The aim of my Ph.D. thesis is to summarize my research on the development of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of O-carboxyanhydrides (OCAs) to synthesize functionalized, degradable polyesters. Biodegradable polyesters are promising alternatives to conventional petroleum-based non-degradable polyolefins and they are widely used in everyday applications ranging from clothing and packaging to agriculture and biomedicine. Commercially available polyesters, such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), poly(lactic acid), and polycaprolactone, hydrolyze in physicochemical media. They have been approved by FDA and widely used for medical applications. However, the lack of side-chain functionality in polyesters and in corresponding monomers greatly plagues their utility for applications that demand physicochemical properties such as high stiffness, tensile strength and elasticity. Increasing efforts have been devoted to the introduction of pendant groups along the polymer chain in order to modify and modulate the physicochemical properties of polyesters and thereby to expand their applications. Over the last decade, OCAs have emerged as an alternative class of highly active monomers for polyester polymerization. OCAs are prepared from amino acids and thus have a richer range of side chain functionalities than lactone or lactide. Like lactones, OCAs can undergo ROP to obtain polyesters. Unfortunately, current ROP methods, especially those involving organocatalysts, result in uncontrolled polymerization including epimerization for OCAs bearing electron-withdrawing groups, unpredictable molecular weights (MWs), or slow polymerization kinetics. Based on our recent success of Ni/Ir photoredox catalysis allowing for rapid synthesis of high-MWs polyesters, we further explore new polymerization chemistry to use earth-abundant metal complexes to replace expensive rare-earth metal photocatalysts, and practice the polymerization in moderate and energy-efficient reaction conditions. This thesis introduces novel photoredox and electrochemical earth-abundant metal catalysts that overcome above difficulties in the ROP chemistry of OCAs, and allow for the preparation of stereoregular polyesters bearing abundant side-chain functionalities in a highly controlled manner. Specifically, various highly active metal complexes have been developed for stereoselective ROP of OCAs, either using light or electricity, to synthesize syndiotactic or stereoblock copolymers with different thermal properties. Additionally, simple purification protocols of OCAs have also been initially studied, which potentially paves the way to bulk production of functional monomers. In this thesis, I first describe newly-developed photoredox Co/Zn catalysts to achieve a controlled ROP of enantiopure OCAs under mild reaction conditions (Chapter 2). Such discovery is extended to the combination use of Co catalysts with various Zn/Hf complexes that enable stereoselective controlled ROP of racemic OCAs for the preparation of stereoregular polyesters (Chapter 3). The mechanistic studies of the aforementioned developments lead to the application of such a catalytic system in controlled electrochemical ROP of OCAs (Chapter 4). Such chemistry can also be translated to stereoselectively electrochemical ROP of racemic OCAs to either syndiotactic or stereoblock polyesters, allowing precise control of polyester's tacticity and sequence (Chapter 5). An overview future work has been summarized (Chapter 6). / Doctor of Philosophy / Polyesters are widely used in everyday applications ranging from clothing and packaging to agriculture and biomedicine. Different from conventional unrecyclable plastics, polyesters are usually biocompatible and biodegradable, and can be synthesized from renewable resources. A few commercially available polyesters have been approved by FDA and widely used for medical applications. However, their utility for applications that demand various mechanical and chemical properties is greatly limited by the lack of side-chain functional groups in polyesters and in their monomers—lactones. Increasing efforts have been devoted to the introduction of pendant groups along the polymer chain in order to modify and modulate the desired properties of polyesters and thereby to expand their applications. Over the last decade, O-carboxyanhydrides (OCAs) have emerged as an alternative class of highly active monomers for polyester polymerization. OCAs can be prepared from renewable source amino acids and thus have a richer range of side chain functional groups. Like lactones, OCAs can undergo ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Unfortunately, current ROP methods usually result in uncontrolled polymerization of OCAs including loss of stereoregularity, unpredictable molecular weights, or slow polymerization rate. To address the above-described polymer chemistry and materials challenges, I have been motivated to develop a new polymer chemistry knowledge base when starting my Ph.D. program. I was first involved in the development of a controlled photoredox polymerization of OCAs produces polyesters with various side chain functional groups. By using photoredox Ni/Zn/Ir catalysts, stereoregular high molecular weight polyesters can be synthesized from racemic OCAs in a rapid, controlled manner. However, this catalytic system has to be used at -20 °C despite so successful in preparing stereoblock polyesters. Encouraged by our recent success in this area, I started to work on the discovery of other transition metal complexes such as the Co complexes used in N-carboxyanhydride polymerization. Ultimately, innovative photoredox Co/Zn catalysts has been successfully developed, and applied to our protocol to achieve the controlled ROP of enantiopure OCAs under mild reaction condition (Chapter 2). The Co catalyst can replace both Ni and Ir in aforementioned photoredox system. Meanwhile, the combination of Co catalysts and various Zn/Hf complexes has also been developed to undergo photoredox ROP of racemic OCAs to efficiently produce polyesters with different microstructures (Chapter 3). Although photoredox ROP is an efficient method for synthesizing degradable polyesters, great decrease in photonic flux with the depth of the reaction medium makes it less energy efficient compared to electricity. Therefore, we then extended our protocol to electrochemical reaction, which is one of the most energy-efficient chemical reactions. The newly identified Co/Zn catalytic system can be activated by electric current to mediate rapid electrochemical ROP (eROP) of enantiopure OCAs, allowing for the synthesis of isotactic polyesters in a highly controlled manner (Chapter 4). Additionally, stereoselective eROP of racemic OCAs has been firstly achieved by using various combinations of Co and Zn/Hf complexes (Chapter 5). In summary, my research produces unique and transformative insights into the innovative photoredox and electrochemical ROP mediated by metal catalysts. Given the importance and versatility of biodegradable and biocompatible polyester materials, the chemistry invented by our team can be expected to serve as a new platform for various applications in material and biomedical engineering.

Material science is an interdisciplinary area of research, which in part, designs and characterizes new materials. Research is concerned with synthesis, structure, properties, and performance of materials. Discoveries in materials science have significant impact on future technologies, especially in nano-scale applications where the physical properties of nanomaterials are significantly different than their bulk counterparts. The work presented here discusses the use of ferritin, a hollow sphere-like biomolecule, which forms metal oxo-hydride nanoparticles inside its protein shell for uses as a bio-inorganic material.Ferritin is capable of forming and sequestering 8 nm metal-oxide nanoparticles within its 2 nm thick protein shell. A variety of metal-oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized inside ferritin. The work herein focuses on three distinct areas:1) Ferritin's light harvesting properties: namely band gaps. Discrepancies in the band gap energies for ferritin's native ferrihydrite mineral and non-native minerals have been previously reported. Through the use of optical absorption spectroscopy, I resolved the types of band gaps as well as the energy of these band gaps. I show that metal oxides in ferritin are indirect band gap semiconductors which also contain a direct transition. Modifications to the ferrihydrite mineral's band gaps are measured as a result of co-depositing anions into ferritin during iron loading. I demonstrate that these band gaps can be used to photocatalytically reduce gold ions in solution with titanium oxide nanoparticles in ferritin. 2) A new method for manganese mineral synthesis inside ferritin: Comproportionation between permanganate and Mn(II) forms new manganese oxide minerals inside ferritin that are different than traditional manganese oxide mineral synthesis. This reaction creates a MnO2, Mn2O3, or Mn3O4 mineral inside ferritin, depending on the synthesis conditions. 3) Ferritin as an energetic material: Ferritin is capable of sequestering various metals and anions into its interior. Perchlorate, an energetic anion, is sequestered through a co-deposition process during iron loading and is tested with energetic binding materials. Peroxide, which can be used as an oxidant, is also shown to be sequestered within apoferritin and combined with an aluminum based fuel for solid rocket propellants.

This study combined photocatalytic technology with activated carbon cellulose-paper filter (ACCF) adsorption to decompose gaseous pollutants. Gaseous pollutants were initially adsorbed by activated carbon and could be further decomposed by photocatalytic technology. This study selected acetone (CH3COCH3) as gaseous pollutants. Two market available photocatalysts (photocatalysts¢¹and¢º) were coated on ACCF by impregnation to decompose acetone in a batch photocatlytic reactor. Operating parameters investigated in this study included initial acetone concentration (4.1~10.2 £gM), reaction temperature (40~70¢J), and water vapor (0~20 %). The incident UV light of 365 nm was irradiated by a 20-watt low-pressure mercury lamp placing above the batch photocatalytic reactor. The ACCF coated with TiO2 was placed at the center of the photocatalytic reactor. Acetone was injected into the reactor by a gasket syringe to conduct the photocatalytic tests. Reactants and products were analyzed quantitatively by a gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC/DCD) and a flame ionization detector followed by a methaneizer (GC/FID-Methaneizer). Finally, a Langmiur-Hinshewood (L-H) kinetic model was proposed to describe the rate of photocatalytic reaction. Results obtained from the photocatalytic tests indicated that photocatalyst¢º was better than photocatalyst¢¹ for the decomposition of acetone. Experimental results indicated that the size range of self-produced TiO2 photocatalyst by sol-gel was 20~70 nm. The end products were mainly CO and CO2, which resulted in the mineralization ratio up to 98%. Results obtained from the operating parameter tests revealed that the increase of initial acetone concentration enhanced the amount of acetone adsorbed on ACCF, which however did not increase the reaction rate of acetone. Although the increase of reaction temperature could reduce the amount of acetone adsorbed on ACCF, the decomposition rate of acetone could be promoted, so as the yield rate and mineralization ratio of products (CO and CO2). The increase of water vapor could slightly decrease the amount of acetone adsorbed on ACCF. The competitive adsorption phenomenon between acetone and water molecules on active sites could decelerate the decomposion of acetone. Moreover, the ACCF would not be saturated since the adsorbed acetone could be further decomposed quickly by the photocatalysts, which made the TiO2/ACCF more effective on removing acetone and lasted longer than the conventional ACCF. Finally, a modified bimolecular Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model was developed to investigate the influences of initial acetone concentration reaction, temperature, and relative humidity on the promotion and inhibition for the photocatalytic oxidation of acetone. The modified L-H kinetic model could successfully simulate the photocatalytic reaction rate of acetone. Thus, the reaction rate of acetone over TiO2/ACCF could be described by the modified L-H kinetic model.

As a potential solution to the global energy and environmental pollution, design and synthesis of artificial photocatalysts with high activities have attracted increasing scientific interests worldwide. In recent years, the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has shown new possible applications in the photocatalytic field due to its unique properties. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of the pristine g-C3N4 is greatly limited by the high recombination rate of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs. In this thesis, the aim is to design and fabricate efficient g-C3N4 based photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic activities under a visible light irradiation. In order to achieve this goal, two strategies have been employed in the present thesis. First, the as-obtained g-C3N4 was used as the host material to construct staggered-aligned composite photocatalysts by selecting semiconductors with suitable band positions. By this method, three kinds of g-C3N4-based composite photocatalysts such as g-C3N4/ZnS nanocage, g-C3N4/m-Ag2Mo2O7 and g-C3N4/MIL-88A were successfully fabricated. Second, the microstructure of the g-C3N4 was modified by the H2O2-treatment at an elevated temperature and ambient pressure. In this study, the g-C3N4 was prepared by a simple pyrolysis of urea. As for all the as-synthesized phtocatalysts, the structures, morphologies and the optical properties were carefully characterized by the following techniques: XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR and DRS. Also, the band edge positions of m-Ag2Mo2O7 and MIL-88A were studied by the Mott-Schottky methods. Thereafter, the photocatalytic activities were evaluated by using a solution of rhodamine B (RhB) as a target pollutant for the photodegradation experiments performed under a visible light irradiation. The results showed that all the aforementioned g-C3N4-based photocatalysts exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activities in comparison with the pristine g-C3N4. For the case of the g-C3N4-based composite photocatalysts, the enhancement factor over the pristine g-C3N4 can achieve values ranging from 2.6 to 3.4. As for the H2O2-treated g-C3N4, the degradation rate constant can be 4.6 times higher than that of the pristine g-C3N4. To understand the key factors in new materials design, we also devote a lot of efforts to elucidate the basic mechanisms during the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant. Based on the results of the active species trapping (AST) experiments, the main active species in each photocatalytic system were determined. In the g-C3N4/m-Ag2Mo2O7 and the g-C3N4/MIL-88A system, three kinds of active species of ·O2-, h+ and ·OH were found to be involved in the photocatalytic reaction. Among them, the ·O2- and h+ were the main active species. In the g-C3N4/ZnS and H2O2-treated g-C3N4 photocatalytic systems, the main active species was determined as the ·O2-. The reaction pathways of these active species were also demonstrated by comparing the band edge positions with the potentials of the redox couple. In addition, the relationship between the active species and the photocatalytic behaviors of N-de-ethylation and conjugated structure cleavage were studied. Finally, possible mechanisms to explain the enhanced photocatalytic activities were proposed for each photocatalytic system. The results in this thesis clearly confirm that the photocatalytic activity of the g-C3N4 based photocatalyst can efficiently be enhanced by constructions of staggered-aligned composites and by modification of the microstructure of the g-C3N4. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can mainly be ascribed to the efficient separation of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs and the increase of the active sites for the photocatalytic reaction. / <p>QC 20150909</p>

Conventional waste water treatment processes are not completely effective in removing highly stable organic compounds. Photocatalytic degradation on titanium dioxide is a possible alternative technique for many classes of these compounds. Several studies have been done by other researchers to study mechanisms of photocatalytic degradation, which occurs either through direct oxidation by holes or via indirect oxidation by radical messengers. Titanium dioxide can oxidize substrates directly through hole oxidation mechanisms or indirectly through free radical mechanisms. Substrates must bind onto the catalyst surface to undergo direct oxidation by holes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed on four different classes of compounds; iodinated contrast agents (iohexol and diatrizoate), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (perylene and pyrene), the antibacterial agent triclosan and the pesticide atrazine, to investigate which of the compounds are adsorbed on the surface of titanium dioxide to undergo direct oxidation through electron holes. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was conducted on triclosan and atrazine to determine if the desorption reaction is endothermic or exothermic. Powder X-ray diffraction was performed on all four classes of compounds to observe diffraction pattern of these compounds.

The use of a CO2 infrared (IR) laser and photocatalysis for water treatment microorganism disinfection purposes was investigated. During CO2 infrared (IR) laser treatment E. cloacae inactivation was comparable to inactivation via ultraviolet (UV) treatment; however no inactivation of the more resistant B. subtilis endospores occurred. Fourier Transform Infrared-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy of the bacterial cells displayed increased polysaccharide contents after IR treatment. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy of simple carbohydrates before and after IR laser treatment displayed no spectral changes, with the exception of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAG), which was partially attributed to sampling techniques. E. cloacae inactivation during IR treatment was attributed to localised and overall temperature increases within the water. Due to the inability to inactivate B. subtilis endospores this technique is not suitable for water treatment purposes. Photocatalytic water treatment using novel TiO2 colloids prepared via a postsynthetic microwave-modification process (MW-treated) was also examined. These colloids were characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses and compared to Degussa P25 and convection hydrothermally-treated (HT-treated) TiO2. Slurry suspensions displayed comparable E. coli inactivation rates, so the colloids were examined in immobilised form using both a model organic degradant, oxalic acid, and E. coli. Oxalic acid degradation studies showed that the MW-treated colloids displayed similar inactivation rates to the HT-treated TiO2, due to their pure anatase composition, while Degussa P25 displayed higher inactivation rates. Investigations into the effect of shortening UV wavelength were also performed. Degussa P25 was the only catalyst which displayed higher apparent quantum yields upon shortening the UV wavelength, which was attributed to its mixed-phase anatase-rutile composition. As E. coli inactivation was observed using distilled water, photocatalysis in natural river water was trailed. It was discovered that the pH had to be lowered from 7.5 to 5.0 and the initial cell concentration must be approximately 1 x 103 colony forming units (CFU) per cm3 or less for inactivation to be observed during a 5 hour treatment period. At a catalyst loading of 1.0 mg per cm2, Degussa P25 absorbed all the applied UVA irradiation; however the MW- and HT-treated TiO2 colloids did not due to their smaller particle size. Therefore sandwich experiments were devised to evaluate the effect of unabsorbed UV irradiation within the system. Small colony variants were identified after photocatalytic and UV treatment, which pose a potential threat to public health. Further investigation of the different TiO2 colloids was performed using in situ FTIR, both with and without an applied potential and compared to a thermally prepared TiO2 catalyst. The latter displayed potential dependent photocatalysis, while the mesoporous TiO2 catalysts displayed potential independent photocatalysis. All catalyst types displayed increased degradation rates upon the application of a positive bias, which was followed in situ via the production of CO2. Sodium oxalate and NAG was examined for photocatalytic degradation, both of which were degraded to CO2, with proposed break-down products identified when using NAG.

For the past few decades, a frenzy of attention has been given towards the development of an assortment of photocatalysts as a solution for various environmental problems. TiO2 is the most widely used photocatalyst. TiO2 is biocompatible, chemically and thermally stable but TiO2 and a vast majority other photocatalysts have large band gaps, and hence they find applicability only in the UV region of the solar spectrum. These large band gap photocatalysts suffer a severe limitation with regard to their overall process efficiency as the UV region contributes to about 3 to 4 % of the solar spectrum in terms of energy. This thesis concentrates on the progress towards the generation of visible light active photocatalysts. Lanthanum transition metal perovskites were synthesized to incorporate B site doping in the following fashion; LaCrxFe1-xO3, LaMnxFe1-xO3 and LaCrxMn1-xO3 (x= {1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75}). These perovskites configurations were selected as LaCrO3 has a conduction band edge suitable to activate most photocatalytic reactions, but LaCrO3’s large band gap energetically hinders the photocatalysis. Doping LaCrO3 with Fe and Mn allowed for tuning their band gaps and made various photocatalytic reactions feasible, namely CO2 reduction and photoassisted dye degradation. Validation of the perovskite's crystal structure was established through the study of their XRD patterns. The perovskite exhibited crystallinity throughout all doping concentrations. At some doping concentrations, due to low or high degree of tolerance factor, the presence of hexagonal and rhombohedral crystal phases was seen. Analysis of the electronic structure of these perovskites was conducted through diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Doping transition metals in B site of the perovskite led to the narrowing of band gap energy with the increase in the concentration of the higher atomic number transition metal. About 38% reduction in band gap was achieved in LaCrxFe1-xO3. The band gap constituted of Mott- Hubbard gap and charge transfer gap. For the species LaCrxFe1-xO3, interband states exist with an energy gap as large as 1.3 eV for X=1 and 0.75. These states manifested as Urbach tails and are clearly documented in the absorption spectrum data. At x=0.5 and below, evidence of mixing is seen in LaCrxFe1-xO3, leading to the diminution of these interband states, although not to full extent, their energy was reduced by about 0.5 eV. In LaCrxMn1-xO3 and LaMnxFe1-XO3, the absence of Urbach tail and absorption edge is observed. The band edge positions of most of these perovskites provided a large enough over potential to cause the reduction of CO2. Future efforts on the photocatalytic activity study of these perovskites through dye degradation and CO2 reduction are in progress. Preliminary results of photoassisted dye degradation are shared in this thesis.

Submitted by MARCIA ROVADOSCHI (marciar@unifra.br) on 2018-08-17T11:57:07Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_MarcelGoulartFinger.pdf: 1595398 bytes, checksum: 461acc59b7b05e1925aa025d086c4f9b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T11:57:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_MarcelGoulartFinger.pdf: 1595398 bytes, checksum: 461acc59b7b05e1925aa025d086c4f9b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-30 / This work aimed to investigate the adsorption and photocatalysis of solutions containing nimesulide and 17β-estradiol with a composite formed of active charcoal decorated with NiFe2O4 nanoparticles. The composite was prepared by the hydrothermal method using Ni (NO3)2 6H2O and Fe(NO3)3 9H2O as precursors solubilized in basic aqueous medium. The solution was sealed in a Teflon reactor and heated 463.15 K for 10 h. The composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, the morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy and the with the vibrating sample magnetometer. Nimesulide and 17β-estradiol adsorb according to a pseudo-second order kinetics. The calculation of the thermodynamic parameters of adsorption indicated that the adsorption of nimesulide occurs in an endothermic, spontaneous and favorable manner in all temperatures investigated. The adsorption enthalpy magnitude between the nimesulide and the active charcoal decorated with ferrite is 90.2 kJ mol-1 which indicates that the adsorption is endothermic and occurs through chemisorption. The initial concentration of nimesulide decays by 70% and the concentration of 17β-estradiol decays by 99% after 60 min of UV light irradiation. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar a adsorção e a fotocatálise de soluções contendo a nimesulida e o 17 -estradiol com um compósito formado por carvão ativo decorado com nanopartículas de NiFe2O4. O compósito foi preparado pelo método hidrotermal utilizando o Ni(NO3)2 6 H2O e o Fe(NO3)3 9 H2O como precursores solubilizados em meio aquoso básico. A solução foi selada em um reator de Teflon e aquecida 463,15 K durante 10 h. O compósito foi caracterizado por difração de raios X, a morfologia foi observada por microscopia eletrônica de varredura e a com o magnetômetro de amostra vibrante. A nimesulida e o 17 -estradiol adsorvem segundo uma cinética de pseudo-segunda ordem. O cálculo dos parâmetros termodinâmicos de adsorção indicou que a adsorção da nimesulida ocorre de forma endotérmica, espontânea e favorável em todas as temperaturas investigadas. A magnitude da entalpia de adsorção entre a nimesulida e o carvão ativo decorado com ferrita é 90,2 kJ mol-1 o que indica que a adsorção é endotérmica e ocorre através de quimissorção. A concentração inicial da nimesulida decai 70% e a concentração do 17 -estradiol decai de 99% após 60 min de irradiação com luz UV.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Emerging micropollutants such as bisphenol-A and 2-nitrophenol present a great threat in drinking water due to their adverse effects. Most conventional technologies in water and wastewater treatment are not designed to eliminate these xenobiotics; instead pollutants are merely transferred from one phase to another. Advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) however, have been identified as suitable routes for the degradation of these potential damaging substances based on free radical mechanisms and use of less expensive chemicals. Moreover, due to the structural complexity of wastewater and the existence of pollutants as mixtures, no single advanced oxidation technology can convincingly remove all forms of contaminants and then most often than not, a combination of treatment processes is required for an effective purification process. Besides, the problem of adequate degradation of emerging contaminants in the environment, when AOT(s) are used individually, they present inherent problems. For instance, powder TiO₂ photocatalysts obstruct light penetration, thus prevent effective interaction of UV light with the target pollutants, and particulates present problems of post-filtration and recovery of catalyst particles after treatment. Additionally, TiO₂ has a high band gap energy, high electron-hole recombination rate, and is prone to aggregation of the suspended particles. Similarly, the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system produces ultra violet light and hydrogen peroxide within the plasma zone which is not fully maximised for the mineralization of persistent organic pollutants. Rapid oxidation and aggregation of nano zero valent iron particles in photo-Fentons process reduce the particles mobility and affect its performance. In the same vein, the jet loop reactor (JLR) system is characterised by low impingement yield, which is responsible for low mineralization rate. In light of this background, this research investigated the degradation of bisphenol-A and 2- nitrophenol in aqueous solution using the following combined advanced oxidation methods: DBD/supported TiO₂ or Ag doped TiO₂ photocatalysts, DBD/photo-Fenton induced process and JLR/UV/H₂O₂. The target was to assess the performance of each single system and then identify the best combined AOTs capable of significantly mineralizing the target compounds. Firstly, two materials were developed namely supported TiO₂ and stabilized nano zero valent Fe. The TiO₂ photocatalyst supported on a stainless steel mesh was synthesised using sol-gel solution of 8 % PAN/DMF/TiCl₄. The influence of calcination temperature and holding time on the formation of nanocrystals was investigated. Afterwards, various amounts of metallic silver were deposited on the (optimum) supported TiO₂ photocatalyst using thermal evaporation. The catalysts were characterized by several analytical methods; HRSEM, HRTEM, EDS, SAED, FTIR, TGA-DSC, UV-vis/diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, XRD, BET, and XPS. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was determined using methylene blue as a model pollutant under ultra-violet light irradiation. Secondly, the TiO2 photocatalyst and 2.4 % Ag doped TiO₂ nanocomposites obtained as optimums (in section 1) were combined with the DBD to decompose BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution. Moreover, the photo-Fenton process was applied for degradation of the model pollutants, and different dosages of stabilized nZVI (in the range of 0.02 -1.00 g) were added to the DBD system to induce the photo-Fenton process and improve BPA or 2-NP degradation efficiency. Finally, a jet loop reactor (JLR) presenting advanced mixing by the “impinging effect” was explored to decompose BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution as a function of inlet applied pressure, solution pH, and initial concentration of BPA or 2-NP. Subsequently, different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were added to the JLR to enhance the mineralization process. Furthermore, a combination of JLR with in-line UV light and H₂O₂ were further utilised to decompose BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution. The residual concentration of the model compounds and intermediates were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). The concentration of the ozone, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals generated by the DBD in the presence or absence of a catalyst was monitored using Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results revealed that the optimal thermal conditions to obtain well supported uniformly grown, highly active crystalline TiO₂ catalysts with high specific surface area was 350 ºC at a 3 h holding time in N2 atmosphere with a flow rate of 20 mL/min. Pyrolysis temperature and holding time played an important role on the crystalline nature and photocatalytic activity of the catalyst. Moreover, 2.4 % Ag doped TiO₂ nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation than the undoped supported TiO₂ nanocrystals. The results indicated that combining DBD with 2.4 % Ag doped TiO₂ nanocomposites achieved 89 % and 81 % removal efficiency for BPA or 2-NP compared to 67.22 % or 56.8 % obtain when using the DBD system alone. The 2.4 % Ag doped TiO₂ nanocomposites demonstrated excellent activity and offered photochemical stability after four repeated applications.In the case of the photo-Fenton induced process, nano zero valent iron particles (nZVI) stabilized with polyethylene glycol were synthesised using a modified borohydride reduction method. The HRSEM, BET, XRD, and XPS analysis confirmed the formation of filamentous, high surface area iron nanoparticles in the zero valent state. Unlike combined DBD/Ag doped TiO2 nanocomposites, 100 % or complete removal of BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution was achieved with DBD/nZVI system within 30 minutes compared to 67.9 % (BPA) or 56.8 % (2-NP) with DBD alone after 80 minutes. The removal efficiency was attributable to the production of an increased concentration of OH radicals as well as existence of a synergetic effect in the combined DBD/nZVI system. Five new transformation products namely: 4-nitrophenol (C₆H₅NO₃), 4-nitrosophenolate (C₆H₄NO₂), 4-(prop-1-en-2-yl) cyclohexa-3,5-diene-1,2-dione, (C₉H₈O₂), 4-(2- hydroxylpropan-2-yl)cyclohexane-3,5-diene-1,2-dione (C₉H₁₀O₃), and 1,2-dimethyl-4-(2- nitropropan-2-yl)benzene (C₉H₁₀NO₄) were identified during the degradation of BPA. While, three aromatic intermediate compounds such as 2-nitro-1,3,5-benzenetriolate (C₆H₂NO₅), 2- nitro-1,4-benzoquinone (C₆H₃NO₄), and 2,5-dihydroxyl-1,4-benzoquinone (C₆H₄O₄) respectively were identified during the degradation of 2-NP for the first time in the DBD with JT14 or JT17 using LC-MS. These intermediate compounds have never been reported in the literature, thereby expanding the number of BPA or 2-NP intermediates in the data base in the DBD/JT14 or DBD/nZVI system. BPA degradation proceeded via ozonation, hydroxylation, dimerization, and decarboxylation and nitration step, while 2-NP proceeded via hydroxylation, nitration and denitration respectively. Furthermore, maximum removal efficiency of BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution using JLR alone under the optimum solution pH (3), inlet pressure (4 bar), flow rate (0.0007 m3/s) was 14.0 % and 13.2 % respectively after 80 minutes. A removal efficiency of 34.9 % was recorded for BPA while 33.2 % was achieved for 2-NP using combined JLR/UV under the same conditions as JLR alone. For the combined JLR/H₂O₂ under optimum conditions of inlet pressure (4 bar), solution pH (3) and peroxide dosage (0.34 g/L), a 51.3 % and 50.1 % removal efficiency was achieved for BPA and 2-NP respectively under same conditions relative to JLR alone. Combination of JLR/UV/H₂O₂ achieved 77.7 % (BPA) or 76.6 % (2- NP) removal efficiency under the same conditions. The combined JLR/UV/H₂O₂ process was found to be most effective combination under the optimized operating parameters due to existence of a synergetic index value of 6.42 or 6.84. This implies that JLR should be coupled with UV and H₂O₂ to achieve greater mineralization efficiency instead of using the system individually. The obtained experimental data of these combined treatment processes fitted the pseudo-first order kinetic models. The combination of the JLR/UV/H₂O₂ was found to be energy efficient and could effectively degrade BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution to a greater extent than the JLR, JLR/UV or JLR/H₂O₂ system. However, the total organic carbon (TOC) reduction value by all combined DBD and JLR system recorded was not completely achieved due to the formation of recalcitrant intermediate compounds under the applied conditions. In conclusion, this study is reporting for the first time a combination of supported 2.4 % Ag doped TiO₂ nanocomposites with dielectric barrier discharge system for BPA/2-NP degradation in aqueous solution; a combination jet loop reactor based on impingement with in-line UV lamp and H2O2 for successfully decomposing BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution; as well as a combination of dielectric barrier discharge system and stabilised nano zero valent iron particles, which induced a photo-Fenton process for highly effective removal of BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solution. This study conclusively supports the hypothesis that combined advanced oxidation technologies offer a sustainable and highly efficient means of achieving partial or complete removal of BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solutions. Considering all the combinations of AOTs investigated in this study, the novel DBD/photo-Fenton-induced process under optimised operating parameters was found to be the most efficient in the elimination of BPA or 2-NP in aqueous solutions. The combination of DBD with photo- Fenton like process offers a promising advanced waste water purification technology in the immediate future. Based on these findings, it is recommended that DBD should be redesigned to prevent loss of ozone and JLR system reconfigured to increase impingement and cavitational yield in order to have an effective combination treatment strategy for waste water purification especially in large scale waste water management. / National Research Foundation (NRF) and Water Research Commission, South Africa

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第22467号 / 工博第4728号 / 新制||工||1738(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科分子工学専攻 / (主査)教授 田中 庸裕, 教授 江口 浩一, 教授 佐藤 啓文 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM