[pt] O hidrogênio apresenta-se como um potencial combustível alternativo em substituição aos combustíveis fósseis e, por essa razão, estudos e pesquisas sobre as rotas de produção e armazenamento desse recurso estão em voga no meio científico. Os métodos para obtenção de H2 são diversos, no entanto, nem todos os métodos são provenientes de fontes renováveis. Os ciclos termoquímicos de quebra da molécula da água são alternativas promissoras para a geração de H2. Neste contexto, o ciclo do enxofre-iodo é um dos ciclos em destaque, caracterizando-se por um processo em três etapas cuja terceira etapa é a etapa desafiadora do ciclo, onde ocorre a decomposição do ácido sulfúrico que exige um gasto energético elevado. A utilização de sulfatos metálicos associados a agentes redutores e aditivos em substituição ao ácido sulfúrico no ciclo enxofre-iodo tem sido estudada. Deste modo, o presente trabalho de pesquisa avaliou a decomposição térmica do sulfato de zinco monohidratado na presença dos agentes modificadores enxofre elementar, Pd-(gama)Al2O3, CeO2 e CeO2/ZnO que estimulam a transformação do trióxido de enxofre no respectivo dióxido. Além de um estudo termodinâmico do sistema reacional e análises térmicas via TG que indicaram uma mudança no comportamento da decomposição do sulfato na presença do agente redutor e dos aditivos, o trabalho previu a caracterização dos produtos reacionais indicando a presença do óxido de zinco e um estudo cinético dos sistemas na presença dos agentes mencionados, permitindo o cálculo das energias de ativação e dos parâmetros cinéticos. A apreciação termodinâmica indicou um aspecto favorável quanto a diminuição da temperatura de decomposição do sulfato de zinco assim como no que diz respeito à transformação de SO3 em SO2. Na presença de Pd-(gama)Al2O3 a temperatura final da decomposição do sulfato ocorreu 100 graus Celsius abaixo da temperatura habitual. A perda de massa total calculada para a decomposição do sulfato puro foi de 55 por cento. Nos estudos com a presença dos agentes as perdas de massa total calculadas foram 60 por cento, 54 por cento, 62 por cento, 57 por cento correspondentes ao sulfato de zinco na presença do enxofre elementar, Pd-(gama)Al2O3, CeO2 e CeO2/ZnO, respectivamente. / [en] Hydrogen presents itself as a potential alternative fuel to replace fossil fuels and, for this reason, studies and research on the production and storage routes of this resource are in vogue in the scientific community. The methods for obtaining H2 are diverse, however, not all methods are from renewable sources. The thermochemical cycles of splitting water are promising alternatives. In this context, the sulfur-iodine cycle is one of the highlighted cycles, characterized by a three-stage process whose third stage is the challenging stage of the cycle, where the decomposition of sulfuric acid occurs, which requires a high energy expenditure for formation selection of sulfur dioxide and oxygen. The use of metal sulfates associated with reducing agents and additives in substitution for sulfuric acid in the sulfur-iodine cycle has been studied. Thus, the present research work evaluated the thermal decomposition of zinc sulfate monohydrate in the presence of elemental sulfur modifying agents, Pd- (gamma)Al2O3, CeO2 and CeO2 / ZnO that stimulate the transformation of sulfur trioxide in the respective dioxide. In addition to a thermodynamic study of the reaction system and thermal analyzes via TGA that indicated a change in the sulphate decomposition behavior in the presence of the reducing agent and additives, the work predicted the characterization of the reaction products indicating the presence of zinc oxide and a study kinetics of the systems in the presence of the mentioned agents, allowing the calculation of activation energies and kinetic parameters. The thermodynamic assessment indicated a favorable aspect regarding the decrease in the decomposition temperature of zinc sulfate as well as with regard to the transformation of SO3 into SO2. In the presence of Pd-(gamma)Al2O3, the final temperature of the sulphate decomposition occurred 100 C degrees below the usual temperature. The total mass loss calculated for the decomposition of pure sulfate was 55 percent. In studies with the presence of agents, the calculated total mass losses were 60 percent, 54 percent, 62 percent, 57 percent corresponding to zinc sulfate in the presence of elemental sulfur, Pd-(gamma)Al2O3, CeO2 and CeO2 / ZnO, respectively.

Adding layered double hydroxides (LDHs) to polymer compounds has been shown to make them more resistant to corrosion and improve their physical and chemical properties. However, the main challenge lies in the compatibility between inorganic LDH fillers and organic polymer matrices. The incompatibility between these two is due to differences in polarity and surface properties, which makes dispersion of LDHs within the polymer very difficult, negatively affecting the final material's performance and characteristics. In this work, Zn-Al-NO3 LDH particles were synthesized through co-precipitation method and then modified by decavanadate via the anion exchange process. Then, a silane coupling agent was used to functionalize intercalated LDH particles to make them more hydrophobic; this helped the particles to disperse well inside epoxy coating, which ultimately resulted in better corrosion inhibition performance for the coating. The concentration effect of silane coupling agent on LDHs' surface grafting was also studied using various concentrations of 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES). Compositional and structural characterization study on revealed more insight into how the surface treatments worked. Finally, to modify LDHs, sodium dodecyl sulfate was inserted in LDH structure, then APTES molecules were grafted on the dodecyl sulfate intercalated LDHs' surface. These organic intercalation and grafting steps made LDHs more suitable with acrylic resin to form uniform composite mixture through solvent solution mixing. The thermal stability of acrylic coating improved by adding modified hybrid LDH fillers and elevation in decomposition temperature was confirmed using thermogravimetric analysis.

Compression of coated pellets is a practical alternative to capsule filling. The current practice is to add cushioning agents to minimize the stress on the coated pellets. Cushioning agents however add bulkiness and reduce the overall drug loading capacity. In this study, we investigated the performance of compressed coated pellets with no cushioning agent to evaluate the feasibility of predicting the coat behaviour using thermo-mechanical and rheological analysis techniques. Different coating formulations were made of ethyl cellulose (EC) as a coating polymer and two different kinds of additives were incorporated into the polymeric coating solution. Triethyl Citrate (TEC) and Polyethylene glycol 400(PEG400) were used as plasticizers at different levels to the coating formulations (10%, 20%, 30%). Thermal, mechanical and rheological measurements of the coating film formulations were achieved to investigate the effect of plasticizers. Thermal gravimetric analysis results (TGA) showed higher residual moisture content in films plasticised with PEG 400 compared to their TEC counterparts. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and Parallel Plate Shear Rheometer (PPSR) were used to study the influence of the level and type of plasticisers incorporated in coating film formulation on the performance of the coating film. In this study, both DSC and DMA were used to investigate the Tg for each film coating formulation in order to evaluate the effect of the additives. In general DMA results for the Tg value of the films were always higher by 10-20% than those measured by the DSC. Furthermore, clamp size and the frequency of the oscillation have an influence on the evaluation of Tg. Complex viscosity for different coating film formulations revealed that the shear hinning gradient changes with temperature and plasticiser type and concentration. The value of complex viscosity from DMA and PPSR exhibits power law behaviour. The rheological moduli were indirectly affected by the level of plasticiser. There was a discrepancy between the complex viscosity results obtained from both DMA and PPSR at similar temperature but they follow the same trend. The non plasticized polymer showed a 10 time higher complex viscosity values when measured by DMA over that measured by PPSR. The difference was smaller in plasticized films but it was not consistent. Therefore a consistent coefficient to correlate the DMA and PPSR couldn’t be accurately determined Coated pellets were compressed and key process parameters were evaluated. The obtained results revealed that the coating thickness has a significant effect on the release profile of the final products. It was found that by increasing the coating film thickness, the percentage released decreased. Also the compression force has lower influence on the drug release profile, while the dwell time has very low effect on the percentage release from the final products. Optimum release profile was obtained at a coating level of 5.5% w/w and a compression force of 4700N In conclusion, the elasticity of the plasticised EC films in this study meant that the internal stress is not dissipated during compression and the dwell time range that was used in this experiment. Increasing the thickness therefore was necessary to enhance the strength of the film and avoid cracking. The mechanical and rheological profiling was helpful therefore to understand the behaviour of the coated pellets and predict the film properties at various steps of the process of coating and compression (i.e., various shear rate regimes). Experimental design approach to studying the key process and formulation parameters helped identify the optimum values for the process.

No description available.

No description available.

Surface functionalised silica materials have been prepared, followed by the extensive testing of their ability to remove metal ions from aqueous solutions. Modifications include ligand attachment and polymer grafting from the silica surface whilst the metals tested range from first row transition metals right through to the lanthanides and actinides. Characterisation of the materials produced has been of paramount importance for the understanding of the modification process and this is also extensively discussed. Atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) has been used as the primary polymerisation method. Following polymerisation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), post functionalisation was attempted. However, this was found to cause severe cross-linking and all attempts to attach ligands to this failed. Nonetheless, this process was transferred to grafting from silica surfaces and a novel approach to the characterisation of this material was implemented. (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) was reacted with multiple forms of silica, primarily ZEOprep silica (average particle size 71.48 πm) and fumed silica (0.007 μm). This produced an amine coated surface to which 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide (BIBB) was attached, providing the required surface for radical polymerisation to proceed with a selected monomer. Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) has been utilised as the major characterisation technique for each step, leading to significant understanding of how this occurs. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and elemental analysis has supported this method at each stage whilst also enabling one to calculate the moles of APTES present, per gram of APTES-functionalised silica. For the ZEOprep silica this was calculated to be at up to 1.51 x 10-3 mol g-1 and for the fumed silica 1.63 x 10-3 mol g-1. As well as testing the selective nature of these materials, solutions of individual ions and radionuclides were used to measure the effectiveness of the materials for a specific ion. Rd values for these metals ions including solutions of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Cd2+, Eu(III) and [UO2]2+ have reached values ranging from 7.49 x 104 mL g-1 to as high as 2.17 x 109 mL g-1. These values are regarded as outstanding by other groups that have reported similar results and these are discussed in the report. This range includes values that were observed when competing Na+ and Ca2+ ions were present at 0.5 % and 1 % (w/w). pH testing was also investigated with the materials using a solution of europium ions to determine the most effective range and this was found to fall between pH 4 and 5. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) has been utilised to help gain an understanding of the binding between Cu(II) ions and APTES, suggesting that copper ions bind with oxygen atoms closer to the silica surface as well as the nitrogen atoms at the end of the ligand. Meanwhile STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) has been used to show how effectively the surface area of the material is used by imaging the europium ions over a sample of APTES-functionalised fumed silica. Ligands and polymers have been focussed on to build a catalogue of functional materials and this has been achieved in collaboration with PhosphonicS Ltd. The most significant finding from these selective investigations was that uranyl ions were found to be the most readily removed. Cu(II) and Eu(III) ions were also removed relatively effectively whilst Co(II), Ni(II), Zn2+ and Cd2+ proved the most challenging but certainly not impossible. [UO2]2+ concentrations were reduced from 17.1 ppm to 1.6 ppm after 4 weeks with use of the ligand SEA (2-aminoethyl sulfide ethyl silica), even with six other metal ions present at similar initial concentrations and a starting pH of 4.67 by adding just 50 mg of the material to a 45 mL solution.

Pour répondre aux problématiques d’usure précoce des pièces mécaniques causée par des pressions et températures élevées d’utilisation, des nanolubrifiants constitués de nanocarbones fluorés, connus pour leurs faibles coefficients de frottement et haute stabilité thermique ont été synthétisés. Pour améliorer ces propriétés, des précurseurs nanocarbonés de dimensionnalités différentes, et des procédés de synthèse gaz-solide variés ont été employés. Ainsi, une structure fermée comme les nanofibres de carbone NFCs (1D, tubulaire), ouverte comme le mélange nanodisques / nanocônes de carbone NDCs (majoritairement 2D, discotique) et intermédiaire avec les noirs de carbone graphitisés NCGs (0D, sphérique) ont été fluorés, d’une part avec le fluor moléculaire gazeux et d’autre part avec le fluor atomique produit par décomposition thermique d’un agent solide. Les mécanismes de fluoration / défluoration ont été proposés à l’aide de différentes techniques de caractérisation complémentaires (RMN du solide, MEB, MET, AFM, DRX) pour l’ensemble des matrices étudiées. Des matériaux présentant un gain de stabilité thermique de plusieurs dizaines de degrés comparativement aux matériaux fluorés de la littérature ont été élaborés, et une nouvelle méthode de synthèse dite « fluoration flash » a été mise au point pour étendre encore cette tenue en température. Les bonnes propriétés tribologiques de ces matériaux ont également été démontrées, notamment à 160°C et ceci quel que soit le mode de fluoration. Par la suite, des vernis à base de résines siliconées et chargés en nanofibres de carbone fluorées ont été formulés. Le revêtement composite présente une stabilité thermique supérieure à 400°C comme démontré par l’étude de son mécanisme de dégradation en température, notamment par couplage ATG-FTIR. D’un point de vue tribologique, les coefficients de frottement mesurés à température ambiante et 160°C sont inférieurs à 0,1 et les tribofilms obtenus ont été caractérisés par analyse MEB et EDX. / To address some issues to premature wear caused by high pressures and temperatures used on aircraft parts, nanolubricants made of fluorinated nanocarbons were synthesized. They are known for their low friction coefficients and high thermal stability in air. To improve these properties, carbonaceous nanomaterial precursors with different dimensionalities, and various gaz-solid synthesis methods were investigated. Thus, a closed structure such as carbon nanofibres (1D, tubular), opened such as carbon nanodiscs/nanocones (2D in majority, discotic) and intermediate with graphitized carbon blacks(0D, spherical) were fluorinated, firstly with molecular fluorine gas, and secondly with atomic fluorine released by the thermal decomposition of a solid fluorinating agent. Mechanisms of fluorination/defluorination were proposed thanks to complementary characterization techniques (solid NMR, SEM, TEM, AFM, XRD) for all the studied compounds. Materials with a gain of thermal stability of several tens of degrees compared to fluorinated materials of the litterature were prepared, and a new synthesis way called “flash fluorination” has been developed to further expand the thermal stability in air. Good tribological properties of these materials have been also demonstrated, including high temperature (160°C) regardless of the fluorination method. Then, polysiloxane resins loaded with fluorinated carbon nanofibres were formulated. The composite coatings exhibit thermal stability above 400°C as demonstrated by the study of the degradation mechanism as a function of the temperature, in particular by coupling TGA-FTIR. From a tribological point of view, friction coefficients measured at room temperature and 160°C are below 0.1 and the tribofilms obtained were characterized by SEM and EDX analysis.

Dans cette thèse les résultats dans le domaine de la synthèse des dérivée des TADDOL et leur capacité d’induction chirale sont présentés. Une librairie des TADDOLs a été synthétisée et une analyse conformationnelle par VCD a été faite. Ces composés enantiopurs ont été testés dans la réaction de cyanosilylation enantioselective en donnant des résultats moyens. En partant de TADDOL nous avons synthétisé des dérivée phosphorés, des amines et des (thio)urées. Les dérivés de P(III) ont été utilisés comme ligands pour le palladium dans l’alkylation allylique asymétrique et les amines dans le réarrangement des époxydes meso. Les (thio)urées ont été testées pour leur capacité de complexation des anions carboxylates. / In this thesis are presented the results in the field of synthesis of TADDOL derivatives and their chiral induction capacity. A family of TADDOLs was synthesized and a conformational analysis was performed by VCD. These enantipure compounds were tested in enantioselective cyanosilylation reactions obtaining moderate results. Starting from TADDOL we obtained phosphorus derivatives, amines and (thio)ureas. The P(III) derivatives were tested as ligands for palladium in asymmetric allylic alkylation and the amines in the rearrangement of meso-epoxides. The (thio)ureas were screened for complexation capacity for carboxylate anions.

Este trabalho apresenta o estudo de um sistema polimérico bi-componente formado por Poli(Ácido carboxílico)-Poli(Eter-poliol), constituído primariamente de um polímero acrílico polimerizado pelo processo de polimerização em solução aquosa por mecanismo de radicais livres ao qual foi adicionado seqüencialmente, um Poli(Eter-poliol), ambos de baixo peso molecular médio. Tal sistema tem por finalidade atuar como dispersante-ligante em sistema cerâmico à base de caulim CADAM, uma vez que este sistema apresenta propriedades termoplásticas e termorrígidas a diferentes temperaturas. Foram sintetizados 03 protótipos de um sistema polimérico e o critério para escolha teve como base o pH do sistema em sentido generalizado, isto é, compreendendo as diversas fases de preparação dos polímeros e sua aplicação final. É do conhecimento comum que a reação de esterificação entre grupos COOHOH requer catálise ácida para ocorrer, o qual usualmente é realizada em pH abaixo de 4 e, neste ensaio, este pH ácido é devido à presença de ácido para-toluenosulfônico, que atua como catalisador de esterificação. Em tal intervalo de pH, em virtude do ponto isoelétrico do caulim ser comumentemente abaixo de 4, a estabilização da dispersão de caulim por repulsão eletrostática utilizando polímeros sintéticos é improvável de ocorrer, razão pela qual buscou-se mecanismos alternativos para obtenção de uma tal estabilização, entre os quais o mecanismo estérico surge como opção. O sistema polimérico do presente estudo apresenta-se na forma de uma solução aquosa sendo, de fato, uma mistura homogênea de um copolímero de ácido acrílico, N- metiloacrilamida e metacrilato de metoxipolietileno glicol e um poli(eter-poliol). O poli(eter-poliol) e N-metilolacrilamida presentes no sistema polimérico são principais fontes de grupo hidroxila para reação de poliesterificação e formação de ligações cruzadas à temperatura de 150 a 200 °C. No estado termoplástico o sistema polimérico produzido pela mistura poli(ácido carboxílico)-poli(eter-poliol) pode ser utilizado como dispersante de argilas com especial fóco sobre caulim como tratado neste trabalho. A propriedade dispersante pode ser atribuida à presença de grupos carboxílicos e metoxipolietilenoglicol aleatoriamente distribuídos ao longo da cadeia polimérica e, também, ao baixo peso molecular médio. A temperaturas entre 150 a 200 °C, o polímero é reticulado (crosslinked) por reação de poliesterificação, catalisada por ácido, entre grupos carboxila e grupos hidroxila, sendo as hidroxilas provenientes tanto de poliol como de N-metilolacrilamida (NMAM). Assim, do ponto de vista térmico comporta-se como termorrígido, sendo nesta condição insolúvel em água e adequado atuar como ligante na manufatura de materiais cerâmicos. Medidas de mobilidade eletroforética e viscosidade são aplicadas à caracterização de caulim e do sistema polimérico a fim de avaliar a potencialidade de aplicação como dispersante desta argila. Também, as transições dos estados termoplásticos para termorrigidos foram determinadas por análise termogravimétrica (TG) e análise dinâmico mecânica (DMA) nos polímeros isoladamente e depois com medidas de resistência mecânica do sistema caulim/polímero. O sistema apresentou comportamento dispersante em água e ligante após cura. Um sistema polimérico assim sintetizado foi propriamente curado por calor tornando- se, na forma termorrígida, um ligante para peças cerâmicas com propriedades mecânicas de alto desempenho, como resistência a flexão no estado cru (green strenght). / This work presents the study of a polymeric bi-component system made from Poly(carboxylic acid)-Poly(ether-polyol) primarily constituted of an acrylic acid polymerized through the process of aqueous solution polymerization by free radical mechanism, to which a poly(ether-polyol) has been sequentially added, both of them of low average molecular weight. Such a system has the aim to act as dispersing-binding balance on CADAM kaolin targeting to evaluate the applicability potential or the preparation of ceramic bodies as this polymeric system presents thermoplastic and thermosetting properties at different temperatures. Were made the synthesis of 03 polymeric system prototypes which criteria for choice was based on pH of the system at whole sense, that is, regarding the several steps for polymers preparation and its final application. It is knowledge that esterification reaction between COOH-OH groups requires acid catalyst to occur, which usually is done at pH below 4 and, in this work this pH is due to p-toluene sulfonic acid that act as esterification catalyst. In this range of pH, due to the isoeletric point of kaolin to be below 4 the electrostatic stabilization of dispersion is unlikely to occur, from which reason was looked for an alternative mechanism to achieve the dispersion stabilization, among them the steric mechanism arises an option. The polymeric system of this study is the form of an aqueous solution, which actually is a homogeneous blend of a copolymer of acrylic acid, N-Methylolacrylamide Methoxypolyethyleneglycol Methacrylate (MPEGMA) and Poly(ether-polyol). The Poly(etherpolyol) and the N-Methylolacrylamide presents at the polymeric system are the main sources of hydroxyl groups to enhance the polyesterification reaction for further crosslinking at temperatures from 160 to 200 °C. At the thermoplastic state the polymeric system made by Poly(carboxilic acid)poly(ether-polyol) macromolecules may be used as clay dispersant focusing on kaolin for this work. The dispersant property may be attributed to the carboxylic and methoxypolyethyleneglycol group randomly distributed along the polymeric chain backbone and, also to the low average molecular weight. At temperatures between 150 to 200 °C, the polymer is crosslinked by polyesterification reaction catalized by acid between carboxyl groups and hydroxyl groups, in such way that hydroxyls groups comes both from the polyol base polymer and NMethylolacrylamide (NMAM) present at first polymer backbone. Thus, through a thermal standpoint it behaves as thermoset being that, under this condition, water insoluble and adequate to act as binder for manufacturing of ceramic materials. Electrophoretic mobility and viscosity measurements were applied for the characterization of kaolin and the polymeric system targeting to the evaluation its potential application as a dispersant for this clay. Also, the transitions from the thermoplastic to the thermoset state have been determined by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TG) and dynamicmechanical analysis (DMA) for the Poly(carboxylc acid)poly(ether-polyol) polymers alone and further by mechanical resistance measurements for a clay-polymer system. The system has presented both dispersant behavior on aqueous media and binder just afterward cure. A polymeric system thus synthesized was properly cured by heat turning and then, at the thermoset state, become suitable for act as a binder for ceramic bodies with high performance mechanical properties measured as flexural resistance at green strength.

Thermo-stabilized lignin fibers from pH-fractionated softwood kraft lignin were carbonized to various temperatures during thermomechanical analysis (TMA) under static and increasing load and different rates of heating. The aim was to optimize the carbonization process to obtain suitable carbon fiber material with good mechanical strength potential (high tensile strength and high E-modulus). The carbon fibers were therefore mainly evaluated of mechanical strength in Dia-Stron uniaxial tensile testing. In addition, chemical composition, in terms of functional groups, and elemental (atomic) composition was studied in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and in energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The structure of carbon fibers was imaged in scanning electron microscope (SEM) and light microscopy. Thermogravimetrical analysis was performed on thermo-stabilized lignin fibers to evaluate the loss of mass and to calculate the stress-changes and diameter-changes that occur during carbonization. The TMA-analysis of the deformation showed, for thermo-stabilized lignin fibers, a characteristic behavior of contraction during carbonization. Carbonization temperatures above 1000°C seemed most efficient in terms of E-modulus and tensile strength whereas rate of heating did not matter considerably. The E-modulus for the fibers was improved significantly by slowly increasing the load during the carbonization. The tensile strength remained however unchanged. The FTIR-analysis indicated that many functional groups, mainly oxygen containing, dissociate from the lignin polymers during carbonization. The EDS supported this by showing that the oxygen content decreased. Accordingly, the relative carbon content increased passively to around 90% at 1000°C. Aromatic structures in the carbon fibers are thought to contribute to the mechanical strength and are likely formed during the carbonization. However, the FTIR result showed no evident signs that aromatic structures had been formed, possible due to some difficulties with the KBr-method. In the SEM and light microscopy imaging one could observe that porous formations on the surface of the fibers increased as the temperature increased in the carbonization. These formations may have affected the mechanical strength of the carbon fibers, mainly tensile strength. The carbonization process was optimized in the sense that any heating rate can be used. No restriction in production speed exists. The carbonization should be run to at least 1000°C to achieve maximum mechanical strength, both in E-modulus and tensile strength. To improve the E-modulus further, a slowly increasing load can be applied to the lignin fibers during carbonization. The earlier the force is applied, to counteract the lignin fiber contraction that occurs (namely around 300°C), the better. However, in terms of mechanical performance, the lignin carbon fibers are still far from practical use in the industry.