Orientador: Fernando Rogério de Paula / Banca: Haroldo Naoyuki Nagashima / Banca: Edna Regina Spada / Resumo: O alto custo na produção de células fotovoltaicas ainda é uma problemática para a utilização da energia solar como fonte de energia elétrica. Neste contexto, o trabalho realizado estuda a viabilidade do uso do dióxido de titânio como aceptor de elétrons em células fotovoltaicas híbridas. Neste estudo foi utilizando o polímero PFO (polidietilfluoreno) como doador de elétrons. Filmes de TiO 2 , eletrodepositados em diferentes potenciais, foram tratados termicamente para se obter a fase cristalográfica anatase. O surgimento desta fase foi monitorado por meio da técnica de difração de raios-X. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que todos os filmes apresentaram a fase anatase a 600°C, porém para o maior potencial de eletrodeposição (-1,2 V), não foi possível detectar a presença de qualquer fase. No intuito de se determin ar a eficiência dos filmes eletrodepositados de TiO 2 como aceptor de elétrons, foram realizadas medidas de fluorescência utilizando o recurso da microscopia confocal de fluorescência de varredura laser (LSCM). Foi possível observar que o PFO, quando utilizado em conjunto com o TiO 2 , apresenta uma menor taxa de emissão quando comparado com o filme na ausência de TiO 2 . Esta diferença mostra que o filme de TiO 2 obtido neste trabalho está atuando efetivamente como um aceptor de elétrons. Neste trabalho também foi desenvolvido um novo método de síntese para a obtenção de pó de TiO 2 . As diferentes fases cristalográficas obtidas após tratamento térmico foram analisadas por difração de raios -X. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a fase anatase foi obtida pura em 600°C com um tamanho de cristalito de 24 nm e a fase rutilo pura em 1000°C com um tamanho de cristalito de 55 nm. O tamanho do cristalito, assim como a estabilidade ... / Abstract: The high cost in the production of photovoltaic cells is still a problem for the solar energy usage as an electrical power source. In this context, the work studies the feasibility of using titanium dioxide as an electron acceptor in hybrid photovoltaic cells. In this study was used the polyfluorene (PFO) polymer as electron donor. TiO 2 films, electrodeposited at different potentials, were treated thermally to obtain anatase crystallographic phase. The phase evolution was monitored by X-ray diffraction. The results showed that all films had the anatase phase at 600°C, but for higher electrodeposition potential (-1.2 V), it was not possible to detect the presence of any phase. In order to determine the efficiency of electrodeposited TiO 2 films as electron acceptor, fluorescence measurements were performed using laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). It was possible to observe that the PFO when used in conjunction with TiO 2 has a lower emission rate as compared to film in the absence of the TiO 2 . This difference shows that the TiO 2 film obtained in this work is acting effectively as an electron acceptor. In this work has also been developed a new synthesis method for obtaining TiO 2 powder. The different crystallographic phases obtained after heat treatment were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the anatase phase was obtained pure at 600°C with a crystallite size of 24 nm and pure rutile phase at 1000°C with a crystallite size of 55 nm. The crystallite size, as well as the stability of the anatase phase was also studied as a function of the concentration of H 2 O 2 in solution. The crystallite size varied from 11 to 35 nm, for concentrations of 0.009 mol/L and 0.138 mol/L H 2 O 2 , respectively. When heat treated at 825°C the sample obtained with lower concentrations of H 2 O 2 and hence smaller crystallite size became completely into rutile phase, however, for the obtained sample with the highest ... / Mestre

Mesoporous titania molecular-sieve thin films have been modified by incorporating guest species either in the pores or on the walls of the structure. The incorporation was realized with the aid of sonochemical processing. The structure, morphology, texture, optical properties, and stability of the resulting nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, photoluminesent spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermalgravimetric and differential thermal analyses. The photocatalytic and catalytic properties of the mesoporous TiO2-based nanocomposites were evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, photo-assisted killing of bacteria/cancer-cells, and catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide. / The thesis includes seven parts. The first part describes the pore-wall chemistry and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous nanocrystalline TiO 2 molecular sieve films. The ordered mesoporous TiO2 films show better photocatalytic activities than do the conventional sol-gel-derived TiO2 films toward the degradation of volatile organic pollutants. The reasons for the high activities of the mesostructural films are also discussed. The second part of the thesis reports the incorporation of highly dispersed gold nanoparticles in the mesoporous TiO2 films by a sono- and photochemical approach. The gold nanoparticles thus obtained are well-confined and stabilized in the nanopores of the TiO2 film and therefore, the intrinsic agglomeration of gold nanoparticles is prevented. This eliminates the use of potentially catalyst-poisoning organic ligands for stabilization. This method can also be used to prepare ordered mesoporous Pt/TiO2 and Ag/TiO2 nanocomposites with catalytic and photocatalytic functions as described in the third and forth parts of the thesis. In the fifth part, solid superacid molecular sieves are prepared by the wall-functionalization of the TiO2 film by sulfate groups with the aid of sonication. The resulting 3D-ordered mesoporous sulfated TiO2 superacid molecular sieve films are found to be attractive photocatalysts for environmental applications. The sixth part the thesis reported the sonodeposition of poorly dissolved phthalocyanine dyes onto the surface of the TiO2 film. The dye molecules are attached and stabilized in the pores of the film, avoiding the aggregation of the dye molecules, and consequently achieving effective photosensitization of the TiO2 film. The final part of the thesis describes the preparation of hierarchically macro/mesoporous TiO2 nanostructural photocatalysts. The existence of macroporous channels in a mesoporous TiO2 material improves the photoabsorption efficiency and matter-transfer. These enhance the photocatalytic performance of the bimodal porous TiO2 nanocomposites toward degradation organic pollutants in gas-phase. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Wang Xinchen. / "July 2005." / Adviser: Jimmy C. Yu. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-01, Section: B, page: 0293. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / This research describes the process of obtaining a photovoltaic cell, since getting electrical conductor glasses used for the flow of electrons coming from the photovoltaic effect until the deposition of thin films of semiconductor titanium dioxide (TiO2) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) at each of these glasses. The use of natural or synthetic dyes deposited on titanium dioxide layer has the objective to increase the absorption spectrum of the TiO2, since sunlight emits most of its energy in the frequency range of visible light. After joining the two glasses with thin films deposited over TiO2 plus dye and CdS, it was used a potassium triiodide electrolyte for regeneration and consequently the activation of photovoltaic solar cell. After mounting the cell concerned, tests of photoactivity have been performed by exposing the cells to sunlight collected for specified periods and the values of voltage and photocurrent generated. Theoretical studies have been conducted to mathematical modeling of the behavior of the solar cell mounted, and then we have analyzed the efficiency of converting solar energy into electrical energy. The constituents of the cell have been characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for analyzing the porosity, uniformity and other physical parameters of thin films. / O presente trabalho descreve o processo de obtenÃÃo de uma cÃlula fotovoltaica, desde a obtenÃÃo de vidros condutores elÃtricos utilizados para o fluxo dos elÃtrons oriundos do efeito fotovoltaico, atà a deposiÃÃo dos filmes finos dos semicondutores diÃxido de titÃnio (TiO2) e sulfeto de cÃdmio (CdS) em cada um dos vidros. O uso de corantes naturais ou sintÃticos na camada depositada de diÃxido de titÃnio possuiu como objetivo aumentar o espectro de absorÃÃo do mesmo, uma vez que a luz solar emite uma grande parte de sua energia na faixa de frequÃncia da luz visÃvel. Depois de unir os dois vidros com os filmes finos depositados de TiO2 mais corante e o CdS, utilizou-se o eletrÃlito de tri-iodeto de potÃssio para a regeneraÃÃo e consequentemente a ativaÃÃo da cÃlula solar fotovoltaica. ApÃs a montagem da cÃlula em questÃo, foram realizados testes de fotoatividade, expondo as cÃlulas ao sol por perÃodos determinados e coletados os valores da fotocorrente gerada e a tensÃo, alÃm disso, foram realizados estudos teÃricos para modelagem matemÃtica do comportamento da cÃlula solar montada e em seguida analisou-se a eficiÃncia de conversÃo de energia solar em energia elÃtrica. Os constituintes da cÃlula foram caracterizados pelas tÃcnicas de difraÃÃo de raios-X (DRX) e microscopia eletrÃnica de varredura (MEV) para analisar a porosidade, uniformidade e outros parÃmetros fÃsicos dos filmes finos.

Leung, Tsz Yan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-146). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.vii / List of Figures --- p.xii / List of Plates --- p.xiv / List of Tables --- p.xvii / Abbreviations --- p.xviii / Equations --- p.xxi / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Water crisis and water disinfection --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Common disinfection methods --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Chlorination --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Ozonation --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Solar disinfection (SODIS) --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2.5 --- Mixed disinfectants --- p.9 / Chapter 1.2.6 --- Other disinfection methods --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3 --- Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) --- p.11 / Chapter 1.4 --- Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) --- p.13 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- Understanding of PCO process --- p.15 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Proposed disinfection mechanism of PCO --- p.18 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Titanium dioxide (Ti02) photocatalyst --- p.21 / Chapter 1.4.4 --- Irradiation sources --- p.22 / Chapter 1.4.5 --- Bacterial species --- p.23 / Chapter 1.4.5.1 --- Escherichia coli K12 --- p.23 / Chapter 1.4.5.2 --- Shigella sonnei --- p.24 / Chapter 1.4.5.3 --- Alteromonas alvinellae --- p.25 / Chapter 1.4.5.4 --- Photobacterium phosphoreum --- p.26 / Chapter 1.4.6 --- Bacterial defense mechanism towards oxidative stress --- p.27 / Chapter 1.4.6.1 --- Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity --- p.28 / Chapter 1.4.6.2 --- Catalase (CAT) activity --- p.29 / Chapter 1.4.6.3 --- Fatty acid (FA) profile --- p.30 / Chapter 1.4.7 --- Significance of the project --- p.31 / Chapter 2. --- Objectives --- p.34 / Chapter 3. --- Material and Methods --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1 --- Chemicals --- p.36 / Chapter 3.2 --- Screening of freshwater and marine bacterial culture --- p.36 / Chapter 3.3 --- Photocatalytic reaction --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Preparation of reaction mixture --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Preparation of bacterial culture --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Photocatalytic reactor --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- PCO disinfection reaction --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.4.1 --- Effect of initial pH --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3.4.2 --- Effect of reaction temperature --- p.45 / Chapter 3.3.4.3 --- Effect of growth phases --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4 --- Measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity --- p.47 / Chapter 3.5 --- Measurement of catalase (CAT) activity --- p.49 / Chapter 3.6 --- Fatty acid (FA) profile --- p.50 / Chapter 3.7 --- Bacterial regrowth test --- p.51 / Chapter 3.8 --- Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) --- p.52 / Chapter 3.9 --- Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis --- p.53 / Chapter 3.10 --- Chlorination --- p.55 / Chapter 3.11 --- UV-C irradiation --- p.56 / Chapter 3.12 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.56 / Chapter 4. --- Results --- p.60 / Chapter 4.1 --- Screening of UV-A resistant freshwater and marine bacteria --- p.60 / Chapter 4.2 --- Control experiments --- p.62 / Chapter 4.3 --- Treatment experiments --- p.65 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- UV-A irradiation from lamps --- p.65 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Fluorescent light from fluorescent lamps --- p.65 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Effect of initial pH --- p.67 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Effect of reaction temperature --- p.70 / Chapter 4.3.5 --- Effect of growth phases --- p.70 / Chapter 4.4 --- Factors affecting bacterial sensitivity towards PCO --- p.73 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities --- p.73 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) induction --- p.74 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Fatty acid (FA) profile --- p.75 / Chapter 4.5 --- Bacterial regrowth test --- p.78 / Chapter 4.6 --- Disinfection mechanisms of fluorescent light-driven photocatalysis --- p.79 / Chapter 4.6.1 --- Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) --- p.79 / Chapter 4.6.2 --- Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis --- p.81 / Chapter 4.6.3 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.83 / Chapter 4.7 --- Chlorination --- p.89 / Chapter 4.7.1 --- Disinfection efficiency --- p.89 / Chapter 4.7.2 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.92 / Chapter 4.8 --- UV-C irradiation --- p.96 / Chapter 4.8.1 --- Disinfection efficiency --- p.96 / Chapter 4.8.2 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.96 / Chapter 5. --- Discussions --- p.103 / Chapter 5.1 --- Screening of UV-A resistant freshwater and marine bacteria --- p.103 / Chapter 5.2 --- Comparison of PCO coupled with UV-A lamps and fluorescent lamps --- p.103 / Chapter 5.3 --- Effect of initial pH --- p.105 / Chapter 5.4 --- Effect of reaction temperature --- p.106 / Chapter 5.5 --- Effect of growth phases --- p.107 / Chapter 5.6 --- Factors affecting bacterial sensitivity towards PCO --- p.108 / Chapter 5.6.1 --- Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities --- p.108 / Chapter 5.6.2 --- Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) induction --- p.110 / Chapter 5.6.3 --- Fatty acid (FA) profile --- p.110 / Chapter 5.6.4 --- Cell wall structure --- p.112 / Chapter 5.6.5 --- Bacterial size --- p.114 / Chapter 5.6.6 --- Other possible factors --- p.114 / Chapter 5.7 --- Bacterial regrowth test --- p.115 / Chapter 5.8 --- Disinfection mechanisms of fluorescent light-driven photocatalysis --- p.116 / Chapter 5.8.1 --- Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) --- p.116 / Chapter 5.8.2 --- Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis --- p.117 / Chapter 5.8.3 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.118 / Chapter 5.9 --- Chlorination --- p.122 / Chapter 5.9.1 --- Disinfection efficiency --- p.122 / Chapter 5.9.2 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.122 / Chapter 5.10 --- UV-C irradiation --- p.123 / Chapter 5.10.1 --- Disinfection efficiency --- p.123 / Chapter 5.10.2 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.124 / Chapter 5.11 --- Comparisons of three disinfection methods --- p.124 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusions --- p.126 / Chapter 7. --- References --- p.132

This thesis describes the synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic applications of carbon nitride (C3N4) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) materials. C3N4 was prepared from the thermal decomposition of a trichloromelamine (TCM) precursor. Several different reactor designs and decomposition temperatures were used to produce chemically and thermally stable orange powders. These methods included a low temperature glass Schlenk reactor, a high mass scale stainless steel reactor, and decomposition at higher temperatures by the immersion of a Schlenk tube into a furnace. These products share many of the same structural and chemical properties when produced by these different methods compared to products from more common alternate precursors in the literature, determined by infrared spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and elemental analysis. C3N4 is capable of utilizing light for photocatalysis due to its moderate band gap (Eg), measured to be between 2.2 and 2.5 eV. This enables C3N4 to be used in the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and the production of hydrogen via the water-splitting reaction. C3N4 degraded methylene blue dye to less than 10% of its initial concentration in less than an hour of UV light illumination and 60% under filtered visible light in 150 minutes. It also degraded methyl orange dye to below 20% in 70 minutes under UV light and below 60% in 150 minutes under visible light. Using precious metal co-catalysts (Pt, Pd, and Ag) photo-reduced onto the surface of C3N4, hydrogen was produced from a 10% aqueous solution of triethanolamine at rates as high as 260 μmol h-1 g-1. C3N4 was also modified by mixing the precursor with different salts (NaCl, KBr, KI, KSCN, and NH4SCN) as hard templates. Many of these salts reacted with TCM by exchanging the anion with the chlorine in TCM. The products were mostly prepared using the high temperature Schlenk tube reactor, and resulted in yellow, orange, or tan-brown products with Eg values between 2.2 and 2.7 eV. Each of these products had subtle differences in the IR spectra and elemental composition. The morphology of these C3N4 products appeared to be more porous than unmodified C3N4, and the surface area for some increased by a factor of 4. These products demonstrated increased activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, with the product from TCM-KI reaching a peak rate as high as 1,300 µmol h-1 g-1. C3N4 was coated onto metal oxide supports (SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, and WO3) with the goal of utilizing enhanced surface area of the support or synergy between two different semiconductors. These products typically required higher temperature synthesis conditions in order to fully form. The compositions of the SiO2 and Al2O3 products were richer in nitrogen and hydrogen compared to unmodified C3N4. The higher temperature reactions with C3N4 and WO3 resulted in the formation of the HxWO3 phase, and an alternate approach of coating WO3 on C3N4 was used. The degradation of methyl orange showed a significant increase in adsorption of dye for the composites with SiO2 and Al2O3, which was not seen with any of the individual components. The composite between C3N4 and TiO2 showed improved activity for hydrogen evolution compared to unmodified C3N4. The surface of TiO2 was modified by the reductive photodeposition of several first row transition metals (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu). This process resulted in the slight color change of the white powder to shades of light yellow, blue or grey. Bulk elemental analysis showed that these products contained between 0.04-0.6 at% of the added metal, which was lower than the targeted deposit amount. The Cu modified TiO2 had the largest enhancement of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity with a rate of 8,500 µmol h-1 g-1, a factor of 17 higher than unmodified TiO2.

Excessive phosphorus (P) excreted by animals can affect water quality and cause eutrophication. Better understanding of factors that influence P utilization and excretion in horses may reduce the environmental impact of P. Two animal experiments were conducted that examined P excretion by horses. The efficacy of titanium dioxide as an external marker to calculate digestibility was studied concurrently with both animal experiments. Additionally, pasture P concentrations were evaluated over the growing season using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Experiment 1 examined P excretion by post-lactational mares fed a low P diet immediately prior to weaning compared to non-lactating controls fed an adequate P diet. Post-lactational mares excreted more P compared to controls. Experiment 2 compared P excretion in horses fed to lose, maintain, or gain weight. Horses fed to lose weight tended to excrete more fecal P compared to horses fed to gain weight and had increased markers of bone turnover. The efficacy of titanium dioxide for estimating fecal output from limited fecal grab samples was variable. Titanium dioxide may be useful in situations where many fecal samples are collected over 5 d, but may not be as accurate if one fecal grab sample is expected to be representative of fecal output. Experiment 3 focused on examining the changes in pasture mineral concentration over the season using NIRS. A discussion of how these results may inform equine P supplementation programs is included. Overall, the work in this dissertation suggests that factors that influence P excretion in the horse include the dietary availability of P, physiological status, and active weight change. These variables can be incorporated into feeding programs to meet horses’ needs more closely while minimizing P excretion in the environment.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films have a long history in silicon photovoltaics (PV) as antireflection (AR) coatings due to their excellent optical properties and low deposition cost. This work explores several novel areas where TiO2 thin films could be use to enhance silicon (Si) solar cell performance while reducing device fabrication costs. Amorphous, anatase and rutile TiO2 thin films are deposited using ultrasonic spraydeposition (USD) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) systems, both designed and constructed by the author. Initial experiments confirmed that no degradation in the bulk minority carrier lifetime (????bulk) occurred during high-temperature processing, although the stability of the USD-deposited TiO2 films was dependent on the furnace ambient. A major disadvantage of TiO2 AR coatings is that they afford little surface passivation. In this work, a novel method of achieving excellent surface passivation on TiO2-coated silicon wafers is presented. This involved growing a 6 nm-thick SiO2 layer at the TiO2:Si interface by oxidising the wafer after TiO2 film deposition. The increase in surface passivation afforded by the interfacial SiO2 layer results in a decrease in the emitter dark saturation current density (J0e) by nearly two orders of magnitude to 4.7 ??? 7.7 ??~ 10???14 A/cm2. This demonstrates the compatibility of the TiO2/SiO2 stack with high-efficiency solar cells designs. By varying the film deposition and annealing conditions, TiO2 refractive indices in the range of 1.726 ??? 2.633 (at ???? = 600 nm) could be achieved. Subsequently, a double-layer antireflection (DLAR) coating was designed comprised of low and high TiO2 refractive index material. The best experimental weighted average reflectance (Rw) achieved was 6.5% on a planar silicon wafer in air. TiO2 DLAR coatings are ideally suited to multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) wafers, which do not respond well to chemical texturing. Modelling performed for a glass and ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulated buried-contact solar cell indicated that a TiO2 DLAR coating afforded a 7% increase in the short circuit current density, when compared to a standard, commercially-deposited TiO2 single-layer AR coating. Finally, it is demonstrated that chemical reactions with phosphorus prevent TiO2 from acting as a successful phosphorus diffusion barrier or dopant source. The applicability of TiO2 thin films to various silicon solar cell structures is discussed.

Natural organic matter (NOM) occurs ubiquitously in drinking water supplies and is problematic since it serves as a precursor to disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation. Stricter DBP regulations will drive utilities to consider advanced treatment processes for DBP control through NOM removal. Herein, the transformation of NOM in homogeneous (UVA/H2O2 and UVA/Fe/H2O2) and heterogeneous (UVA/TiO2) Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) were studied. Organic matter from three different sources was investigated in this work, specifically a commercial humic acid, and two Australian surface water sources. The transformation of the organic matter as a result of oxidation was investigated through multiple analytical techniques, such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, DOC analysis, high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), resin fractionation, liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) and disinfection byproducts formation potential. The multi-analysis approach is required due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of NOM. Each analytical technique provides complementary information on different properties of NOM, leading to a comprehensive understanding on how AOPs transform the chemical and physical properties of NOM. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous AOPs were found to be effective for NOM removal. However, complete mineralisation was not achieved, even under prolonged irradiation. Large aromatic and hydrophobic organics were degraded into lower molecular weight hydrophilic compounds, which had weak UV absorbance at 254 nm. In the UVA/TiO2 treatment, multi-wavelength HPSEC analysis demonstrated the formation of low molecular weight compounds with strong absorbance at wavelength lower than 230 nm. These residual organic compounds, though recalcitrant, had a low reactivity to chlorine to form THMs, and were identified to be low molecular weight acids and neutral compounds from LC-OCD analysis. Finally, the current work reports the novel synthesis of magnetic photocatalyst for NOM oxidation from low cost precursors to solve the separation problem of nano-sized particles. Magnetite particles were coated with a layer of protective silica from sodium silicate precursor. Photoactive titanium dioxide was then deposited onto the silica coated particles using titanium tetrachloride precursor. The as-prepared magnetic photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability and durability. Although the photoactivity of the magnetic photocatalyst is lower than commercial TiO2 photocatalyst, it can be easily recovered by magnetic field.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-197).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Jingguang G. Chen, Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.