This thesis describes the synthesis and application of three types of selectively functionalized mesoporous materials. In the first section, periodically ordered mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) are prepared that have the axially chiral bidentate phosphine ligand 2,2'-Bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1'-binaphthyl (BINAP) embedded in the wall structure. Asymmetric hydrogenation of β-ketoesters under high-pressure hydrogen gas and hydrogen transfer reduction were carried out using Ru catalysts resulting from these materials. In the next chapter, our new methodology to selectively functionalize the internal/external surface of SBA-15, a mesoporous silica whose pore diameter is ~8 nm, by blocking the pore surface with reloaded Pluronic P123® micelles is presented. Multiple tests were attempted to validate the efficiency of the methodology including nitrogen adsorption, quantitative analysis by solid state NMRs, fluorescence measurements, elemental analysis and XPS. Eventually SS NMR proved to be the most appropriate. Finally, chapter four describes ordered organic materials in catalysis, namely star-shaped polymers containing chiral core-gels synthesized from chiral 1,1’- binaphthalene-2,2’-diol (BINOL) and 1,1’-binaphthalene-2,2’-diamine (BINAM). The kinetic resolution of 1-phenyl ethanol was carried out expecting to see differential affinity of the chiral core-gel to one enantiomer of the substrate in hydrogen transfer oxidation reaction. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2013-02-25 12:08:40.27

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Carbon dioxide emissions have become a major concern as they are one of the contributing factors to the “green-house” effect. Recently, much effort has been put into separating carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gases linked to the combustion processes at fixed point sources. The development of solid sorbents for adsorption based on CO2 capture has attracted much attention. Ordered Mesoporous Silica (OMS) materials have recently attracted much attention as solid adsorbents for capturing CO2. OMS have been investigated for this purpose owing to their high pore volume, large surface area and ease of functionalizationIn this work we report on the synthesis of OMS viz. MCM-41 and SBA-15 along with amorphous silica as adsorbents for CO2 capture. MCM-41 was prepared with surfactants having different alkyl chain lengths (C14TABr, C16TABr and C18TABr) where TABr is trimethylammonium bromide. SBA-15 was prepared using a Triblock copolymer as a structure directing agent for the organization of polymerizing silica species. Commercial amorphous silica gel was used for comparative purposes. Initial characterization OMS with powder X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and small angle diffraction (SAXS) yielded diffraction patterns which may be associated with well-ordered structures of hexagonal mesoporous material. Ease of preparation for MCM-41 materials allowed for convenient scale- up, obtaining highly ordered mesoporous silica MCM-41 at room temperature. SBA-15 was also found to be scaled up with considerable ease through increasing the volume of the autoclave during hydrothermal treatment. Structural, morphological and textural properties of the adsorbents were characterized by N2 physisorption measurements, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). TEM confirmed the hexagonal structure; SEM showed that C14MCM-41 had spheroidal particle morphology whereas SBA-15 displayed rod-like structures. High surface areas of up to 1302, 1186, 1211 and 1024 m2/g for C14MCM-41, C16MCM-41, C18MCM-41 and SBA-15, respectively were obtained. The pore size of MCM-41 materials was increased from 2.6 nm for C14MCM-41 to 4.4 nm in diameter for C18MCM-41 using surfactants with different alkyl chain lengths. CO2 adsorption characteristics of OMS were studied using CO2-temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The results showed that C14MCM-41, C16MCM- 41, C18MCM-41 and SBA-15 desorbed 0.19, 0.16, 0.11 and 0.26 mmol/g respectively. The synthesized OMS were then further modified by grafting various amine moieties on their surfaces in order to increase their CO2 adsorptive capabilities. 3-(Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APS), N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylene- diamine (TPED), 3-chloropropyl)-trimethoxysilane (CPS), ethyl 2-bromopropanoate, tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN) and guanidine. Several characterization techniques such as XRD, SAXS, HRTEM, HRSEM, TGA, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, CO2 isotherms and CO2-TPD were used to analyze amine grafted solid sorbents for CO2 capture. The results revealed that the structural integrity of the amine modified sorbents was not compromised during the grafting process. The structural properties of the supports, such as surface area and pore size, nature of amine and the number of amine groups, affected the loading and CO2 adsorption capacity of chemically grafted sorbents. APS grafted amorphous silica gel adsorbed 0.67 mmol/g CO2, which proved to be the highest compared to C18MCM-41 and SBA-15 grafted with APS and TPED. C18MCM-41, SBA-15 and amorphous silica gel were also grafted with TREN and adsorbed 0.42, 0.51 and 0.27 mmol/g of CO2, respectively. A systematic study of guanidine grafted on C14MCM-41, C16MCM-41 and C18MCM-41 was investigated, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Structural properties like variation in pore size, proved to enhance the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent, coupled with the guanidine molecules grafted on MCM-41 materials. C18MCM-41-guanidine showed the highest CO2 uptake of the guanidine grafted MCM-41 materials, adsorbing 0.30 mmol/g. A novel synthetic route to TPED-TREN grafted C18MCM-41 and SBA-15, using ethyl 2-bromopropanoate as a linker, was investigated as a potential adsorbent for CO2 capture, for the first time. C18MCM-41-TPED-TREN and SBA-15-TPED-TREN CO2 adsorption capacity were found to be 0.14 and 0.14 mmol/g, respectively.

In this dissertation, mesoporous silica thin films with tunable features at the nanoscale were fabricated using the triblock copolymer template pathway, with the aim of specifically harvesting the low molecular weight peptides and proteins from human serum, which has been regarded as a potential source of diagnostic biomarkers for the early detection of disease. The superior properties of mesoporous silica have been demonstrated in applications which include chemical sensing, filtration, catalysis, drug-delivery and selective biomolecular uptake. These properties depend on the architectural, physical and chemical properties of the materials, which in turn are determined by the processing parameters in evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). Using the different polymer templates and polymer concentration in the precursor solution, various pore size distributions, pore structures and surface hydrophilicities were obtained and applied for nanotexture-selective recovery of low mass proteins. With the assistance of mass spectrometry and statistic analysis, we demonstrated the correlation between the nanophase characteristics of the mesoporous silica thin film and the specificity and efficacy of low mass proteome harvesting. In addition, to overcome the limitations of the pre-functionalization method in polymer selection, plasma ashing was used for the first time for the treatment of the mesoporous silica surface prior to chemical modification. Opposite surface charges due to the different functional groups used, resulted in a distinctive selectivity of the low molecular weight proteins from the serum sample. The mesoporous silica chips operate with extraordinary rapidity, high reproducibility, no sample pre-processing, and substantial independence from sample acquisition and storage temperature.In conclusion our study demonstrates that the ability to tune the physicochemical properties of mesoporous silica surfaces has the potential to promote the use of this material as a tool for the selective separation and concentration of the low molecular weight proteome from complex biological fluids. / text

Silica is one of the most abundant elements on the planet, has flexible bonding properties and generally excellent stability. Because of these properties, silica has been a vital component in technologies ranging from ancient glassware to modern supercomputers. Silica is able to form a wide range of materials both alone and as a component of larger material frameworks. Porous silica based nanomaterials are rapidly growing in importance because of their many applications in a wide variety of fields. This thesis focuses on the synthesis of silica based porous nanomaterials: nanocrystalline zeolites, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, and iron oxide core/shell nanocomposites. The synthetic conditions of these materials were varied in order to maximize efficiency, minimize environmental impact, and produce high quality material with far reaching potential applications. The materials were characterized by physicochemical techniques including Transmission Electron Microscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering, Powder X-Ray Diffraction, Solid State NMR, and Nitrogen Adsorption Isotherms. The materials were evaluated and conditions were controlled to produce high yields of quality nanomaterials and hypothesize methods for further synthetic control. The products will be used in studies involving nanoparticle toxicity, environmental remediation, and drug delivery.

Mesoporous silica crystals have a large variety of structures mainly due to the versatility of their structure template. The configuration and the chemical state of the templating micellar surfactants, together with the kinetic process of silica will determine the final outcome of the synthesis. Increasing the understanding of the complex formation processes involved will enable a possibilityto fine tune the material for specific uses, today focused into the fields of photoniccrystals, drug delivery, catalysis and separation technology. In this thesis emphasis is put on (1) increasing the understanding the formation mechanism yielding the different species of mesoporous silica crystals through an in depth study of quasicrystallinity (2) Characterization and description of the structural complexity through various characterization techniquesand also by studying the kinetic structural transformation phenomenon related to the minimal G- and D-surfaces. (3) The structural studies of the versatile surfactant liquid crystals for establishing a thermodynamically stable basis to evaluate the kinetic mesoporous silica growth processes. Furthermorethe thesis both enlightens the possibilities of and contributes to the developmentof electron microscopy characterization techniques. In these studies, electron microscopy is largely employed in the characterization to give a thorough picture of the mesoporous structures. This is combined with the sample preparation techniques cross-section polishing and ionslicing. Low voltage scanning electron microscopy is utilized for studying the surfaces and cross-sections of various materials at the limit of the resolution. Here, a deep understanding of the electron beam-material interaction is used for a better interpretation of the detected signals. Transmission electron microscopyis combined with electron crystallographic reconstruction to yield a three dimensional structural model. For determination of the quasicrystallinity level for a structure of dodecagonal tiling, revealed in the scope of this study,a phason strain analysis was made. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 7: Manuscript.</p>

This thesis describes the fabrication and characterization of an inorganic catalyst based glucose Biofuel cell using nanoporous (mesoporous) silica thin-film as a functional membrane. The desired use of nanoporous silica based biofuel cell is for a blood vessel implantable device. Blood vessel implantable Biofuel Cells (iBFCs) are subjected to higher glucose concentrations and blood flow rates. However, reduction in the implant thickness is critical for the intra-vascular implantable Biofuel cells. Platinum thin-film (thickness: 25 nm) deposited on Silicon substrate (500 [mu]m) served as the anode while Graphene pressed on Stainless steel mesh (175 [mu]m) was used as the cathode. Control experiments involved the use of surfactant-coated polypropylene membrane (50 [mu]m) and Activated Carbon (198 [mu]m) electrodes. Preliminary results show that nanoporous silica thin film (270 nm) is capable of replacing the conventional polymer based membranes with an increased power density output of as high as 10 [mu]W/cm2 under physiological conditions. in-vitro (5 [mu]W/cm2) and in-vivo (10 [mu]W/cm2) experiments demonstrate the potential of ultra-thin iBFCs towards powering future medical implants. / text

In recent years, magnesium and magnesium alloys have received much attention as a new biomaterial in orthopaedic applications due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and their mechanical properties that are similar to natural bone tissue. The most common problem associated with magnesium as a biomaterial is low corrosion resistance in physiological solutions. This decreases the mechanical integrity of the implants in the early stages of healing and has a negative impact on the overall biocompatibility. The main goal of this study was to create a multi-layered coating consisting of a silica sol-gel under-layer to protect the substrate from corrosion in body fluids and a mesoporous silica top-layer to enhance the bioactivity of the coated implant material. The results indicate that the deposited multi-layered coating enhances both the bioactivity and the corrosion resistance of the material.

This study investigated the conversion of monomeric lignin fragments into cyclohexanols for use as a source of lignin-derived monomers for renewable Nylon 6 production. Lignin-derived monomeric phenolic species was transformed to their cyclohexanol analogs via selective catalytic hydrogenation. A fixed-bed flow reactor was used to evaluate the selective hydrogenation of individual model phenolic species (guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol or diphenyl ether). The catalyst composition studied was Ni/SiO₂, which was previously shown to form cyclohexanol as an intermediate from phenol. A primary focus was on tuning the reaction conditions to form desired products, while avoiding the formation of bicyclic species which can be precursors to catalyst deactivation, or fully hydrogenated products of lower value. Reaction pathways of guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol and diphenyl ether were studied. Major products obtained from guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol and diphenyl ether reactions were 2-methoxycyclohexanone, 4-methylcyclohexanol and cyclohexanol, respectively. Spent catalyst was analyzed for extent of deactivation.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Química, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, 2016. / Submitted by Fernanda Percia França (fernandafranca@bce.unb.br) on 2016-06-02T17:57:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_MayaraResendeAlves.pdf: 2627878 bytes, checksum: 05fe8a5d8fcb2f4083f88cc64a2835a0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Raquel Viana(raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2016-07-21T15:49:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_MayaraResendeAlves.pdf: 2627878 bytes, checksum: 05fe8a5d8fcb2f4083f88cc64a2835a0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-21T15:49:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_MayaraResendeAlves.pdf: 2627878 bytes, checksum: 05fe8a5d8fcb2f4083f88cc64a2835a0 (MD5) / Heteropoliácidos (HPA) têm sido utilizados na forma protônica ou suportada, sendo esta forma preferível por adquirir propriedades melhoradas em aplicações catalíticas. Esse trabalho relata a preparação, caracterização e aplicação de sais de prata substituídos, derivados do H3PW12O40 (HPW) nas seguintes estequiometrias: AgxH3-xPW12O40, (sendo x= 1,0; 1,5; 2,0; 2,5 e 3,0). A atividade dos sais foi avaliada na reação de desidratação de etanol, a uma temperatura de 300 °C, tendo como objetivo a formação de etileno. Para a série de sais de prata testada foi observada que a conversão de etanol para o catalisador Ag2HPW foi a mais elevada. Diante deste comportamento excepcional do catalisador Ag2HPW, realizou-se um estudo da reação em diferentes temperaturas (200, 250, 300, 350 e 400 °C) obtendo-se conversões de 27,6; 50,2; 63,5; 69,9 e 77,1%, respectivamente. Por conseguinte, este sal foi escolhido para ser suportado em sílica mesoporosa do tipo SBA-15, com posterior avaliação na reação de desidratação. A estrutura do tipo Keggin da fase ativa foi mantida após a impregnação no suporte, enquanto a área específica aumentou de 5 para 576 m2g-1, após a deposição sobre o substrato mesoporoso. A conversão do catalisador suportado 20% Ag2HPW/SBA-15 foi testada nas temperaturas de 300 e 400 °C, apresentando uma conversão de 86 e 100% e seletividade para etileno de 88 e 100%, respectivamente. Esses resultados demonstraram que a conversão de etanol aumentou consideravelmente em comparação com a fase ativa pura do derivado de prata do HPW (i.e., Ag3PW). / Heteropolyacids (HPA) have been used in the protonic or supported form, which is preferential in order to acquire enhanced properties for catalytic applications. This work reports the preparation, characterization and application of substituted silver salts derivatives of H3PW12O40 (HPW) using the following stoichiometries: AgxH3-xPW12O40, (where x = 1.0; 1.5; 2.0; 2.5 and 3.0). The conversion of the salts was evaluated in the ethanol dehydration reaction, at a temperature of 300 °C, aiming the formation of ethylene. In the series of the synthesized silver salts, the conversion of ethanol by Ag2HPW catalyst was the highest. In view of this exceptional behavior of Ag2HPW catalyst, it was carried out a study of the same reaction at different temperatures (200, 250, 300, 350 e 400 °C), which showed conversions of 27.6, 50.2, 63.5, 69.9 and 77.1%, respectively. Therefore, this salt was chosen to be supported (20%) on the mesoporous silica type SBA-15 and evaluated their conversion. The active phase with the Keggin structure was maintained after impregnation on the support, while the specific area increased from 5 to 576 m2g-1 by deposition on the mesoporous substrate. The conversion of supported catalyst 20% Ag2HPW/SBA-15 was evaluated at temperatures of 300 to 400 °C, showing conversions of 86 and 100%, whereas the selectivity to ethylene were 88 and 100%, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that the conversion of ethanol greatly increased compared to the active phase of silver salt derivative of HPW (i.e., Ag3PW).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-03-06Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:53:37Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 saliba_lf_me_ilha.pdf: 2689127 bytes, checksum: 77157443fa70337c82aeb80e43ec516e (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A sílica mesoporosa do tipo MSU-4 foi sintetizada a partir do agente direcionador de estrutura Tween 20, utilizado como molde, e do precursor inorgânico tetraetilortosilicato (TEOS). Estruturas mesoporosas tem sido aplicadas em estudos luminescentes por apresentarem alto índice de organização, grande área superficial e distribuição regular de tamanho de poros. Nesse trabalho a sílica mesoporosa foi funcionalizada com 3-aminopropiltrietoxisilano (APTES) para aplicação luminescente. A sílica mesoporosa funcionalizada foi caracterizada por difração de raios-X a baixo ângulo (SAXS), espectroscopia no infravermelho (FT-IR) e adsorção e dessorção de nitrogênio (BET). O material luminescente foi preparado pela formação do complexo [Eu(tta)3] em meio metanólico e impregnado nos canais da sílica mesoporosa. Para a impregnação, o íon Eu3+ foi primeiramente encapsulado na sílica e posteriormente foi adicionado o ligante 2- tenoiltrifluoroacetona (tta). Esse procedimento foi realizado para as sílicas lavada, calcinada e funcionalizada. Uma amostra de sílica funcionalizada foi preparada com a impregnação do complexo já pronto. Todas as amostras foram caracterizadas por espectroscopia luminescente. O estudo espectroscópico foi realizado à temperatura ambiente e os espectros de excitação mostraram a absorção de energia pelo ligante tta na faixa do ultravioleta. Os espectros de emissão mostraram as transições características do íon Eu3+, dos estados de maior energia 5D0 para os de menor energia 7F0-4. Foi observado que a transferência de energia do ligante para o íon Eu3+ foi eficiente. A transição hipersensitiva 5D0→7F2 mostrou o efeito das diferentes superfícies da matriz de sílica. PALAVRAS CHAVE: Sílica mesoporosa, luminescência, európio. / MSU-4 type mesoporous sílica has been synthesized with polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) as structure-directing agent (MTS) as a template and tetraethyl orthosilicate Si(OEt)4 (TEOS) as silica source. The mesoporous structures have a wide application in the luminescence study because of their organization, large surface area, and size of pores. In this work, MSU-4 mesoporous silica was functionalized with 3-amino-propyl-triethoxysilane (APTES) for luminescence applications. Mesoporous silica and amino-functionalized silica was characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms at 77 K (BET). A luminescent material was prepared by formation of the complex Eu(tta)3 in methanolic medium within the channels of MSU-4 type ordered mesoporous silica. Using simple wet impregnation methods, the europium ion was first encapsulated followed by ligand 2-thenoyltrifluoracetonate (tta) addition. This process it was done for washed, calcined and functionalized mesoporous silica. Analogous one sample of functionalized silica was impregnated with the complex already ready. All samples were characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The spectroscopy studies in room temperature showed the energy absorption of the ligand range ultraviolet in excitation spectra. The emission spectra this materials displayed the typical Eu3+ intra-4f6 lines ascribed to transitions between the 5D0,1 excited states and the ground multiplet (7F0-4). Negligible emission from the organic part of the encapsulated species was observed, indicating that energy transfer from the ligands to the Eu3+ ion was quite efficient. The hypersensitive 5D0→7F2 line showed the mesoporous silica effect in luminescence europium chelate.