AbstractLes polluants émergents que sont les résidus de produits pharmaceutiques sont devenus une problématique majeure de par leur persistance et leur accumulation continue dans les différents compartiments de l’environnement. Leur élimination est un des challenges majeurs de ce siècle. Les procédés électrochimiques d’oxydation avancée (PEOA) tel que l’oxydation anodique (AO) et l’électro-Fenton (EF) ont démontré leur efficacité pour la dégradation et la minéralisation complète de cette classe de polluant. Un oxyde de titane sous-stœchiométrique déposé par plasma sur un alliage de titane a été étudié comme anode alternative peu coûteuse, stable et efficace au cours des procédés d’OA et d’EF pour la dégradation et la minéralisation de deux pharmaceutiques, l’amoxicilline (AMX) et le propanolol (PPN). Une excellente minéralisation de ces deux composés a été atteinte avec l’anode Ti4O7 comparé à l’utilisation d’une anode dimensionnellement stable (ADS) et d’une anode de platine (Pt) avec des conditions expérimentales similaires, mais une plus faible efficacité a été observé par comparaison à une anode de diamant dopé au bore (DDB) au cours du procédé d’OA. Une quasi-total minéralisation (96%) du PPN a été atteinte avec l’anode Ti4O7 au cours du procédé EF après 8 h d’électrolyse à 120 mA. Plusieurs intermédiaires aromatiques, bicycliques et autres ont été identifiés et quantifiés au cours du traitement électrochimique des deux composés pharmaceutiques, ainsi que des acides carboxyliques à chaîne courte et des ions inorganique comme produits finaux de dégradation. Des voies plausibles de dégradation ont été proposées à partir des intermédiaires identifiés, des ions inorganiques libérés ainsi que des données obtenues sur les acides carboxyliques et le COT. La solution initiale d’AMX a mené à une relativement forte inhibition de la bactérie V. fisheri, qui a ensuite augmenté au cours des premiers stades de l’électro-oxydation de par la formation d’intermédiaires cycliques plus toxiques que la molécule mère, avant de diminuer nettement au cours des étapes suivantes de l’électrolyse. Puisque le Ti4O7 est produit principalement à partir du TiO2, un matériau bon marché et abondant, ce matériau d’anode pourrait être une alternative intéressante pour le traitement des eaux usées industrielles par oxydation électrochimique. Par ailleurs, une cathode de feutre de carbone modifiée par des composés hydroxydes à double couche CoFe (CoFe-LDH/CF) et synthétisée par un procédé solvothermique a été étudiée come catalyseur/électrode pour la dégradation du polluant organique Acide Orange II (AO7) par le procédé EF sur une gamme large de pH. Une excellente minéralisation de ce colorant a été atteinte pour des pH allant de 2 à 7.1, avec une élimination du COT largement supérieure à celle atteinte en utilisant le procédé EF avec une cathode de feutre de carbone brut, quel que soit le pH étudié. La cathode préparée a montré une bonne capacité de réutilisation et peut constituer une alternative pour le traitement des eaux usées à des valeurs de pH naturel / Pharmaceuticals residues as emerging pollutants have become a major concern due to their persistence and continuous accumulation in various environmental compartments and their removal is one the major challenges of this century. Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) such as anodic oxidation (AO) and electro-Fenton (EF) have shown to be efficient techniques for complete degradation and mineralization of this class of pollutants. A substoichiometric titanium oxide (Ti4O7) deposited on titanium alloy by plasma elaboration was investigated as an alternative stable and efficient low cost anode materials for application in AO and EF for degradation of pharmaceuticals amoxicillin (AMX) and propranolol (PPN) and mineralization of their aqueous solutions. Excellent mineralization of both pharmaceuticals was achieved with Ti4O7 anode compared to dimensional stable anode (DSA) and platinum (Pt) anodes at similar experimental conditions, but less efficient when compared with boron doped diamond (BDD) anode during AO treatment. Almost complete mineralization (96%) was attained with Ti4O7 anode in EF degradation of PPN at 120 mA after 8 h of electrolysis. Several aromatic, bicyclic and other intermediate byproducts were identified and quantified during the electrochemical treatment of both pharmaceuticals, with the final end products in the treated solutions being short-chain carboxylic acids and inorganic ions. Plausible mineralization pathways for both pharmaceuticals were proposed based on the identified intermediates, released inorganic ions and carboxylic acids as well as TOC data. Initial AMX solution shows relatively high inhibition to V. fischeri bacteria, which further increased at the early stage of electrooxidation due to formation of cyclic intermediates more toxic than mother molecules but sharply decreased at the later stage of electrolysis. Since the Ti4O7 is produced mainly from TiO2 which is very cheap and highly abundant material, this anode material could be an interesting alternative electrode in industrial wastewater treatment by electrochemical oxidation. On the other hand, CoFe-layer double hydroxide modified carbon-felt (CoFe-LDH/CF) cathode synthesized by solvothermal process was studied as a heterogeneous catalyst/electrode for degradation of organic pollutant Acid Orange II (AO7) over a wide pH range. Excellent mineralization of this azo dye solution was achieved in pH range 2 – 7.1, with TOC removal much higher than corresponding homogeneous EF with raw carbon-felt (CF) at all pH studied. The prepared cathode exhibited good reusability and can constitute an alternative for the treatment wastewater effluents at neutral pH values

In this study, the OMCVD method is demonstrated as a powerful, fast, economic and environmental friendly method to produce a set of PGMelectrocatalysts with different supports, metal content and metal alloys in one step and without the multiple processing stages of impregnation, washing, drying, calcinationsand activation.

<p>In this study, the OMCVD method is demonstrated as a powerful, fast, economic and environmental friendly method to produce a set of PGMelectrocatalysts with different supports, metal content and metal alloys in one step and without the multiple processing stages of impregnation, washing, drying, calcinationsand activation.</p>

Increased demand of power, limited fuel resources and environmental concerns have recently prompted a huge thrust on research areas of alternative energy and photovoltaics have been hailed as energy source for future. Particularly, third generation solar cell configurations like dye-sensitized solar cells and quantum dot Schottky barrier solar cells have drawn more attention because of their ease of processability, cheap cost with decent performance, low payback time and portability. Quantum dots are very attractive materials as sensitizers because of their size dependent bandgap tunability, increased oscillator strength and hence higher absorption coefficient, possibility of multiple exciton generation and photochemical robustness. Hence syntheses of quantum dot based hybrid nanostructures have received huge attention among researchers for using it quantum dot sensitized solar cell configuration. This dissertation can be divided in two parts. In the first part two different methods have been reported to prepare interconnected mesoporous nanostructures of wide band gap semiconductors like TiO2 and ZnO which is very important in providing high surface area for absorption or attachment of the sensitizers. In the second part, methods have been developed to establish direct contacts between quantum dots and wide bandgap substrates without molecular linkers which are expected to increase the electron injection rate from quantum dots to TiO2/ZnO. The entire thesis based on the results and findings obtained from the present investigation is organised as follows: Chapter-I provides a general introduction on the working principle of different type of solar cells and then gives a detailed description of the structure and electronic process of dye sensitised solar cells. Then, benefits of quantum dots as sensitizer over dye molecules has been discussed followed by the modification needed in case of quantum dot sensitized solar cells. Chapter-II deals with the materials and methods which essentially gives the information about the materials used for the synthesis and the techniques utilized to characterize the materials chosen for the investigation. Chapter-III describes a hybrid sol-gel combustion technique to synthesize large quantities of highly crystalline and phase-pure anatase powder in a single step. Titanium isopropoxide reacts with oleic acid to form a viscous liquid (oxocarboxoalkoxide) which undergoes non-hydrolytic polycondensation to form TiO2 during combustion. Oleylamine takes part in formation of reverse micelle which expands during combustion giving rise to porous interconnected membrane like microstructure of pore size ~5 nm, BET surface area of ~100 m2/g and porosity of ~ 48%. More importantly, this porous powder having a pre-existing network can be used to form thicker film by doctor blade technique from its paste and at the same time is expected to have better transport properties due to its less particulate nature. Chapter-IV presents a general method to prepare mesoporous structure from rod-like morphologies by partial sintering of a green pellet. Material having inherent anisotropy in their crystal structure tends to grow in a particular direction rather undergoing equiaxial growth. For instance, hexagonal ZnO and tetragonal rutile usually grow as rod-shaped particles. A loose compact of these nanorods give nanoporous morphology upon heating. Advantage of this method is the tunability of pore size by tuning the aspect ratio of the nanorods. Preparation of porous TiO2, ZnO and hydroxyapatite has been demonstrated from their corresponding nanorods. Chapter-V deals with a solvothermal based technique that has been developed for in-situ deposition of nanoparticles on any plane or curved surfaces conformally. This has been demonstrated for nanoparticles of FeCo, Au, Co, CdS on substrates like glass, mica, Si, NaCl, Al2O3 M-plane and also conformal coating of Au nanoparticles on polystyrene latex spheres. CdSe on rutile nanorods, ZnO nanorods and CNTs are promising hybrid nanostructures for third generation photovoltaics and their successful preparation has been detailed in the chapter. The mechanism proposed is based on dominant attractive sphere-plate interaction under high temperature and high autogeneous pressure condition which at reduced density and surface tension of the solvent reduces the dispersibility of the nanoparticle and allow effective spreading of the nanoparticles on the substrate. This method is also advantageous for coating of complicated geometry like inner walls of porous structures. Chapter-VI presents a method to coat chalcogenide nanoparticles on mesoporous TiO2 without any molecular linker which can enhance the electron injection rate from the chalcogenide quantum dots to TiO2. CdS, PbS can be easily synthesized through aqueous chemistry. For deposition of these sulfides, the ion layer gas absorption and reaction (IGLAR) method was modified to form uniform dense nanoparticles on anatase and ZnO surfaces. Nitrate salts of corresponding metal ions are dried directly on the semiconductor surface and instead of exposing it to H2S gas, it was treated with a concentrated sulfide solution. This introduces two competitive process i) dissolution of nitrate salt ii) formation of the metal sulfide. This dissolution step was absent when treated with H2S gas (IGLAR) and hence lead to a continuous coating. We have successfully produced CdS-TiO2 and PbS-TiO2 composites using this approach. Photoelectrochemical measurements on CdSTiO2 composites show an overall efficiency of 2.8% which is among the highest values obtained for this system demonstrating the applicability of the method to engineer interfaces to achieve high efficiency solar cells. Chapter-VI explores the combination of strategies of nanocrystal conversion chemistry with previously described sol-gel combustion technique to create dense and uniformly coated QD sensitized TiO2 electrode without compromising heat-treatment routines which is essential for better adhesion and to enhance performance with reduced leakage. Intimate biphasic oxide mixtures of PbO and CdO with TiO2 are first synthesized by nonhydrolytic solgel process with is followed by combustion to produce porous morphology. This powder can be coated as electrode and can sustain high temperature heat treatment routines and finally can be selectively converted to sulfides with Na2S treatment as TiO2 is immune to sulfidation under this condition. Materials at different stages are characterised by XRD, TEM, EDS, UV-Vis and XPS.

<p>In this study, the OMCVD method is demonstrated as a powerful, fast, economic and environmental friendly method to produce a set of PGMelectrocatalysts with different supports, metal content and metal alloys in one step and without the multiple processing stages of impregnation, washing, drying, calcinationsand activation.</p>

In this study, the OMCVD method is demonstrated as a powerful, fast, economic and environmental friendly method to produce a set of PGMelectrocatalysts with different supports, metal content and metal alloys in one step and without the multiple processing stages of impregnation, washing, drying, calcinationsand activation.

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are key functional materials in existing and future electro-optical devices in the fields of energy efficiency, energy generation and information technology. The main application of TCOs is as thin films transparent electrodes where a combination of maximum electrical conductivity and transmittance in the visible to nearinfrared spectral range is required. However, due to the interdependence of the optical properties and the free electron density and mobility, respectively, these requirements cannot be achieved simultaneously in degenerately doped wide band-gap oxide semiconductors. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms governing the generation of free charge carriers by extrinsic doping and the charge transport in these materials is essential for further development of high performance TCOs and corresponding deposition methods. The present work is aimed at a comprehensive investigation of the electrical, optical and structural properties as well as the elemental composition of (Al,Ga) doped ZnO and Nb doped TiO2 thin films prepared by pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The evolution of the film properties is studied in dependence of various deposition parameters through a combination of characterization techniques including Hall-effect, spectroscopic ellipsometry, spectral photometry, X-ray diffraction, X-ray near edge absorption, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and particle induced X-ray emission. This approach resulted in the development of an alternative process control method based on the material specific current-voltage pressure characteristics of the reactive magnetron discharge which allows to precisely control the oxygen deficiency of the sputter deposited films. Based on the experimental data, models have been established that describe the room temperature charge transport properties and the dielectric function of the obtained ZnO and TiO2 based transparent conductors. On the one hand, these findings allow the prediction of material specific electron mobility limits by identifying the dominating charge carrier scattering mechanisms. On the other hand, new insight is gained into the origin of the observed transition from highly conductive to electrically insulating ZnO layers upon the incorporation of increasing concentrations of Al at elevated growth temperatures. Moreover, the Al and Ga dopant activation in ZnO have been quantified systematically for a wide range of Al concentrations and deposition conditions. A direct comparison of the Ga and Al doping efficiency demonstrates that Ga is a more efficient electron donor in ZnO. Further, it has been shown that high free electron mobilities in polycrystalline and epitaxial Nb:TiO2 layers can be achieved by reactive magnetron sputtering of TiNb alloy targets. The suppression of rutile phase formation and the control of the Nb dopant activation by fine tuning the oxygen deficiency have been identified as crucial for the growth of high quality TiO2 based TCO layers.

The project undertook a systematic study of chlorination of titanium oxycarbide and oxycarbonitride with the aim to develop further understanding of kinetics and mechanisms of the chlorination reactions. The project studied titania, ilmenite ores, and synthetic rutile reduced by carbon in argon and nitrogen and chlorinated at different temperatures, gas flow rates and compositions. Chlorination of titanium suboxides, iron and impurities in ilmenite was also examined. Chlorination of titanium oxycarbide Ti(O,C) or oxycarbonitride Ti(O,C,N) can be implemented at 200 to 400 deg.C, while the commercial chlorination process in the production of titanium metal or titania pigment requires 800 to 1100 deg.C. This makes chlorination of Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) an attractive technology in processing of titanium minerals. Chlorination reaction is strongly exothermal, which increased the sample temperature up to 200 deg.C above the furnace temperature. The chlorination of Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) was ignited at 150 deg.C to 200 deg.C depending on the sample composition. Their chlorination at 235 deg.C to 400 deg.C was close to completion in less than 30 min. The chlorination rate of titanium oxycarbide or oxycarbonitride increased with increasing gas flow rate. Sample composition had a significant effect on the extent of chlorination. The optimum results were obtained for titanium oxycarbide or oxycarbonitride produced with carbon to titania molar ratio of 2.5; these samples contained no detectable excess of carbon or unreduced titanium suboxides. In chlorination of reduced ilmenite ores and synthetic rutile, Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N), metallic iron and Ti2O3 were chlorinated. The rate and extent of chlorination of titanium increased with increasing carbon to TiO2 ratio. Chlorination of Ti2O3 was slow relative to Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) and iron; chlorination of impurity oxides such as MgO, SiO2 and Al2O3 was not observed. The project also examined chlorination of Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) in ilmenite ore and synthetic rutile after removal of iron, which was achieved by aerated leaching of reduced samples in heated flask containing 0.37 M of ammonium chloride solution. Iron removal from the ilmenite ore or synthetic rutile resulted in higher rate and extent of chlorination of titanium oxycarbide or oxycarbonitride.

The project undertook a systematic study of chlorination of titanium oxycarbide and oxycarbonitride with the aim to develop further understanding of kinetics and mechanisms of the chlorination reactions. The project studied titania, ilmenite ores, and synthetic rutile reduced by carbon in argon and nitrogen and chlorinated at different temperatures, gas flow rates and compositions. Chlorination of titanium suboxides, iron and impurities in ilmenite was also examined. Chlorination of titanium oxycarbide Ti(O,C) or oxycarbonitride Ti(O,C,N) can be implemented at 200 to 400 deg.C, while the commercial chlorination process in the production of titanium metal or titania pigment requires 800 to 1100 deg.C. This makes chlorination of Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) an attractive technology in processing of titanium minerals. Chlorination reaction is strongly exothermal, which increased the sample temperature up to 200 deg.C above the furnace temperature. The chlorination of Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) was ignited at 150 deg.C to 200 deg.C depending on the sample composition. Their chlorination at 235 deg.C to 400 deg.C was close to completion in less than 30 min. The chlorination rate of titanium oxycarbide or oxycarbonitride increased with increasing gas flow rate. Sample composition had a significant effect on the extent of chlorination. The optimum results were obtained for titanium oxycarbide or oxycarbonitride produced with carbon to titania molar ratio of 2.5; these samples contained no detectable excess of carbon or unreduced titanium suboxides. In chlorination of reduced ilmenite ores and synthetic rutile, Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N), metallic iron and Ti2O3 were chlorinated. The rate and extent of chlorination of titanium increased with increasing carbon to TiO2 ratio. Chlorination of Ti2O3 was slow relative to Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) and iron; chlorination of impurity oxides such as MgO, SiO2 and Al2O3 was not observed. The project also examined chlorination of Ti(O,C) or Ti(O,C,N) in ilmenite ore and synthetic rutile after removal of iron, which was achieved by aerated leaching of reduced samples in heated flask containing 0.37 M of ammonium chloride solution. Iron removal from the ilmenite ore or synthetic rutile resulted in higher rate and extent of chlorination of titanium oxycarbide or oxycarbonitride.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RoseaneAB_TESE.pdf: 2502276 bytes, checksum: 8d0bea579c9b9da8a192feccb392ae6a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / In this study it was used two metallic oxides, Ta2O5 and TiO2, in order to obtain metallic powders of Ta and Ti through aluminothermic reduction ignited by plasma. Ta2O5 and TiO2 powders were mixed with Al in a planetary mill, using different milling times. A thermal analysis study (DTA and TG) was carried out, in order to know the temperature to react both the mixtures. Then, these mixtures were submitted to a hollow cathode discharge, where they were reacted using aluminothermic reduction ignited by plasma. The product obtained was characterized by XRD and SEM, where it was proven the possibility of producing these metallic particles, different from the conventional process, where metallic ingots are obtained. It was verified that the aluminothermic reduction ignited by plasma is able to produce metallic powders of Ta and Ti, and a higher efficiency was observed to the process with Ta2O5-Al mixtures. Among different microstructural aspects observed, it can be noted the presence of metallic nanoparticles trapped into an Al2O3 matrix, besides acicular structures (titanium) and dendritic structures (tantalum), which are a product characteristic from a fast cooling / No presente estudo foram utilizados dois ?xidos met?licos, Ta2O5 e TiO2, visando a obten??o de part?culas de Ta e Ti met?licos, por meio da redu??o aluminot?rmica com igni??o a plasma. P?s de Ta2O5 e TiO2 foram misturados com p? de Al e mo?dos em um moinho planet?rio por diferentes per?odos. Um estudo de an?lise t?rmica (DTA e TG) foi realizado, visando se conhecer a temperatura de rea??o para ambas as misturas. Conhecidas essas temperaturas, as misturas foram submetidas a uma descarga em c?todo oco, onde foram reagidas pelo processo de redu??o aluminot?rmica com igni??o a plasma. O material obtido foi caracterizado por DRX e MEV, onde se comprovou a possibilidade da obten??o de um produto na forma de p?, algumas vezes de dimens?es nanom?tricas, diferentemente do processo convencional, onde o produto final ? obtido na forma de lingote. Verificou-se que a redu??o aluminot?rmica com igni??o a plasma ? capaz de produzir p?s de Ta e Ti met?licos, com uma efici?ncia maior para a rea??o da mistura Ta2O5-Al. Dentre os diferentes aspectos microestruturais observados, destaca-se a presen?a de nanopart?culas do metal de interesse embebidas em uma matriz de Al2O3, al?m de estruturas acicular (tit?nio) e dendr?tica (t?ntalo), que s?o caracter?sticas de um resfriamento r?pido