order to promote a complete wetting of the surface to reach a compact and homogeneous film. The addition of silica nanoparticles was also studied at different concentrationsin the films. The samples of galvannealed steel were immersed in the hydrolysis solution by dip-coating process. The films were obtained in mono and double layers. The cure conditions for the monolayer were obtained at temperature of 150ºC for 40 minutes. The cure conditions for the double layer were obtained: at temperature of 150ºC for 20 minutes for the first layer and at temperature of 150ºC for 40 minutes for the second layer. The electrochemical studies were performed using the scanning vibrate technique (SVET), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear polarization resistance (Rp) and potenciodinamyc polarization curves, all measurements were obtained in aerated NaCl 0.1mol.L-1or 0.05 mol.L-1solution . The chemical properties of the films were analyzed by infrared (IR) and micro Ramanspectroscopies. The physical characterization of samples was performed by measuring the kinematic viscosity. The contact angle measurements were obtained in order to characterize the hydrophobicity of the silane film coated metal surface. The images from optical y, scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microscopies (AFM) were performed to characterize the morphology of the film and/or the dispersion of silica nanoparticles in the film. The results showed that for BTSPA as well as for BTESPT the ideal pH to obtain a more corrosion resistant silane film is pH 4.0. The physico-chemical analysis showed that the addition of cerium (III) or cerium (IV) ions increases the cross linking of the film, and the film obtained was more homogeneous, compact and corrosion resistant. The morphological characterization showed that in the porous of galvannealed surface silica nanoparticles agglomerated, consequently promoting cracks and the decrease of anti-corrisive properties of the films.

There is a consistent need in many industries, especially oil and gas, to develop coatings which have higher corrosion resistance and better hardness to extend the lifetime of equipment when it is exposed to hostile environments. Electrodeposition has been a favorable method in the synthesis of metal coatings because of its low cost, convenience, ability to work at low temperatures, and ability to control surface morphology and structure. The inclusion of ceramic nanoparticles in metal matrix composites has previously been investigated as a technique to not only increase the corrosion resistance of the native metal but also to improve the hardness and mechanical properties. Cerium oxide nanoparticles were modified through the grafting of organic groups with increasing hydrophobicity for use in nickel coatings on stainless steel to further improve the corrosion properties while maintaining the hardness of the nanocomposite coatings. The process of modifying the cerium oxide nanoparticles involved the use of aryl diazonium salts and resulted in multilayers forming on the surface of the nanoparticles. Praseodymium oxide nanoparticles were also investigated as additives to nickel coatings, since praseodymium oxide has not yet been studied as a possible corrosion protection enhancement in coatings. These coatings were evaluated for composition and corrosion using many different types of instrumental and electrochemical techniques. With the addition of both the modified cerium oxide nanoparticles and the praseodymium oxide nanoparticles into nickel coatings, an increase in coating hardness and corrosion resistance was observed over pure nickel, resulting in an improvement of the lifetime of these coatings.

A fundamental analysis performed at LKAB is the determination of the iron (II) content of the company’s iron ore products. Currently, a redox titration method using potassium dichromate as the titrator is used to determine this content. However, LKAB is considering replacing its current method due to the titrator’s harmful effects on the health and the environment. The purpose of this study is to compare different redox titration methodsvalidation parameters, to find the most suitable method for the determination of the iron (II) content. The titrators in focus for this study is potassium dichromate, cerium (IV) sulphate and potassium permanganate. Several experiments were performed to compare the three titration methods. The validation parameters determined for each method were precision, accuracy, linearity, LOD, LOQ and robustness. The titration error was also calculated. The results showed that the redox titration with potassium dichromate as the titrator had the highest accuracy at 98.95 %, while the redox titration with cerium (IV) sulphate as the titrator had the best precision at 0.099 % (for samples with a similar matrix as LKAB’s iron ore products). Based on the acquired results, it was concluded that LKAB’s current method is the most suitable for the determination of the iron (II) content in LKAB’s iron ore products. The redox titration method using cerium (IV) sulphate as a titrator is a good competitor, butdue to the method’s slightly inferior accuracy and vague end point, it fails to outcompeteLKAB’s current method. / En grundläggande analys som utförs på LKAB är fastställandet av järn (II)-halten i företagets järnmalmsprodukter. För närvarande används en redox-titreringsmetod med kaliumdikromat som titrator för bestämmelsen av denna halt. LKAB överväger dock att byta ut sin nuvarande metod på grund av titratorns hälso- och miljöfarliga effekter. Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra olika redox-titreringsmetoders valideringsparametrar, för att hitta den mest lämpligaste metoden för fastställandet av järn (II)-halten. De titratorer som studeras är kaliumdikromat, cerium (IV) sulfat och kaliumpermanganat. Flertalet experiment utfördes, för att kunna jämföra de tre titreringsmetoderna med varandra. De valideringsparametrar som bestämdes för vardera metoden var precision, noggrannhet, linjäritet, LOD, LOQ och robusthet. Titrerfelet beräknades också. Resultaten visade att redox-titrering med kalimdikromat som titrator hade högst noggrannhet på 98,95 %, medan redox-titrering med cerium (IV) sulfat som titrator hade bäst precision på 0,099 % (för prover med liknande matris som LKAB:s järnmalmsprodukter). Utifrån de resultat som erhölls så drogs slutsatsen att LKAB:s nuvarande metod är den mest lämpligaste för fastställandet av järn (II)-halten i företagets järnmalmsprodukter. Redox-titreringsmetoden med cerium (IV) sulfat som titrator är en bra konkurrent, men på grund av metodens något sämre noggrannhet och otydligare slutpunkt så misslyckas den med att konkurrera ut LKAB:s nuvarande metod.

Master of Science / Department of Chemical Engineering / Larry E. Erickson / The damage that can be inflicted by ultraviolet radiation has gained widespread interest. Traditionally sunscreens are made of organic and inorganic components that block two of the three types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB. This report is a literature review of several articles that have investigated the effects of inorganic UV filters; specifically titanium dioxide and cerium dioxide. There are concerns about absorption of titanium dioxide into the skin and the adverse reactions that could occur, but it was found that there is little to no absorption. Similarly the photostability of titanium dioxide is a concern; this was found to be remedied in part by a surface treatment to the titanium dioxide. The combination of titanium dioxide and carnauba wax was also studied and found to enhance the properties of both the organic and inorganic filters. Ceria was studied as a possible replacement for titanium dioxide. It was found to have similar ultraviolet shielding properties while minimizing the photocatalytic activity and photocytotoxicity seen in titanium dioxide.