La présence de bactéries et biofilms est une préoccupation permanente dans de nombreux domaines. Ils sont à l’origine de nombreux faits d’actualité qui ont un coût important pour le système de santé. L’objectif de notre travail visait à élaborer des films nanocomposite transparents contenant des particules métalliques nanométriques d'élément antibactérien (Ag ou Cu) immergées dans une matrice d’oxyde (TiO₂). La méthode de dépôt DLI-MOCVD (Direct Liquid Injection-Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) a été employée pour élaborer les films composites. Ce procédé permet le contrôle de la fraction molaire des précurseurs injectés dans le réacteur CVD et de revêtir des supports 3D (poreux). La croissance et la structure du dioxyde de titane (TiO₂) sont influencées par la présence du précurseur contenant l’élément antibactérien. La fraction molaire du précurseur (Ag ou Cu) modifie les caractéristiques physico chimiques et structurales des dépôts. L'activité antibactérienne est mesurée selon la norme JIS Z 2801:2000 avec S. aureus et E. coli en l’absence de lumière. Des essais antibactériens spécifiques ont été optimisés afin d'évaluer leur activité proche de condition réelle. La composition des dépôts influence fortement l’activité antibactérienne d’inactif à bactéricide. Des corrélations entre la microstructure et la composition des films et leurs propriétés antibactériennes sont discutées. / The presence of bacteria and biofilms is permanent concern in many fields. Their presences are at the origin of many events which have high costs for the health system. In this objective, this work aimed to elaborate transparent nanocomposite thin films which are composed of nanometric metallic particles of antibacterial element (Ag or Cu) embedded in an oxide matrix (TiO₂). The DLI-MOCVD process (Direct Liquid Injection-Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition) was used to elaborate these thin films. This process allows the quantity of precursors injected into the CVD reactor to be controlled and porous body to be coated. The growth mechanisms and the structure of the Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) are influenced by the presence of the organic precursor which contains the antibacterial element. The mole fraction of precursor (Ag or Cu) modifies the physico-chemical and structural properties of films. The antibacterial activity was tested according to the standard JIS Z 2801: 2000 with S. aureus and E. coli without light Specific tests were optimised in order to evaluate their activity in environments more representative. The composition of coatings impacts strongly the antibacterial activities from inactive to bactericidal properties. Correlations between the microstructure and composition of films and their antibacterial properties are discussed.

Trace amounts of carbon monoxide, typically as low as 10 ppm CO, have a deleterious effect on the activation overpotential losses in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. This is because CO preferentially adsorbs on the Pt electrocatalyst at the anode at typical PEM fuel cell operating temperatures, thereby preventing the absorption and ionisation of hydrogen. The inability of current preferential oxidation steps to completely remove CO from hydrogen-rich gas streams has stimulated research into CO tolerant anodes. As opposed to other CO oxidation catalysts, metal oxide supported gold catalysts have been shown to be active for the afore mentioned reaction at low temperatures, making it ideal for the 80°C operating temperatures of PEM fuel cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the viability of incorporating titanium dioxide supported gold (Au/TiO2) catalysts inside a PEM fuel cell system to remove CO to levels low enough to prevent poisoning of the Pt-containing anode. Two distinct methods were investigated. In the first method, the incorporation of the said Au/TiO2 catalyst inside the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a PEM fuel cell for the selective/preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide in hydrogen-rich gas fuels, facilitated by the injection of an air bleed stream, was investigated. It was important for this study to simulate typical fuel cell operating conditions in an external CO oxidation test rig. Factors such as gold loading, oxygen concentration, temperature, pressure, membrane electrode assembly constituents, water formation, and selectivity in hydrogen-rich gas streams, were investigated. The Au/TiO2 catalysts were prepared via deposition-precipitation, a preparation procedure proven to yield nano-sized gold particles, suggested in literature as being crucial for activity on the metal oxide support. The most active catalysts were incorporated into the MEA and its performance tested in a single cell PEM fuel cell. The catalysts proved to yield exceptional activity for all test conditions inside the CO oxidation test rig. However, no significant improvement in CO tolerance was observed when these catalysts were incorporated into the MEA. It was concluded that the thin bilayer configuration resulted in mass transfer and contact time limitations between the catalysts and the simulated reformate gas mixture. Other factors highlighted as possible causes of deactivation included the deleterious effect of the acidic environment in the fuel cell, the formation of liquid water on the catalyst’s surface, and the adverse effect of the organic MEA constituents during the MEA production procedure. The second method investigated was the incorporation of the Au/TiO2 catalyst in an isolated catalyst chamber in the hydrogen feed line to the fuel cell, between the CO contaminated hydrogen gas cylinder and the anode humidifier. Test work in a CO oxidation test rig indicated that with this configuration, the Au/TiO2 catalysts were able to remove CO from concentrations of 2000 ppm to less that 1.3 ppm at a space velocity (SV) of 850 000 ml.gcat -1.h-1 while introducing a 2 per cent air bleed stream. Incorporation of this Au/TiO2 preferential oxidation system into a Johnson Matthey single cell PEM fuel cell test station prevented any measurable CO poisoning when 100 and/or 1000 ppm CO, 2 per cent air in hydrogen was introduced to a 0.39 mg Pt.cm-2 Pt/C anode. These results were superior compared to other state of the art CO tolerance technologies. An economic viability study indicated that the former can be achieved at a cost of gold equal to 0.8 per cent of the USDoE target cost of $45/kW. This concept might allow fuel cells to operate on less pure hydrogen-rich gas, e.g. from H2 that would be stored in a fuel tank/cylinder but that would have some CO contamination and would essentially be dry. The use of less pure H2 should allow a cost incentive to the end user in that less pure H2 can be produced at a significantly lower cost.

L’objectif de cette étude consiste à synthétiser et caractériser de nouveaux matériaux hybrides organique/inorganique obtenus par greffage de poly(méthacrylate)s d’alkyle sur des nanoparticules de dioxyde de titane (TiO2) et d'oxyde de zinc (ZnO). Afin de mieux comprendre les facteurs influents les réactions mises en jeu lors d'un greffage à partir de la surface d'un oxyde métallique, nous avons choisi de travailler avec des nanoparticules disponibles commercialement et/ou élaborées. Des nanoparticules d’oxyde de zinc, de dimensions allant de 5 à 100 nm, ont été synthétisées par la méthode de précipitation, à température ambiante. La diffractométrie de rayons X (DRX) et la microscopique électronique à transmission (MET) ont permis de déterminer la structure cristalline, les dimensions et la morphologie des particules ainsi préparées. Les conditions de synthèse ont été optimisées afin d'augmenter la surface spécifique des particules tout en favorisant la présence de groupes hydroxyles en surface. La méthode de greffage de polymères méthacryliques a consisté à modifier préalablement la surface des nanoparticules par un agent de couplage réactif de type 3-méthacryloxypropyltriméthoxysilane (MPS). Les nanoparticules ainsi modifiées ont été caractérisées par spectroscopie (IRTF et RMN CP-MAS 13C et 29Si) et par analyse thermogravimétrique afin de confirmer la présence et la quantité de MPS greffé. Cet alcoxysilane, porteur d'une fonction méthacrylate, a permis de greffer des chaînes de poly(méthacrylate de méthyle), de poly(méthacrylate de tert-butyldiméthylsilyle) à partir de la surface des nanoparticules. La polymérisation radicalaire contrôlée par addition-fragmentation réversible (procédé RAFT) a été sélectionnée pour obtenir un contrôle des masses molaires, de faibles indices de polymolécularité et le greffage de copolymères diblocs. L'observation de ces nanoparticules hydrides en microscopie électronique à transmission montre clairement la présence d'une couronne de polymères à la surface des particules. L'étude de la stabilité thermique des nouvelles nanoparticules hybrides à base de ZnO a été réalisée par analyse thermogravimétrique sous atmosphère inerte. L'impact du procédé de polymérisation sur les mécanismes de dégradation thermique des polymères méthacryliques étudiés a été mis en évidence. Pour la première fois, des valeurs d'énergie d'activation ont été calculées sous atmosphère inerte et oxydante. / The objective of this study is to synthesize and characterize new organic/inorganic hybrid materials obtained by grafting methacrylic polymer through the surface of metal oxide nanoparticles. Commercially available titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were used as raw materials. For a better understanding of parameters which influence the grafting efficiency of polymers, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using the precipitation method. The synthetic pathway was optimized to obtain nanoparticles with high surface area and surface hydroxylation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to determine the crystal structure, the size and morphology of nanoparticles. A polymerizable silane coupling agent, i.e. 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (MPS) was used to modify the surface of nanoparticules to obtain hydrophobic surface containing a polymerizable function. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), solid-state (13C and 29Si) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic investigations demonstrated that the silane coupling agent was fully hydrolyzed and linked to the hydroxyl groups already present on the particle surface through covalent and hydrogen bonds. Thermogravimetric data were helpful to quantify the amount of MPS linked to the nanoparticles surface. New poly(methacrylic ester)/ZnO and TiO2 nano-hybrid particles were prepared by in situ RAFT polymerization were prepared using the "grafting through" method. (Meth)acrylic homopolymers and diblock copolymers containing unconventional trialkylsilyl methacrylate (MASi) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer units were grafted through the surface of nanosized particles modified by MPS. Results from FTIR and TGA analyses demonstrated that polymer chains were anchored on the nanoparticles surface. The thermal and thermo-oxidative degradation of methacrylic polymers and hybrid nanoparticles were also investigated by TGA. The effect of the RAFT polymerization on the thermal degradation of polymers was demonstrated. In addition, their apparent activation energy of degradation (Ea) was determined for the first time.

Este trabajo se centra en el estudio de las interacciones entre dos fases metálicas, el platino y el estaño, soportados sobre dos materiales que establecen distintas interacciones con las fases metálicas soportadas sobre ellos. Se eligió el Pt porque es un metal noble que se utiliza como catalizador en numerosas reacciones catalíticas. El estaño puede actuar como promotor del platino de manera que los sistemas bimetálicos basados en Pt-Sn han sido ampliamente investigados debido a sus buenas cualidades como catalizadores en procesos como el reformado de petróleo o reacciones de hidrogenación y deshidrogenación. Como soporte de estas fases activas se estudiaron dos materiales distintos: tela de carbón activo y óxido de titanio. Los carbones activados en forma de fibras y telas añaden a las ventajas de los carbones activos tradicionales otras como son mayor eficiencia de contacto y muy baja pérdida de carga, lo que abre un nuevo y muy interesante campo de investigación para la aplicación de estos materiales como soporte de catalizadores. Por otra parte, el estudio del óxido de titanio resulta interesante debido a que se produce entre este soporte y el platino una fuerte interacción metal-soporte. Este efecto, que no ha sido del todo clarificado aun, altera las características de los catalizadores y su influencia en la actividad catalítica final. / This work is related to the study of two metallic species interaction, platinum and tin, supported on different materials in such away that they establish separated kind of interaction. Platinum was chosen since is the one used in several catalytic reactions. Tin can act as a platinum promotor in such a way that Pt-Sn bimetallic systems have been widely investigated due to its good performance catalysts on reactions as fuel reforming o hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Two different materials were used as support for this catalyst: activated carbon cloth and titanium oxide. Activated carbon in the form of cloth adds to the well known characteristics of typical activated carbon, the improvement of a higher contact efficiency and adsorption rate and a low pressure drop on reaction conditions, which opens a new and very promising area of research to apply these materials as catalysts supports. On the other side, the study of titanium oxide is very interesting due to the effect of strong metal-support interaction produced between platinum and its support. This effect, no completely understood, changes the catalysts characteristics and affects to its final catalytic activity.

A proposta deste trabalho é a produção de matrizes de nanotubos de dióxido de titânio seguindo os métodos de anodização eletroquímica de titânio estabelecidos da literatura. O objetivo central é a compreensão aprofundada das etapas do processo de crescimento dos nanotubos de TiO2, para posterior otimização de sua síntese visando as diferentes aplicações. Com este propósito foram realizados sistematicamente os seguintes estudos: das diferentes fases de crescimento dos nanotubos de TiO2, do efeito dos diferentes parâmetros de anodização na morfologia dos nanotubos e da reprodutibilidade dos processos. Visando as diferentes aplicações foram estudados métodos para obtenção de membranas autossustentadas e remoção de nanoresíduos. O método de camada sacrificial de fotoresiste positivo apresentou melhor resultado para remoção de nanoresíduos do topo dos nanotubos de TiO2 do que as demais técnicas. Por último, os arranjos obtidos com esta método foram aplicados na fabricação dos sensores de pH. / This work proposes the production of titania nanotubes arrays following the electrochemical anodization methods of a titanium sheet established in the literature. The main goal is a deep comprehension of the different TiO2 nanotubes growth stages for further optimization aiming the diverse applications. In this way the following systematic studies were performed: of the initial growth stages, of the effect of each anodization parameter on the nanotubes morphology and of the process reproducibility. In addition, methods for the production of self-sustained membranes as well as for obtaining a nanotube array surface free of nanoremnants were studied aiming the different applications. Positive photoresist bases sacrificial layer method presented a better result to eliminate nano-remnants on top of TiO2 nanotubes than other techniques. Finally, the nanotubes arrays obtained with this method were utilized for pH sensors fabrication.

Nos últimos anos, óxidos metálicos têm sido amplamente estudados para uma série de aplicações na indústria eletrônica e metalúrgica, sendo empregados em revestimentos anticorrosivos, sensores químicos, em dispositivos optoeletrônicos sensíveis, entre outros. Dentre os óxidos metálicos, o TiO2 (óxido de Titânio) tem enorme potencial em aplicações como sensor de gás, sensor de pH e em dispositivos fotossensíveis como células solares sensibilizadas por corante e para degradação fotocatalítica de compostos orgânicos. Há várias morfologias que podem ser obtidas para o TiO2, porém a de maior interesse atualmente é a de arranjos ordenados de nanotubos de TiO2 produzidos pelo processo de anodização do Ti, que por terem maior área superficial que outras morfologias como por exemplo, filmes finos, nanopilares e nanobastões, apresenta também maior sensibilidade à presença dos gases e/ou soluções a serem analisados, assim como maior absorção de fótons, além de uma menor recombinação de pares elétron-lacuna no material. Apesar destas várias vantagens, a atividade fotocatalítica do TiO2 é limitada por absorver apenas radiação ultravioleta devido a seu largo gap de aproximadamente 3,2 eV. Assim, neste trabalho foram produzidos nanotubos de TiO2 pelo processo de oxidação anódica do Ti, com diferentes parâmetros, correlacionando-os com a morfologia resultante. Com isso foi possível observar que o comprimento e diâmetro externo dos nanotubos de TiO2 crescem proporcionalmente com o aumento da tensão, sendo aproximadamente linear até um dado valor de saturação. A exceção a isto refere-se a nanotubos de TiO2 crescidos a partir de Ti depositado e substratos de vidro, no qual, há uma limitação de Ti a ser anodizado, de modo que após a conversão total do Ti em óxido não há mais o crescimento de nanotubos, porém os diâmetros gerados respeitam os mesmos valores para os casos em que não há essa limitação. Os nanotubos de TiO2 crescidos foram submetidos a processos de nitretação em um reator de deposição química a vapor assistida por plasma e os parâmetros foram avaliados com o intuito de encontrar as melhores condições para diminuição de seu gap, afim de aumentar sua atividade fotocatalítica. Pressão e potência de rádio frequência foram variados de 0,66 a 2,66 mBar (0,50 a 2,00 Torr) e 0,22 a 3,51 W/cm2 respectivamente. A maior diminuição no valor do gap, para 2,80 eV, foi obtida usando-se a pressão de 1,33 mBar (1,00 Torr), 1,75 W/cm2 de potência de rádio frequência durante um processo de 2 h a 320 °C, levando a uma diminuição de 14% no valor do gap e a um aumento de 25% na atividade fotocatalítica (redução de Azul de Metileno). Essa diminuição no valor do gap óptico dobra a abrangência de absorção de fótons de 5% para 10% do espectro solar. Os nanotubos de TiO2 nitretados produzidos com gap de 2,80 eV foram facilmente integrados a um microcanal de polidimetilsiloxano, produzindo um dispositivo fotocatalítico para estudo na fotodegradação de compostos orgânicos, podendo ser usado inclusive para redução de poluentes. O dispositivo fotocatalítico reduziu completamente 5 µL de solução de Azul de Metileno em cerca de 12 min, com uma taxa aproximadamente linear de 130 µM/h, enquanto os nanotubos de TiO2 como preparados apresentaram taxa de cerca de 115 µM/h. Logo, o dispositivo com nanotubos de TiO2 nitretados teve um aumento de 13% em sua eficiência de redução. / In recent years, metal oxides have been widely studied for a number of applications in the electronics and metallurgical industry, being used in anticorrosive coatings, chemical sensors, sensitive optoelectronic devices, among others. Among the metal oxides, TiO2 (titanium oxide) has enormous potential in applications such as gas sensor, pH sensor and in photosensitive devices such as dye sensitized solar cells and for photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds. There are several morphologies that can be obtained for TiO2, but the most interesting one today is ordered arrangements of TiO2 nanotubes produced by the Ti anodization process, which have a larger surface area than other morphologies such as thin films, nanopillars and nanobastones, also presents greater sensitivity to the presence of the gases and/or solutions to be analyzed, as well as greater absorption of photons, besides a smaller recombination of electron-hole pairs in the material. Despite these several advantages, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 is limited by absorbing only ultraviolet radiation due to its wide gap of approximately 3.2 eV. Thus, in this work, TiO2 nanotubes were produced by the anodic oxidation process of Ti, with different parameters, correlating them with the resulting morphology. With this, it was possible to observe that the length and external diameter of the TiO2 nanotubes grow proportionally with the increase of the voltage, being approximately linear up to a given value of saturation. The exception to this relates to TiO2 nanotubes grown from Ti deposited and glass substrates, in which, there is a limitation of Ti to be anodized, so that after the total conversion of Ti to oxide, there is no longer growth of nanotubes, but the diameters generated respect the same values for cases in which there is no such limitation. The as grown TiO2 nanotubes were submitted to nitriding processes in a plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition reactor and the parameters were evaluated in order to find the best conditions to decrease their gap in order to increase their photocatalytic activity. Pressure and radio frequency power were varied from 0.66 to 2.66 mBar (0.50 to 2.00 Torr) and 0.22 to 3.51 W/cm2 respectively. The largest decrease in the gap value, to 2.80 eV, was obtained using the pressure of 1.33 mbar (1.00 Torr), 1.57 W/cm2 of radio frequency power during a process of 2 h in 320 °C, leading to a 14% decrease in gap value and a 25% increase in photocatalytic activity (reduction of Methylene Blue). This decrease in the value of the optical gap doubles the absorption range of photons from 5% to 10% of the solar spectrum. The nitrided TiO2 nanotubes produced with a gap of 2.80 eV were easily integrated into a microchannel of polydimethylsiloxane, producing a photocatalytic device for the study of photodegradation of organic compounds, and could be used to reduce pollutants. The photocatalytic device completely reduced 5 µL of Methylene Blue solution in about 12 min, with an approximately linear rate of 130 µM/h, whereas the TiO2 nanotubes as grown presented a rate of about 115 µM/h. Therefore, the device with nitrided TiO2 nanotubes had a 13% increase in its reduction efficiency.

Ce travail concerne le domaine des cellules solaires sensibilisé à colorant à l’état solide et plus particulièrement le développement de nouvelles électrodes poreuses de TiO2 à base de nanocristaux synthétisés par pyrolyse laser. Deux types de poudres à base de TiO2 ont été synthétisés : TiO2 dopé à l’azote avec une teneur en azote contrôlée et des nanocomposites TiO2/MWNTC (Multi Wall Carbon Nanotubes). Dans le premier cas, le rendement des cellules élaborées varie en fonction de la teneur en N dans la poudre, cet effet étant relié à la localisation des atomes d’azote au sein du TiO2. Le dopage conduit à une augmentation du taux de recombinaison des charges. Cet effet limitant pour les performances, est partiellement compensé par une augmentation de la conductivité électrique avec le taux d’azote. Pour des taux de dopage modérés, les rendements des cellules sont ainsi sensiblement améliorés par rapport aux cellules à base de TiO2 non dopé. Concernant les nanocomposites TiO2/MWNTC, la synthèse par pyrolyse en une étape à partir d’une suspension contenant des MWCNT conduit à une dispersion très homogène des nanotubes au sein de la poudre de TiO2. La méthode favorise de plus l’enrobage des nanotubes par les particules d’oxyde, conduisant à des interactions électroniques efficaces. Les cellules solaires élaborées à partir de ce composite présentent des rendements améliorés de près de 20% par rapport aux cellules de référence. Cette amélioration est principalement attribuée à un drainage des charges photo-générées vers les électrodes favorisé en présence des nanotubes qui s’accompagne d’une réduction sensible des phénomènes de recombinaison. / This work is related to the development of new TiO2 porous photo-electrodes based on nanopowders synthesized by laser pyrolysis for application in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. Two different types of TiO2 powders were synthesized: TiO2 nanoparticles doped with different levels of nitrogen, and TiO2/MWNTC (Multi Wall Carbon Nanotubes) nanocomposites. In the first case, the efficiency of the solar cells is dependent on the nitrogen amount in the powder, in relation with the localization of the dopants in the TiO2 structure. High nitrogen contents are associated with high defect densities at the TiO2 nanoparticle surface, leading to intense charge recombination. Although this effect limits the performance of the cells, it can be counterbalanced by an increased electrical conductivity due to the presence of N atoms. Finally, for moderate doping levels, the incorporation of nitrogen can improve the efficiency of the cells, compared to reference devices. Regarding the use of TiO2/MWNTC nanocomposites, the one step synthesis by laser pyrolysis from a precursor mixture including MWNTC leads to nanopowders where nanotubes appear very homogeneous dispersed of. The nanotubes are also highly coated with TiO2 particles, improving their electrical interactions with the TiO2 particles. The efficiencies of the solar cells made from such composites are found to be 20% larger than that of reference cells. This improvement is mainly attributed to faster charge collection and reduced charge recombination rates.

Mesoporous TiO2 thin film has been considered as a benchmark material in the applications of dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) due to a combination of the physical properties that are inherent to the metal oxide and its particular structuring, in addition to its chemical stability and commercial availability. For DSSCs, a more important functionality of mesoporous TiO2 thin films is their extremely high surface and internal surface areas, resulting in high adsorption of dye molecules. However, a major drawback of fabrication of mesoporous TiO2 thin films is its high-temperature furnace sintering at 450à ̄‚°C-500à ̄‚°C for 30 min. The high-temperature process prevents the possibility of integrating different electro-optical devices on the same substrate, and the sintering time required would be a hurdle for potentially rapid manufacturing of mesoporous metal oxide thin films for DSSCs. This thesis demonstrates for the first time the use of a fibre laser with a wavelength of 1070 nm and a pulse width of milliseconds for generation of 1) mesoporous nanocrystalline (nc) TiO2 thin films on ITO coated glass, and 2) compact TiO2 layer and mesoporous TiO2 film on ITO coated glass. The first one was achieved by complete vaporisation of organic binder and inter-connection of TiO2 nanoparticles; and the second one was achieved by full crystallisation of TiO2 precursor to form the compact TiO2 layer and the same sintering process described above. Both processes were one-step, and achieved by stationary laser beam irradiation of 1 minute, compared with 30 min for furnace-sintering to form a mesoporous TiO2 film, and 2 h for two-step furnace treatment to form compact layer and mesoporous film on ITO glass. No thermally damaging of the ITO layers and the glass substrates was observed. The DSSC with the laser-sintered TiO2 photoanode at the optimised laser processing condition of 85 W/cm2 and 100 ms/50 ms pulse mode reached higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.20% for the TiO2 film thickness of 6 à ̄­m compared with 2.99% for the furnace-sintered; the DSSC with the laser-treated compact TiO2 layer and mesoporous TiO2 film on ITO glass at the optimised laser treatment condition of 85 W/cm2 and 125 ms/25 ms, reached 5.76% compared to 4.83% with the furnace-treated. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies revealed that the laser sintering effectively decreased charge transfer resistance and increased electron lifetime of the TiO2 thin films. It is believed that the use of the fibre laser with over 40% wall-plug efficiency offers an economically-feasible, industrial viable solution to the major challenge of rapid fabrication of large scale, mass production of mesoporous metal oxide thin film based solar energy systems, potentially for perovskite and monolithic tandem solar cells, in the future. Another part of the thesis presents a detailed investigation on the improvement of photovoltaic performance of furnace-sintered TiO2 films on ITO-coated glass using an excimer laser with a wavelength of 248 nm and possesses a rectangular beam profile and has a full width at half maximum (FWHM) pulse duration of 13-20 ns. This was achieved by modifying the surface of the furnace-sintered TiO2 films to increase the roughness, which led to increased optical absorbance via light-trapping. The laser process was carried out with variation of laser fluence and number of pulses per unit area. Under the optimised laser fluence of 34 mJ/cm2 and number of pulses of 50, the DSSC with the laser-modified TiO2 photoanode showed a high power conversion efficiency of 2.99% than 2.10% without the laser treatment. EIS studies showed that the films modified under the optimised laser parameter effectively decreased charge transfer resistance and increased electron lifetime of the TiO2 thin films.

O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de investigar a obtenção de hidrogênio a partir de soluções de etanol em água, por fotocatálise, usando-se catalisadores a base de óxido de zinco (ZnO). Nestes estudos foram empregados cinco catalisadores ZnO, sendo um comercial e os demais preparados através de diferentes metodologias encontradas na literatura. Os catalisadores foram caracterizados por área BET, DRX e FRX, e a investigação preliminar da atividade destes catalisadores foi feita através de ensaios de degradação fotocatalítica de rodamina B em reator slurry em batelada, onde foram avaliadas a taxa de reação e a remoção de corante. Os ensaios para a produção fotocatalítica de hidrogênio foram realizados em um reator de quartzo, operado em batelada com catalisador em suspensão e atmosfera inerte de nitrogênio. A solução foi irradiada por uma série de seis lâmpadas compactas de luz negra. Ao longo dos testes, amostras das fases líquida e gasosa foram coletadas e analisadas para identificação do consumo de etanol e produção de hidrogênio usando-se, respectivamente, Carbono Orgânico Total (TOC) e Cromatografia Gasosa (GC). Resultados preliminares mostraram que os catalisadores ZnO comercial e sintetizado (ZnO Merck e ZnO-B) apresentam atividade fotocatalítica e desempenho similares aos do TiO2 para a degradação da rodamina B. Contudo, estes mesmos catalisadores mostraram-se pouco ativos para a produção fotocatalítica de hidrogênio, com desempenho bastante inferior ao do TiO2 nas mesmas condições. Foi possível observar que o maior rendimento em hidrogênio ocorre para baixas concentrações de catalisador (0,05 gL[elevado a potência menos]1) e elevadas concentrações de etanol, sendo pouco dependente do pH. / This work aims to investigate the hydrogen production from ethanol-water solutions through photocatalysis, using zinc oxide catalysts (ZnO). Five ZnO catalysts were employed in this work; one was a commercial catalyst, while the others were prepared according to different methodologies reported in the literature. The catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD and XRF, and the preliminary investigation of their activity was done by photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B, through the evaluation of the reaction rate and dye removal. Tests for photocatalytic hydrogen production were carried out in a quartz slurry batch reactor under nitrogen, irradiated by a set of six compact UV light bulbs. During the tests, gas and liquid samples were collected and analyzed in order to identify the consumption of ethanol and hydrogen production using, respectively, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Gas Chromatograph (GC). Preliminary results showed that the synthesized and commercial ZnO catalysts (ZnO-B and ZnO Merck) present photocatalytic activity and performance similar to TiO2 for the rhodamine B degradation. However, the ZnO catalysts presented lower performance when compared with TiO2 for hydrogen production, under the same conditions. It was observed that the highest hydrogen yield occurs for low concentrations of catalyst (0.05 gL1) and high concentrations of ethanol, being less dependent on pH.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Temos como objetivo neste trabalho estudar as propriedades dielÃtricas em rÃdio frequÃncia (RF) e micro-ondas do composto Sr2CoNbO6 (SCNO) adicionando com o Ãxido de titÃnio (TiO2) em porcentagens variando de 15% a 22% em massa. O SCNO à uma perovskita dupla, que foi preparado atravÃs do mÃtodo de reaÃÃo do estado sÃlido. As amostras foram caracterizadas estruturalmente atravÃs da difraÃÃo de raio â X (DRX). O mÃtodo utilizado para obtenÃÃo da fase desejada foi realizada atravÃs do refinamento de Rietveld, que mostrou estrutura de simetria cÃbica do tipo pm3m. As propriedades dielÃtricas: constante dielÃtrica (εâ) e fator de perda dielÃtrica (tgδ) foram medidas à temperatura ambiente na faixa de frequÃncia de 100KHz a 2GHz e mostraram que a permissividade diminui com a frequÃncia. Abaixo de 50MHz a constante dielÃtrica se apresenta alta e acima de 1GHz se apresenta baixa. A picnometria realizada mostrou que as densidades relativas ficaram todas acima de 80%. Para que o estudo de micro-ondas ficasse completo aplicamos o mÃtodo de Hakki Coleman, que mostrou crescimento da permissividade dielÃtrica com o aumento da concentraÃÃo de TiO2 (14 â 52)e perdas dielÃtricas variando de 10-2 - 10-4 . O coeficiente de temperatura da frequÃncia de ressonÃncia (τf) mostrou que o SCNO apresenta τf negativo (-634ppm/oC). Com a adiÃÃo do TiO2 o τf passou a apresentar valores positivos. A simulaÃÃo numÃrica de uma antena ressoadora dielÃtrica (DRA) baseada no SCNO e adicionada com TiO2 foi realizada atravÃs do software HFSS e os resultados se apresentaram bastante concordantes com os experimentos. O baixo ganho e uma pequena eficiÃncia apresentada para o SCNO puro foi melhorado substancialmente com a adiÃÃo do TiO2. Estas propriedades podem ser melhoradas com uma proposta de uma nova geometria para a (DRA) e com adiÃÃo do TiO2 em novas porcentagens para anÃlises de propriedades dielÃtricas e parÃmetros de antenas.