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A sol-gel stationary phase was developed for in-situ infrared (IR) detection of analytes on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates. These sol-gel-based TLC plates have improved optical properties compared with conventional TLC plates in IR spectroscopic analysis. Samples can be analyzed in transmission geometry, requiring no special attachments. The sol-gel-based TLC plates demonstrate significantly better light throughput and a wider spectral range than conventional TLC plates analyzed in diffuse reflectance geometries.The sol-gel precursor, methyltrimethoxyorthosilicate (MTES), was templated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and urea in order to form a porous sol-gel. Aerosol deposition was used to apply the sol-gel solution onto either glass slides or silicon wafers within an enclosed chamber. Many variables were studied to determine their effect on the quality of the sol-gel stationary phases, including the ratio of MTES:methanol:water:CTAB:urea:HCl:, gelation times and temperatures, and deposition rate. Sol-gel films prepared using MTES/methanol/water/CTAB at ratios of 1 : 20 : 7 : 0.2 containing 5 wt% urea (relative to MTES) and pH 1.5 were crack-free, mechanically stable, and uniform in appearance. The films were tens of microns thick with a highly interconnected porous structure.For chromatographic separations, the films exhibited good solvent migration velocity and could be repeatedly washed and reused for TLC separations without showing degradation in the separation. Several different classes of compounds, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons and dyes, were successfully separated. Theoretical plate values measured on the MTES-based sol-gel films were comparable to those obtained on commercially available TLC plates.

Titanium dioxide is a well-studied and popular photocatalyst, but a number of factors still prevent its widespread use in a number of commercial applications. In this thesis we explored the synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles via the sol-gel method, with the goal of creating a viable catalyst for the visible-light degradation of wastewater dyes. A number of different synthetic pathways were explored and developed, and the products categorised with respect to nanoparticle size, shape and crystallinity as well as electronic and photocatalytic properties.

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Atlikta istorinių kobalto pigmentų analogų Rentgeno spindulių difrakcinė analizė parodė, kad metodas efektyvus, nustatant kobalto šviesiai violetinį CoNH4PO4•H2O, kobalto mėlynąjį šviesų, ceruleumą ir kobalto žalsvai mėlyną CoO·ZnO, jų švino glazūrose, bet netinka aureolino [K3(Co(NO2)6]•3H2O, kobalto tamsiai violetinio Co3(PO4)2, kobalto mėlynojo tamsus, kobalto melsvai žalio ir smaltos CoO•nSiO2 nustatymui. IR spektroskopiniai tyrimai parodė, kad šis metodas efektyvus, kokybiškai nustatant neoksidinius kobalto pigmentus aureoliną, kobalto šviesiai violetinį, kobalto tamsiai violetinį jų švino glazūrose. Paprastu nusodinimo metodu susintetintas kobalto pigmentas violetinis šviesusis CoNH4PO4, pasižymintis analogiškomis fizikinėmis savybėmis, kaip ir komercinis Kremer Pigmente pigmentas. Sukurtas naujas, patogus ir pakankamai tikslus IR spektroskopinis SiO2 kiekio CoO ir SiO2 mišiniuose (ribose tarp 9,1-50 mol%) ir kobalto pigmente smaltoje CoO×nSiO2 (ribose tarp 20 iki 50 mol%) nustatymo metodas. Zolių-gelių metodu susintetinti ir visapusiškai ištirti nauji kobalto pigmentai: špinelio struktūros kobalto aliuminatas CoAl2O4 ir chromatas CoCr2O4 bei kobalto, aliuminio ir neodimio oksidų mišiniai (CoAl1,75Nd0,25O4, CoAl1,5Nd0,5O4, CoAlNdO4), pasižymintys spalvinėmis keraminių pigmentų savybėmis. Pirmą kartą zolių-gelių metodu susintetinti ir visapusiškai ištirti nauji kobalto pigmentai: vienfazis perovskito struktūros neodimio kobaltatas NdCoO3, mišrūs perovskitiniai neodimio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy have been used for the characterization of cobalt-based pigments (Kremer Pigmente) and their lead-based glazes. It was also demonstrated that XRD analysis could be successfully used for the identification of cobalt pigments cobalt violet brilliant light CoNH4PO4•H2O, cobalt blue light, cerulean blue, cobalt green bluish CoO·ZnO in their glazes. However, only non-oxide cobalt pigments cobalt yellow [K3(Co(NO2)6]•3H2O, cobalt violet brilliant light and cobalt violet dark Co3(PO4)2 could be determined in their glazes using IR spectroscopy. The similarity of all SEM images of cobalt-based glazes let us to conclude, that the main morphological features of glazes are not dependent on the nature of cobalt pigment. The single phase cobalt violet light brilliant pigment has been synthesized using a simple co-precipitation approach. The characteristics of the obtained product were compared with those of a commercial sample purchased from Kremer Pigmente. For the first time to our knowledge, it was demonstrated that the characteristic Si-O absorption band at 812 cm-1 could be successfully used as indicator in the evaluation of molar ratio of CoO and SiO2 in their mixture. The novel method for the determination of SiO2 in physical mixtures of CoO ir SiO2 (in the range 9,1-50 %) or blue cobalt smalt pigment (CoO×nSiO2) (in the range 20-50 %) by FTIR spectroscopy is suggested. New cobalt-based... [to full text]

Master of Science / Department of Chemistry / Christopher T. Culbertson / The field of microfluidic devices has being developed quickly. It is aimed at integration of many chemical functions in a single chip, such as sample pretreatment, preconcentration, separation and detection, which provides a number of advantages including simplicity, automation, reduced analysis time, decrease in amount of samples and reduced formation of waste. Its potential applications have been conducted in the fields such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, public health, agriculture and related areas. Membrane technology has been applied in analytical chemistry for many years and has won substantial growth in microfluidics over the past 10 years. Membrane is used to control transfer of some kinds of species, which can be employed for sample concentration, sample preparation, sample filtration and microreactors and so on. Sol-gel process, which usually involves catalytic hydrolysis of sol-gel precursor(s) and catalytic polycondensation of the hydrolyzed products and other sol-gel-active components present in the reaction medium to form a macromolecular network structure, is one of the most suitable methods for membrane fabrication. In this work, titanium membrane was fabricated inside glass microchips using the precursor of titanium isopropoxide. The resulted membranes demonstrated the excellent preconcentration effect. Followed separation and detection were also achieved. CE has been highly accepted as an efficient separation technique for qualitative and quantitative determination, which is performed using a narrow-bore capillary tube. It offers advantages of simplicity, high resolution separation, and minimal cost in terms of analysis time and sample consumption. In this work, protein separations were carried out by CE. Laser-induced fluorescence was used as detection. On-column fluorescence labeling using a fluorogenic labeling reagent was made. Under suitable experimental conditions, an excellent separation performance with about 1.4 million theoretical plate numbers was achieved.

Le bitume, fraction la plus lourde du pétrole brut, sert de liant de granulats dans la fabrication de revêtements routiers. Ce matériau complexe est particulièrement difficile à manipuler et à transporter du fait de sa viscosité très élevée à température ambiante. L’objectif de cette thèse a été de fabriquer une nouvelle classe de matériau, de la poudre de bitume, en couplant l’émulsification et la chimie sol-gel. En effet, des capsules organo-minérales composées d’un cœur de bitume et d’une écorce de silice ont été synthétisées à partir de deux types d’émulsions, les émulsions de Pickering ainsi que les émulsions dites « classiques »stabilisées par des tensioactifs et minéralisées par deux précurseurs de silice, un amorceur moléculaire pur, le TEOS, et une solution de silicate de sodium. Ce nouveau bitume, facilement manipulable, peut être stocké dans des conditions sévères de pression et de température et libère son cœur de bitume par association d’une action thermique et mécanique afin d’assurer ses fonctions d’enrobage. De plus, une étude du comportement interfacial bitume-phase aqueuse a été réalisée afin de proposer des hypothèses pour expliquer la stabilité fragile des émulsions de bitume que nous avons pu observer. / Bitumen, the heaviest fraction of crude oil plays the role of aggregate binder in road manufacturing. This complex material is very difficult to handle and transport due to its very high viscosity at room temperature. The aim of this PhD thesis was to elaborate a new class of material, bitumen powder, by coupling emulsion science and sol-gel chemistry. Indeed organo-mineral capsules made of a bitumen core anda silica shell have been synthesized from two types of emulsions: Pickering emulsions and "classical" emulsions i.e. surfactant-stabilized emulsions and using two silica precursors: the TEOS molecular initiator and sodium silicate solution. This new bitumen is easy to handle, can be stored in drastic pressure and temperature conditions while releasing the bitumen core under combination of heat and mechanical stirring to ensure aggregate coating. In addition a bitumen-water interface study has been performed in order to propose some hypotheses to explain the observed fragile stability of bitumen emulsions.

No description available.

The recent increased availability of additional wavelengths in the telecommunications window of about 1300-1600 nm has generated an interest in new optical materials and devices that can operate outside the normally used regions of 840 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm. Specifically, methods to amplify fiber optical data transmission in the regions where there is limited or no existing methods to achieve amplification is of interest in the chemistry and photonic communities. Raman gain is one method that has been proposed to passively amplify optical data transmission through a distributed process. Amplification is obtained through a nonlinear light scattering process where an optical wave is amplified at the expense of a higher frequency pump wave. Multiple wavelengths can be evenly amplified simultaneously in a desired region by specific selection of one or more pump wavelengths. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of new hybrid inorganic/organic sol-gels and monomers capable of producing broad wavelength Raman scattering over a spectral range of 1200-1670 nm are presented. The synthetic methodology developed facilitates the systematic approach to produce sol-gel derivatives with functional groups known to be strongly Raman scattering. Additionally, a method to synthesize and characterize a large number of different compounds using a combinatorial approach was demonstrated. Thio based derivatives of sulfonyldiphenol, isopropylidenediphenol, and triallyloxy triazine were synthesized in addition to thio derivatives of poly(hydroxystyrene). Micro-Raman spectra of the hybrid sol-gels, thiobased derivatives, and IR spectra of select sol-gel monomers were obtained.

La pile à combustible est une solution d'avenir pour produire de l'électricité propre. Cependant des problèmes technologiques limitent pour le moment un déploiement à grande échelle. C’est au cœur de pile et plus particulièrement de la membrane conductrice ionique séparant l’anode et la cathode, que certaines difficultés se posent. Nous pouvons ainsi citer l’impossibilité d’améliorer l’efficacité du catalyseur et le rendement du dispositif en augmentant simplement la température de fonctionnement (100 - 120°C). En effet, la membrane de référence (Nafion) perd ses propriétés thermomécaniques au-delà de 80°C, alors que les membranes alternatives (offrant une meilleure stabilité thermomécanique) sont victimes d’un vieillissement chimique trop rapide qui induit un arrêt inopiné du dispositif. Pour lever ce verrou technologique, nous proposons une nouvelle stratégie qui repose sur le développement de membranes nano-composites constituées d'une matrice ionomère commerciale (non réticulée) dans laquelle nous introduirons des précurseurs aptes à former une phase sol-gel offrant une stabilisation chimique et thermomécanique (réticulée). C'est le contrôle de la chimie de ce réseau, de sa morphologie et de sa localisation dans la membrane hôte qui permettra l'amélioration des propriétés de la membrane hybride ainsi obtenue.Nous avons réalisé une analyse minutieuse de l'effet d’un traitement hydrothermique sur la microstructure des membranes sPEEK. Grâce à cette analyse nous pouvons relier la microstructure avec les propriétés fonctionnelles de l’ionomère pour obtenir des membranes sPEEK mieux nanostructurées et donc plus performantes. Le procédé sol-gel permet la croissance de la phase sol-gel sans perturbation de la nanostructuration initiale de l'ionomère. Cette stratégie permet donc de contrôler la distribution et la morphologie de la phase inorganique.Le processus d'élaboration des membranes hybrides a été étudié. Nous avons étudié l'influence des paramètres de fabrication sur les propriétés des membranes hybrides, et ainsi pu produire des membranes hybrides optimisées. Les propriétés physiques et chimiques de ces membranes ont été évaluées par de nombreuses techniques (SANS, IR, DMA, etc.). L'influence de la structure chimique (degré de réticulation) du réseau sol-gel des membranes hybrides et l'impact de la teneur en sol-gel et de sa distribution (morphologie) dans la membrane hôte sur les propriétés fonctionnelles sont présentés. Nous observons une grande influence du dégrée de réticulation et de la quantité de sol-gel présent dans la membrane qui conditionne les propriétés fonctionnelles de la membrane. / Fuel cell is a promising solution for clean production of hydrogen based energy. However to achieve a large-scale deployment of this technology, issues remain to be addressed. One of the remaining problems concerns the heart of the cell (polymer membrane sandwiched between two electrodes). We can stress the fact that it is impossible to improve the catalyst efficiency and the cell performance by a simple increase of the operating temperature (100-120 °C). Indeed the reference membrane (Nafion) exhibit a step decrease of its thermomechanical properties beyond 80 °C, whereas alternative membranes (with a better thermomechanical stability) are victims of a much faster chemical aging resulting into unexpected failure of the device.Our main objective is to develop novel hybrid membranes consisting of a commercial ionomer matrix in which we will introduce precursors capable to form a sol-gel phase. It will result on membrane composed of two interpenetrating phases, an ion conductive non-crosslinked polymer phase and a crosslinked inorganic phase providing chemical and thermomechanical stabilization. The control of the chemistry of this sol-gel phase, its morphology and its location in the membrane, which will improve the membrane properties, are essential to consider the development of these membranes for fuel cells.A careful analysis of the hydrothermal treatment effect on the microstructure of sPEEK membranes has been performed. Thanks to this analyse we can relate the microstructure with the functional properties of the polymer. The sol-gel process enables the growth of the sol-gel phase without disturbance of the initial nanostructured membrane. This strategy makes possible to control the distribution and morphology of the inorganic phase.The elaboration process of hybrid membrane has been studied. We presented the influence of elaboration parameters regarding the best conditions to prepare an optimized hybrid membrane. The physical and chemical properties of the inorganic phase were evaluated by many techniques (SANS, IR, DMA, etc.). The influence of the chemical structure (cross-linking degree) of the sol-gel network andthe impact of the sol-gel content and its distribution (morphology) into the host membrane on their functional properties is presented. We observed the great influence of cross-linking degree and of the amount of sol-gel present in the membrane which determines the functional properties of the membrane.