With the advancements in the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), more and more applications require the sensor nodes to have long lifetime. Energy harvesting sources, e.g. thermoelectric generators (TEGs), can be used to increase the lifetime and capability of the WSNs. Integration of energy harvesters into sensor nodes of WSNs can realize self powered systems, providing the possibility for maintenance free WSNs. TEGs can convert the existing temperature differences into electricity. The efficiency of TEGs is directly related to the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) of materials, which is given as ZT=σS^2 T/k, where σ is the electrical conductivity, S is the Seebeck coefficient, k is the thermal conductivity, T is the temperature and σS^2 is the power factor. Traditional thermoelectric (TE) materials are based on inorganic materials, of which the thermal conductivity is high. Over the past decade, the use of nanostructuring technology, e.g. superlattice, could decrease the thermal conductivity in order to enhance the efficiency of TE materials. However, the high cost and the rigidity of inorganic TE materials are limiting factors. As alternatives, polymer based materials have become the research focus due to their intrinsic low thermal conductivity, high flexibility and high electrical conductivity. Moreover, polymer based materials could be fabricated in solution form, giving the possibility for employing printing techniques hence a decrease in the production cost. Unlike the typical approach, in which secondary dopants are added into PEDOT:PSS solutions to modify the power factor of polymer films, this thesis is focused on a more efficient method to improve TE properties. This thesis demonstrates for the first time that post treatment of PEDOT:PSS films with the secondary dopant DMSO as the medium results in a much larger power factor than the traditional addition method. The post treatment method also avoids the usually required mixing step involved in the addition method. Different solvents were selected to discuss the impact factors in the modification of the power factor by this post treatment approach. The post treatment of PEDOT:PSS films was then extended to utilize a green solvent EMIMBF_4 (an ionic liquid) as the medium. EMIMBF_4 is found to exchange ions with PEDOT:PSS films. As a result, the EMIM^+ cations remain in the films and reduce the oxidation level of PEDOT chains, which affects the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity. Furthermore, TE materials based on hybrid composites with polymer as the matrix and Te nanostructures as the nanoinclusions were investigated. This thesis successfully developed a green synthesis method to obtain Te nanostructures, in which a non toxic reductant and a non toxic Te sources were used. Well controlled Te nanostructures including nanorods, nanowires and nanotubes were synthesized by wet chemical and hydrothermal synthesis. Those as synthesized Te nanowires were then integrated into PEDOT:PSS solution for composite films fabrication. A high Seebeck coefficient up to 200 μV/K was observed in the composite film. / Mit den Weiterentwicklungen der Drahtlosen Sensornetzwerke (engl. WSN, wireless sensor networks) stellen immer mehr Anwendungen die Forderung einer langen Lebensdauer der Sensorknoten. Energiegewinnungssysteme (engl. Energy Harvesters) wie z.B. thermoelektrische Generatoren (TEGs) können genutzt werden, um die Lebensdauer und Leistungsfähigkeit der WSN zu steigern. Mit der Integration von Energy Harvesters können WSN ohne äußere Stromversorgung realisiert und somit die Möglichkeit zur Wartungsfreiheit geschaffen werden. TEGs liefern Energie durch die Umwandlung einer Temperaturdifferenz in Elektrizität. Die Effektivität der TEG ist direkt verbunden mit der Material-Kennzahl ZT und ist gegeben durch ZT=σS^2 T/k, wobei σ die elektrische Leitfähigkeit ist, S der Seebeck Koeffizient, k die thermische Leifähigkeit, T die Temperatur und σS^2 der Leistungsfaktor. Herkömmliche thermoelektrische (TE) Materialien basieren auf anorganischen Materialien, von denen die thermische Leitfähigkeit hoch ist. Im Laufe des letzten Jahrzehnts konnte durch den Einsatz der Nanostrukturierung die thermische Leitfähigkeit verringern werden um damit die Effizienz von TE-Materialien zu steigern. Die Steifigkeit dieser Materialien ist ein anderer Aspekt. Als Alternative für anorganische TE Materialien sind Polymer basierte TE Materialien zum Fokus der Forschung geworden aufgrund einer intrinsisch niedrigen thermischen Leitfähigkeit, hohen Flexibilität und hohen elektrischen Leitfähigkeit. Des Weiteren können diese Polymere in gelöster Form verarbeitet werden, was die Möglichkeit für den Einsatz von Drucktechnologien und damit geringeren Produktionskosten gibt. Anders als der herkömmliche Ansatz den Leistungsfaktor der Polymerfilme durch die Ergänzung von sekundären Dotanten in PEDOT:PSS Lösungen zu verändern, wurde in dieser Arbeit eine effizientere Methode zur Verbesserung der TE Eigenschaften gesucht. In dieser Arbeit wird zum ersten Mal gezeigt, dass die Nachbehandlung von PEDOT:PSS Schichten mit sekundären Dotanten Dimethylsulfoxid (DMSO) als Medium der Nachbehandlung zu einem viel höheren Leistungsfaktor führt als bei der Zugabemethode und außerdem die sonst erforderliche Mischprocedur vermeidet. Es wurden verschiedene Lösungsmittel ausgewählt um die Einflussfaktoren bei der Modifikation des Leistungsfaktors durch die Nachbehandlung von Polymerschichten zu diskutieren. Die Nachbehandlung von PEDOT:PSS Schichten wurde nachfolgend erweitert um das umweltfreundliche Lösungsmittel EMIMBF4 (eine ionische Flüssigkeit) als das Medium einzusetzen. EMIMBF4 ist bekannt für den Austausch von Ionen mit PEDOT:PSS Schichten, so dass EMIM Kationen in der Schicht verbleiben, die Oxidationsstufe der PEDOT-Ketten senken und damit den Seebeck-Koeffizient und die elektrische Leitfähigkeit beeinflussen. Des Weiteren konzentriert sich diese Arbeit auf TE Materialien basierend auf Kompositen aus Polymeren mit Nanoeinlagerungen. Erfolgreiche Syntheseansätze wurden für Tellur-Nanostrukturen entwickelt, bei denen keine giftigen Reduktionsmittel und keine giftigen Tellur-Quellen zur Verwendung kamen. Es erfolgte die Erzeugung von kontrollierten Tellur-Nanostrukturen, einschließlich Nanostäben, Nanodrähten und Nanoröhren, mit nass-chemischer und hydrothermaler Synthese. Die so hergestellten Nanodrähte wurden dann in PEDOT:PSS Lösungen integriert für die Herstellung von Komposite-Schichten. Dabei konnte ein hoher Seebeck-Koeffizienten, bis zu 200 μV/K, festgestellt werden.

Im Fokus dieser Arbeit standen zwei Ziele. Zum einem war es Forschungsgegenstand, dass Konzept der Zwillingspolymerisation auf germaniumhaltige, molekulare Vorstufen wie zum Beispiel Germylene, spirozyklische Germaniumverbindungen und molekulare Germanate zu erweitern und somit organisch-anorganische Komposite beziehungsweise Hybridmaterialien darzustellen. Dazu wurden neuartige Germaniumalkoxide auf der Basis von Benzylalkoholaten, Salicylalkoholaten sowie Benzylthiolaten synthetisiert, charakterisiert und auf ihre Fähigkeit Komposite beziehungsweise Hybridmaterialien über den Prozess der Zwillingspolymerisation zu erhalten studiert. Ein zweites Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, Beziehungen zwischen der Struktur und der Reaktivität dieser molekularen Vorstufen sowie deren Einfluss auf die Eigenschaften der erhaltenen Polymerisationsprodukte zu identifizieren und systematisch zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurden zum einen verschiedene Substituenten, welche unterschiedliche elektronische sowie sterische Eigenschaften aufweisen, an den aromatischen Einheiten der molekularen Vorstufen eingeführt. Die Effekte der Substituenten auf den Prozess der Zwillingspolymerisation und auf die Eigenschaften der Komposite beziehungsweise Hybridmaterialien wurden für die Verbindungsklasse der Germanium(II)salicylalkoholate, der molekularen Germanate sowie der spiro-zyklischen Siliziumsalicylalkoholate untersucht. Spirozyklische Siliziumsalicylalkoholate, wie zum Beispiel 4H,4’H-2,2‘-Spirobi[benzo[d][1,3,2]dioxasilin], wurden im Rahmen dieser Arbeit mit einbezogen, da sie aufgrund ihres nahezu idealen Zwillingspolymerisationsprozesses geeignete Modelverbindungen für Reaktivitätsstudien darstellen. Zudem wurde der Einfluss der Substituenten auf die Charakteristika der aus den Kompositen beziehungsweise Hybridmaterialien erhaltenen Folgeprodukte (poröse Kohlenstoffmaterialien und oxydische Materialien) studiert. Des Weiteren wurde eine Serie von spirozyklischen Germaniumthiolaten, welche isostrukturell zu 4H,4’H-2,2‘-Spirobi[benzo[d][1,3,2]dioxasilin] sind, synthetisiert, um systematisch den Einfluss der Chalkogenide, Sauerstoff und Schwefel, in benzylständiger sowie phenylständiger Position auf deren Reaktionsvermögen im Polymerisationsprozess zu untersuchen. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse zu den Struktur-Reaktivitätsbeziehungsstudien wurden, soweit es jeweils durchführbar war, mittels quantenchemische Rechnungen validiert und die daraus gezogenen Schlüsse in die Diskussion zur Interpretation der experimentellen Ergebnisse mit einbezogen.

Im Gegensatz zu herkömmlichen Dehnungsmessstreifen können Carbon nanotube (CNT)-basierte Komposite zusätzlich eine ausgeprägte Druck-abhängigkeit des Widerstandes aufweisen. Deshalb können Drucksensoren aus CNT-Nanokomposite ohne den Einsatz von Verformungskörpern wie z. B. Biegebalken aufgebaut werden. Die möglichen Anwendungsgebiete für diese direkt messenden Sensoren wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit bei drei industriellen Anwendungen wie z. B. bei Robotergreifarmen gezeigt. Die Zielstellung dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung und Charakterisierung eines neuartigen Sensors aus CNT-Nanokomposite. Unter Verwendung von Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-Epoxidharz und interdigitalen Elektroden soll der Sensor auf wenigen Quadratzentimetern Drücke im Megapascal-Bereich und somit Kräfte im Kilonewton-Bereich messen können. Durch die Auswahl geeigneter Werkstoffe und die Modellierung mit der Finite Element Methode wurde der Sensorentwurf durchgeführt sowie der Messbereich abgeschätzt. Die Herstellung der MWCNT-Epoxidharz-Dispersion erfolgte durch mechanische Mischverfahren. Anschließend wurden aus der Dispersion druckempfindliche Schichten mit der Schablonendrucktechnik hergestellt. Dabei wurden die Herstellungs-parameter und besonders der Füllstoffgehalt der MWCNTs variiert, um deren Einflüsse auf das mechanische, thermische und elektrische Verhalten zu untersuchen. Die Charakterisierung der mechanischen Kenngrößen erfolgte mit Zugversuchen und dynamisch-mechanischer Analyse. In den Untersuchungen zeigen die MWCNT-Komposite eine signifikante Steigerung der Zugfestigkeit und eine Erhöhung der Glasübergangstemperatur gegenüber reinem Epoxidharz. Die Abhängigkeiten der Druckempfindlichkeit und der Temperaturempfindlichkeit vom Füllstoffgehalt wurden untersucht. Eine besonders hohe Druckempfindlichkeit, aber auch Temperaturempfind-lichkeit wurde bei Proben mit geringem Füllstoffgehalt (1 wt% und 1,25 wt%) festgestellt. Es ist also wichtig, die richtige Materialkombination für diese Art Sensor zu finden. Die realisierten Sensoren liefern zuverlässige Antwortsignale bei wiederholten Belastungen bis zu einer Belastung von 20 MPa (entspricht 2 kN). Zusätzlich wurde der Temperatureinfluss in einem Bereich von −20 °C bis 50 °C durch eine Wheatstonesche Brückenschaltung kompensiert. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt, dass eine zuverlässige Druckmessung mit einer Temperaturmessabweichung von 0,214 MPa/10 K gewährleistet werden kann. / In contrast to conventional metallic strain gauges, carbon nanotube (CNT) composites have an additional pressure sensitivity. Therefore, deformation elements such as bending beam is not needed by using pressure sensors, which are based on CNT nanocomposite. The possible areas of application for these pressure direct measured sensors were showed in three industrial application such as robot gripper. The focus of this work is the development and characterization of a new sensor manufactured from CNT nanocomposite. By using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) epoxy and interdigital electrodes the sensor, which has a dimension of few square centimetre, should measure a pressure in mega Pascal range and hence a force in kilo newton range. By the selection of suitable materials and the modelling using finite element method, the sensor design as well as the measurement range were carried out. The MWCNT epoxy dispersion is manufactured by using a mechanical mixing process. Subsequent, the dispersion is used to fabricate pressure sensitive layers by stencil printing methods. Thereby, the fabrication parameters and especially the filler content of the MWCNTs were varied for the mechanical, thermal and electrical investigation. The characterization of the mechanical characteristic values were carried out by using tensile test and dynamic mechanical analysis. The results show a significant increasing of the tensile strength and glass transition temperature in comparison to neat epoxy. Additionally, the influence of the filler content to the pressure and thermal sensitivity were investigated. A highly pressure sensitivity but also a highly thermal sensitivity are obtained for samples with lower filler contents (1 wt% and 1.25 wt%). Therefore, a suitable material combination has to be chosen. The fabricated sensors show reliable response signals by repeated excitations up to 20 MPa (meets to 2 KN). Moreover, the temperature influence ranged from -20 °C to 50 °C was compensated with a Wheatstone bridge. This work demonstrate a direct pressure sensitive sensor with reliable response signals by a thermal deviation of 0.214 MPa/10K.

Inspiriert durch natürliche Grenzflächenproteine in Knochen wurden bifunktionale Biokonjugate für verschiedene Grenzflächenstabilisierungen genutzt. In einem kombinatorischen Ansatz wurden materialspezifische Peptid-block-Polyethylenglycol-Konjugate eingesetzt, um die Grenzflächen von Nanopartikeln in Lösung sowie in Polymerkompositen zu stabilisieren. Dazu wurden biokombinatorisch ausgewählte Peptid-Sequenzen mit einer Affinität für MgF2-Oberflächen in Form eines MgF2-bindenden Konjugats (MBC) synthetisiert, welches die materialaffine Bindung der monodispersen Peptid-Domäne mit der zusätzlichen Funktion des synthetischen Polymer-Blocks verbindet. Aus detaillierten Untersuchungen der Bindungseigenschaften von MBC und davon abgeleiteten Konjugaten mit variierten Peptidarchitekturen bzw. Polymer-Blocklängen bei verschiedenen Inkubationsbedingungen ging hervor, dass das sequenzspezifisch bindende MBC das Potenzial zur Stabilisierung von MgF2-Nanopartikeln hat. Das Konjugat verhinderte die Agglomeration der Partikel und ermöglichte im Gegensatz zu etablierten Stabilisatoren die vollständige Redispergierbarkeit sogar nach Eintrocknung. Die Stabilisierung in Lösung wurde auf die Kompatibilisierung von Partikeln in Polycaprolacton (PCL)-Kompositen übertragen, in denen das grenzflächenaktive MBC die Materialeigenschaften von bioabbaubaren PCL/MgF2-Kompositen optimierte. Die Grenzflächenstabilisierung führte zur gleichzeitigen Erhöhung der Steifigkeit und der Zähigkeit der Materialien bis in den Bereich natürlicher Knochen. Durch die gemeinsame Zugabe von MBC-kompatibilisiertem MgF2 und Hyxdroxylapatit zu PCL wurde ein bioaktives Material geschaffen, das nachweislich die osteogene Differenzierung von mesenchymalen Stammzellen und die Mineralisierung von neuem Knochengewebe unterstützte. Damit stellt es ein vielversprechendes Komposit für die Regeneration von Knochengewebe und weitere Anwendungen dar. / Inspired by natural interface proteins in bone, bifunctional bioconjugates were exploited for different interface stabilization applications. The interfaces of nanoparticles both in solution and in polymeric composites were stabilized by combinatorially selected, material specific peptide-polymer conjugates. Peptide sequences showing affinity to MgF2 particle surfaces were selected from a phage display library and translated into a MgF2-binding peptide-block-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugate (MBC). The MBC combined the material-affine binding of the monodisperse peptide domain with an additional function of a synthetic polymer block. Detailed studies of the binding properties of MBC and congeneric conjugates with other peptide architectures or different polymer block lengths, as well as varied incubation conditions revealed the potential of the sequence-specific MBC to stabilize MgF2 nanoparticles in solution. The conjugate inhibited the agglomeration of the particles. In contrast to established stabilizers, it enabled fully redispersable nanoparticles even after complete drying. The stabilization approach in solution was expanded to the compatibilization of the particles in polycaprolactone (PCL) composites. Inspired by the structure of highly specific interface proteins, MBC optimized the material properties of biodegradable PCL/MgF2 composites. Additionally, the interface stabilization simultaneously increased both the stiffness and the toughness of the composites up to the range of natural bone. The addition of hydroxyapatite alongside MBC-compatibilized MgF2 to PCL created a bioactive material that showed enhanced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and the mineralization of new bone tissue. Therefore, a mechanically reinforced, osteoinductive material was prepared showing high potential in extensive in vitro studies for biomedical applications such as guided bone regeneration, yet not limited to that.

In this work the influence of solid electrolyte additives on the gas sensing properties of tin oxide layers was investigated systematically for the first time. NASICON (NAtrium, Super Ionic CONductor, Na(1+x)Zr2SixP(3-x)O12; 0 <= x <= 3) was used as a model for solid electrolyte additives. The structure of that material is ideally suitable for studies of the correlation between material parameters and the gas sensitivity of the layers. In the NASICON structure the content of mobile Na+-ions can be varied by a factor of four resulting in a simultaneous change of the ionic conductivity sigma(Na+) by approximately three orders of magnitude without considerable structural alterations. Powders of SnO2 and NASICON (x = 0; 2.2; 3) were prepared separately by means of sol-gel routes and mixed in a volume ratio of 80/20. Pastes were prepared from these powders with different compositions and screen printed on alumina substrates with a fourfold structure of thin film gold electrode combs. Four different compositions were characterised simultaneously at elevated temperatures in various gas atmospheres. The conductivity of the layers, when measured in air, decreases considerably with increasing Na+-content in the NASICON additive. This is correlated with enhanced activation energy of the electronic conductivity. The sensitivity of the layers to polar organic molecules like R-OH (alcohols), R-HO (aldehydes) and ROOH (carboxylic acids) is highly enhanced by the NASICON additive. This is observed especially on the admixtures with NASICON of high Na+-content (x = 2.2 and x = 3). On the other hand, the sensitivity to substances with mid-standing functional groups like 2-propanol or propanone can not be enhanced by NASICON additives. Furthermore the sensitivity of these composite layers to CO, H2, NH3, methane, propane, propene and toluene (all exposed as admixtures with air) is lower than the sensitivity of pure SnO2-layers. These observations are well correlated with the results of gas consumption measurements on SnO2/NASICON powders by means of FTIR spectroscopy. In spite of the lack of surface analytical data, a model of surface chemical gas reactions based on a triple phase boundary (SnO2/NASICON/gas atmosphere) was developed, which explains the experimental observations qualitatively. It is assumed that the decrease of the electronic conductivity as observed in the presence of NASICON additives with increasing Na+-content is due to an enhanced electron depletion layer. This is formed in the SnO2 grains by Na+/e- interactions across the SnO2/NASICON-interface. The enormous enhancement of the sensitivity to polar organic molecules may be due to specific nucleophilic interactions with the Na+-ions and coupled Na+/e--interactions at the triple phase reaction sites.

No description available.

The poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-modified magnetite nanoparticles, Fe3O4-PGMA NPs, were investigated and applied in nondestructive flaw detection of polymeric materials in this research. The Fe3O4 endowed magnetic property to the materials for flaw detection while the PGMA promoted colloidal stability and prevented particle aggregation. The magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) were successfully synthesized by coprecipitation and then surface-modified with PGMA to form PGMA-modified Fe3O4 NPs by both grafting-from and grafting-to approaches. For the grafting-from approach, the Fe3O4 NPs were surface-functionalized with α-bromo isobutyryl bromide (BIBB) to form BIB-modified Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4-BIB NPs) with covalent linkage. The resultant Fe3O4-BIB NPs were used as surface-initiators to grow PGMA by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). For the grafting-to approach, the Fe3O4 NP were surface-functionalized with (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane (MCTES) to form MCTES-modified Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4-MCTES NPs). The PGMA with Br-end group was pre-synthesized by ATRP and then was grafted to the surface of the Fe3O4-MCTES NPs by coupling reaction. Both bare and modified Fe3O4 NPs exhibited superparamagnetism and the existence of iron oxide in the form of Fe3O4 was confirmed. The particle size of individual Fe3O4 NPs was about 8 – 24 nm but they aggregated to form clusters. The PGMA-modified NPs formed stable dispersion in chloroform and had larger cluster sizes than the unmodified ones because of the PGMA polymer layer. However, the uniformity of the NP clusters could be improved with PGMA surface grafting. The PGMA surface layer of the grafting-from (Fe3O4-gf-PGMA) NPs was thin and dense while that of the grafting-to (Fe3O4-gt-PGMA) NPs was thick and loose. The hydrodynamic diameters (Zave) of Fe3O4-gf-PGMA NP clusters could be controlled between 176 to 643 nm, dependent on the PGMA contents and reaction conditions. During SI-ATRP, side reactions happened and caused NP aggregation as well as increase of size of NP clusters. However, the aggregation has been minimized through optimization of reaction conditions. Oppositely, Zave values of Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs had little variation of about 120 – 190 nm. And the PGMA content of the Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs was limited to 12.5% because of the spatial hindrance during grafting process. The saturation magnetization (Ms) of the unmodified Fe3O4 NPs was about 77 emu/g, while those of the grafting-from and grafting-to Fe3O4-PGMA NPs were 50 – 66 emu/g and 63 – 70 emu/g, respectively. For Fe3O4-PGMA NPs with similar Fe3O4 contents, the grafting-to NPs had slightly higher Ms than the grafting-from counterparts. In addition, the Ms of both kinds of the Fe3O4-PGMA NPs with higher Fe3O4 content (> 87%) were also higher than that of the fluidMAG-Amine, the commercially available amine-modified MNPs. Besides, both kinds of Fe3O4-PGMA NPs also had much higher Fe3O4 contents and Ms values than most of the reported PGMA-modified MNPs. The magnetic epoxy nanocomposites (MENCs) were prepared by blending the modified Fe3O4 NPs into bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)-based epoxy system and the distributions of both kinds of the PGMA-modified NPs were much better than that of the oleic acid-modified Fe3O4 NPs. Similar to the NPs, the MENCs also exhibited superparamagnetism. By cross-section TEM observation, the grafting-to Fe3O4-PGMA NPs formed more homogeneous distributions with smaller cluster size than the grafting-from counterparts and gave higher Ms of the MENCs. Nondestructive flaw detection of surface and sub-surface defects could be successfully achieved by brightness contrast of images given through eddy current testing (ET) method, which is firstly reported. The mechanical properties of the materials were influenced very slightly when 2.5% or lower Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs were present while the presence of the Fe3O4-gf-PGMA NPs (1 – 2.5 %) gave mild improvement of the storage modulus and increase of the glass-rubber transition temperature(Tg) of the MENCs. Furthermore, the Fe3O4-PGMA NPs could be evenly coated onto the functionalized ultra-high molecular weight poly(ethylene) (UHMWPE) textiles. The Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs were coated on the textile in order to prepare NP-coated textile-reinforced composite. Preliminary result of ET measurement showed that the Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs coated on the textiles could visualize the structure of the textile hidden inside and their relative depth. Accordingly, the incorporation of MNPs to polymers opens a new pathway of damage-free structural health monitoring of polymeric materials.

The poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-modified magnetite nanoparticles, Fe3O4-PGMA NPs, were investigated and applied in nondestructive flaw detection of polymeric materials in this research. The Fe3O4 endowed magnetic property to the materials for flaw detection while the PGMA promoted colloidal stability and prevented particle aggregation. The magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) were successfully synthesized by coprecipitation and then surface-modified with PGMA to form PGMA-modified Fe3O4 NPs by both grafting-from and grafting-to approaches. For the grafting-from approach, the Fe3O4 NPs were surface-functionalized with α-bromo isobutyryl bromide (BIBB) to form BIB-modified Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4-BIB NPs) with covalent linkage. The resultant Fe3O4-BIB NPs were used as surface-initiators to grow PGMA by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). For the grafting-to approach, the Fe3O4 NP were surface-functionalized with (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane (MCTES) to form MCTES-modified Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4-MCTES NPs). The PGMA with Br-end group was pre-synthesized by ATRP and then was grafted to the surface of the Fe3O4-MCTES NPs by coupling reaction. Both bare and modified Fe3O4 NPs exhibited superparamagnetism and the existence of iron oxide in the form of Fe3O4 was confirmed. The particle size of individual Fe3O4 NPs was about 8 – 24 nm but they aggregated to form clusters. The PGMA-modified NPs formed stable dispersion in chloroform and had larger cluster sizes than the unmodified ones because of the PGMA polymer layer. However, the uniformity of the NP clusters could be improved with PGMA surface grafting. The PGMA surface layer of the grafting-from (Fe3O4-gf-PGMA) NPs was thin and dense while that of the grafting-to (Fe3O4-gt-PGMA) NPs was thick and loose. The hydrodynamic diameters (Zave) of Fe3O4-gf-PGMA NP clusters could be controlled between 176 to 643 nm, dependent on the PGMA contents and reaction conditions. During SI-ATRP, side reactions happened and caused NP aggregation as well as increase of size of NP clusters. However, the aggregation has been minimized through optimization of reaction conditions. Oppositely, Zave values of Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs had little variation of about 120 – 190 nm. And the PGMA content of the Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs was limited to 12.5% because of the spatial hindrance during grafting process. The saturation magnetization (Ms) of the unmodified Fe3O4 NPs was about 77 emu/g, while those of the grafting-from and grafting-to Fe3O4-PGMA NPs were 50 – 66 emu/g and 63 – 70 emu/g, respectively. For Fe3O4-PGMA NPs with similar Fe3O4 contents, the grafting-to NPs had slightly higher Ms than the grafting-from counterparts. In addition, the Ms of both kinds of the Fe3O4-PGMA NPs with higher Fe3O4 content (> 87%) were also higher than that of the fluidMAG-Amine, the commercially available amine-modified MNPs. Besides, both kinds of Fe3O4-PGMA NPs also had much higher Fe3O4 contents and Ms values than most of the reported PGMA-modified MNPs. The magnetic epoxy nanocomposites (MENCs) were prepared by blending the modified Fe3O4 NPs into bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)-based epoxy system and the distributions of both kinds of the PGMA-modified NPs were much better than that of the oleic acid-modified Fe3O4 NPs. Similar to the NPs, the MENCs also exhibited superparamagnetism. By cross-section TEM observation, the grafting-to Fe3O4-PGMA NPs formed more homogeneous distributions with smaller cluster size than the grafting-from counterparts and gave higher Ms of the MENCs. Nondestructive flaw detection of surface and sub-surface defects could be successfully achieved by brightness contrast of images given through eddy current testing (ET) method, which is firstly reported. The mechanical properties of the materials were influenced very slightly when 2.5% or lower Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs were present while the presence of the Fe3O4-gf-PGMA NPs (1 – 2.5 %) gave mild improvement of the storage modulus and increase of the glass-rubber transition temperature(Tg) of the MENCs. Furthermore, the Fe3O4-PGMA NPs could be evenly coated onto the functionalized ultra-high molecular weight poly(ethylene) (UHMWPE) textiles. The Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs were coated on the textile in order to prepare NP-coated textile-reinforced composite. Preliminary result of ET measurement showed that the Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs coated on the textiles could visualize the structure of the textile hidden inside and their relative depth. Accordingly, the incorporation of MNPs to polymers opens a new pathway of damage-free structural health monitoring of polymeric materials.:1. Introduction 2. Theoretical section 2.1. Magnetite Nanoparticles (MNPs) 2.2. Applications of MNPs 2.3. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) 2.4. Magnetic nanocomposites (MNCs) 2.5. Damage-free structural health monitoring (SHM) using MNPs 3. Objective of the work 4. Materials, methods and characterization 4.1. Materials 4.2. Methods 4.3. Formation of polymeric magnetic nanocomposites 4.4. Characterization 5. Results and discussions 5.1. Unmodified magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) 5.2. Oleic acid-modified (Fe3O4–OA) NPs 5.3. PGMA-modified NPs by grafting-from approach (Fe3O4-gf-PGMA NPs) 5.4. PGMA-modified NP by grafting-to approach (Fe3O4-gt-PGMA NPs) 5.5. Comparison between grafting-from and grafting-to Fe3O4-PGMA NPs 5.6. Magnetic epoxy nanocomposites (MENCs) 5.7. Fiber-reinforced epoxy nanocomposites 6. Conclusions and outlook 7. Appendix 8. List of figures, schemes and tables 9. References Versicherung Erklaerung List of publications

In this work the influence of solid electrolyte additives on the gas sensing properties of tin oxide layers was investigated systematically for the first time. NASICON (NAtrium, Super Ionic CONductor, Na(1+x)Zr2SixP(3-x)O12; 0 <= x <= 3) was used as a model for solid electrolyte additives. The structure of that material is ideally suitable for studies of the correlation between material parameters and the gas sensitivity of the layers. In the NASICON structure the content of mobile Na+-ions can be varied by a factor of four resulting in a simultaneous change of the ionic conductivity sigma(Na+) by approximately three orders of magnitude without considerable structural alterations. Powders of SnO2 and NASICON (x = 0; 2.2; 3) were prepared separately by means of sol-gel routes and mixed in a volume ratio of 80/20. Pastes were prepared from these powders with different compositions and screen printed on alumina substrates with a fourfold structure of thin film gold electrode combs. Four different compositions were characterised simultaneously at elevated temperatures in various gas atmospheres. The conductivity of the layers, when measured in air, decreases considerably with increasing Na+-content in the NASICON additive. This is correlated with enhanced activation energy of the electronic conductivity. The sensitivity of the layers to polar organic molecules like R-OH (alcohols), R-HO (aldehydes) and ROOH (carboxylic acids) is highly enhanced by the NASICON additive. This is observed especially on the admixtures with NASICON of high Na+-content (x = 2.2 and x = 3). On the other hand, the sensitivity to substances with mid-standing functional groups like 2-propanol or propanone can not be enhanced by NASICON additives. Furthermore the sensitivity of these composite layers to CO, H2, NH3, methane, propane, propene and toluene (all exposed as admixtures with air) is lower than the sensitivity of pure SnO2-layers. These observations are well correlated with the results of gas consumption measurements on SnO2/NASICON powders by means of FTIR spectroscopy. In spite of the lack of surface analytical data, a model of surface chemical gas reactions based on a triple phase boundary (SnO2/NASICON/gas atmosphere) was developed, which explains the experimental observations qualitatively. It is assumed that the decrease of the electronic conductivity as observed in the presence of NASICON additives with increasing Na+-content is due to an enhanced electron depletion layer. This is formed in the SnO2 grains by Na+/e- interactions across the SnO2/NASICON-interface. The enormous enhancement of the sensitivity to polar organic molecules may be due to specific nucleophilic interactions with the Na+-ions and coupled Na+/e--interactions at the triple phase reaction sites.

Komposit-Adsorbentien, die aus einer mit hygroskopischem Salz imprägnierten Zeolithmatrix bestehen, bilden eine vielversprechende Materialklasse für die thermochemische Energiespeicherung (TCES). Sie vereinen die hohe Wärmespeicherdichte des Salzes und die einfache technische Handhabbarkeit des Zeoliths. Dabei verhindert die poröse Matrix das Auslaufen von Salzlösung und kompensiert volumenänderungen während der Ad- und Desorption. Das dynamische Sorptionsverhalten solcher Komposite unterscheidet sich jedoch von dem reiner Zeolithe. Speziell die Adsorptionskinetik ist langsamer, was zu Problemen wie einer geringeren und nicht konstanten thermischen Leistung sowie unvollständiger Adsorption und langen Adsorptionspasen von Energiespeichern auf Basis dieser Materialien führt. Numerische Modellierung hat sich als wichtiges Werkzeug erwiesen, um die Ursachen solcher Leistungseinschränkungen zu identifizieren. Dadurch erleichtert es die Entwicklung von thermochemischen Energiespeichern: Optimale Designs und Arbeitsbedingungen können per Simulation gefunden werden bevor Prototypen gebaut werden müssen. In dieser Arbeit wurde ein numerisches Modell einer Adsorbensschüttung in einer offenen Sorptionskammer entwickelt, in die Open-Sourve Finite-Elemente-Software OpenGeoSys implementiert und mittels experimenteller Daten validiert. Die Modellierungserebnisse zeigen, dass etablierte Sorptionskinetiken das dynamische Adsorptionsverhalten von Salz/Zeolith-Kompositen unter anwendungsrelevanten Arbeitsbedingungen erfassen. Außerdem zeigen sie, dass der Hauptgrund für die Unterschiede zwischen dem Sorptionsverhalten der Komposite und reiner Zeolithe in ihren qualitativ unterschiedlichen Sorptionsgleichgewichten liegt. Ein zweiter Fokus dieser Arbeit liegt darauf zu untersuchen, ob ein begrenzter Umfang an experimentellen Daten genügt, um die entwickelten numerischen Modelle zu kalibrieren. Diese Möglichkeit wurde durch Simulationen von dynamischen Adsorptionsvorgängen an Komposit-Adsorbentien bestätigt. Zudem wurden Kriterien entwickelt, die die Rekonstruktion eines robusten Adsorptionsgleichgewichtsmodells aus einem beschränkten expermientellen Datensatz erlauben. Schließlich wurde im Kontext der Dubinin-Polanyi-Theorie der Adsorption in Mikroporen festgestellt, das die Wahl eines bestimmten Adsorbatdichtemodells nur einen kleinen Einfluss auf Vorhersagen der Leistungsfähigkeit von Adsorbentien für die TCES hat. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit bilden eine fundierte Grundlage für die zukünftige numerische Untersuchung von Materialien, Reaktorgeometrien und Arbeitsbedingungen während der Entwicklung von thermochemischen Energiespeichern, die auf Zeolithen oder Komposit-Adsorbentien basieren.:Used symbols and abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Foundations 2.1. Thermochemical energy storage 2.2. Zeolites and salt/zeolite composites 2.3. Dubinin-Polanyi theory 2.4. Multiphysical model of a fixed adsorbent bed 2.5. Experimental data 3. Assessment of adsorbate density models 4. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction 5. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data 6. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites 7. Summary 7.1. Main achievements 7.2. Conclusions and outlook Bibliography A. Publications A.1. Assessment of adsorbate density models A.2. A comparison of heat storage densities A.3. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction A.4. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data A.5. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites / Composite adsorbents consisting of a zeolite host matrix impregnated with a hygroscopic salt are a promising material class for thermochemical energy storage (TCES). They combine the high heat storage density of the salt with the easy technical manageability of the zeolite, which prevents the leakage of salt solution and inhibits volume changes upon ad- and desorption. The dynamic sorption behaviour of such composites, however, is different from the pure host matrix material. Particularly, the adsorption kinetics are slower, which leads to issues such as low and non-steady thermal output power, incomplete adsorption and long adsorption phases of TCES devices using these composite materials. Numerical modelling has proven to be a valuable tool to identify the causes for such performance limitations. Therefore, it facilitates the development of TCES devices: it allows to easily find optimum designs and operating procedures before actual prototypes have to be built. In this thesis a numerical model of a packed adsorbent bed in an open sorption chamber has been developed, implemented in the open-source finite element software OpenGeoSys and validated with experimental data. The modelling results show that established sorption kinetics models capture the dynamic sorption behaviour of salt/zeolite composites under application-relevant operating conditions. Moreover, they show that the main cause for the differences between the composites' and pure zeolite's sorption behaviour lies in their different sorption equilibria. A second focus of the thesis is to investigate the use of limited experimental data for the calibration of the numerical models. This possibility has been confirmed by dynamic sorption simulations of the composite materials. Furthermore, criteria were determined that allow the reconstruction of a robust adsorption equilibrium description from a reduced experimental data set. Finally, in the context of the Dubinin-Polanyi theory of adsorption in micropores, it has been found that the choice of a specific adsorbate density model has only a small influence on performance predictions of adsorbents for TCES. In summary, the results from this thesis will facilitate the screening of materials, reactor geometries and operating conditions via numerical simulations during the design of TCES devices based on zeolites and composite sorbents.:Used symbols and abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Foundations 2.1. Thermochemical energy storage 2.2. Zeolites and salt/zeolite composites 2.3. Dubinin-Polanyi theory 2.4. Multiphysical model of a fixed adsorbent bed 2.5. Experimental data 3. Assessment of adsorbate density models 4. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction 5. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data 6. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites 7. Summary 7.1. Main achievements 7.2. Conclusions and outlook Bibliography A. Publications A.1. Assessment of adsorbate density models A.2. A comparison of heat storage densities A.3. Water loading lift and heat storage density prediction A.4. Modelling of sorption isotherms based on sparse experimental data A.5. Modelling sorption equilibria and kinetics of salt/zeolite composites