Silicon was selectively removed from a silicon carbonitride (SiCN) aerogel by hot chlorine gas treatment, leading to a N-doped carbon aerogel (N-CDC aerogel). The combined effects of pyrolysis and etching temperature were studied with regard to the change in the composition of the material after etching as well as the microstructure of the produced hierarchically porous material. Upon removal of Si from amorphous SiCN, carbon and nitrogen, which are not bonded together in the starting material, react, creating new C–N bonds. The removal of silicon also gives rise to a high amount of micropores and hence a high specific surface area, which can be beneficial for the functionality of the carbonaceous material produced. The mesoporous structure of the aerogel allows us to complete the etching at low temperature, which was found to be a crucial parameter to maintain a high amount of nitrogen in the material. The combination of a high amount of micropores and the mesopore transport system is beneficial for adsorption processes due to the combination of a high amount of adsorption sites and effective transport properties of the material. The N-CDC aerogels were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry (TG/DTA), and infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT) and they were evaluated as CO2 absorbers and as electrodes for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs).

Silicon was selectively removed from a silicon carbonitride (SiCN) aerogel by hot chlorine gas treatment, leading to a N-doped carbon aerogel (N-CDC aerogel). The combined effects of pyrolysis and etching temperature were studied with regard to the change in the composition of the material after etching as well as the microstructure of the produced hierarchically porous material. Upon removal of Si from amorphous SiCN, carbon and nitrogen, which are not bonded together in the starting material, react, creating new C–N bonds. The removal of silicon also gives rise to a high amount of micropores and hence a high specific surface area, which can be beneficial for the functionality of the carbonaceous material produced. The mesoporous structure of the aerogel allows us to complete the etching at low temperature, which was found to be a crucial parameter to maintain a high amount of nitrogen in the material. The combination of a high amount of micropores and the mesopore transport system is beneficial for adsorption processes due to the combination of a high amount of adsorption sites and effective transport properties of the material. The N-CDC aerogels were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry (TG/DTA), and infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT) and they were evaluated as CO2 absorbers and as electrodes for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs).

Os materiais à base de céria (CeO2) e zircônia (ZrO2) estão presentes em diversas aplicações tecnológicas, destacando-se como anodo de células de combustível de óxido sólido (SOFC) e em catálise, tanto para a produção de hidrogênio, como na automotiva (Three-Way Catalysis). A solução sólida ZrxCe1-xO2- é de especial interesse, pois apresenta melhor estabilidade térmica e maior capacidade de armazenamento de oxigênio (OSC), quando comparada com os óxidos não dopados. Os materiais mesoporosos (poros de 2 a 50 nm) possuem elevada área superficial e permeabilidade a gases, características estas importantes para o desempenho das SOFCs e dos processos de catálise. Neste trabalho, zircônia-céria (Zr0,1Ce0,9O2-) mesoporosa foi sintetizada pelo processo sol-gel, utilizando, como precursores, os cloretos inorgânicos (ZrCl4 e CeCl3.7H2O), o copolímero em bloco P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20) como direcionador de estrutura e o TIPB (tri-isopropil-benzeno) como agente dilatador. A solução passou por tratamento hidrotérmico durante 48h a 80°C, com posterior calcinação a 400°C para a remoção do polímero, resultando no óxido cristalizado. Na análise foram utilizadas as técnicas: difração de raios X em alto ângulo (XRD), espalhamento de raios X a baixo ângulo (SAXS), isotermas de adsorção de nitrogênio (NAI) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura e transmissão (SEM e TEM). Os resultados mostraram que o material possui elevada área superficial (110m2/g), mesoporos de várias dimensões, atingindo valores médios em torno de 30 nm, fase majoritariamente cúbica Fm3m e, em menor proporção, tetragonal P42/nmc. As micrografias revelaram que o óxido está totalmente nano-cristalizado, com os poros tipo fendas e uma mesoporosidade secundária com distribuição de tamanhos menor e mais estreita. Quatro amostras foram sintetizadas com diferentes razões em massa TIPB/P123 (0, 1, 2 e 4), de forma que foi possível verificar um aumento na dimensão dos poros devido à inclusão do dilatador. As demais propriedades estruturais e morfológicas mantiveram-se inalteradas entre todas as amostras, mesmo com diferentes quantidades de TIPB. / The ceria (CeO2) and zirconia (ZrO2) based materials are present in several technological applications, mainly as Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) anodes and catalysts, for hydrogen production and automotive converter (Three-Way Catalysis). The solid solution ZrxCe1-xO2- has attracted special attention, since it shows better thermal stability and higher oxygen storage capacity (OSC), if compared to the non-doped oxides. The mesoporous materials (pores of 2 to 50 nm) show high surface area and gas permeability, important properties for SOFCs and catalysts efficiency. In this work, mesoporous ceria-zirconia (Zr0,1Ce0,9O2-) was synthesized by a sol-gel route using inorganic chlorides (ZrCl4 e CeCl3.7H2O) as precursors, block copolymer P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20) as template and TIPB (tri-isopropyl-benzene) as swelling agent. The solution was submitted to hydrothermal treatment for 48h at 80°C and calcined at 400°C to remove the template, resulting in the crystallized oxide. The characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction at high angles (XRD), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), nitrogen adsorption isotherms (NAI) and transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM). The results showed that the material has high surface area (110m2/g), a wide pore size distribution with mean values around 30 nm, predominant cubic phase Fm3m and, in less quantity, tetragonal P42/nmc. The micrographs revealed that the oxide is totally nano-crystallized, having pores with slit shape and a secondary smaller mesoporosity with a narrow size distribution. Four samples were produced with different TIPB/P123 mass rate (0, 1, 2, 4), therefore was possible to verify the pore size expansion due to the swelling addition. The structural and morphological properties remained unchanged, even with different quantities of TIPB.

Os materiais à base de céria (CeO2) e zircônia (ZrO2) estão presentes em diversas aplicações tecnológicas, destacando-se como anodo de células de combustível de óxido sólido (SOFC) e em catálise, tanto para a produção de hidrogênio, como na automotiva (Three-Way Catalysis). A solução sólida ZrxCe1-xO2- é de especial interesse, pois apresenta melhor estabilidade térmica e maior capacidade de armazenamento de oxigênio (OSC), quando comparada com os óxidos não dopados. Os materiais mesoporosos (poros de 2 a 50 nm) possuem elevada área superficial e permeabilidade a gases, características estas importantes para o desempenho das SOFCs e dos processos de catálise. Neste trabalho, zircônia-céria (Zr0,1Ce0,9O2-) mesoporosa foi sintetizada pelo processo sol-gel, utilizando, como precursores, os cloretos inorgânicos (ZrCl4 e CeCl3.7H2O), o copolímero em bloco P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20) como direcionador de estrutura e o TIPB (tri-isopropil-benzeno) como agente dilatador. A solução passou por tratamento hidrotérmico durante 48h a 80°C, com posterior calcinação a 400°C para a remoção do polímero, resultando no óxido cristalizado. Na análise foram utilizadas as técnicas: difração de raios X em alto ângulo (XRD), espalhamento de raios X a baixo ângulo (SAXS), isotermas de adsorção de nitrogênio (NAI) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura e transmissão (SEM e TEM). Os resultados mostraram que o material possui elevada área superficial (110m2/g), mesoporos de várias dimensões, atingindo valores médios em torno de 30 nm, fase majoritariamente cúbica Fm3m e, em menor proporção, tetragonal P42/nmc. As micrografias revelaram que o óxido está totalmente nano-cristalizado, com os poros tipo fendas e uma mesoporosidade secundária com distribuição de tamanhos menor e mais estreita. Quatro amostras foram sintetizadas com diferentes razões em massa TIPB/P123 (0, 1, 2 e 4), de forma que foi possível verificar um aumento na dimensão dos poros devido à inclusão do dilatador. As demais propriedades estruturais e morfológicas mantiveram-se inalteradas entre todas as amostras, mesmo com diferentes quantidades de TIPB. / The ceria (CeO2) and zirconia (ZrO2) based materials are present in several technological applications, mainly as Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) anodes and catalysts, for hydrogen production and automotive converter (Three-Way Catalysis). The solid solution ZrxCe1-xO2- has attracted special attention, since it shows better thermal stability and higher oxygen storage capacity (OSC), if compared to the non-doped oxides. The mesoporous materials (pores of 2 to 50 nm) show high surface area and gas permeability, important properties for SOFCs and catalysts efficiency. In this work, mesoporous ceria-zirconia (Zr0,1Ce0,9O2-) was synthesized by a sol-gel route using inorganic chlorides (ZrCl4 e CeCl3.7H2O) as precursors, block copolymer P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20) as template and TIPB (tri-isopropyl-benzene) as swelling agent. The solution was submitted to hydrothermal treatment for 48h at 80°C and calcined at 400°C to remove the template, resulting in the crystallized oxide. The characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction at high angles (XRD), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), nitrogen adsorption isotherms (NAI) and transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM). The results showed that the material has high surface area (110m2/g), a wide pore size distribution with mean values around 30 nm, predominant cubic phase Fm3m and, in less quantity, tetragonal P42/nmc. The micrographs revealed that the oxide is totally nano-crystallized, having pores with slit shape and a secondary smaller mesoporosity with a narrow size distribution. Four samples were produced with different TIPB/P123 mass rate (0, 1, 2, 4), therefore was possible to verify the pore size expansion due to the swelling addition. The structural and morphological properties remained unchanged, even with different quantities of TIPB.

L’intensification des procédés de décontamination des eaux et de purification des gaz (biogaz ou gaz naturel) est un des enjeux primordiaux pour les années à venir. Pour arriver à relever ce défi, il est nécessaire de développer des adsorbants innovants qui vont améliorer les capacités d’adsorption et les cinétiques d’adsorption et qui peuvent être utilisés en flux continu. Le travail sur la mise en forme des adsorbants, sans ajout de liants, pour augmenter les capacités d’adsorption et le contrôle de leur porosité à plusieurs échelles, pour améliorer la diffusion des ions et des molécules est primordial. La zéolithe FAU-X est utilisée industriellement dans de nombreuses applications comme le piégeage du CO2, la purification des biogaz et du gaz naturel, la séparation des gaz de l’air, la séparation des xylènes et pourrait se révéler aussi très intéressante pour le piégeage du Cs radioactif des effluents nucléaires de part sa grande sélectivité. La FAU-X est utilisée dans des procédés en continu sous forme de particules extrudées de 1 à 3 mm contenant 20-30 wt% de liant argile. Des travaux actuels visent à diminuer la quantité de liant dans les particules et à développer des mises en forme monolithiques contenant des macropores, pour faciliter le transport de matière en utilisant par exemple le « freeze-casting » ou l’impression 3D. Cependant, l’ajout de liant est toujours nécessaire.Une nouvelle approche développée dans cette étude est la mise en forme sans liant de la FAU-X en particules de 1 mm et surtout sous forme monolithique avec une macroporosité contrôlée, homogène et interconnectée. Ceci permet de maximiser le transport de matière et ainsi conduire à une meilleure intensification des procédés et une manipulation plus aisée, notamment dans le cas du traitement d’effluents nucléaires. Ces nouvelles synthèses et mises en forme de la FAU-X utilisent le concept de la transformation pseudomorphique de monolithes silice-alumine, obtenus par alumination de monolithes de silice issus d’un procédé sol-gel combiné à une séparation de phase particulière, la décomposition spinodale en présence de polymères (polyéthylène oxyde). La maîtrise de toutes les étapes de synthèse et de la composition du milieu réactionnel a permis d’obtenir des monolithes de FAU-X pure dont le squelette est formé par une agrégation de nanocristaux de FAU-X. Les monolithes FAU-X présentent ainsi trois types de porosités, micro-/ méso et macroporosité, idéales pour améliorer le transport de matière. Les mésopores résultent de l’espace entre les nanocristaux.Ces monolithes FAU-X nanocristaux ont été testés en flux continu pour le piégeage du Cs contenu dans de l’eau naturelle (eau d’Evian) contenant de multiples cations en compétition. Des résultats remarquables ont été obtenus, avec des courbes de percée idéales, témoignant d’une excellente capacité d’adsorption en condition dynamique. L’efficacité des monolithes FAU-X nanocristaux est comparable au matériau de référence, des particules de silice contenant l’adsorbant le plus sélectif pour le Cs, le Bleu de Prusse, avec en plus l’avantage d’être sous forme monolithique, donc plus aisé à manipuler. Des tests préliminaires en statique ont été effectués pour l’adsorption du CO2 et révèlent des capacités d’adsorption identiques à des FAU-X pures. Les tests en flux continu restent à faire pour évaluer l’adsorption en régime dynamique.Les monolithes FAU-X nanocristaux de cette étude présentent les caractéristiques nécessaires pour être utilisés en intensification des procédés. / The process intensification of water decontamination and gas purification (biogas or natural gas) is one of the key issues for the future. To meet this challenge, it’s necessary to develop innovative adsorbents that will improve the adsorption capacity and adsorption kinetics and can be used in continuous flow. Working on adsorbents shaping without addition of binders to increase their adsorption capacities and on the control of their porosity at several scales (micro-/meso-/macroporosity) to improve ions and molecules diffusion is essential. The FAU-X zeolite is used industrially in many applications such as CO2 capture, biogas and natural gas purification, air separation, xylenes separation and could also be very interesting for trapping radioactive Cs of nuclear wastewater because of its high selectivity. FAU-X is used in continuous processes in the form of extruded particles of 1 to 3 mm containing 20-30 wt% of clay binder. Current works aim to reduce the amount of binder in the particles and develop monolithic shaping containing macropores to facilitate the mass transfer using for example the "freeze-casting" or the 3D printing methods. However, the addition of binders is always necessary.A new approach developed in this study is the binderless shaping of FAU-X into particles (1 mm) and especially into monoliths with a well-controlled homogeneous and interconnected macroporosity. This particular macroporosity was shown to maximize the mass transfer in various applications and thus lead to high process intensifications and an easier handling, especially in the case of the treatment of nuclear wastewater. These new syntheses and shaping of FAU-X use the concept of pseudomorphic transformation of silica-alumina monoliths, obtained by alumination of silica monoliths synthesized from a sol-gel process combined with a particular phase separation, the spinodal decomposition in the presence of polymers (polyethylene oxide). The control of all synthesis steps and the composition of the reaction medium has led to monoliths of pure FAU-X phase, whose skeleton is formed by an aggregation of FAU-X nanocrystals. FAU-X monoliths have three types of porosities, micro-/ meso- and macroporosity, suitable for improving the mass transfer. Mesopores result from the space between nanocrystals.These FAU-X nanocrystals monoliths were tested in continuous flow for the trapping of Cs contained in natural water (Evian water) containing several competing cations. Remarkable results have been obtained, with ideal breakthrough curves, exhibiting excellent adsorption capacity in dynamic conditions. The efficiency of FAU-X nanocrystals monoliths is comparable to the reference material, which is composed of Prussian Blue nanoparticles (the most selective adsorbent for Cs) immobilized in silica particles, with the added advantage of being in monolithic shape and so easier to handle. Preliminary tests of CO2 adsorption in FAU-X nanocrystals monoliths were carried out in static conditions and reveal that the adsorption capacity of the monoliths is equivalent to pure FAU-X crystals. Continuous flow tests remain to be done to evaluate adsorption capacities in dynamic mode.The FAU-X nanocrystals monoliths developed in this study have the characteristics necessary to be used in process intensification for various applications.

This thesis is dedicated to the exploration of fluid phases confined in nanoporous materials using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques, with an aim to benefit catalysis research. Included in this report are studies of pure fluids and their mixtures, confined in titania and silica catalyst supports. These investigations are conducted at industrially-relevant, high-temperature (≥ 180 °C) and high-pressure conditions (up to 13 bar), made possible by a pilot-scale chemical reactor unit, designed to operate inside the strong magnetic fields of an NMR spectrometer. NMR spectroscopy, relaxation and pulsed field gradient (PFG) diffusion experiments were performed on each of the systems discussed in this report. Cyclohexane was initially studied inside a porous titania catalyst support at 188 °C and various pressures up to 13 bar. The adsorption and desorption processes of the cyclohexane were observed, revealing a number of previously unobserved phenomena. In addition to an overall, averaged diffusion coefficient, a slow diffusion coefficient was observed within the PFG NMR data attributable to surface diffusive processes occurring within the material. Additionally, T1 relaxation studies were found to provide experimental evidence for the differing configurations of adsorbed layers on the adsorption and desorption branch of the isotherm. Cyclohexane was subsequently studied alongside fluorobenzene in a series of silica catalyst supports of 6 nm, 10 nm and 20 nm pore size. In doing this, it was hoped that the multiple phenomena observed in the titania experiments might be deconvoluted, allowing a greater level of insight. The diffusivities of the fluids were found to differ significantly between the materials, and greater evidence was found of the slow-diffusing surface phase in each of the materials. Additionally, concentrations of cyclohexane and fluorobenzene in the gas and adsorbed layers inside the pore space were calculated via the results of the PFG NMR experiments, providing a map of confined phase behaviour. Competitive adsorption effects were found to become more significant, the smaller the pore size of the material. The results of the cyclohexane and fluorobenzene in silica studies were modelled, using approaches available in the literature, which were found to give varying levels of prediction. The data set acquired in this thesis was found to provide a useful standard, against which current and future models of confined phase behaviour might be verified.