According to the 2019 Canadian infrastructure report card, a concerning amount of municipal infrastructure is in poor or very poor condition. The infrastructure in this condition requires immediate action for rehabilitation or replacement. For concrete infrastructure, an effective repair can extend its service life and ensure that the services it provides continue to meet the community expectations. However, unfavorable environmental factors such as repeated/cyclic loads and freezing and thawing cycles adversely affect the bond between substrate concrete and repair materials, which lowers the structural capacity of repaired structures. So far, researchers have found that bond strength of repair can be affected by surface roughness, surface moisture, chemical adhesion or cohesion, curing regime, properties of substrate and repair materials, use of bond agent, and curing regimes. These findings are mostly based on the studies that focused on cold-jointed cylinders or beams, but in real-life repair situations, repairs of beams or slabs are located at either tension or compression side of the structure. Currently, there is no comprehensive study that investigates the bond of concrete repair under a combination of freezing and thawing and repeated/cyclic loading conditions. In addition, it is challenging to provide a rapid and non-destructive evaluation of the bond deterioration of repair materials. To address these issues systematically, this dissertation breaks the task into four phases. Phase (I) focuses on the development of an engineered “crack-free” repair mix that contains polypropylene (PP) fiber. A novel method is used to surface treat the PP fibers with supplementary cementitious materials. The effectiveness of surface-treating fibers for improved bond strength and reduced cracking is investigated. The compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of this engineered repair mix are determined and compared with two commercially available repair materials. The results from Phase I show that by adding 0.2% (by weight) Metakaolin-treated fibers into concrete mix, the compressive strength improves by up to 15.7% compared to mixes with untreated fibers. This study achieved a strength increase of 13.5% as compared to the reported 3.3% in other studies that use 25 times the amount of metakaolin used in this study. The experimental results confirm that at 0.2% dosage level, the use of novel surface treating technique is a cost-effective way to improve the strength of repair materials. Phase (II) focuses on characterizing the bond strength of various repair systems after freezing-thawing (FT) damage using both non-destructive and destructive methods. Two innovative sounding methods, which overcome the subjectivity of the traditional chain drag method, are used to evaluate FT damage non-destructively. In the experimental study, beams with a U-shaped cut are made to simulate conditions experienced by a concrete structure during a typical repair project. Three types of repair materials are used including cementitious repair concrete, cementitious repair mortar, and polymer-modified cementitious mortar. After up to 300 cycles of freeze-thaw exposure, resonant frequency and bond flexural strength of the prismatic specimens are determined. The empirical equations relating Non-destructive test (NDT) measurements and flexural bond strength of the repaired structures after freeze-thaw (FT) exposure are proposed. The results from Phase II show that the change in dynamic modulus of elasticity determined from NDTs agrees well with the change in other measurements including flexural bond strength, interfacial crack width, and mass loss after freeze-thaw exposure. In this study, linear relationships are established between dynamic modulus of elasticity and flexural bond strength for both cementitious and polymer-modified cementitious repair mortar with a coefficient of determination ranging between 0.87 and 0.95. The proposed empirical models can be used to predict bond flexural strength of repaired structures based on NDT measurement. Also, it was found that the samples repaired with polymer-modified cementitious mortar (Mix P) have superior FT resistance compared to other repaired samples. Phase (III) focuses on investigating the structural capacity and bond performance of repaired beams after cyclic/repeated loading. To accelerate the test process, a novel modified loading regime consisting of cycle groups of increasing cyclic/repeated stress amplitude is proposed. The models proposed by literature and current codes and standards are used to validate the results. Phase (IV) focuses on the development of the damage models for both individual and combined FT and cyclic loading exposure on repaired concrete structures. The results in phase III show the feasibility of using the Palmgren-Miner rule and Goodman linear model to estimate the fatigue life of repaired structures. This was confirmed within the context of this study. This study established the usefulness of using groups of increasing cyclic stress amplitude to accelerate the fatigue test process. The two-million cycle fatigue endurance limit estimated using cycle groups of Mix S (70.8%) was very similar to what was reported in the literature (71%) using the traditional time-consuming cyclic loading method. This study found that the formulas proposed by CSA 23.3 can effectively predict the moment resistance of both intact (control) and repaired RC beams. The ratio of experimental moment resistance values to its predictions ranges from 0.91 to 1.04. Based on the experimental results of previous three phases, an empirical model that predicted the fatigue service life of FT-damaged concrete structures is proposed. Future research requires a more comprehensive study on the FT performance of various polymer-modified cementitious mortars of different mix designs in repairing concrete structures. By increasing the number of tested specimens, a better relationship could be established between destructive and NDT methods. Future research is also required to explore the combined effect of FT and cyclic loading on repaired RC structures experimentally. / Graduate / 2023-03-22

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Photoelectrodes and photovoltaic devices have been prepared via multiple thin film deposition methods. Aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD), electrodeposition (ED), chemical bath deposition (CBD) and doctor blade technique (DB) have been used to deposit binary and ternary metal oxide films on FTO glass substrates. The prepared thin films were characterised by a combination of SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), powder X-ray diffraction, mechanical strength tests and photochemical measurements. Nickel oxide (NiO) thin films prepared by AACVD were determined to have good mechanical strength . with a photocurrent of 7.6 μA cm-2 at 0 V and an onset potential of about 0.10 V. This contrasted with the dark current density of 0.3 μA cm-2 at 0 V. These NiO samples have very high porosity with crystalline columns evidenced by SEM. In comparison with the AACVD methodology, NiO films prepared using a combination of ED and DB show good mechanical strength but a higher photocurrent of 24 μA cm-2 at 0 V and an onset potential of about 0.10 V with a significantly greater dark current density of 7 μA cm-2 at 0 V. The characteristic features shown in the SEM are smaller pores compared to the AACVD method. Copper (II) oxide (CuO) and copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) films were fabricated by AACVD by varying the annealing temperature between 100-325°C in air using a fixed annealing time of 30 min. It was shown by photocurrent density (J-V) measurements that CuO produced at 325 °C was most stable and provided the highest photocurrent of 173 μA cm-2 at 0 V with an onset potential of about 0.23 V. The alignment of zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-rods and nano-tubes fabricated by CBD have been shown to be strongly affected by the seed layer on the FTO substrate. SEM images showed that AACVD provided the best seed layer for aligning the growth of the nano-rods perpendicular to the surface. Nano-rods were successfully altered into nano-tubes using a potassium chloride bath etching method. NiO prepared by both AACVD and the combined ED/DB method were sensitized to absorb more of the solar spectrum using AACVD to deposit CuO over the NiO. A large increase in the photocurrent was observed for the p-type photoelectrode. These p-type photoelectrode showed a photocurrent density of approximately 100 μA cm-2 at 0 V and an onset potential of 0.3 V. This photocathode was then used as a base to produce a solid state p-type solar cell. For the construction of the solid state solar cells several n-type semiconductors were used, these were ZnO, WO3 and BiVO4. WO3 and BiVO4 were successfully produced with BiVO4 proving to be the optimum choice. This cell was then studied more in depth and optimised by controlling the thickness of each layer and annealing temperatures. The best solid state solar cell produced had a Jsc of 0.541 μA cm-2 (541 nA) and a Voc of 0.14 V, TX146 made up of NiO 20 min, CuFe2O4 50 min, CuO 10 min, BiVO4 27 min, using AACVD and then annealed for 30 min at 600°C.

La reconstruction en deux étapes par expanseur et implant est la technique la plus répandue pour la reconstruction mammmaire post mastectomie. La formation d’une capsule périprothétique est une réponse physiologique universelle à tout corps étranger présent dans le corps humain; par contre, la formation d’une capsule pathologique mène souvent à des complications et par conséquent à des résultats esthétiques sous-optimaux. Le microscope électronique à balayage (MEB) est un outil puissant qui permet d’effectuer une évaluation sans pareille de la topographie ultrastructurelle de spécimens. Le premier objectif de cette thèse est de comparer le MEB conventionnel (Hi-Vac) à une technologie plus récente, soit le MEB environnemental (ESEM), afin de déterminer si cette dernière mène à une évaluation supérieure des tissus capsulaires du sein. Le deuxième objectif est d‘appliquer la modalité de MEB supérieure et d’étudier les modifications ultrastructurelles des capsules périprothétiques chez les femmes subissant différents protocoles d’expansion de tissus dans le contexte de reconstruction mammaire prothétique. Deux études prospectives ont été réalisées afin de répondre à nos objectifs de recherche. Dix patientes ont été incluses dans la première, et 48 dans la seconde. La modalité Hi-Vac s’est avérée supérieure pour l’analyse compréhensive de tissus capsulaires mammaires. En employant le mode Hi-Vac dans notre protocole de recherche établi, un relief 3-D plus prononcé à été observé autour des expanseurs BIOCELL® dans le groupe d’approche d’intervention retardée (6 semaines). Des changements significatifs n’ont pas été observés au niveau des capsules SILTEX® dans les groupes d’approche d’intervention précoce (2 semaines) ni retardée. / Two-stage implant-based (expander to implant) breast reconstruction is the most frequently applied technique following total mastectomy. While the periprosthetic capsule is a normal physiologic response to any foreign body, pathological capsule formation often leads complications and suboptimal aesthetic results. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a powerful tool that offers unparalleled assessment of capsule ultrastructural topography. The first research aim was to compare conventional high-vacuum (Hi-Vac) SEM with newer environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) technology to determine whether the latter offers superior assessment of breast capsular tissue. The second aim was to apply the most optimal SEM mode to study periprosthetic capsule ultrastructural modifications in women undergoing differing expansion protocols during the first stage of implant-based reconstruction. Ten patients were prospectively included in the first study and 48 prospectively included into the second. Conventional Hi-Vac mode was deemed superior for the comprehensive analysis of breast capsular tissue. Using Hi-Vac mode within the established study protocol, a more pronounced capsular 3-D relief was observed around BIOCELL® expanders when the first postoperative saline inflation took place at 6 weeks following expander insertion (delayed approach). No significant changes were observed with SILTEX® expander capsules in both early (2 weeks) and delayed approach groups.

Thesis deals with environmental scanning electron microscopy and with detection of signal electrons by using ionization detector. First part talks about the principle of environmental scanning electron microscope. Second part describes signals generated by interaction of primary electron beam with sample. Third section explains the principle of impact ionization and ionization detector. Experimental part deals with usage of segmental ionization detector and with measuring of signal amplification from copper and platinum. Thesis also examines arrangement of electrodes of ionisation detector on material contrast and examines also on influence of voltage contrast on base - emitter junction of an NPN bipolar transistor. All experiments were carried out in dependency on saturated water vapour pressure in sample chamber.

Despite the recent development in PLA and PLGA based medical devices, there are still needs to further improve the mechanical performance of bioresorbable medical implants and their bioactivity. This is normally done by optimizing the filler compositions in selected groups ofbiodegradable polymer matrices. In this study, the effects of various filler levels on mechanical strength and thermal properties of PLA and PLGA composites were investigated. Composites containing different dosage of osteoconductive HAp with various particles size (0-5μm, 0-50 μm, nano size), β-TCP, bioactive glass and biodegradable Poly-L-lactide and Polylactide-glycolic acid was manufactured with melt blending, using a twin-screw extruder.The samples were investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), viscometer, three points bending machine, and Optical Microscopy (OM). The Extruder produced a porous profile. The result from TGA and SEM indicated that there was homogenous filler dispersion in the matrix after compounding.The result from DSC and Viscometer shows that there was some degradation duringcompounding. Mechanical properties of composites were modified by adding filler to matrix. The addition of Bioactive glass, as a filler, increases the degradation of the polymer matrix. The best filler that was applied is 0-5μm and nano HAp. Also in in-vitro degradation part of this thesis work, the effects of calcium phosphate materialsare investigated on degradation process.

Κατά τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες παρατηρείται συνεχής αύξηση της έντασης του φαινομένου του θερμοκηπίου γεγονός που προκαλεί σημαντικές συνέπειες στο περιβάλλον και στη ζωή μας γενικότερα. Συνεπώς, είναι απαραίτητη η μείωση της ανθρωπογενούς εκπομπής των αερίων που συμβάλλουν στην αύξηση του φαινομένου αυτού. Η εκμετάλλευση και χρήση των δύο πιο σημαντικών θερμοκηπικών αερίων, του μεθανίου και του διοξειδίου του άνθρακα, μπορεί να επιτευχθεί με την αναμόρφωση του CH4 με CO2 ή αλλιώς ξηρή αναμόρφωση του μεθανίου (Dry Reforming of Methane-DRM). Με τη διεργασία DRM τα δύο συγκεκριμένα αέρια μετατρέπονται σε αέριο σύνθεσης (synthesis gas), το οποίο χρησιμοποιείται είτε για τη σύνθεση πληθώρας οργανικών ενώσεων, είτε για την παραγωγή Η2 για ενεργειακούς σκοπούς. Η DRM παρουσιάζει σημαντικά πλεονεκτήματα: δεν απαιτείται η χρήση ύδατος, φθηνό σχετικά κόστος εγκαταστάσεων, χρησιμοποιείται σε χημικά συστήματα μεταφοράς ενέργειας, ενώ και το αέριο σύνθεσης που παράγεται έχει ακόμα κατάλληλη αναλογία για συνθέσεις Fischer–Tropsch. Παρόλα αυτά η DRM δεν έχει εκτεταμένη βιομηχανική εφαρμογή επειδή αντιμετωπίζει ένα σημαντικό μειονέκτημα: ο καταλύτης μετά από κάποιο χρόνο λειτουργίας απενεργοποιείται λόγω του άνθρακα που αποτίθεται πάνω του. Στην παρούσα εργασία μελετήθηκε ο state of the art καταλύτης Ni/Al2O3, τον οποίο τροποποιήσαμε με βόριο σε διάφορους λόγους [Β/(B+Νi)] με κύριο στόχο τη μείωση των ανθρακούχων αποθέσεων. Οι τροποποιημένοι καταλύτες συντέθηκαν με τη μέθοδο του υγρού συνεμποτισμού και χαρακτηρίστηκαν φυσικοχημικά με διάφορες τεχνικές, ώστε να μελετήσουμε την επίδραση του βορίου στην υφή τους (ΒΕΤ, porosimetry, SEM, TEM), στη δομή τους (XRD, UV-Vis DRS) και στην αναγωγιμότητά τους (H2-TPR). Η καταλυτική συμπεριφορά τους για την αντίδραση της ξηρής αναμόρφωσης του μεθανίου αξιολογήθηκε σε αντιδραστήρα σταθερής κλίνης, για 24h, σε συνθήκες: 973Κ, 1 atm, τροφοδοσία 50%CH4-50%CO2. Ο άνθρακας που αποτέθηκε στους χρησιμοποιημένους καταλύτες μετρήθηκε με τη μέθοδο της θερμοπρογραμματισμένης υδρογόνωσης (TPH). Τα ανηγμένα και χρησιμοποιημένα στην DRM καταλυτικά δείγματα μελετήθηκαν επίσης με ηλεκτρονικό μικροσκόπιο σάρωσης (SEM με αναλυτή EDS) και ηλεκτρονικό μικροσκόπιο διαπερατότητας (ΤΕΜ). Βρέθηκε ότι η παρουσία του Β μειώνει σημαντικά την ποσότητα του αποτιθέμενου άνθρακα στους καταλύτες Ni/Al2O3, σε ποσοστό έως και 86%, χωρίς να επηρεάζει ιδιαίτερα τη δραστικότητα και την εκλεκτικότητα των καταλυτών. Σημαντικό ρόλο παίζει το ποσοστό του Β στον καταλύτη, με τον καταλύτη με λόγο Β/(B+Νi) = 0,5 να εμφανίζει τη βέλτιστη συμπεριφορά. Τα αποτελέσματα μας έδειξαν ότι η ιδιαίτερη θετική επίδραση του βορίου οφείλεται κυρίως στο γεγονός ότι ευνοεί τη διασπορά του μεταλλικού νικελίου. Τροποποίηση με βόριο, σε κατάλληλη περιοχή φορτίσεων, του καταλύτη Ni/Al2O3 μεγιστοποιεί το πλήθος των νανοσωματιδίων νικελίου με μέση διάσταση < 6.0 nm, τα οποία, ως γνωστόν, ελαχιστοποιούν την απόθεση άνθρακα. / The intensity of the greenhouse effect is constantly increasing in the last few decades with an adverse effect both on the environment and the humanity. In order to decrease the effect, human-caused emissions should be minimized. The two most important greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide, can be used in the DRM (Dry Reforming of Methane) process. With this process the above mentioned gases are converted to synthesis gas, which is then used for the synthesis of a great number of organic compounds and synthetic fuels (through the Fisher-Tropsch syntheses) or for the production hydrogen to be used as a fuel (energy purposes). The DRM process presents a number of advantages, namely: no water is required, relatively low cost of process plants,it can be used as a Chemical Energy Transfer System and, finally, the produced synthesis gas has adequate CO/H2 ratio for Fisher-Tropsch syntheses. Although DRM is a promising process, its industrial application is hindered by a major drawback: the catalysts are rapidly deactivating due to coking. In the current study, the state of the art catalyst Ni/Al2O3 was studied and modified with boron, using different ratios of Β/(B+Νi). Our primary objective was to reduce coking. The modified catalysts were synthesized by wet co-impregnation and physicochemically characterized in their oxidic, reduced and used forms, using various techniques, in order to investigate the influence of boron on the texture (BET, Porosimetry, SEM, TEM), structure (XRD, UV-Vis DRS) and reducibility (H2-TPR) of the catalysts. The catalytic performance for the DRM process was studied under stable conditions (973Κ, 1 atm and 50%CH4-50%CO2 undiluted feed), for 24h, using a fixed bed reactor. Carbonaceous deposits on the used catalysts were determined by Temperature Programmed Hydrogenation (TPH). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with EDS analyser and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were also used in the study of reduced and used catalytic samples. Modifying Ni/Al2O3 catalysts with boron results in a great decrease of the deposited coke (up to 86%), without any significantly influence on the activity and selectivity of the catalysts. A major factor influencing the catalyst is the B loading, with the ratio Β/(B+Νi)=0,5 giving the best results. Boron’s positive effect was mainly attributed to its ability to increase Ni dispersion. Modification of Ni/Al2O3 catalysts, by using the appropriate boron loading, resulted to an increase of the amount of nickel nanoparticles with an average dimension under 6.0 nm, which are known to minimize coke deposition.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Chemistry) / Blending polymers together offers researchers the ability to create novel materials that have a combination of desired properties of the individual polymers for a variety of functions as well as improving specific properties. The behaviour of the resulting blended polymer or blend is determined by the interactions between the two polymers. The resultant synergy from blending an intrinsically conducting polymer like polyaniline (PANI), is that it possesses the electrical, electronic, magnetic and optical properties of a metal while retaining the poor mechanical properties, solubility and processibility commonly associated with a conventional polymer. Aromatic polyamic acid has outstanding thermal, mechanical, electrical, and solvent resistance properties that can overcome the poor mechanical properties and instability of the conventional conducting polymers, such as polyaniline.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Chemistry) / Pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for their toxic effects which may lead to the cause of degenerative diseases in both humans and animals. PAHs are widespread in the environment, and may be found in water, food, automotive industry and petrochemical industries to name but a few sources. Literature reports have highlighted industrial workplace exposure to PAHs as a leading cause for development of cancer in workers. Particularly, workers in the petrochemical industry are adversely affected and the incidence of skin and lung cancer in this population group is high. The United States of America in its guidelines developed by environmental protection agency (EPA) has identified 18 PAHs as priority pollutants. Among these are anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene which have been selected as the focal point of this study due to their significance in the petrochemical industry. Due to the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties reported in literature for certain PAHs, there have been monitoring procedures taken in most countries around the world. The commonly used analytical methods for the detection of PAHs from industrial samples are high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to fluorescence detection, membrane filtration, ozonation and reverse osmosis. Analysis of PAHs from the petrochemical industry is typically performed by HPLC method as well as sono-degredation in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

Coals, from mines in the Highveld coalfield, as well as gasification ash samples were characterised, in order to understand the mineralogical and chemical properties of the individual components in the gasification feedstocks. X-ray diffraction of low temperature oxygen-plasma ash indicates that the coals contain significant proportions of kaolinite, quartz and a fluxing elements-bearing mineral (dolomite), plus minor concentrations of illite and other fluxing elements-bearing minerals namely calcite, pyrite and siderite. Of the feed coal, the -75+53 mm size fraction has a high pyrite, and to a lesser extent a high calcite and dolomite content. However, the small proportion of iron-bearing phases (from the reaction between kaolinite and pyrite) in samples taken from the gasifier implies that pyrite contributes minimally to sintering or slagging in this case. Calcite is mainly present in the >1.8 g/cm3 density fraction of the feed coal, whereas dolomite is mainly present in the 1.5-1.8 g/cm3 density fraction, as inclusions or fine cleats in the coal matrix. Electron microprobe analyses of coals from the six different South African mines confirmed that some Ca, Mg, Al, Si, Na, K, Ti and Fe are present in the organic matrix in the coal samples tested in this study, but the amounts of these are small compared with the fluxing elements in minerals. XRD and microprobe analyses indicate that the ash clinker samples taken from the gasifiers contain a number of crystalline high temperature phases, including anorthite, mullite, cristobalite, quartz and diopside. FactSage confirmed that anorthite and mullite are equilibrium phases at elevated temperatures in the ash clinkers and heated rock fragments. Limited reaction takes place between the included coal minerals and the extraneous rock fragments. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / unrestricted