The goal of this project was to advance adhesion science and technology related to the Australian hardwood spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora). Plantation-grown spotted gum exhibits poor adhesion properties in comparison with similar woods, such as Gympie messmate (Eucalyptus cloeziana). To better understand adhesion differences between these two woods, this research compared and contrasted the surface chemistries of plantation-grown spotted gum and Gympie messmate with a particular focus on sensitivity to thermal deactivation. Wetting measurements were performed using the sessile drop method. Initial and equilibrium contact angles, time-dependent wetting, and surface energy were determined. Time-dependent wetting and equilibrium contact angles were most informative. Initial contact angles and surface energy calculated with them were misleading and often generated anomalous results. Heating water-saturated wood to mild surface temperatures (105 deg C, directly after evaporative cooling) severely deactivated spotted gum but not Gympie messmate. This suggests conventional kiln drying appears unsuitable for spotted gum while amenable for Gympie messmate. Spotted gum likely requires non-aqueous, low surface tension adhesives or aqueous adhesives formulated with surface active wetting agents. Water-saturation (followed by room-temperature vacuum drying) substantially altered the surface chemistries of both woods, making them more hydrophilic. Consequently, the question was raised of whether a water-spray onto the wood surface prior to adhesive application could improve bonding. If so, this simple, industrially-feasible treatment could prove very beneficial to the wood composites industry. Water-saturation also revealed differences in the two wood's water permeability, which has implications for adhesive penetration and wood drying and may additionally help explain adhesion differences. Analysis of the plantation-grown heartwood (inner, middle, and outer heartwood regions) revealed significant wetting differences on spotted gum with only minor differences on Gympie messmate. The Australian woods were compared to two North American woods-loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Examining water wetting measurements, the Australian and North American woods exhibited some interesting similarities. However, methylene iodide wetting measurements revealed that the Australian woods were quite different from the North American samples studied here. / Master of Science

Bacterial biofilm infection is a common (~ 2 to 4%) complication for recipients of surgically implanted medical devices. Due to the tremendous increase in antibiotic resistance when these bacteria enter the biofilm phenotype, present treatment requires explantation and replacement of the device, often with multiple surgeries and always with much longer patient recovery time. The specific objective of this study was to quantify the degree of biofilm deactivation from exposure to thermal shock for varying temperature and time durations. While extreme temperature (>150˚C) is routinely used to sterilize (e.g. autoclaves), such temperatures have a severe cost within the body. Despite extensive studies on thermal deactivation of bacteria in the planktonic phenotype over a wide range of temperatures (e.g., pasteurization protocols), surprisingly little is known about the thermal deactivation of biofilms except under extreme conditions. Here, the deactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms is reported. These biofilms were cultured at 37°C for 24 hours in a drip-flow reactor and subjected to heat shocks on the range of 50°C to 80°C for durations of 1 to 30 minutes. Heat shocks were delivered by immersion in thermostatted media for the prescribed time and the resulting concentration of colony forming units (CFU/mL) were quantified using direct enumeration. Up to 6.6 orders of magnitude reduction in CFU concentration was observed, indicating that thermal deactivation is a reasonable approach to biofilm mitigation. Integrating this approach with a magnetic nanoparticle implant coating will result in an innovative treatment for implant infections in situ without explantation or device replacement.

Em termos ambientais, os catalisadores automotivos se destacam pelos resultados altamente significativos alcançados após seu uso obrigatório em veículos leves. No entanto, as condições térmicas em que eles operam podem levar a um processo de perda de atividade significativa, após certo tempo de operação. Dentro desse contexto, este trabalho estudou o efeito da temperatura na desativação térmica de catalisadores automotivo modelo. Foram preparados catalisadores baseados em óxido misto de cério e zircônio na proporção 50% em mol de cério e zircônio (CZ). A partir dele foram produzidos os catalisadores Pd-CZ e Pd-CZ-LaAl. O catalisador Pd-CZ foi produzido pela impregnação do CZ com Pd na concentração de 0,5% m/m de CZ. O catalisador Pd-CZ-LaAl foi produzido a partir de uma mistura física do Pd-CZ com o suporte LaAl (alumina dopada com La na concentração de 1,9 % m/m de Al2O3), seguida de calcinação a 500˚C. Foram realizados envelhecimentos a 900C e 1200C em mufla com atmosfera oxidante por 12 e 36h. Os catalisadores foram caracterizados por um conjunto de técnicas físico-químicas. Foram realizadas análises de fisissorção de N2 para a medição da área específica e o estudo da evolução do diâmetro e volume de poros das amostras novas e envelhecidas. Análises de difração de raios X (DRX) foram feitas de forma a acompanhar possíveis transições de fases após o envelhecimento das amostras. Foi realizada análise química para validar a composição das amostras e ensaios de análise térmica para o catalisador CZ visando identificar a temperatura onde ocorre o fenômeno de segregação de fases. Realizaram-se ensaios de redução a temperatura programada (RTP) visando quantificar o consumo de hidrogênio e associá-lo à evolução da redutibilidade das amostras após o envelhecimento térmico. Finalmente, a avaliação catalítica foi realizada com base nas reações de oxidação do CO e do propano e de redução do NO pelo CO, através da obtenção de curvas de lightoff. As análises de DRX mostraram que o envelhecimento a 900C ocasionou alterações de fases da alumina, mas não foi verificada segregação de fases no CZ. Já a 1200C observou-se a referida segregação de fases, que coincide com a drástica queda na área específica das amostras, em alguns casos observando-se o colapso das propriedades texturais do catalisador. As análises de RTP mostraram que, em determinadas condições, o envelhecimento térmico promove a redutibilidade do sistema CZ e a introdução de Pd torna o catalisador mais facilmente redutível o que é evidenciado pelo deslocamento dos picos de redução para temperaturas mais baixas em comparação ao CZ puro. Os testes catalíticos mostraram que a introdução do Pd é um fator fundamental para a conversão do propano. Os catalisadores contendo Pd também converteram melhor o CO. Para os catalisadores envelhecidos a 1200C, o único resultado positivo foi no caso do Pd-CZ-LaAl que apesar deste tratamento térmico, ainda converteu o CO, propano e NO. Desta forma o catalisador Pd-CZ-LaAl apresentou resultados mais satisfatórios e isto evidencia que a mistura com LaAl melhora o desempenho e a estabilidade térmica do catalisador em altas temperaturas (acima de 300C). / The automotive catalyst has significantly contributed to environmental protection since its use in light vehicles became mandatory. However, it is constantly subjected to severe thermal conditions which may cause a significant decrease in catalytic activity. Thus, this work studied the effect of temperature in the thermal deactivation of model automotive catalysts. All the catalysts were prepared with cerium and zirconium mixed oxides containing 50 mol % of cerium and zirconium (CZ). The Pd-CZ and Pd-CZ-LaAl catalysts were prepared by impregnation of CZ with Pd to obtain 0.5% of the noble metal in the catalyst. The Pd-CZ-LaAl catalyst was prepared from a physical mixture of Pd-CZ and the LaAl support (alumina doped with 1,9 wt% of La), followed by calcination at 500C. The samples were subjected to aging at 900C and 1200C in oxidizing atmosphere for 12 and 36h. The catalysts were characterized by a set of physicochemical techniques. Analyses of N2 physisorption for the determination of the surface area and the study of the evolution of the pore volume and diameter for fresh and aged samples were carried out. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were done to follow possible phase transitions after aging. Chemical analysis was carried out to validate the composition of the samples. The CZ samples were subjected to thermal analysis to identify the temperature in which phase segregation occurs. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) experiments were carried out to quantify the amount of hydrogen necessary to the catalyst reduction and to associate it to the samples reducibility after thermal aging. Finally, catalytic evaluation was based on the lightoff curves obtained for CO and C3H8 oxidation and reduction of NO by CO. XRD analyses evidenced alumina phase transitions after aging at 900C, but not for CZ. However, after aging at 1200C, there was phase segregation, which is consistent with the drastic decrease in surface area. Some catalysts presented collapse of the textural properties. TPR analyses showed that, in determined conditions, thermal aging promotes the reduction of CZ system and the introduction of Pd promotes the catalyst reduction. This is evidenced by the shift of the reduction peaks to lower temperatures observed in PdCZ profiles compared to pure CZ profiles. Catalytic tests showed that Pd introduction is crucial for C3H8 conversion. Pd catalysts also achieved higher CO conversions. For the catalysts aged at 1200C, the only positive result was obtained with the Pd-CZ-LaAl catalyst, which still converted CO, C3H8 and NO. Thus, the Pd-CZ-LaAL catalysts presented the best results, indicating that the impregnation of Pd-CZ with LaAl improves the performance and the stability of the catalyst at high temperatures (above 300C).

Em termos ambientais, os catalisadores automotivos se destacam pelos resultados altamente significativos alcançados após seu uso obrigatório em veículos leves. No entanto, as condições térmicas em que eles operam podem levar a um processo de perda de atividade significativa, após certo tempo de operação. Dentro desse contexto, este trabalho estudou o efeito da temperatura na desativação térmica de catalisadores automotivo modelo. Foram preparados catalisadores baseados em óxido misto de cério e zircônio na proporção 50% em mol de cério e zircônio (CZ). A partir dele foram produzidos os catalisadores Pd-CZ e Pd-CZ-LaAl. O catalisador Pd-CZ foi produzido pela impregnação do CZ com Pd na concentração de 0,5% m/m de CZ. O catalisador Pd-CZ-LaAl foi produzido a partir de uma mistura física do Pd-CZ com o suporte LaAl (alumina dopada com La na concentração de 1,9 % m/m de Al2O3), seguida de calcinação a 500˚C. Foram realizados envelhecimentos a 900C e 1200C em mufla com atmosfera oxidante por 12 e 36h. Os catalisadores foram caracterizados por um conjunto de técnicas físico-químicas. Foram realizadas análises de fisissorção de N2 para a medição da área específica e o estudo da evolução do diâmetro e volume de poros das amostras novas e envelhecidas. Análises de difração de raios X (DRX) foram feitas de forma a acompanhar possíveis transições de fases após o envelhecimento das amostras. Foi realizada análise química para validar a composição das amostras e ensaios de análise térmica para o catalisador CZ visando identificar a temperatura onde ocorre o fenômeno de segregação de fases. Realizaram-se ensaios de redução a temperatura programada (RTP) visando quantificar o consumo de hidrogênio e associá-lo à evolução da redutibilidade das amostras após o envelhecimento térmico. Finalmente, a avaliação catalítica foi realizada com base nas reações de oxidação do CO e do propano e de redução do NO pelo CO, através da obtenção de curvas de lightoff. As análises de DRX mostraram que o envelhecimento a 900C ocasionou alterações de fases da alumina, mas não foi verificada segregação de fases no CZ. Já a 1200C observou-se a referida segregação de fases, que coincide com a drástica queda na área específica das amostras, em alguns casos observando-se o colapso das propriedades texturais do catalisador. As análises de RTP mostraram que, em determinadas condições, o envelhecimento térmico promove a redutibilidade do sistema CZ e a introdução de Pd torna o catalisador mais facilmente redutível o que é evidenciado pelo deslocamento dos picos de redução para temperaturas mais baixas em comparação ao CZ puro. Os testes catalíticos mostraram que a introdução do Pd é um fator fundamental para a conversão do propano. Os catalisadores contendo Pd também converteram melhor o CO. Para os catalisadores envelhecidos a 1200C, o único resultado positivo foi no caso do Pd-CZ-LaAl que apesar deste tratamento térmico, ainda converteu o CO, propano e NO. Desta forma o catalisador Pd-CZ-LaAl apresentou resultados mais satisfatórios e isto evidencia que a mistura com LaAl melhora o desempenho e a estabilidade térmica do catalisador em altas temperaturas (acima de 300C). / The automotive catalyst has significantly contributed to environmental protection since its use in light vehicles became mandatory. However, it is constantly subjected to severe thermal conditions which may cause a significant decrease in catalytic activity. Thus, this work studied the effect of temperature in the thermal deactivation of model automotive catalysts. All the catalysts were prepared with cerium and zirconium mixed oxides containing 50 mol % of cerium and zirconium (CZ). The Pd-CZ and Pd-CZ-LaAl catalysts were prepared by impregnation of CZ with Pd to obtain 0.5% of the noble metal in the catalyst. The Pd-CZ-LaAl catalyst was prepared from a physical mixture of Pd-CZ and the LaAl support (alumina doped with 1,9 wt% of La), followed by calcination at 500C. The samples were subjected to aging at 900C and 1200C in oxidizing atmosphere for 12 and 36h. The catalysts were characterized by a set of physicochemical techniques. Analyses of N2 physisorption for the determination of the surface area and the study of the evolution of the pore volume and diameter for fresh and aged samples were carried out. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were done to follow possible phase transitions after aging. Chemical analysis was carried out to validate the composition of the samples. The CZ samples were subjected to thermal analysis to identify the temperature in which phase segregation occurs. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) experiments were carried out to quantify the amount of hydrogen necessary to the catalyst reduction and to associate it to the samples reducibility after thermal aging. Finally, catalytic evaluation was based on the lightoff curves obtained for CO and C3H8 oxidation and reduction of NO by CO. XRD analyses evidenced alumina phase transitions after aging at 900C, but not for CZ. However, after aging at 1200C, there was phase segregation, which is consistent with the drastic decrease in surface area. Some catalysts presented collapse of the textural properties. TPR analyses showed that, in determined conditions, thermal aging promotes the reduction of CZ system and the introduction of Pd promotes the catalyst reduction. This is evidenced by the shift of the reduction peaks to lower temperatures observed in PdCZ profiles compared to pure CZ profiles. Catalytic tests showed that Pd introduction is crucial for C3H8 conversion. Pd catalysts also achieved higher CO conversions. For the catalysts aged at 1200C, the only positive result was obtained with the Pd-CZ-LaAl catalyst, which still converted CO, C3H8 and NO. Thus, the Pd-CZ-LaAL catalysts presented the best results, indicating that the impregnation of Pd-CZ with LaAl improves the performance and the stability of the catalyst at high temperatures (above 300C).